Mike’s Faith and Religion Blog

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut
and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have
a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various
subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the
barber said: “I don’t believe that God exists.”"Why do you say that?” asked the customer.

“Well, you just have to go out in the street to
realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be
so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed,
there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can’t imagine a loving God
who would allow all of these things.”The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument.

The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after
he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy,
dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: “You know what? Barbers do not exist.”

“How can you say that?” asked the surprised barber. “I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!”

“No!” the customer exclaimed. “Barbers don’t exist because if they did,
there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards,
like that man outside.”

“Ah, but barbers DO exist! ” answered the barber. “What happens, is,people do not come to me.”

“Exactly!”- affirmed the customer. “That’s the point! God, too, DOES
exist! What happens, is, people don’t go to Him and do not look for
Him. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”

A little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was “too crowded.”"I can’t go to Sunday School,” she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason
and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her
in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found
room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children
who have no place to worship Jesus.Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement
buildings. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had
befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse
was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.

Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish
handwriting, which read: “This is to help build the little church
bigger so more children can go to Sunday School.” For two years she
had saved for this offering of love.

When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he
would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red purse to the pulpit,
he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged
his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there…

A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a
wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many
thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered
to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide.
Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to
$250,000.00–a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century).
Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist
Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit Temple
University, where thousands of students are educated.

Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School
building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no
child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday
school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the
sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved,
made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her
kind pastor, Dr. Russel H. Conwell, author of the book, “Acres of
Diamonds”.

This is a true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH 57 CENTS.