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B. Tennessee Williams Tells A Story Of Someone ... PRO
Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2001 (message contributor)
B. Tennessee Williams tells a story of someone who forgot- the story of Jacob Brodzky, a shy Russian Jew whose father owned a bookstore. The older Brodzky wanted his son to go to college. The boy, on the other hand, desired nothing but to marry Lila, his childhood sweetheart- a French girl who was very ambitious and outgoing as he was laid back and contemplative. A couple of months after young Brodzky went to college, his father fell ill and died. The son returned home, buried his father, and married Lila. Then the couple moved into the apartment above the bookstore, and Brodzky took over its management. The life of books fit him perfectly, but it cramped her. She wanted more adventure- and she found it, she thought, when she met an agent who praised her beautiful singing voice and enticed her to tour Europe with a vaudeville company. Brodzky was devastated. At their parting, he reached into his pocket and handed her the key to the front door of the bookstore. "You had better keep this," he told her, "because you will want it some day. Your love is not that much less than mine that you can get away from it. You will come back sometime, and I will be waiting." She kissed him and left. To escape the pain he felt, Brodzky withdrew deep into his bookstore and took to reading as someone else might have taken to drink. He spoke little, did little, and could most times be found at the large desk near the rear of the shop, immersed in his books while he waited for his love to return. Nearly 15 years after they parted, at Christmastime, she did return. But when Brodzky rose from the reading desk, he took the love of his life as an ordinary customer. "Do you want a book?" he asked. That he didn’t recognize her startled her. But she gained possession of herself and replied, "I want a book, but I’ve forgotten the name of it." Then she told him a story of childhood sweethearts. A story of a newly married couple who lived in an apartment above a bookstore. A story of a young, ambitious wife who left to seek a career, which enjoyed great success but could never relinquish the key, her husband gave her when they parted. She told him the story she thought would bring him to himself. But his face showed no recognition. Gradually she realized that he had lost touch with his heart’s desire, that he no longer knew...
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The Story Is Told Of A Man Who Once Went To ...
Contributed by Gene Gregory on Jul 19, 2004
The story is told of a man who once went to Alexander the Great and asked for some financial help. Alexander told the man to go to his treasurer and ask for whatever he needed. A little later, the treasurer went to Alexander and told him he was hesitant to give the man what he asked for because ...read more
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Bill Broadhurst Was A Great Runner And He Entered ... PRO
Contributed by Steve Malone on Jan 26, 2005
Bill Broadhurst was a great runner and he entered a 10k race in Omahu, a race that Bill Rodgers would win in less than 30 minutes. Bill Broadhurst had a handicap, he was paralyzed on his entire left side from an aneurism early in life. But he still loved to run and for him to be in the same race ...read more
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The Covenant Of Faithfulness PRO
Contributed by Dan Cormie on Oct 25, 2002
THE COVENANT OF FAITHFULNESS In modern times we define a host of relations by contracts. These are usually for goods or services and for hard cash. The contract, formal or informal, helps to specify failure in these relationships. The Lord did not establish a contract with Israel or with ...read more
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The Old Man And The Gulls PRO
Contributed by Dan Cormie on Oct 25, 2002
THE OLD MAN AND THE GULLS It is gratitude that prompted an old man to visit an old broken pier on the eastern seacoast of Florida. Every Friday night, until his death in 1973, he would return, walking slowly and slightly stooped with a large bucket of shrimp. The sea gulls would flock to this ...read more
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Paul Told Timothy To Do The Work Of An ...
Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Nov 1, 2004
Paul told Timothy to do the work of an evangelist. That was not his gift. He had the pastoral gifts of shepherding, teaching, and administration, but he still had to work outside his comfort zone. He may not have been called to be an evangelist or especially empowered for that type of ...read more
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