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WOW, talk about a word
picture..
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 3:18
PM
Subject: [Sndbox] Want a donut?
Want a Donut?
>
>There was a certain Professor of
Religion named Dr.
>Christianson, a studious man who taught at a
small
>college in the Western United States. Dr.
Christianson
>taught the required survey course in Christianity
at
>this particular institution. Every student was
>required to
take this course his or her freshman year
>regardless of his or her
major. Although Dr.
>Christianson tried hard to communicate the
essence of
>the gospel in his class, he found that most of
his
>students looked upon the course as nothing but
>required
drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most
>students refused to take
Christianity seriously. This
>year, Dr. Christianson had a special
student named
>Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was
studying
>with the intent of going onto seminary for
the
>ministry.
>
>Steve was popular, he was well liked,
and he was an
>imposing physical specimen. He was now the
starting
>center on the school football team, and was the
best
>student in the professor's class. One day,
Dr.
>Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he
>could
talk with him.
>
>"How many push-ups can you do?" Steve said, "I
do
>about 200 every night." "200? That's pretty good,
>Steve,"
Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could
>do 300?" Steve
replied, "I don't know... I've never
>done 300 at a time." "Do you
think you could?" again
>asked Dr. Christianson. "Well, I can try,"
said Steve.
>"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class
project
>in mind and I need you to do about 300 push ups
in
>sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need
>you to
tell me you can do it," said the professor.
>
>Steve said,
"Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do
>it."
>
>Dr.
Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on
>Friday. Let me
explain what I have in mind." Friday
>came and Steve got to class
early and sat in the front
>of the room. When class started, the
professor pulled
>out a big box of donuts. Now these weren't the
normal
>kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG
kind,
>with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone
was
>pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the
>day,
and they were going to get an early start on the
>weekend with a party
in Dr. Christianson's class.
>
>Dr. Christianson went to the
first girl in the first
>row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have
one of
>these donuts?" Cynthia said, "Yes."
>
>Dr.
Christianson then turned to Steve and asked,
>"Steve, would you do ten
push-ups so that Cynthia can
>have a donut?"
>
>Steve
said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to
>do a quick ten. Then
Steve again sat in his desk. Dr.
>Christianson put a donut on
Cynthia's desk.
>
>Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next
person,
>and asked, "Joe, do you want a donut?" Joe
said,
>"Yes."
>
>Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you
do ten
>push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did
ten
>push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the
>first
aisle, Steve did ten push ups for every person
>before they got their
donut. And down the second
>aisle, till Dr. Christianson came to
Scott. Scott was
>on the basketball team, and in as good condition
as
>Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for
>female
companionship.
>
>When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a
donut?"
>Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own push
ups?"
>
>Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do
them."
>
>Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one
then."
>
>Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve
and
>asked, "Steve, would you do ten push ups so Scott can
>have
a donut he doesn't want?"
>
>With perfect obedience Steve
started to do ten push
>ups.
>
>Scott said, "HEY! I said I
didn't want one!"
>
>Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my
classroom, my
>class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just
leave
>it on the desk if you don't want it."
>
>And he put
a donut on Scott's desk. Now by this time,
>Steve had begun to slow
down a little. He just stayed
>on the floor between sets because it
took too much
>effort to be getting up and down. You could start
to
>see a little perspiration coming out around his
brow.
>
>Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now
the
>students were beginning to get a little angry.
>
>Dr.
Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a
>donut?" Sternly,
Jenny said, "No."
>
>Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve,
would you
>do ten more push ups so Jenny can have a donut
that
>she doesn't want?" Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.
>By
now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room.
>The students were
beginning to say "No" and there were
>all these uneaten donuts on the
desks. Steve also had
>to really put forth a lot of extra effort to
get these
>push ups done for each donut. There began to be
a
>small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his
>arms
and brow were beginning to get red because of the
>physical effort
involved.
>
>Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most
vocal
>unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push
>up
to make sure he did the full ten push ups in a set
>because he
couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work
>for all of those uneaten
donuts. He sent Robert over
>to where Steve was so Robert could count
the set and
>watch Steve closely. Dr. Christianson started down
the
>fourth row.
>
>During his class, however, some
students from other
>classes had wandered in and sat down on the
steps
>along the radiators that ran down the sides of the
>room.
When the professor realized this, he did a quick
>count and saw that
now there were 34 students in the
>room. He started to worry if Steve
would be able to
>make it. Dr. Christianson went on to the next
person
>and the next and the next. Near the end of that
row,
>Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a
>lot
more time to complete each set. Steve asked Dr.
>Christianson, "Do I
have to make my nose touch on each
>one?"
>
>Dr.
Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're
>your push ups. You
are in charge now. You can do them
>any way that you want." And Dr.
Christianson went on.
>
>A few moments later, Jason, a recent
transfer student,
>came to the room and was about to come in when all
the
>students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in!
Stay
>out!" Jason didn't know what was going on.
>
>Steve
picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."
>
>Professor
Christianson said, "You realize that if
>Jason comes in you will have
to do ten push ups for
>him?"
>
>Steve said, "Yes, let him
come in. Give him a donut."
>
>Dr. Christianson said, "Okay,
Steve, I'll let you get
>Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do
you want a
>donut?" Jason, new to the room hardly knew what
was
>going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a
donut."
>
>"Steve, will you do ten push ups so that Jason
can
>have a donut?" Steve did ten push ups very slowly and
>with
great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a
>donut and sat
down.
>
>Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row then
started
>on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's
arms
>were now shaking with each push up in a struggle to
>lift
him against the force of gravity. Sweat was
>profusely dropping off of
his face and, by this time,
>there was no sound except his heavy
breathing. There
>was not a dry eye in the room.
>
>The
very last two students in the room were two young
>women, both
cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr.
>Christianson went to Linda, the
second to last, and
>asked, "Linda, do you want a
doughnut?"
>
>Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank
you."
>
>Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve,
would
>you do ten push ups so that Linda can have a donut
she
>doesn't want?"
>
>Grunting from the effort, Steve did
ten very slow push
>ups for Linda.
>
>Then Dr.
Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan.
>"Susan, do you want a
donut?"
>
>Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to
cry.
>"Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"
>
>Dr.
Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No,
>Steve has to do it
alone, I have given him this task
>and he is in charge of seeing that
everyone has an
>opportunity for a donut whether they want it or
not.
>When I decided to have a party this last day of class,
>I
looked at my grade book. Steve, here is the only
>student with a
perfect grade. Everyone else has failed
>a test, skipped class, or
offered me inferior work.
>Steve told me that in football practice,
when a player
>messes up he must do push ups. I told Steve that
none
>of you could come to my party unless he paid the price
>by
doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for
your
>sakes.
>
>Steve, would you do ten push ups so Susan
can have a
>donut?" As Steve very slowly finished his last
push
>up, with the understanding that he had accomplished
>all
that was required of him, having done 350 push
>ups, his arms buckled
beneath him and he fell to the
>floor.
>
>Dr. Christianson
turned to the room and said. "And so
>it was, that our Saviour, Jesus
Christ, on the cross,
>pled to the Father, 'into thy hands I commend
my
>spirit.' With the understanding that He had done
>everything
that was required of Him, he yielded up His
>life. And like some of
those in this room, many of us
>leave the gift on the desk,
uneaten."
>
>Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to
a
>seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.
>"Well
done, good and faithful servant," said the
>professor, adding "Not all
sermons are preached in
>words."
>
>Turning to his class
the professor said, "My wish is
>that you might understand and fully
comprehend all the
>riches of grace and mercy that have been given to
you
>through the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus
>Christ, who spared not the only Begotten Son, but
gave
>Him up for us all for the whole Church, now
and
>forever.
Charles
Mims
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