Earl Williams—Barren Soul

One morning as the preacher got up to present his sermon, he noticed a long, red-haired and red-bearded man slip in and sit down. The visitor looked enraptured by the message presented that morning. But as soon as the preacher ended his message, the man slipped away and vanished just as he had appeared.

At the conclusion of the service, the pastor asked, “Did you see that long, red-haired man?” “What red-haired man?” Questioned the deacon. “He was sitting right there,” responded the pastor.

But no one had seen him. The next weekend the same thing occurred. As soon as the preacher got up to deliver the sermon, in slid the red-haired man. This time the deacons saw him.

The pastor noticed again that the man had an intense interest in the spoken Word. He seemed glued to every word. Once more, no sooner had the sermon ended than the man disappeared. This time the pastor sensed in the young man someone desperately hungry for the Word.

“Please bring him back again,” prayed the pastor. The next weekend the pastor began his homily. The man appeared and took his seat. Unbeknownst to the visitor, the pastor had prepared a special message in the event that the man would return.

So at the right moment, the pastor slipped in the specially prepared sermon. At the conclusion of the sermon, the pastor made a special appeal. Gripped with conviction, the man rose to his feet and made his way to the front weeping. After the church service, the pastor invited the troubled man to meet with him in private.

“Tell me about yourself. Where are you from, and what do you do?” With tears still running down his face he confessed, “I grew up as a Christian. I was married as a young man and had two children with my wife.

But I became restless. I got interested in a rock group, and before I knew it, I became bored and disenchanted with the church.

I abandoned my wife and children for another woman and abandoned everything I knew that was decent.” “Then I got into drugs and drinking.

At first it was exciting. Then I began to get bored with life.

From one woman to another, from club to club, I wandered. I began to feel a miserable void; nothing seemed to satisfy me anymore. Then in one of my empty, lonely moments, I thought of my vagrant soul.

I wished there was something that could satisfy it. Then I thought of church.

If only I could hear something that could water my soul, I mused. I came with the hope that I could hear something to fill my soul, but I had no plans to come back.

Oh, I have been so barren—so empty.”