Why Bother?
Stories
56 Stories For Preaching
Pete Richards was a lonely and bitter man. His life had
started out in such a promising way. Despite his growing up in a
poor family in New York City, Pete Richards was a shining star on
the basketball court. God had given him a gift that Pete used to
get a full scholarship to a big eastern university. While in
college, Pete Richards not only made his team a winner, but he
established himself as a fine student with a very promising
career ahead of him in business.
And then came Viet Nam. Because Pete had been in the ROTC in
college, he graduated with a Second Lieutenant's commission, and
after just six months of additional training, Pete found himself
in the jungles of Viet Nam responsible for a rifle company. One
night while on patrol, Pete Richards' dreams were suddenly
shattered by a land mine. Miraculously, he survived, but it meant
the loss of both legs, and nearly 18 months in a veteran's
hospital.
For Pete Richards, there would be no more basketball, no
promising career on Wall Street, and as far as he could see, no
more life worth living. He became withdrawn from even his family
and friends, and it was clear that each day, the bitterness in
his soul was taking his life.
Too proud to take the assistance offered to him by his family,
Pete became one of the hundreds of faceless men on the streets of
New York asking passersby for a handout. He had found a great
spot just outside the steps leading into St. Thomas' Episcopal
Church on Fifth Avenue. After all, he reasoned, those rich
churchgoers owe me something for my time in Viet Nam.
It was on a day when Pete was feeling particularly sorry for
himself, that a young man about Pete's age stopped by his
wheelchair, and said, "Hi! Mind if I sit down by you for a
while?" "It's a free country," said Pete, "suit yourself." The
stranger introduced himself as Dan Ferris, and Pete was startled
when he took out a thermos of coffee and some deli sandwiches,
and offered them to the hapless man in the wheelchair. At first,
Pete refused the kindness, but he was really hungry, and the food
mellowed him so that he and Dan began to talk. Pete actually
enjoyed their conversation about growing up in the City, their
experiences in college, and the nightmare they shared in Viet
Nam.
The next day, Dan was back with more sandwiches and coffee.
Slowly, he began to gain Pete's confidence, and their meeting by
the steps of the church became a daily ritual. One day, Dan told
Pete about a friend of his who was starting a course to train
people to use computers. He asked if Pete would be interested. At
first, Pete's old bitterness and resentment put up a wall of
resistance, but Dan's loving insistence finally won out. The next
day, Dan came to Pete's single room, helped him get shaved and
dressed, and they set off for the computer school.
Pete Richards turned out to be a computer genius, and today he
lives a fruitful and productive life. No matter where he goes,
Pete never tires of telling anyone who will listen about a man he
met on Fifth Avenue whose love gave him back his life.
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started out in such a promising way. Despite his growing up in a
poor family in New York City, Pete Richards was a shining star on
the basketball court. God had given him a gift that Pete used to
get a full scholarship to a big eastern university. While in
college, Pete Richards not only made his team a winner, but he
established himself as a fine student with a very promising
career ahead of him in business.
And then came Viet Nam. Because Pete had been in the ROTC in
college, he graduated with a Second Lieutenant's commission, and
after just six months of additional training, Pete found himself
in the jungles of Viet Nam responsible for a rifle company. One
night while on patrol, Pete Richards' dreams were suddenly
shattered by a land mine. Miraculously, he survived, but it meant
the loss of both legs, and nearly 18 months in a veteran's
hospital.
For Pete Richards, there would be no more basketball, no
promising career on Wall Street, and as far as he could see, no
more life worth living. He became withdrawn from even his family
and friends, and it was clear that each day, the bitterness in
his soul was taking his life.
Too proud to take the assistance offered to him by his family,
Pete became one of the hundreds of faceless men on the streets of
New York asking passersby for a handout. He had found a great
spot just outside the steps leading into St. Thomas' Episcopal
Church on Fifth Avenue. After all, he reasoned, those rich
churchgoers owe me something for my time in Viet Nam.
It was on a day when Pete was feeling particularly sorry for
himself, that a young man about Pete's age stopped by his
wheelchair, and said, "Hi! Mind if I sit down by you for a
while?" "It's a free country," said Pete, "suit yourself." The
stranger introduced himself as Dan Ferris, and Pete was startled
when he took out a thermos of coffee and some deli sandwiches,
and offered them to the hapless man in the wheelchair. At first,
Pete refused the kindness, but he was really hungry, and the food
mellowed him so that he and Dan began to talk. Pete actually
enjoyed their conversation about growing up in the City, their
experiences in college, and the nightmare they shared in Viet
Nam.
The next day, Dan was back with more sandwiches and coffee.
Slowly, he began to gain Pete's confidence, and their meeting by
the steps of the church became a daily ritual. One day, Dan told
Pete about a friend of his who was starting a course to train
people to use computers. He asked if Pete would be interested. At
first, Pete's old bitterness and resentment put up a wall of
resistance, but Dan's loving insistence finally won out. The next
day, Dan came to Pete's single room, helped him get shaved and
dressed, and they set off for the computer school.
Pete Richards turned out to be a computer genius, and today he
lives a fruitful and productive life. No matter where he goes,
Pete never tires of telling anyone who will listen about a man he
met on Fifth Avenue whose love gave him back his life.
112
