Last night my flight was delayed. It had been a long day for everyone and now the plane was late. We wouldn't be getting into Cleveland until nearly midnight. No one was very happy. I was seated in the back of the plane so I had the opportunity to watch people as they settled in for the flight. The flight attendant had been asking people to use the space under their seats to store smaller items since the plane was sold out and every space in the overhead was going to be premium. I watched as a family of orthodox Jews boarded. The father wore the tassels around his waste and looked as much like a rabbi as anyone I had seen in a while. It is interesting to watch how people respond to orthodox Jews. I had met a fascinating Christian on my weekend who had decided to spend a whole year living as much like Jesus as he could. That meant he was going to eat kosher, not shave his beard, observe the Sabbath, and even walk instead of riding in a car. He was going to live like Jesus for a year, read the Gospels every week and then write a book on it. Any way, I was watching the orthodox Jew and thinking of my new friend and how people would be responding to him. There was a teenage boy in the seat right in front of me with a big backpack he had obediently tried to push under his seat. He had no room for his legs so he finally stood up to try to find a place in the overhead. The Jewish father was standing in his seat talking with his family that was spread out over a couple of rows. There was a space above his head that was empty. The teenager looked at the father and then asked very politely if the man needed that space or if he might be able to use it for his backpack. The Jewish man smiled and said,"Sure". And then he added," Thanks for asking". The Jewish mom said,"Not many people ask anymore. That was nice". The whole thing made me smile. The teenager had been kind and courteous. The little act of kindness did not go unnoticed. I was thinking of my friend who was going to spend a year living like Jesus. He would be looking like the Jewish man and acting like the teenager. It will be an amazing year I think. Oh, and by the way, my friend used to be a pastor of a church of about 6000 people. He has been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). This year could very well be the last one he spends before he meets Jesus. Sometimes God is so poignant in the way he orchestrates life it takes my breath away.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
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Greetings Joe Coffey, just read the story of your airline flight and the orthodox Jewish family,back in the late 80s and early 90s, in lived in a Jewish nieghborhood most were refored Jews, there was a family across the steet from our house they were reformed Jews, they had a son who when he reached his teen years started to hang with some of his friends in the area, one night they got hold of some beers and started to drinking, this went on for a few weaks util he over did it and became very sick,this was enough for him, he became very religious and changed from the reformed to orthodox Jew, one evEning his father called me to come over and needed me to get some thing out of the refrigerator also to turn off a light as they were not permited to do any form of work on the sabbath, what impressed me was how the family supported the son. they were a wonderful nieghbor and family. j. moore
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