Charlie Shedd excerpt: "I'm Odd, Thank You God"

Excerpt from

I'm Odd, Thank You God

AN ODD BEGINNING

We are at a gorgeous Marriott Hotel in Atlanta.
     It's an awesome new hotel, forty stories high. And oh what a dining room.
     Here we are, and on my right is Heidi, our editor. Plus Gary too, an author and the new young president of a reputable school of psychology.
     We have ordered an elegant meal ... and here it comes, gourmet at its best. So let's have the blessing. But there stands the waiter, watching us join hands for prayer.
     What would you do? You'd do just what we're doing. Well ... maybe.
I say, "Would you like to join us for the prayer?"'
      "Yes, I would," he answers.
     But now an unusual happening. As he joins our circle something nudges me to ask, Would you like to say the blessing for us?"
     Surprisingly he responds," Yes, I would." And he prays a beautiful prayer.
     Then he's gone.
     Heidi, to Charlie: "Do you do that often?"
     "No."
     "Have you ever done it before?"
     "No."
     "Well, it certainly was odd Charlie. Very odd."
     Now turning to Gary, she says.
     "You're the president of a school of psychology. Any chance you could help our Charlie?"
     After a hearty laugh, Gary says:
    "Help? Of course we like to think we can help anyone. But isn't it all right to be odd, Heidi? Jesus was certainly odd, wasn't he?" Then smiling his familiar smile, he says, "That's enough theology. Let's eat."
     So with great gusto we eat and then off to bed. Yet somehow a clear voice in my heart keeps whispering, "Yes. It's very all right to be odd for God."

* * *

     The end of our young waiter's story?
     Oh no. The next morning when we go for breakfast, here he comes. Big tray in hand for some other customers, but as he moves toward us he stops.
     "Sir" he says, "I want to thank you for asking me to pray last night. When I got home I told my wife what happened, and we both cried. You see, we've strayed away from the Lord. A long way."
     "So right there we made a vow. We promised God that next Sunday we'll take our two little boys to Sunday School. And we've decided we're going back to church ourselves. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
     Then before any of us could dry our tears, the waiter was gone. And that was the day I'M ODD, THANK YOU GOD was born. Thank you, Lord, for these words from your book:

It is given unto us to know
the mysteries
of the
Kingdom of God.
(Matthew 13-11)

DEFINING ODD

Before we go further, it seems important that we ponder this word "odd."
Generally, being odd is considered a negative. But, to the contrary, if you go to my dictionary you'll find this definition: "Odd carries the meaning:extraordinary' or 'rare'." It also defines odd as: "markedly different from the usual."'
We do know, don't we, that Jesus was markedly different from the religious people of his day. But what does that mean for us in our day? Turn now to the Bible and here is our answer:

Let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 2:5)

AM I LEARNING (MORE AND MORE) THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER?

Now for an odd, odd story with a beautiful memory. It happened when I was heading for a funeral. Yes, I was driving at night. Why? Because I had agreed to "fill in" for my special friend, David. He had been called away to his home because his mother was near death.
     "Please, Charlie, could you come and take my place in a funeral service?"
     Who is David? He's pastor of a large church, and this is his plea: "Do you think you could drive to Iowa and preach for me tomorrow? Please Charlie! You have your own assistant on your staff, don't you? Please. I need you very, very much. I really need you."
     Quickly I said, "Yes, I'll be there, David. You know I have an excellent assistant. And sure, it's a long way from Indiana to Iowa. But friends like us? Of course, I'll be there."'
     So here I am on the road. Heavy traffic, yes but, "Thank you Lord", our night is super beautiful!
     And it's midnight now and I'm hungry. Oh, hurrah, I see a billboard praising the attractive restaurant up ahead. Once more, "Thank you, Lord. How great Thou art!"
     But, oh no! When I get there there's a sign on the restaurant door, "AFTER MIDNIGHT WE SERVE TRUCKERS ONLY".
     Who hath disappointment? Me!
     But, oh do I love these unusual happenings! just as I am about to leave, here comes a jolly looking young truck driver.
    "Hi, Pop," he calls to me as he closes the door of his gigantic truck. And now he puts out his hand, "Name's Butch. What's yours?" Of course, I give him my name. I point to the sign and explain my hunger. "Oh that's no problem, Pop," he says. "They always let us drivers in with our friends and relatives. Come on, we'll be friends and sit together at the counter."' So off we go.
     Good food? Yes, extra good, plus what a remarkable newfound chum!
     Quite naturally he asks, "What are you doing out here so late tonight, Pop? What's your line?"
     "My line is preaching, Butch, and I'm going to a church in Iowa for a funeral."
     "I go to church, too, Pop. Whenever I can."
     Oh, what a night. If I hadn't been there I wouldn't believe what I am about to say. Yet it did happen exactly as I tell you!
     When I told my new friend that I was on my way to preach in Iowa, what do you suppose? Up from his counter seat he jumped and shouted to the other truck drivers: "Hey, you guys. We got a preacher here. This is Sunday, so we should stand up and bow our heads. The Reverend is going to pray for us right now."
     I wish you could have seen how the men reacted. Every one of them stood up reverently. All twelve of them, hands folded, heads down.
     So I prayed. Then one by one the truckers came to thank me. And some of them even asked for special prayers. Then we all went back to dinner.
     What an evening. What an event. Odd, yes very odd. But you can believe that night was one very holy moment for me.
     Thank you Lord! How great Thou art!
     And isn't this a credo for us all:

Anytime, any day,
anywhere,
we can talk to you, Lord.

SOMETIMES YOU MUST GET OUT TO GET IN

I thought I was number one, and I wanted everybody to know it. Well, why not? Here I was, just a freshman, and playing first string football. Yes, I had forgotten it was only because of my size.
     Of course all this seemed outstanding to a coun try boy like me. And no one up to now had called my attention to the good qualities of humility. So alas, I had made a fool of myself with the team; with my classmates; at home; and everywhere.
     So one morning Doctor Smiley (our school superintendent) called me in for a conference.
     "Sit down 'Smartie! " he began. "I mean right over there in the corner. Yes, sit there where you can't possibly get away from me.
     "You're not going to like this, but your time has come. You are absolutely unbearable. The teachers and too many students are turning thoroughly negative toward you.
     "I want you to go to your locker. Get every thing out of it and scat! I mean you're not welcome here any more. You are destroying the original Charlie."
     He went on, This is my advice. Go home and visit those beautiful woods behind your house. The first day, lie down under the trees and ask yourself, 'Did I create these trees and the wild flowers here? Or did the Lord Himself create them? Stay there all day and think, think, think.
     "Then the next day go down to the river and take a long walk on the shore. And as you watch the water flowing, this time ask yourself, 'What part did I have in making nature so beautiful?
     "Finally, for a farewell, when you're done with the first two days, you come back here and give me a report."
     So now, was I listening to what he was saying? You better believe it!
     "You must learn something all important. Yes, Charlie, something for you to never forget. When you think you're so ultra self-made, you've lost it. God is the Lord of life, not you. And when you can confess that, when you can put aside your self-image as 'number one', you'll be healthy again. Then we'll welcome you back."
     All these thoughts came pouring out of my superintendent. Plus thoughts even more pensive came from the Lord Himself. They came to me over the next two days as I lay among those beautiful trees. And also as I walked beside God's beautiful river.
     I found there was only one solution. So I said to myself: "Charlie, you must go back to school, confess your foolishness, and ask forgiveness."
    So that's what I did.
     And as I walked back to school I prayed: "Oh Lord, now I see the truth. Thank you for making this clear to me. Thank you for my wise school siuperintendent too. From now on I will live by this Bible verse a Sunday school teacher once taught me: Create in me a clean heart 0 God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 5l:10).
     For a high school freshman, that was some kind of major re-adjustment. And I prayed,

Dear Lord,
keep me forever readjusting
to your way.