'FATHER'

When the minister arrived, he found the man
lying in bed
with his head propped up on two pillows.
An empty chair sat beside his bed.
The minister assumed that the old fellow had
> been
informed of his visit.

"I guess you were expecting me, he said."
"No, who are you?" said the father.
The minister told him his name
and then remarked,
"I saw the empty chair and I figured
> you knew I was going to show up,"
"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man.
"Would you mind closing the door?"
Puzzled, the minister shut the door.
"I have never told anyone this, not even my
daughter,"
said the man. "But all of my life I have never
known how to pray.
At church I used to hear the pastor talk about
prayer,
but it went right over my head."
I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old
man continued,
"until one day four years ago, my best friend
said to me,
"Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of
having a conversation with
Jesus.
Here is what I suggest." "Sit down in a chair;
place an empty chair in
front of
you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair.

It's not spooky because he promised, 'I will
be with you always'.
"Then
just speak to him in the same way you're doing
with me right now."
"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that
I do it a couple of
hours
> >>every day.
> >> >I'm careful though If my daughter saw me
> talking to an empty chair,
> >> >she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send
> me off to the funny
> >> farm."
> >> >
> >> >The minister was deeply moved by the story and
> encouraged the old man
> >> to
> >>continue on the journey.
> >> >Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil,
> and returned to the
> >>church.
> >> >
> >> >Two nights later the daughter called to tell
> the minister that her
> >> daddy
> >>had died that afternoon.
> >> >Did he die in peace?" he asked. Yes, when I
> left the house about two
> >>o'clock, he called me over to his
> >> > bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on
> the cheek.
> >> >
> >> >When I got back from the store an hour later, I
> found him dead. But
> >>there was something strange about his death.
> Apparently, just before
> >>Daddy
> >>died, he leaned over and rested his head on the
> chair beside the bed.