Angel Unaware Pt. 3

Angels? Pt. 3
Scripture: Hebrews 13:2: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”.

A duffel bag full of knives, sharp chisels and crude home made tools didn’t appear to be the kind of things people carry with them on the road. Could this guy be an escaped psycho-path or a chisel murderer or something. Frank told me he uses these tools to carve wood. Hmmm, so he reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a beautiful piece of pine that had been carved into two separate but interlocking hearts.

Frank told me that pine was a softer wood and easier to work with. I began to look more closely at Frank’s tools and each one seemed to have a character all of it’s on. One in particular caught my eye. It appeared to be a small, thin chisel, about 6 inches in length with a very sharp curved point. But the handle appeared to be made out of ebony with two quarter inch thick pieces of copper, wrapping itself around the top and bottom of the ebony anchoring it to the chisel. I thought, “simply beautiful”.

Frank pulled a few other carvings out of his bag, a spoon made out of maple, and an unfinished work made out of mahogany. Oh well, so much for my first chisel murderer sleeping under my roof. Everyone retired and all of us awaken early the next morning. While getting dressed I prayed a silent prayer and told that Lord that if Frank wanted to go to church with us this morning instead catching his next ride to Virginia, then let him initiate the conversation. Our early Sunday mornings were like Grand Central Station. Everyone fighting for the next chance to grace the bathroom, only to discover by the time it’s your turn we should have been on the road five minutes ago.

Hence, the mad dash to the car, seatbelts, and like a bat out of …, hmmm, like a dove descending on a june bug, we were on our way. : ) Frank simply observed the frantic pace of our household, and was very careful not to get in anyone’s way. As we neared the entrance ramp to the Western Ky Parkway, I told Frank he was in our prayers and to be careful as he traveled the highway. Frank said, “hey Rev., mind if I go to church with you this morning”. Smiling to myself, I said…”Great”! We arrived at church, customarily five minutes after the hour to start. Hurried in, jumped in my robe, the rest of the family headed for the choir loft, and Frank sat up front on the first row. All of our visitors filled out the visitor cards.

When it came time for the announcements, the church secretary, Mrs. Jones, read the visitor cards and all the visitors stood. When she got to Frank’s card, she hesitated, and instead of reading where the visitor was from and the remaining information, she simply said, “ It’s good to have Mr. Frank Baker with us this morning” and Frank stood up and smiled. At the close of service I asked Mrs. Jones why didn’t she read all the information on Frank’s card. Mrs. Jones handed me the card, and on the line where it asked for his address, he wrote, earth, and on the line where it asked for his home, he wrote, heaven.

I just chuckled and dismissed the whole thing as cool. After church we ate dinner with Robert and Jan Thompson family. Dinner was always great and all the children went outside to play afterwards. While watching the children playing from inside the house I told Frank my thoughts on the message our guest speaker preached during the morning worship. I told him I thought he could have emphasized certain points in his message more. And Frank said “Rev., you can only run, what cha brung”. I said, “huh”. Frank said yeah, he can only run what he brung. He can only preach or talk about what he knows. I said “Ohhh, I guess you’re right”. He said “nope, I’m not right, I’m Frank”.

I began to tell Frank about a member in my church that would always get mad at me and not speak to me, for no apparent reason. I told Frank I didn’t understand her. Frank told me “Rev., God didn’t call you to understand folk but to love folk. He said “heck, I don’t even understand myself most of the time, how can I honestly understand somebody else”. He said “I don’t know what folk have been through, and I don’t have to know or understand. I just have to love them”. I thought for a brief moment and said “ you know Frank, you’re right”. To which Frank replied, “I’m not right…I’m Frank”. We finished watching the children playing and as the evening drew to a close I told Frank he could spend another night in my home and I’ll be glad to take him back to the highway in the morning. Frank accepted and we all headed back to Madisonville.

It was late when we got home and everyone went to bed except for Frank and I. I sat down with Frank in the basement and he began to tell me a little about himself. He told me that when he is hitch hiking from one state to another he would often leave the road when he sees a church steeple from a distance to get some refreshment. But when he gets to the church he finds the doors locked and no one to offer any assistance. Frank said it reminds him so often of a story about Jesus and the fig tree. Frank said when Jesus and his disciples needed some refreshment after a long day, they saw a fig tree in the distance. When they got to the tree, there were no figs on the tree.

Frank said it’s the same thing when you see a church steeple from a distance, and you get there for some relief, some refreshment, and there are no people at the foot of the cross, no people around the church. Frank said I watched your children playing today while we were at the Thompson’s house. And as they played they were having so much fun. But when they started to keep score they started arguing and getting mad with one another. So long as they didn’t keep score they had fun, but the fun stopped after they started keeping score because…No one, wanted, to lose. Frank said, wouldn’t life be great if we didn’t keep score. I said “yeah, you’re right”. To which Frank replied, I’m not right, I’m” to which I interrupted him and said “yeah, I know, you’re Frank”. He just smiled.

But now looking back I believe Frank was trying to tell me that he did not want to receive credit for the tidbits of wisdom he was sharing with me, and when I told him he was right, I was giving him credit for something he didn’t want credit for. Frank was being humble. Frank showed me the correct way to hold a knife when carving, and to always cut away from my body. I took a few swipes and then retired to bed, but before I could say good night Frank looked at me and said “ The things you see are in disguise, Changing right before your eyes, and while you watch the ones you do, the ones you don’t, are watching you”. I stood there, thought about it, and in my thoughts I said…”you’re right’.

The next day I dropped Frank off where the Pennyrile Parkway and Western Ky. Parkway meet. I gave him a hug and thanked him for blessing my life. He just smiled and told me he was going to tell others about my vision for ministry. As I left him on the highway I felt as though I was leaving a brother behind. God had truly blessed my life with a kind soul. But it wasn’t till a month later, it was revealed to me, who Frank REALLY was…: ) Be Blessed