It seems like the time before Biblical Times ago, but it was only about 30 years. . .

I was the Associate Minister First Christian Church, in Washington, PA, a 1,5oo member church with an average attendance of 350 folks each Sunday.  My chief job was being the Youth Minister and Pastor of Visitation.

I had three big youth groups, two of which met every Sunday and a pre-junior high group that met every Wednesday afternoon.

I was a busy man.

At the end of the School year I made sure that we celebrated the graduating Seniors of the group and took them out to dinner. . .

But. . .not just any kind of Dinner

The group was always around 15-20 kids and this is where it would get interesting.

We loaded into cars and drove to one of the fanciest restaurants in town and, mind you, we were dressed in our bests to represent that special evening.  The young ladies had on their best dresses and the gentleman, suits and sport coats.

We all peeled out of cars and vans and walked into the Restaurant with everyone talking about what they were going to order.

I had one of the most popular guys go to the Maitre D and tell them that we were there and were ready to be seated.

The look on their faces is still one I’ve never forgotten as they stood there, shocked, when the Maitre D and then the Manager came over to tell them that there were no such reservations that had been made.

Ooops, My Mistake. . .

We all piled back into the car and repeated that same scene at two other very nice restaurants in town and now the natives were not only embarrassed but a little perturbed, to say the least.

As were piling into our cars after the 4th incident, one of the kids said something about this whole evening being

b   o   g   u   s

and we’d be better off just going to McDonald’s.    .    .    .

And wouldn’t you know. . .

that is exactly where our cars went. . .right into the parking lot of our local McDonald’s

Reluctantly, these hungry kids got out of the cars and walked into the McDonald’s and saw what they had never. . .ever seen in any McDonald’s before. . . and never. . .

WILL  EVER,  NEVER  SEE  AGAIN !

There was a string quartet from the local W & J College playing classical music

There was four tuxedo’ed Maitre D’s

There was linen table clothes

There was Candlelight

There was Sparkling Grape Juice in really nice Sparkling Wine Glasses

There was a McDonald’s Buffet of everything they made in plenty

There was Memories that were being made that none of their minds would ever forget

. . .or. . .or mine.

I’ve always had a personal, fervent belief that it wasn’t ever so much to tell, hear, show, taste, smell a message so much as to actually  E  X  P  E  R  I  E  N  C  E    O N E !

So. . .when was the last time?

When was the last time that you actually  Experienced  a Message?

Uhhhhh. . .when was the last time you actually gave such an Experience?

I’ve found that the absolute best thing, without a doubt,  about such Experiences:

Is Giving. . .Having

The very next one

unexpectedly. . .

o f t e n.