“I believe every Christian should hang on a cross for at least thirty seconds.
Their lives will never be the same.”

Actor Bruce Marshiano, who portrayed Jesus in the Matthew video
series. Christian Reader, Vol. 34.

Many years ago there was a medical missionary in Africa named George Harley. He built a small clinic and a chapel next to it. Very quickly the natives started coming to the hospital but for some reason they refused to go to the church. For the better part of four years the only people who entered that chapel were Dr. and Mrs. Harley and their young son.

One day, though, Harley’s son fell off a ledge and hit his head on a sharp rock. The missionary ran to the youngster’s side, but he could not save the boy’s life. A casket was made for the lad from old shipping crates and a memorial service planned. Only the two missionaries attended, and not a word was spoken. Dr. Harley recounted, “I could not speak, I could not pray, so finally I just picked up the casket and put it on my shoulder and started to carry it out to the place where he would be buried. As we walked along the road, a man came alongside and asked, ‘Great Father, what do you have in that box?’ I replied, ‘It’s my son. He died last night.’ Then the man took one end of the casket and I took the other, and we carried it to the grave side where I broke down completely and began to cry, ‘Why, God, why?’

Then man looked at me and then ran back to the village with the announcement, shouting it from house to house, ‘The Great Father cries, just like us. The Great Father cries just like us.’ Then they came running from all directions and put their arms around us, and tried to comfort us. And from that time on, every time we had a service in the chapel, those who were not in the clinic were in the chapel. And that’s how we finally got through. But oh, the cost.”

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–Paul W. Powell, “How to Start a Church Fire”