The Stranger in the Thrift Store

An elderly gentleman called our office the other day. He was full of enthusiasm and was talking a mile a minute. What he wanted to share was that he was a regular visitor of the local thrift store in his town. He goes there once a week to check out the clothes and the books. Just a while ago, he had come across a book entitled, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. Intrigued, he bought it for $3 and went home to read it. He could not put it down.

He was amazed by what the book explained. Over the phone, he explained that he had been a Christian for over 30 years and he had never come across such a clear explanation of the Gospel. He marvelled at how the Old Testament stories tied in with the work of Jesus Christ. As a person of Jewish background, he said he had also never seen such a clear presentation of how the Tabernacle and all its furniture components foreshadowed the work of Jesus on the cross. He even jokingly mentioned that the detailed genealogy chart in the book made it worth more than the $3 he paid for it!

This gentleman was so impressed, he felt he had to call in and tell us what he thought and he proceeded to order two more copies of the book, one in English and one in French for a family member. A short while later, he called not once, but twice more to order more resources. He said he had seven brothers and four sisters and he wanted them all to read the book! His plan was to lend each of them in turn his copy of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus. He would give them one week and call to check if they were enjoying the book. If they were, he would then give them their very own copy.

What an amazing story from a casual visit to a thrift store.

 

Photo Credit: Hans Dinkelberg on Flickr