^{THANK   YOU   FOR   THE
BLESSING !}
 
 
 
 

I got a letter from a woman in College and she was writing
to ask me if she could use some of my Christian Short Stories
for her College Research Paper Project.  I didn't know her 
and we'd never met or spoken before she wrote to me.  But I
found out that she is a Born-again Christian and loves the
Lord very much.  I told her I wouldn't mind one bit if she used
my writings.
 

After she completed her project and term paper, which she 
turned in to her College Professor, she sent me this copy of her
'final results', as you'll see below.   
I  thought it would be nice to put it here on my
website, as a way to say  'Thank You' to her.   Hope you enjoy it. 
I sure got a blessing from it.

 Thank you so much Deon, from the bottom of my heart.

love, your friend and sister in Christ always,
Tammy
 
 

Inspirational  Short  Stories
 By:
 Tammy Boatman-Young
 
 
 

Tammy  Boatman-Young is a wife, mother and Author.   She
specializes in inspirational short stories and poems.   She endeavors
to help others with some of life's problems through Literature.   Her
work allows the reader to see events through the teachings of Jesus
Christ.  Her stories and poems offer hope and encouragement.  Love
is a contant theme in her writings.   These are just some of the things
that attracted me to this Author.   After reading several other writers,
Tammy's work inspired me the most.   Her simple, down-to-earth,
spiritual approach to situations easily enables the reader to relate, or
at the least become sensitive to problems of others.
 

The first selection  I  chose from Tammy's large volume of work
is entitled   'A Lesson And A Blessin''.   This is a short story about
church people and first impressions.   For me, it was a very easy
story to read and understand, and it left me with a very strong moral
message.   The story is about a visitor who came to church one
Sunday morning.   The visitor was a bit tattered and worn.  He
looked like he was  "poor"  and he sat in the back of the church on
the very last pew.
 

The Sunday Service proceeded as usual except that the Pastor
was no longer there.   One of the Deacons was a stand-in and
Preached that morning.   Nothing else was out of the ordinary.  The
church had altar call.   No one went up.   Some members were
snoring even though the service was short and sweet.   After service
was over, no one bothered to greet the visitor or shake his hand.
 

The congregation had been told that a new Pastor would be
arriving in two weeks.  Two weeks passed and everyone was anxious
to meet the new Pastor.  That Sunday morning, the new Pastor entered
the pulpit and everyone was surprised because it was the visitor who
was there two weeks earlier.  The Pastor was dressed nice and neat in
a suit and tie.  He preached the service and prayed.   After all the
formalities of the service were over, the Pastor spoke to his flock.  He
informed them that he was the visitor who came to the church.  They
did not welcome him, shake his hand, or say  "thank you for coming."
He reprimanded them, saying that that was not the way to represent
the Good Lord.   He let them know that other churches had become
stagnant and eventually died due to inconsiderate congregants.

The congregation was ashamed of their bahavior and purposed
in their hearts to change.   They did change and the church grew in
membership and in size.
 

This story is important because it allowed me to take a look at
how I see others and how I treat others.   This short story challenges
you to examine yourself and see if you are truly representing the Lord
and His kindness.   I  chose this story because it ministered to me in a
positive way, and the message is something that will help me
throughout my life.
 

My second selection is entitled The Christmas ‘Present’.   This
story is about a sixth grader and the message and lesson she gave to
her teacher and principal.   A common practice even today in classrooms
is exchanging presents during the Christmas holidays.  This sixth grade
class agreed to do this and withdrew names out of a bag the week before
the Christmas party.
 

On the day of the party, the teacher was conducting class as usual.
The teacher asked the class a question; several students raised their
hands, and were called on.   But the teacher observed this one student
who appeared to be sleeping.  The teacher approached the student and
stood by her desk and began tapping her foot furiously on the floor.  The
other students began to snicker and to giggle.   Suddenly, the student
raised her head up and said aloud  “In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.”  The
class laughed even harder after hearing this.  The teacher was angry and
scolded the student for praying in class.  Other students loudly expressed
their disgust at the student’s praying in class.   The teacher told the
student she had no choice but to take the student to the principal’s
office for breaking  “public school rules”.
 

The student just sat quietly as the teacher and the principal
bombarded her with charges of breaking school policy.  Finally, the
teacher asked her why she was praying.   The student said she was
sorry for breaking the school’s policy.
 

The student said she had drawn the teacher’s name to get a
Christmas present for.   The student’s family did not have much
money so the student could not afford to buy the teacher a present.
After giving it much thought, the sixth grader decided that she would
give the teacher a different kind of present, a very special present.  She
explained she was giving the teacher a “Prayer”.   She prayed that God
would bless her teacher and keep her safe everyday while teaching her
class.   After listening to the sixth grader, both the principal and the
teacher were ashamed and apologized to the student.
 

This poignant little story tugs at your heartstrings.   A child can
teach others, especially adults so much.   This story was significant
to me because it allowed me to examine what  I  treasure most.  Is
it material things, or do I appreciate something immaterial, more
valuable and fulfilling?    I  enjoyed reading this story very much and
chose it for the tall message in such a short story.
 

My third and final selection is entitled
'You  Forgot  Your  Bible,  Son.'

This story centers on a young man and the decisions he
makes.   Brian is eighteen and just out of high school.  He was raised
in a Christian home with Christian values.  His parents were anxious
to find out what Christian college he would be attending.   Brian had
not made up his mind yet.  Meanwhile,  Brian started to associate with
a bad group of new friends.   After about a  month, Brian informed
his parents that he was moving out of their home.   He wanted his own
apartment.   He also informed them that college would have to wait.
 He wanted to  have some fun first.   His parents were disappointed.
 

Two months passed and his parents had not heard from Brian.  He
began missing church services and stopping by to say hello.  His
father called to check on his son.  Brian told him he was ok and that
he had a job in a record shop.  His father invited him to attend church
with them the following Sunday, and he did.   When the service ended,
Brian rushed out of the church and in his haste, left his bible behind.
His father picked it up and took it home with him.
 

Brian called his father and told him that he was going to stop by.
 He had something to tell him.  But Brian did not show up.   So the
father went to Brian’s apartment.  He could tell something was wrong
and that his son was not happy.  Brian told his father that he was
going to move away.   He was  going to travel around the world in
a van with his friends.   His father saw that Brian was hurting and he
asked his son if he could pray with him, but  Brian said, “no.”  Before
his father left, he told Brian that he had left his Bible behind at
church.  He returned the Bible to his son with a bookmark in it
at the Book of Psalms.   He asked Brian to read the verses he had
marked.   Brian’s father was very sad and he began to pray and
cry for his son.
 

Brian read the passages his father had marked.  Brian had Christ
in his heart, but somehow had fallen out of fellowship with the
Lord.   After reading the passages, he became convicted about his
new lifestyle and fell on his knees and rededicated his life to Christ.
 He realized his new friends did not love the Lord.   He realized that
he missed his family, his church, and his God.
 

The next day, Brian went over to his parents’ home.   He had
his Bible with him.  His parents were very happy to see him.  When
they saw him with his Bible, they knew he was back.  Brian moved
back home and chose a Christian college to attend.  Brian eventually
became an Evangelist, and one of his favorite sermons is
“You Forgot Your Bible, Son”.
 

It is very important for me as a Christian to know and to understand
that I serve a God who is quick to forgive.  This short story shows
that no matter how far you think you have fallen down and away
from God’s favor, it is not far enough that the Lord will not pick
you up.
 

All three of these short stories are similar because they offer hope
and help.   They are stories that are fictional, but the scenarios
are based in reality.   These events, (1) disconcerting church people,
(2) quick to judge and condemn adults, and  (3) lost souls are people
that cross our paths all the time.
 

The only difference among these three short stories is their
characters, but the common factor is that God is love.   I  choose
this Author and three of her short stories because she and  I  both
inspire to  “reach lost souls for Christ and to encourage and
give inspiration to other Believers.”

Written by: Deon 
 

Here  are  my  'Christian  Short  Stories'  on  my  site:
http://www.tammyboatmanyoung.com/
CHRISTIAN_SHORT_STORIES.html