Let's be like Bryan Anderson

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help.  So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out.  His old Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.  Even with the smile on his face, she was worried.  No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so.  Was he going to hurt her?  He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the rain and the cold.  He knew how she felt.  It was those chills which only fear can put in you.

He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's dry and warm?  By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.'

Well, all she had was a flat tire.  So Bryan went about fixing the flat, and crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles in the darkness and getting wet from the rainy pavement.  Soon he was able to change the tire.  But he had to get dirty and his hands were hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him.  She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through on her way home for the holiday.  She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk.  The lady asked how much she owed him.  (Any amount would have been all right with her.  She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.)  

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan Anderson added, 'And think of me.'

Bryan waited until she started her car and drove off.  It had been a troubling few months, but he felt good as he headed for home.

Bryan never thought twice about being paid.  This was not a job to him.  This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past.  He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way…even though, being out of a job….he surely could have used the money.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe.  She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home.  It was a dingy looking restaurant.  Outside were two old gas pumps.  The whole scene was unfamiliar to her.  The waitress came over and brought a clean, dry towel to wipe her wet hair.  The waitress had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase.  The lady noticed the waitress was pregnant, still the waitress never let the strain and aches change her attitude.  The lady from St. Louis wondered how the waitress could be so observing and helpful by giving her a clean towel for her wet hair.  Then she remembered Bryan ...…

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill.  The waitress quickly went to get change.  By the time the waitress returned, the patron was gone.  The waitress wondered where the lady could be.  Then she noticed something written on the napkin at her table...

There were tears in her eyes as she read what the lady wrote: 'You don't owe me any change.  I can see you work hard for your baby.  Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you.  If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you, keep giving to others as you did by attending to me.'

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through this day.  Late that night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written.  How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it?  With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard….

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, 'Everything's going to be all right.  I love you, Bryan Anderson.'

There is an old saying, 'What goes around comes around.'  Sometimes your good acts are not answered in a day…still...God works in mysterious ways as He puts people in our lives for a reason.

Wouldn't a great resolution be…"Be like Bryan Anderson…every day."

That Lois Dillard-Kinman sees, let her hear your voice of prayer...

January 9, 2012 UPDATE:

A few weeks back I requested prayer for my mother, Lois Dillard-Kinman. We the prayers are working perfectly!

She has the test results back and the good news is there was no stroke or brain tumors.  However, there is a small tumor in her neck. The doctor says it is slow growing, but must be removed. It is most likely cancer and she is going to see a specialist here in St Louis within the next few weeks. More good news is that there are no swollen glands or lipoids around the area which might mean it is contained and has not spread yet.

I will keep you up to date.

Richard W Dillard

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A few weeks Back...below....
Rick:

Last month my mother noticed that one of her pupils were larger than the other. She called her doctor and he ran a brain scan for an brain aneurysm. The test came back negative. But he recommended she see a specialist because she may have had a small stroke.

I spoke with my mother this morning and the specialist is going to be running some tests but thinks it may be one of 2 things. Either a small stroke or cancer!

She does not have a date yet, but they are going to do a CAT scan first to check for a stroke. Then we will go from there.

A little about my mom, Lois Dillard-Kinman. She is a wonderful Christian woman that has served our Lord well through her 72 years. About 28 years ago my dad died in an automobile accident and she re-married about 22 years ago or so to a Christian man. I call her an angel on earth because of the way she is. She lives by the scriptures and has raised us boys that way. Did you know that I have never heard my mother say a bad word about another person? Cool huh? However, she will point out if the path is not leading to the Lord. She spends her life trying to lead people to the Lord.

She raised us that we are only Christian (no denomination), but that we are not the only Christians. Are family has some wonderful Catholic, Mormon, Lutheran and Baptist friends which we love dearly, as I do you and your family. Over the last few years of getting to know you by visiting, through your emails and prayer group, I have come to love you as my Christian brother.

Anyway, I digress, lol

She knows the scripture backwards and forewords. She is one of those people you can ask “what does the Bible say about________? “ And she will give you several places that reference your question. Also, she will tell you that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, God in human form;  

that the virgin-born Son of God died for our sins, was buried, rose from the dead and is coming again. She will say He is both fully God and fully man.

Philippians 2:5-7

John 14:9

John 8:58

John 1:1, 14

Colossians 2:9

She will tell you the Bible is the inspired Word of God, the written record of His supernatural revelation of Himself to man, absolute in its authority, complete in its revelation, final in its content and without any error in its teaching.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

2 Peter 1:20-21

If want more background, just let me know. If you want me to keep you informed of her journey, I would consider it an honor.

Can you please add her to the prayer group prayers?

With Christian love,

Richard W Dillard