The SPARROW at STARBUCKS

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 3rd 2010
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Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?
And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered Do not fear therefore;
you are of more value than many sparrows.
(Mat 10:29-31)

The SPARROW at STARBUCKS


The song that silenced even the cappuccino machine....

It was chilly in Oxford but warm inside the Starbucks shop.
Early November weather in Oxford which is a college town holds only the slightest hint
of the bitter chill of late December and January,
but it's enough to send the masses crowding indoors to vie for
available space and warmth.

For a musician, it's the most lucrative Starbucks location in the world, I'm told,
and consequently, the tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right.
Apparently, we were striking all the right chords
that day, because our basket was almost overflowing.

It was a fun, low-pressure gig - I was playing keyboard
And was singing backup for my friend who also added rhythm
with an arsenal of percussion instruments.
We mostly did pop songs from the '50s
to the '80s with a few original tunes thrown in.

During our emotional rendition of the classic,
"If You Don't Know Me by Now,"
I noticed a young Blonde lady sitting
in one of the lounge chairs across from me.
She was swaying to the beat and singing along.
After the tune was over, she approached me.
"I apologize for singing along on that song.
Did it bother you?" she asked.

"No," I
replied. "We love it when the audience joins in.
Would you like to sing up front on the next selection?"
To my delight, she accepted my invitation.
"You choose," I said. "What are you in
the mood to sing?" "Well. .... Do you know any
hymns?" Hymns?
This woman didn't know who she was dealing with.
I cut my teeth on hymns all my young days at church.
I gave our guest singer a knowing look.
"Name one."

"Oh, I don't know. There are so many good
ones. You pick one." "Okay," I replied. "How
about
'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?"

My new friend was silent, her eyes averted.
Then she fixed her eyes on mine again and said,
"Yeah. Let's do that one."

She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse,
straightened her jacket and faced the center of the shop.
With my two-bar setup, she began to sing, "Why should I be
discouraged? Why should the shadows come?"

The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed.
Even the gurgling noises of the

cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped
what they were doing to listen.
The song rose to its conclusion.
"I sing because I'm happy; I sing because I'm free.
For His eye is on the Sparrow And I know He watches me."

When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed
to a deafening roar that would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall.
Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din,
"Oh, y'all go back to your coffee!
I didn't come in here to do a concert! I just came in
here to get something' to drink, just like you!"
But the ovation continued..

I embraced my new friend.
"You, my dear, have made my whole year! That was beautiful!"

"Well, it's funny that you picked that particular hymn," she said.
"Why is that?"
"Well . .." she hesitated again, "that was my friend Lillian’s favorite song."
"Really!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," she said, and then grabbed my hands.
By this time, the applause had subsided and it was business as usual..
"She was 87. I took care of her for 8 years. She had no family and was like a mother to me.
“ She died from Alzheimer’s and old age last week."
Before she took her last breathe she said Connie “My Eyes Are On The Sparrow”
I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned silence.
"Are you going to be okay?"

She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my hands.
"I'm gonna be okay.
I've just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing his songs,
and everything's gonna be just fine."
She picked up her bag, gave me her card, which later I found out
she was a preacher with an internet church site Called Faith It Out!

Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in
that particular coffee shop on that particular November day?
Coincidence that this wonderful lady just happened
to walk into that particular shop?
Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from,
I just happened to pick the very hymn
that was the favorite of her precious friend,
who had died just the week before?
I refuse to believe it.

God has been arranging encounters in
human history since the beginning of time,
and it's no stretch for me to imagine that he could reach
into a coffee shop in Oxford and turn an ordinary gig into a revival.
It was a great reminder that if we keep trusting him
and singing his songs, everything's gonna be okay.
Because
'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?"


May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
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