Back when I was in college, I took a class on “Christian Missions”. Early on in the semester we were assigned a big paper. We were to each pick a famous Christian missionary from the past (i.e. dead) and do a lot of research on them. There were at least20 people in the class and no two people were going to be allowed to research the same missionary. So the prof told us to pick 2-3 missionaries each, just in case, then at the next class we would announce who we were going to research.
When the time came, he started at the back of the room and asked the student sitting in the far right corner who they were going to research, then went down the row. About the 2nd or 3rd student polled said they wanted to research Patrick of Ireland. The prof said “okay”. The very next person down the row said something like, “I was going to choose Patrick, but I guess I’ll go with … “ And down the row it went. Some of them said something like, “I was going to choose Patrick, can I have a minute to pick a 2nd choice?” And through the class it went, with—I’m not kidding—at least half the class saying they were going to pick Patrick but now had to go with or find a 2ndchoice.
Down to the front row and a girl—whose name I don’t remember—who was far-and-away the smartest person in the class, at least academically. Not just straight A’s, but 100s on everything. It came to her and she asked, “Has anyone chosen Patrick,yet?” Very, very smart, but she hadn’t been listening.
Sunday morning at 10:30.
(Sunday School this week at 9 a.m. We'll be in the 2nd and 3rd chapter of Acts.)
