John 3:16

Someone sent the following to my oldest daughter, Hannah, in the form of a chain e-letter. She sent it on to me. It is a warm-hearted prestentation, and i decided to share it here:
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JOHN 3:16

> > In the city of Chicago, one cold, dark night, a
> > blizzard was setting in. A
> > little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the
> > people were in and out
> > of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he
> > wasn't trying to sell many
> > papers.
> >
> > He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you
> > wouldn't happen to know
> > where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep
> > tonight would you? You
> > see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and
> > down the alley and it's
> > awful cold in there for tonight. Sure would be nice
> > to have a warm place to
> > stay,"
> >
> > The policeman looked down at the little boy and
> > said, "you go down the
> > street to that big white house and you knock on the
> > door. When they come out
> > the door you just say John 3:16, and they will let
> > you in."
> >
> > So he did. He walked up the steps and knocked on the
> > door, and a lady
> > answered. He looked up and said, "John 3:16." The
> > lady said, "Come on in,
> > Son." She took him in and she sat him down in a
> > split bottom rocker in front
> > of a great big old fireplace, and she went off. The
> > boy sat there for a
> > while and thought to himself: John 3:16....I don't
> > understand it, but it
> > sure makes a cold boy warm.
> >
> > Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?"
> > He said, "Well, just a
> > little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I
> > guess I could stand a
> > little bit of food," The lady took him in the
> > kitchen and sat him down to a
> > table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until
> > he couldn't eat any more.
> > Then he thought to himself: John 3:16... Boy, I sure
> > don't understand it but
> > it sure makes a hungry boy full.
> >
> > She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge
> > bathtub filled with warm
> > water, and he sat there and soaked for a while. As
> > he soaked, he thought to
> > himself: John 3:16... I sure don't understand it,
> > but it sure makes a dirty
> > boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real
> > bath, in my whole life. The
> > only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of
> > that big old fire hydrant
> > as they flushed it out.
> >
> > The lady came in and got him. She took him to a
> > room, tucked him into a big
> > old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his
> > neck, kissed him goodnight
> > and turned out the lights. As he lay in the darkness
> > and looked out the
> > window at the snow coming down on that cold night,
> > he thought to himself:
> > John 3:16... I don't understand it but it sure makes
> > a tired boy rested.
> >
> > The next morning the lady came back up and took him
> > down again to that same
> > big table full of food. After he ate, she took him
> > back to that same big old
> > split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and
> > picked up a big old Bible.
> > She sat down in front of him and looked into his
> > young face.
> >
> > "Do you understand John 3:16?" she asked gently.
> >
> > He replied, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I
> > ever heard it was last
> > night when the policeman told me to use it," She
> > opened the Bible to John
> > 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus. Right
> > there, in front of that
> > big old fireplace, he gave his heart and life to
> > Jesus. He sat there and
> > thought: John 3:16. .. .. I don't understand it, but
> > it sure makes a lost
> > boy feel safe.
> >
> > You know, I have to confess I don't understand it
> > either, how God was
> > willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus
> > would agree to do such
> > a thing. I don't understand the agony of the Father
> > and every angel in
> > heaven as they watched Jesus suffer and die. I don't
> > understand the intense
> > love for ME that kept Jesus on the cross till the
> > end. I don't understand
> > it, but it sure does make life worth living.
> >
> > John 3:16
> > For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
> > begotten Son, that
> > whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
> > have everlasting life.
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...the text was followed by some typical chain letter instructions about forwarding it to others and praying, but
i hope & expect that everyone on this BB will know what to do with the gospel...

God bless,
al