Observations from behind the counter

This is a post that began on Tuesday night!

Tuesday nights are supposed to be slow. But not tonight.


Pay day used to be Friday. Today people get paid on Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Maybe as late as Thursday. Friday seems to be the day the fewest get paid. Except for me. Most of my co-workers get paid Wednesday night or Thursday morning. I don’t get my money until Friday. How unlike me to belong to a bank that is out of step with the majority!


I really dislike being called “boss” or “boss man.” And I get called that all the time.


There is a common parting expression, “Have a good day.” I like it. But I don’t care for the shortened version, “Have a good one.” And I really don’t like, “Have a goot one.”


I was talking to ‘Lt. Dan’ (I’ve met some important people while working here!) when a man came in and asked me, “Do you have a rest room?”
I answered, “Yes, we do.”
The man looked a little confused and didn’t move. I said, “Oh, you want to know where it is. I thought it was a test. Second door on the left.”
When he headed off to the rest room I said to Daniel, “Sometimes I mess with people.”
He said, “And you enjoy it, too!”
“Yeah, I do.” ☺


A little while later the same man returned. His entrance dragged me from the cooler. When he saw me he asked, “Have you seen a young woman with blond hair and blue eyes wearing a black T-shirt?”
“No.”
He explained, “We took her to the ER because she fell down the stairs and busted her lip – she was drunk. We left and when we went back to the ER they said they had discharged her and that she had gone looking for us. We must’ve spent the last 45 minutes driving around the hospital parking lot looking for her, but can’t find her.”
I’m thinking, “You left her at the ER???” but I said, “If you can’t find her in the parking lot you might want to start driving up and down Ebenezer and Herlong (the streets by the hospital) looking for her.”
“Oh OK. If you see her, tell her that her brother and boy friend are looking for her.”
I’m thinking they were as drunk as she was…


A friend that I met while working here came by tonight. I have not seen or talked to him in a long time. His greeting to me was, “Has the Lord not delivered you from this h___ hole yet?” Greetings to you, too, brother! ☺


Wednesday night was not quite as busy, but not slow. This whole week has been busy. Then came Thursday night.


Thursday night was ridiculously busy. Like a Friday and Saturday night combined. I had to come in early and I was going strong until about 3:30. Then I hit the wall. But, I did have a couple of wonderful encounters.


A young man came in who I hadn’t seen in a long time. “Man, I haven’t seen you in a long time. Where ya been?”
He replied, “You want the truth or do you want me to lie to you?”
“I want the truth.” So he told me a sad tale of drugs and homelessness and rehab.
(A side note. I just talk to folks. When I was pastoring the Lord told me to love the people: ask about them, their lives and cares etc., just love on them. That’s what I do as a clerk. I just love on people by asking them about their lives and cares etc. And a lot of folks respond to that. They tell me stuff about their lives. And they come back like this young man, just to tell me things.)
But then he told me that he had come out of this and that God had done this for him. Amen! We talked a while longer and i tried to encourage him in a variety of ways and as we parted I spoke a blessing over him. And he responded, “May God shower you with the blood of Jesus.” Amen!!


A little while later another young man came in. A few nights ago I asked how he was and he told me a story of a struggle he was having (told you, man, when you love on people, they tell you stuff). Seems he loves two women and was trying to decide on one. We talked about it (imagine that, me a relationship counselor!) and I mentioned pleasing God as a motive. He said, “Yeah, that’s what I want to do! I was saved about four weeks ago…” I counseled him some more and he left. He came by tonight and told me, “I made a decision but you’re not going to believe what I decided.”
“What?”
“I chose God.”
Amen! God is good.



C.T. Studd said, “Some wish to stay within the sound of church or chapel bell. I'd rather run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” I’m no C.T. Studd and I don’t actually run a rescue shop, but I do try to bring the love and light of Christ to my corner of this “h___ hole”.