The Coffee Shop and/or "No Regrets There"

                I walked into a “Buck’s Above the Stars” coffee shop in Heaven, and ordered a free espresso, and turned around to a table with one empty chair.  Sitting there already were Augustine, Martin Luther, and Mother Teresa.  They smiled and beckon’d me, welcomingly, to join them!  What an opportunity?!

                I sheepishly sat down and just quietly listened to their conversation, smiling and nodding nervously.  But, they soon asked my name as they kindly introduced themselves.  They asked, “… where you from?” “… when you from ?!”  “…tell us about yourself!” “oh yeah, welcome!”

                I timidly and reluctantly began telling them about going to Sunday school and church as a child, later Bible college, “…preached, for a while…”  “me too!” piped up Luther.  “Well, yeah, duh.  I read your biography, bought your sermon collection.  And, I saw the movie…”  Then I stopped, feeling a bit awkward and disrespectful.  “I got out of full-time pulpit work after about a decade…”  Then, I just ducked my head and sat there. 

Augustine broke the silence with a quip that it is amazing to have made it, “only by His grace and mercy.”  Luther added his great appreciation for Paul’s words in Romans.  And Teresa mentioned her gratitude for “slipping in.”  I objected, “…but, you people are some of God’s Greats, the Savior’s Superstars…” (Luther chuckled at my alliteration.)  “…but, I feel  like a two-talent man who gave him back, at best, one more…” I mumbled.  “in my time, we sang, ‘…I gave my life for thee; what hast thou given for me…’ and I feel like I wasted so many opportunities and advantages.  But, look at all you folks did…”  Teresa interrupted and groaned something about a “black night of the soul.”  (I am not sure what she meant.)

                And, wouldn’t you know it – eavesdropping, at the next table over was Paul!  He said, “Jerry, you know what I wrote in Ephesians 2, ‘…by grace through faith…’; and, I am glad that God spared me having everybody know what my ‘thorn in the flesh’ was!!  But, they might have understood Romans 7 better?!”  “relax, God gave the increase; we were all nothing!”  Then he nodded at John Newton who stood and led the whole room in “Amazing Grace…”

                Across the room, someone was smiling at me.  He just closed his eyes and rolled back his head enjoying the song.