> >>You know sometimes when you are in a hurry and don't have time to
> >>read
> >>emails that friends and family send to you so you just close it and
> >>think
>>to yourself that you will read them later, but then you never get
> >>around
> >>to it? Read this email. Don't close. I don't care if you forward it
> >>on
> >>or
> >>delete it afterwards-just read it.
> >>It's about an essay written by a teenage boy called "The Room". I
> >>hate
> >>the
> >>thought of what my file room will look like. May you be as moved and
> >>blessed as I was when I read it. Thanks for
> >>letting me share it with you.
> >>--------------------------------------
----------------------------------
> >>
> >>THE ROOM
> >>17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for
> >>a
> >>class. The subject was what Heaven was like. "I wowed 'em," he later
> >>told
> >>his father, Bruce. "It's a killer. It's the bomb. It's the best thing
> >>I
> >>ever wrote.." It also was the last.
> >>
> >>Brian's parents had forgotten about the essay when a cousin found it
> >>while
> >>cleaning out the teenager's locker at Teary Valley High School Brian
> >>had
> >>
> >>been dead only hours, but his parents desperately wanted every
> >>piece of his life near them-notes from classmates and teachers, his
> >>homework.
> >>
> >>Only two months before, he had handwritten the essay about
> >>encountering
> >>Jesus in a file room full of cards detailing every moment of the
> >>teen's
> >>life.. But it was only after Brian's death that Beth and Bruce Moore
> >>realized that their son had described his view of heaven.
> >>
> >>"It makes such an impact that people want to share it. You feel like
> >>you
> >>
> >>are there." Mr. Moore said.
> >>Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after Memorial Day. He was
> >>driving
> >>home from a friend's house when his car went off Bulen-Pierce Road in
> >>Pickaway County
> >>and struck a utility pole. He emerged from the wreck unharmed but
> >>stepped
> >>on a downed power line and was electrocuted.
> >>
> >>The Moores framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung it among the
> >>family
> >>portraits in the living room. "I think God used him to make a point.
> >>I think we were meant to find it and make something out of it," Mrs.
> >>Moore
> >>said of the essay. She and her husband want to share their son's
> >>vision
> >>of
> >>life after death. "I'm happy for Brian. I know he's in heaven. I know
> >>I'll see him."
> >>
> >>Brian's Essay: The Room...
> >>
> >>In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the
> >>room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall
> >>covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in
> >>ibraries
> >>that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But
> >>these
> >>files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in
> >>either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the
> >>wall
> >>of
> >>files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I
> >>have
> >>liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly
> >>shut
> >>it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each
> >>one.
> >>And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was.
> >>
> >>This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system
> >>for
> >>my
> >>life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and
> >>small,
> >>in
> >>a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity,
> >>coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening
> >>files
> >>and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories;
> >>others
> >>a
> >>sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my
> >>shoulder
> >>to
> >>see if anyone was watching.
> >>
> >>A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I have
> >>betrayed."
> >>the titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird "Books I
> >>Have
> >>Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I have Given," "Jokes I Have
> >>Laughed
> >>at." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've
> >>yelled
> >>at
> >>my brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My
> >>Anger", "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I
> >>never
> >>ceased to be surprised by the contents.
> >>
> >>Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer
> >>than I
> >>hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived.
> >>Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of
> >>these
> >>thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this
> >>truth.
> >>
> >>Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with
> >>my signature.
> >>When I pulled out the file marked "TV Shows I have watched", I
> >>realized
> >>the files grew to contain their contents The cards were packed
> >>tightly,
> >>and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file.
> >>I
> >>shut it,
> >>shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time
> >>I
> >>knew that file represented.
> >>
> >>When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run
> >>through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to
> >>test
> >>its size and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content.
> >>
> >>I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost
> >>animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No one must
> >>ever
> >>see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy
> >>them!"
> >>In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I
> >>had
> >>to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began
> >>pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I
> >>became
> >>desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel
> >>when
> >>tried to tear
> >>it.
> >>
> >>Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot.
> >>Leaning
> >>my
> >>forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.
> >>And then I saw it.. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel
> >>With."
> >>The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I
> >>pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long
> >>fell
> >>into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.
> >>And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they
> >>hurt.
> >>They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees
> >>and
> >>cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all.
> >>The
> >>rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must
> >>ever,
> >>ever know of this room. I must lock it up and
> >>hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.
> >>No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched
> >>helplessly
> >>as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to
> >>watch
> >>His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His
> >>face,
> >>I saw a sorrow deeper than my own.
> >>He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to
> >>read
> >>every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room.
> >>He
> >>looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't
> >>anger
> >>me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry
> >>again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said
> >>so
> >>many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me.
> >>
> >>Then
> >>He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end
> >>of
> >>the
> >>room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over
> >>mine
> >>on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say
> >>was
> >>"No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on
> >>these
> >>cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive.
> >>The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently
> >>took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I
> >>don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so
> >>quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last
> >>file and walk back to my side.
> >>
> >>He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished." I stood up,
> >>and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were
> >>still cards to be written.
> >>
> >>
> >>"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."-Philippians
> >>4:13
> >>"For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever
> >>believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." If you feel
> >>the
> >>same way forward it so the love of Jesus will touch their lives also.
> >>My
> >>"People I shared the gospel with" file just got bigger, how
> >>about yours?