WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM: In the Middle of the Hustle and Bustle

     It happened my senior year at Appalachian State University in the crowded hallway just outside of one of the classrooms in Chapell Wilson Hall. As several students hustled and bustled their way to get to their next educational challenge, I paused as I caught a glance of the school newspaper that had rested itself on one of the benches in the hallway. My face was pictured in the sports section for something or another I had done in a recent baseball game and I wanted to check my quotes in the story to assure their accuracy. In the article, the sportswriter had noted that I had given the Lord the credit for my performance.
     At the same moment I read that sentence, my theater professor happened by and stopped for a moment for whatever reason. I didn't know him very well (there were over 200 students in the class he had taught me a few years earlier) but we recognized each other enough to exchange pleasantries. What happened next has had a profound impact on me ever since then. I'll come back to that in a bit.
     I think one of the worst things that can happen among Christians is when one of them requests prayer and then they don't get prayed for. We who have been asked to pray end up making promises in such circumstances, but quite often we forget later during our prayer time to pray for the person who has trusted us to lift them up to the Almighty.
     Imagine that person thanking us later for praying for them and the answers we must choose from when responding:
Response 1: I'm sorry, actually I didn't remember to pray for you.
Response 2: I'm sorry, you're really not important enough for me to take time during my prayers to lift you up.
Response 3: (Avoiding the awkwardness of admitting we didn't remember)- I hope it all worked out well for you.
Response 4: You're welcomed.
     None of these responses bode very well for us and our commitment to prayer (or honesty).
     The Bible reminds us in Ephesians 6:18 to pray always and 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says we should pray without ceasing. Psalm 116:2 declares "As long as I have breath I will pray". In Daniel 6:10, Daniel must have had plenty of breath because he decided to pray right there in front of everybody where all could see and unlike the Pharisees of later times, he did it not to draw attention to himself, but to unashamedly honor his Lord.
     So what did Dr. Pilkington do that day that made such a lasting impact on me? Well, it went something like this: After seeing my picture and reading the quotes, suddenly and without warning he put his arm around my shoulder and right there in front of dozens of Sociology, History, and Theater undergrads, he launched into prayer. Out loud. Without asking my permission. Without promising me he would pray for me when he conducted his quiet time later that night at home.
     Perhaps it was slightly awkward, uncomfortable, strange, weird, and bizarre. But above all those things, it was truly inspirational and wonderful. This man of God prayed for me on the spot. Right then, right there. Smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle. And I shall never forget it. As long as I have breath.

(Dr. Pilkington later moved away from North Carolina and took his faith in God and his talents to Hollywood for a time before returning to the North Carolina mountains. He has appeared in several movies, including the Christianity based movie WAR ROOM in 2015).