"He Was a Saint!"

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"Giving the right answer at the right time makes everyone happy." (Proverbs 15:23, CEV).

There were two notorious and wicked brothers who terrorized a small town in the Midwest. When one of the brothers died it became the other’s responsibility to make funeral arrangements. However, he could find no pastor in the county who would agree to officiate at the funeral.

It wasn’t because they lacked compassion; it was because of the unusual request made by the surviving brother. He wanted the pastor to say of the deceased, “He was a saint.” Of course, no pastor would agree to do such a dishonest thing.

In desperation, the brother offered $1,000 to any pastor who would say the words during the funeral, and one pastor agreed to do so. He was a prominent pastor of a prestigious church, and the entire community was shocked when they heard of his decision.

When the day of the funeral came, everybody showed up-- not because they cared anything for the dead guy, but they wanted to see if the pastor would really compromise himself for a mere thousand dollars.

When the moment arrived, the pastor delivered the epithet without a stutter, “We all know that Charlie here was a wicked man. He was twisted, foul, perverse and full of the devil. But compared to his brother …. he was a saint!"

Never underestimate a preacher's ability to find a way to say it right -- especially when money is on the line!
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