# A funny thing happened today.



## reaganmarsh (Jul 16, 2013)

I am the sole staff member at our church (no secretary or anything). Therefore unless I have a meeting or an appointment, I'm pretty much alone all day while in my Study. 

I got back from lunch today and decided to go into the prayer room for some afternoon intercession. Our prayer room has an outside door and no keyed lock, so that people may use it freely. It does have a sliding lock on the inside so that you may pray in safety. It is located immediately next to my Study. 

I went to open the door and couldn't. That happens when folks are in there, so I called out "Sorry!" and figured I'd come back a little later. But then it struck me: there are no other cars on campus except mine. "What's going on?," I thought to myself. 

We've previously had break-ins where people spent the night in the offices or the sanctuary. So I figured this was a homeless person who had locked themselves in for a spot to sleep (that's happened before, too). So I called one of our Deacons who is a State Trooper. He couldn't help me right then. I walked around for a minute trying to decide what to do, and figured "I've got to get this person out of there." 

I grabbed a baseball bat from a storage closet and began knocking on the prayer room door. "Please open the door," I said. "I'm the pastor. I can help you." Something made noise in the room, and I thought, "Yeah, someone's in there, all right." I knocked and called out again several more times over the next 15-20 minutes. Finally, I decided that it was time to move the situation along. 

I yanked on the door, thinking I would break the latch loose. The door didn't budge. I yanked again, harder this time, and the door burst open, revealing an empty room and several items laying on the floor. Apparently by knocking and yanking on the door, I had shaken them off the wall and misinterpreted the noise as someone being in there. The door had simply been stuck...

The State Trooper Deacon contacted me shortly afterward and found the whole incident very funny!

The things they don't teach you how to handle in seminary... Ha ha!


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## Zach (Jul 16, 2013)

Glad there wasn't any problem!


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## MLCOPE2 (Jul 16, 2013)




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## reaganmarsh (Jul 16, 2013)

Zach said:


> Glad there wasn't any problem!



You and me both! I have to confess, though, that I kept the baseball bat in my Study!


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## Frosty (Jul 16, 2013)

Glad you showed that low-life perpetrator who was boss!


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## reaganmarsh (Jul 17, 2013)

Ha ha!


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## Caroline (Jul 17, 2013)

By far, my favorite part of this story is the moment wherein you are standing outside the door with a baseball bat, calling out sincerely, "I'm the pastor. I can help you!" Somehow that just sums up ministry right there.


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## sevenzedek (Jul 17, 2013)

You should've said "Shibboleth". Then the door would opened for you; that is, if you said it with the "shh" instead of the "sss".


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## reaganmarsh (Jul 17, 2013)

Caroline, the irony of that sight greeting whomever it would be opening the door was not lost on me. "The baseball bat? Oh, it's standard issue when you graduate from seminary. How can I help you today?"


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## reaganmarsh (Jul 17, 2013)

John -- I nearly spit my water out of my mouth onto my desk at your comment!


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## sevenzedek (Jul 17, 2013)

reaganmarsh said:


> John -- I nearly spit my water out of my mouth onto my desk at your comment!



Let me guess. You sprinkled instead. I'm tellin'.


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## py3ak (Jul 17, 2013)

Caroline said:


> By far, my favorite part of this story is the moment wherein you are standing outside the door with a baseball bat, calling out sincerely, "I'm the pastor. I can help you!" Somehow that just sums up ministry right there.



I sense an idea for a new greeting card - pastor's special!


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## sevenzedek (Jul 17, 2013)

A bat for the Lord and for Reagan.


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## GloriousBoaz (Jul 17, 2013)

Was it your "bat" bat on your "bat" utility belt, next to your "bat"oorang; stored in your "bat" mobile?


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## Theogenes (Jul 18, 2013)

Did you think you were "left behind"?!?!


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## reaganmarsh (Aug 4, 2013)

Somehow I missed all these replies! You guys are too funny! Ha ha!




sevenzedek said:


> A bat for the Lord and for Reagan.



My new favorite slogan.


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