A young minister in Kentucky, was asked by a funeral director to hold a graveside service for a homeless man who had no family or friends. The funeral was to be held at A new cemetery way back in the country, and this man would be the first to be buried there. He wasn't familiar with the backwoods area, and soon became lost. Being a typical man, he didn't stop to ask for directions.
He finally arrived, an hour late, saw the backhoe and the open grave, but the hearse was nowhere in sight. The digging crew was eating lunch. He apologized to the workers for his tardiness, and stepped to the side of the open grave. He saw the vault lid already in place.
He assured the workers he wouldn't hold them up for long, and told them that this was the proper thing to do. The workers gathered around the grave and stood silently as he began to pour out his heart and soul. As he preached about =91looking forward to a brighter tomorrow=92 and =91the glor= y that is to come,=92 the workers began to say =91Amen,=92 =91Praise the Lord,=92 and =91Glory!=92
The fervor of these men truly inspired him, so he preached all the way from Genesis to Revelations. He finally closed the lengthy service with a prayer, thanked the men, and walked to his car.
As he opened the door and took off his coat, he heard one of the workers say to another, =91I ain=92t NEVER seen nothin=92 like that before, and I=92ve been puttin= =92 in septic tanks for thirty years!=92
just me, Cathy from KY in CA