Postby Azier the Swordsman » Sun Nov 23, 2003 3:29 pm
I got this in my email today. It's a pretty cool story.
The Donut Master
>=================
>
>There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending college
>where Brother Christianson taught seminary.
>
>He had an open-door policy and would take in any student who had
>been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by
>his rules.
>
>Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other
>teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson's
>seminary class.
>
>Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just
>seconds before the bell rang, and he would sit in the very back
>of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the
>class was over.
>
>One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so
>he could talk with him. After class, Bro. Christianson pulled
>Steve aside and said, "You think you're pretty tough, don't
>you?"
>
>Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do."
>
>Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many pushups can you do?"
>
>Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."
>
>"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Brother Christianson said.
>
>"Do you think you could do 300?"
>
>Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."
>
>"Do you think you could?" again asked Brother Christianson.
>
>"Well, I can try," said Steve.
>
>"Can you do 300 in sets of 10?
>I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work.
>Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,"
>Brother Christianson said.
>
>Steve said, "Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it."
>
>Brother Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on
>Friday."
>
>Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of
>the room.
>
>When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of
>donuts. Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were
>the extra fancy BIG kind with cream centers and frosting swirls.
>
>Everyone was pretty excited. It was Friday, the last class of
>the day, and they were going to get an early start on the
>weekend.
>
>Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and
>asked, "Cynthia, do you want a donut?" Cynthia said, "Yes."
>
>Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would
>you do ten pushups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"
>
>Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick
>ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a
>donut on Cynthia's desk.
>
>Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked,
>"Joe do you want a donut?"
>
>Joe said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do
>ten pushups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups,
>Joe got a donut.
>
>And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for
>every person before they got their donuts and down the second
>aisle, until Bro. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was captain
>of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was
>very popular and never lacking for female companionship.
>
>When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"
>
>Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"
>
>Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
>
>Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."
>
>Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would
>you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"
>
>Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I
>didn't want one!"
>
>Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class,
>my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't
>want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.
>
>Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He
>just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much
>effort to be getting up and down.
>
>You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around
>his brow.
>
>Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students
>were beginning to get a little angry.
>
>Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"
>
>Jenny said, "No."
>
>Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten
>pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve
>did ten, Jenny got a donut.
>
>By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were
>all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to
>really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for
>each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the
>floor beneath his face; his arms and brow were beginning to get
>red because of the physical effort involved.
>
>Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he
>did ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all
>of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert
>began to watch Steve closely.
>
>Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row.
>
>During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat
>along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro.
>Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34
>students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be
>able to make it.
>
>Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and
>the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a
>rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.
>
>Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch
>on each one?" Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well,
>they're your pushups. You can do them any way that you want."
>And Bro. Christianson went on.
>
>A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to
>come in when all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in! Stay
>out!"
>
>Jason didn't know what was going on.
>
>Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."
>
>Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you
>will have to do ten pushups for him."
>
>Steve said, "Yes, let him come in." Bro. Christianson said,
>"Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now.
>Jason, do you want a donut?"
>
>"Yes."
>
>"Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?"
>Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort.
>
>Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.
>
>Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those
>seated on the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each
>pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of
>gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face, and by this time,
>there was not a dry eye in the room.
>
>The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very
>popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last,
>and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut? Linda said, very
>sadly, "No, thank you."
>
>Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups
>so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"
>
>Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for
>Linda.
>
>Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan.
>
>"Susan, do you want a donut?"
>
>Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, Bro.
>Christianson, "Can I help him?"
>
>Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, he has to
>do it alone. Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have
>a donut?" As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with
>the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required
>of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him
>and he fell to the floor.
>
>Brother Christianson turned to the room and said.
>
>"And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the
>Father, 'Into your hands I commend my spirit.'
>
>With the understanding that He had done everything that was
>required of Him, He collapsed on the cross and died. And like
>some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the
>desk, uneaten."
>