WHO WILL PASS THIS ON?

> > There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor
> in a small New
> > England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to
> the Church carrying
> > a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the
> pulpit. Several eyebrows
> > were
> > raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began
> to speak.
> >
> > "I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a
> young boy coming
> > toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom
> of the cage were three
> > little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.
> I stopped the lad and
> > asked, "What you got there son?"
> >
> > "Just some old birds," came the reply.
> >
> > "What are you gonna do with them?" I asked.
> >
> > "Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he
> answered.
> > "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers
> to make 'em fight. I'm
> > gonna have a real good time."
> >
> > "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or
> later. What will you do
> > then?"
> >
> > "Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They
> like birds. I'll take
> > 'em to them."
> >
> > The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do
> you want for those
> > birds, son?"
> >
> > "Huh??!!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister.
> They're just plain old
> > field birds. They don't sing -- they ain't even
> pretty!"
> >
> > "How much?" the pastor asked again.
> >
> > The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy
> and said, "$10?" The
> > pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten
> dollar bill. He placed it
> > in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.
> >
> > The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried
> it to the end of the
> > alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot.
> Setting the cage down, he
> > opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars
> persuaded the birds out,
> > setting them free.
> >
> > Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the
> pulpit, and then the
> > pastor began to tell this story.
> >
> > One day Satan and Jesus were having a
> conversation. Satan had just come
> > from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and
> boasting."Yes, sir, I
> > just caught the world full of people down there.
> Set me a trap, used bait
> > I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
> >
> > "What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
> >
> > Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna
> teach them how to marry
> > and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each
> other, how to drink
> > and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to
> invent guns and bombs
> > and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"
> >
> > "And what will you do when you get done with
> them?" Jesus asked.
> >
> > "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.
> >
> > "How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
> >
> > "Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no
> good.
> > Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you.
> They'll spit on you,
> > curse you and
> > kill you!! You don't want those people!!"
> >
> > "How much?" He asked again.
> >
> > Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your
> tears, and all your blood."
> >
> > Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
> >
> > The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door
> and he walked from the
> > pulpit.
> >