There’s never a dull moment in the offices of the Living Stones Church. I was in a worship meeting when I stepped out to see Jim Counts walking down the hallway. Jim said to me, “there’s a bird in the building!” The double doors were open as they were moving stuff in for the Underground Cafe show tonight. A bird had flown in through the doors. I looked in the library and there enough…a bird going crazy trying to get out…but couldn’t. I tried to open the window for it, but it flew out the door. From the library, the bird saw light at the very end of the hallway (a fairly long hallway). He flew like mad towards the light. The only problem…the light wasn’t his proverbial “end of the tunnel” but rather what shines through A GLASS DOOR! So the bird, at full bird speed, flew right into the door and knocked itself out!!! No joke. We thought it was dead because it fell to the floor and didn’t move!
Jim opened up the hall closet. I thought he was getting a broom…”good idea,” I thought, “we’ll need to get the bird out of the building and since it was now close to the door, we can just sweep him out.” But Jim didn’t get a broom. Jim grabbed a plunger! A PLUNGER!! What in the world are you going to do with a plunger?! Was he going to suction the bird up with a plunger and take it outside? Did he think it was a rabid bird who flies in toilets and clogs them!? I don’t know, but Jim opened the door and stood there with a plunger in hand ready for…a plunger smack-down on that poor little birdy or…a clogged toilet!
When we got up on the bird, he was breathing! We could see his little chest moving in and out. But he was out! I was going to kick the bird out with my boot (aren’t us guys smart?). Then Jennae Gee comes along and gently places her jacket around the little birdy (very chivalrous) scooped the bird up ever so gently and set it outside. The birds eyes were now open. He wasn’t moving, but he was alive! I thought, “that bird might as well be dead, there’s no way it was ever going to fly again.” In fact, I wondered if we should go ahead and put it out of his misery. Jennae remarked that we should give it some time…maybe the bird just needed some time to adjust from being knocked out. I guess she was speaking from personal experience(see earlier post). Come to think of it, when Jennae blacked out on Tuesday I didn’t suggest we “put her out of her misery.” Sure enough she came through. And you know what…I went back to look at that bird, and it had come through too…and flew away! Good thing I didn’t kick it with my boot, euthanize it, or…plunger it to death!! Way to go Plunger Man!!!
Later Jim Counts and I played in the baptistery (the water was like a jacuzzi…very nice). We were making a video to show this coming Sunday. It is really good…very funny…Jim could win an Oscar…you won’t want to miss it…and we are showing it at the beginning of worship so don’t be late!!
