Tell Larry: Don't Buy a Bible!

"Sue, two of the guys in Seg. want to talk to you,"  one of the officers informed her.  She was curious since she rarely went down to that area of the jail.  It is reserved for men with special cases.  The newly incarcerated, the mentally ill and unstable, the weak or disabled,   the murderers and sex criminals are there and people in "disciplinary lockdown" are there.  Usually Susan leaves that area for Larry.

Once she got to Seg, a stiflingly small area broken into units that hold nine men at a time, the pod officer buzzed open one of the units and two cheery, impish men came out.  Despite the fact that their charges were serious and they were looking at serious prison time, there was a certain irrepressible joy this morning.    "Hi Sue!  We were wondering if Larry had bought a new Bible yet?"

"No, his old one is tattered up but he hasn't gotten around to doing anything about it yet.  We're looking at some serious money to get a nice leather one with a concordance and study notes." 

"We know!  Ever since our families got us these cool leather study Bibles, Larry has been looking longingly at them.  We and our wives decided to surprise him with his own Bible.  What do you think we should have imprinted on the front?"

"Wow!  That is so-o-o-o sweet of you guys.  Larry will love this."

Our two new Christian inmates, blushed with the joy of being able to give something to someone who had been standing with them through the most horrible times of their lives.  "Well, you know, we couldn't make it in here without Larry.  We just need you to make sure that he doesn't go out and buy himself one before we can get it."  Just then Larry came walking into pod and the conversation quickly switched to somebody's wife and the great Ohio State football game.  Larry thought it odd that Susan was there chatting happily with people she barely knew, but didn't press the issue.

One week later,  Larry came walking into Susan's office with a thick black Bible.  It had gold around the edges and sparkled in that special way a new Bible does.  It was loaded with "extras"-- all the notes and references Larry could ever want.  And in the lower right hand corner, were stamped the sweet words, "Pastor Larry Jarvis."   

Larry's eyes looked pretty misty as he silently held the Bible out for Susan to admire.