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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Abundance (06/08/06)
But not at McDonalds!

Everything else in my life at 19 was “life more abundantly.*“ As Jesus said “Press down, shaken together, and running over.**” But at McDonalds the first thing you learn from the french fry training video is “Scoop and insert. DO NOT shake, press, or run over. Scoop and insert.” Maybe that’s why I quickly got transferred to the burger prep table.

Life was great at 19. I had my first real job and my first serious girl. I was so filled with the Spirit of God I couldn’t help singing all the time, and shake, and rattle, and do holy rolls. I couldn’t wait to get up every morning and see what my God was going to do with me, and He was doing everything abundantly. He didn’t do what I wanted all the time, but I got the abundant love I had always wanted so I could handle anything.

At the burger prep table I thought I was doing great, until a tray of Big Macs came back upside-down. Let’s see, that would be “pickle, cheese, lettuce, special sauce, on the wrong side of two all beef patties looking away from 36 sesame seed buns. It was on to the milk shake machine.

Makin’ shakes had to be the perfect job for a young Pentecostal boy.

What could go wrong at the shake machine? Fill, spin, and put the cup on the tray, over and over. Easy as speaking in tongues. Life was certainly abundant there until I tried to pour 25 gallons of shake goo into the top of the mixing machine, kinda. The resulting pink flood caused an abundance of slips and falls, and the line at the counter to back up even more abundantly. Well, dishes I could always do.

At the sink there was this guy from the middle east chopping onions next to me as I scrubbed pots and pans. While the rest of us drowned in abundant tears he sang some ancient ditty, dry-eyed and seemingly oblivious to the gas attack he was creating. Eventually the entire back half of the restaurant was evacuated, and I was reassigned to cleaning dining room tables.

I also shed abundant tears for my fellow workers. We were all about the same age, but they were where I was months ago. They were heavy partiers and not ashamed to brag about it. In groups they amazed me with their wild stories, and then in private they broke my heart their miserable tales of woe. I prayed hard for them, and the abundant answer came quickly.

One day I noticed a big hairy man wearing a large shiny cross wolfing down a couple of Macs and I boldly asked him to pray for the workers at my McDonalds. The next thing I knew I was caught in an Old Testament whirlwind and whisked outside. I awoke standing in the middle of about a dozen motley dressed men and women with their arms raised and palms up facing the golden arches. They were praying, loud, like each had an invisible megaphone pointed at the building. This was scary even for a hot young miracle praying New Testament believer.

When the boss walked out the front door and toward us I ran like Elijah from Jezebel. Don’t know what was said ‘cause I was on the other side of the property scrubbing tables as hard as I could. I have an idea what was prayed in the flesh and in the Spirit, however, because things began to change.

Strong witnessing believers began to get hired, and the carnal partying spirit moved out . Even the boss began to look different. A shaken together, press down, running over revival happened. I left the job a few weeks later, but during my last drive out I stopped by the arches and thanked God for the abundance He had brought to me and this franchise.

Let me encourage you, the next time you are eating at McDonalds, don’t be afraid to press down, shake together, and overflow your prayers for the people all around you. Don’t just scoop and insert. It could be the start of something amazing and abundant, just because you cared.

*John 10:10 (KJV) **Luke 6:38 (KJV)
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This article has been read 1483 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Sherril Wendling
06/17/06
Good testimony! (I always wondered why the servers at McDonald's never pack in a few extra fries in return for my huge grin and lolling tongue!) I like the way you wrote this piece as a cute story, then drew the final lesson from a play on words--very clever! Your opening sentence would do well without the "But"--it's misleading to the reader, who expects something ahead of the "but" so they know what you're "butting!" Just a nitpick. This is well done!
Helen Paynter
06/19/06
Great, great story - compelling to read, humorous again and again, and cleverly thought provoking. You are clearly a master story teller.
Phyllis Inniss 
06/21/06
Great humour here. I like the way you incorporated it with your biblical outlook. No wonder you enjoyed your job so much.
Ruth Neilson
06/21/06
As a college student working at Micky D's all of those descriptions are true to life. Thank you so much for the encouragement.
Jan Ross
06/21/06
I love it! An awesome testimony to the power of prayer! Great story that was crafted masterfully! It would be wonderful if after the years have passed to get this story into the hands of at least one who was in that group of prayer warriors. It would be such a wonderful encouragement to them. Again, I love it! :)
dub W
06/21/06
Great story, well told, the touch of humor made it believeable and easy to read. Write on brother, I enjoy yer stuff.
Rita Garcia
06/21/06
Delightful humor, great message, enjoyable read!
Trina Courtenay
06/21/06
Dave, you brought me back to when I was 14...oh the memories.

Trina<><
Dr. Sharon Schuetz
06/22/06
This was a fun story to read, but packed a punch. Loved it.
Lisa Vest
06/22/06
Dave, your "abundant humor" is woven through this story with strong, solid, fast-paced, kept-me-hooked writing.
Edy T Johnson
07/03/06
This is a delightful way to get your message across. I liked how the narrator wove his testimony in and out of his "reassignments," which served to keep pulling the reader along for more. That "Old Testament whirlwind" was a particularly bright touch.

I enjoy your writing, David, and want to thank you for your comments on my entries, as well!