A minister passing through his
church in the middle of the day,
decided to pause by the altar
and see who had come to pray.

Just then the back door opened,
and a man came down the aisle. 
The minister frowned as he saw the
man hadn't shaved in quite a while.

His shirt was kind of shabby and
his coat was worn and frayed.
The man knelt, he bowed his head,
then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed, 
each noon time came this chap. 
He knelt just for a moment,
a lunch pail in his lap.

The minister's suspicions grew, 
with robbery a main fear.
He decided to ask the man, 
"What are you doing here?"

The man said he worked down the road. 
Lunch was just a half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time, 
for finding strength and power.

"I stay here only moments, see, 
because the factory's far away; 
As I kneel here talking to the Lord, 
this is kinda what I say:

"I just came again to tell you, Lord
how happy I have been,
since we found each other's friendship,
and you took away my sin.

Don't know much of how to pray,
but I think about you everyday.
So, Jesus, here I am again.
This is Jim checking in."

The minister, feeling foolish, 
told Jim that it was fine. 
He told the man he was welcome 
to come and pray just anytime.

Time to go, Jim smiled, said "Thanks."
He hurried to the door. 
The minister knelt at the altar, 
he'd never done it that way before.

His cold heart melted, warmed with love, 
and met with Jesus there. 
As the tears flowed, in his heart, 
he repeated old Jim's prayer:

"I just came again to tell you, Lord
how happy I have been,
since we found each other's friendship,
and you took away my sin.

Don't know much of how to pray,
but I think about you everyday.
So, Jesus, here I am again.
This is me checking in."

Past noon one day, he noticed
that old Jim hadn't come. 
More days passed by without Jim, 
and he began to worry some.

At the factory, he asked about him,
learning he was ill. 
The hospital staff was worried, 
but he'd given them a thrill.

The week that Jim was with them,
brought changes in the ward. 
His smiles, a joy contagious, 
changed people, were his reward.

The head nurse couldn't understand
why Jim was always glad, 
when no flowers, calls or cards came, 
not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed, 
he voiced the nurse's concern: 
No friends had come to show they cared. 
He had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up
and said with a winsome smile; 
"The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know, 
that He's been here all the while. 

Everyday at noon He's here, 
a dear friend of mine, you see, 
He sits right down, takes my hand,
leans over and says to me:

"I just can again to tell you, Jim,
how happy I have been,
since we found this friendship,
and I took away your sin.

I always love to hear you pray.
I think about you every day,
and so Jim, here we are again.
This is Jesus checking in."
--Unknown
 

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