Early on Sunday morning, Matthew Jeffers saddled his horse and rode into town. This time he didn’t stop at the saloon but tied up at the old church, which had been empty for years, in bad need of paint. He sat on the end of the fourth pew, hoping to hear a few words of wisdom.
The new preacher didn’t seem to be bothered by the small crowd—only Matt, and the two Indians who sat at the back. After three songs and a prayer, the preacher opened his Bible and spoke with the passion of a man facing a multitude. He waved his arms and shouted, “The Lord is coming, so you gotta git ready.” He read scripture after scripture, saying, “Don’t be like them foolish virgins.” Finally, after another hour condemning all sorts of misbehavior, he caught his breath long enough to recite a short poem and close with prayer.
At the door, the preacher thanked the Indians for coming. He extended his hand toward Matt.
“Well… What did you think of the message?”
“A whole bale full of wisdom—all of it good.” Matt paused, thinking. “You know, I feed my horse every day, but I’ve never made him eat the whole bale of hay.”
Readers will stay with us and come back for more if we write short messages of wisdom, getting to the point in as few words as possible.
