The Things God Teaches Us in the Men's Room

Sorry to tell you this, ladies...but it's now common to overhear men talking on their cell phones...while seated on a public toilet. Overhearing their conversations is embarrassing and intriguing...sometimes business deals are being cut.

Here are my two favorite stories (bothe predating cell phones) from that same location (the men's #2 closet)...different angle: conversations overheard by the person sitting on the stall, as they can't help but hear other men talking in the restroom.

My brilliant Asbury Seminary Old Testament professor, Lawson Stone, was new to the faculty when I was there. I remember him telling us about being on the john in seminary men's room, hearing two students come in and realize they were debriefing his class lecture.

Dr. Stone says he lifted up his feet from sight, "and that was the best course evaluation I ever got."

Secondly, a story about the band that everyone needs to hear, the 77s. The story is told by (former) band member Mark Tootle, from his throne room perspective. (BTW, here's one of his newer songs, ironically titled "Before Your Throne"...a worship song, okay?) . Mark overhears Aaron Smith's comment....Aaron was about to become drummer for the band:

I don't ever remember actually sitting down having a band meeting where we said "We need to go out and find a new drummer." I remember it happened over a period of months, because Aaron came in and started playing a lot for Exit, and at the time he was playing with a band called "Peterbilt", which was a power trio from the Bay area. I think we met Aaron for the first time opening for Peterbilt.

"It's funny, I still remember being in the bathroom stall with the door shut, and Aaron walks into the restroom with the bass player, I think. We had just finished our set and they were talking about us, and I remember overhearing Aaron say "Yeah, they were pretty good. They need more work though."

"Ya know, what was I going to say? "Hey! You're talking about my band!!""

link

Realizing the great theological import of God using overheard men's room conversations (!), at some risk (!!), a tried a quick googling to see if there was a quick story I could find online. Actually I found a story ...by yet another of my great Asbury professors (What's up with this being one of God's channels for speaking to ATS profs...they are extra spiritual?) Ralph Lewis. You'll be glad to hear that this story is even more relevant tho the stated themes of this blog
I can't paste it in, as it's from Google Books. Read it here and weep here (or wherever you happen to be...I remember reading about amazing blogger Existential Punk, reading her computer on the toilet) The event was decades ago, but my worst fear is nothing has changed...

I also found a "moving" story about Psalm 23 from the throne from what looks like a really cool book "Reading the Bible With The Damned"

Again at some risk:

Stories anyone?