Years ago my church had an auction to raise money for a summer missions trip for the youth. It was a big event – it took two days to stage, the youth were waiters, we had a professional auctioneer (he donated his services), it was an event! One of the live auction items was a football signed by a nationally known coach who was a legend in the state. The football started at $100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$750
$1,000
At this point everyone dropped out except for one older man and a younger man whose 10-year old son was sitting beside him. The boy was incredibly excited about the prospect of getting this football.
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The father bid again, $4,000
The other man bid $4,500
The father looked down at his son, shook his head and said he couldn’t go any higher. The son was crushed. He hung his head and was terribly disappointed.
The auctioneer awarded the bid to the older gentleman who came forward, wrote a check, and was handed the prized football. The man looked at the football and walked to the boy and handed him the ball. “It’s yours.” And he left.
This is a completely true story – you can’t make up this stuff.
Lead On!
Steve