The Pastor’s Stolen Bicycle
A pastor noticed that his favorite bicycle, which he used every day to ride around the parish, had been stolen from the church parking lot. He was deeply upset and went to discuss it with the senior minister.
The senior minister thought for a moment and said, “I have a plan, brother. This Sunday, during your sermon about the Ten Commandments, I want you to go through each commandment one by one. When you get to ‘Thou shalt not steal’ (Ngươi không được trộm cắp), look out into the congregation and preach with incredible passion. The thief will feel so guilty that he will return your bike immediately.”
The pastor thought this was an excellent idea.
On Sunday, after the service, the senior minister met the pastor in the office. He noticed the pastor was smiling brightly. “Well?” the minister asked, “Did the plan work? Did you preach about stealing?”
“Well, not exactly,” the pastor replied happily. “But I did get my bicycle back!”
The minister looked confused. “What happened? Didn’t you follow the plan?”
“I started to,” the pastor explained. “I went through the commandments one by one. But when I got to the commandment ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’ (Ngươi không được ngoại tình)… I suddenly remembered where I left my bicycle!”
