A view from under the pew: the saga of joey cricket

Editor's note: Since the observing of the National Day of Prayer, Amos has been reflecting on freedom and its relation to spiritual life. He ran across two Scriptures - Joshua 24:15, which states: “... choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve .... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” and Galatians 5:1, which states: “For freedom Christ has made us free; Stand fast, therefore, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Using those two passages Amos decided to try his hand at creating a parable.

As a churchmouse, Amos types by hopping on the computer keyboard, but he can't operate the capital shift, and he shuns punctuation marks - except dashes and hyphens.

the saga of joey cricket

once upon a time boss

there was a little brown

cricket named joey

joey lived in the lovely

land of crickets grove

a place where all the

crickets sang

joey wanted to be the

best singer in the land

but when he would go to

the clubs he would leave

disgusted and dismayed

most of the clubs were

owned by wicked cricket

the evil prince of crickets

grove

and when a cricket sang for

wicked cricket he had to

sing about getting high on

pesticide or the joys of

getting drunk on

sewer water

the other clubs were run by

agents of wicked cricket -

sectsie sal the goddess of

insect lust and rebel rouse

the god of gangsta bugs

joey wanted to sing praise to

the creator of the land the

lord of crickets grove and the

world beyond

the song of life was in his

heart and legs boss

since there were no clubs to

sing in joey just began to

sing his song on the street

corners

slowly but surely all the

other bugs and crickets began

to come by and listen to his

unusual crooning style

joey s buddies would hop

around and cheer as joey s

popularity grew

however wicked cricket would

send his crowd across the

street to mock jeer

and ridicule him

eventually the cheers were

silenced and joey s buddies

left him and began to go

back to the clubs

joey often saw his buddies

with glazed-over bug eyes

or smelling of soured sewer

water and he would try to

steer them away from

wicked cricket s dens of sin

heck no they would say

we re free to live sing and

play all day

you mean you re free to

waste your life get sick

and die says joey

you guys can go back to

the clubs where death and

bondage abound but not

me i m set free from

that sort of misery

like you i once was lost

but now i m found

and i sing a new song with

a life-giving sound

all because jesus loves me

and sets me free

that s why i choose to

sing and serve the lord

boss it s just like joey

discovered

there is a freedom that is

real slavery - and a slavery

that is real freedom

amos

p s - who knows maybe one day

we ll all choose god s way

shun the dark

live life as a lark

and enjoy jesus love joy peace

and victory

– amos