It’s been a while since we last shared anecdotes about Braille here.
So we figured it’s time to brighten your dreary Monday with a few fun stories.
At Braille 200, Oleg Shevkun’s texts have definitely brought a smile to our faces more than once.
Many thanks for that, Oleg!
Braille At the Pulpit
Throughout my life, I have been active in quite a number of things. My first university degree is in languages and literature, and it was followed by a degree in theology. This means that I have the calling and the privilege to preach the Word of God . Naturally, I could never do this without Braille. In practical terms, this means that Braille is with me at the pulpit.
The church pulpit is often thought to be a very serious place. However, if I read the Bible correctly, I think that God definitely has a sense of humor.
Hence, here are a few stories from my life, which have to do with Braille and the Pulpit. Needless to say, these stories are both absolutely true and quite humorous.
Keeping Eye Contact
Quite a few years ago, I had a privilege of preaching at a large Evangelical church in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Yes, that’s the city which is known for its chocolates; but that’s beside the point. After the service, a deacon approached me, and he was beaming. He said:
“Wow! All my life, I’ve never seen anyone reading Braille! And it’s so cool! When you read the Bible in Braille, you don’t have to look into the text! And you know what it means? Even while you’re reading, you can still keep eye contact with the audience!”
For many years, I’ve been treasuring this piece of feedback in my heart. After all, that gentleman was right! Let’s keep reading Braille. And, of course, let’s keep eye contact with the audience, even though we cannot see their faces.
More Than One Bible?
Unfortunately, not all feedback is so positive. However, even negative feedback can often bring learning opportunities.
This happened before the time of the Braille notetakers. I was getting ready to preach a sermon, and I was going to read from three different Bible passages.
However, on that day, my Braille embosser refused to cooperate, and so I could not emboss my Braille notes. The only solution was to take three huge Braille volumes to the pulpit, and then open each one when the time came to read from the respective passage.
Again, the fun part happened after the service. An older gentleman approached me, and he was clearly unhappy and upset. He said:
“Young man! I was watching you preach, and I noticed you brought three volumes with you. Let me tell you: there is only one book that should be at the Pulpit, and that’s the Bible. Nothing less, nothing more. That’s the way it has always been, that’s the way it should remain. But you, young man, came up to the pulpit with three volumes! How dare you?”
After the first shock at his comment, I smiled and said:
“You know what! You are correct! I made a mistake. What I brought to the pulpit today was not the whole Bible. I should have brought 20 volumes instead! However… I am not physically strong enough to do this. Will you help me next time?”
Needless to say, this turned into a great conversation about Braille and about how it is used. But next time, my Braille embosser was working fine, and no help was needed.
An Unexpected Illustration
While we are on the subject of working together, I am reminded of another story. I was preaching on how the Church is the Body of Christ, and we can achieve something only by working together. I was reading from my Braille notetaker. It was winter; and on the way to church, my notetaker was exposed to some real frost. Unfortunately, the battery did not like the experience. SO, 5 minutes into my sermon, the Braille display shows: “Low battery”. I realize the notetaker will power off really soon, and I have no way to charge it! What to do?
SO, I look at the audience and say: “You know what? In order for me to finish the sermon, I need to charge this Braille notetaker. Does anybody here have a powerbank I could use?”
A few seconds later, a couple of people come up with powerbanks.
I say:
“Wow, thank you! That’s great, but that’s not all. As a matter of fact, I also need a charging cable. Anybody got that?”
A few people say: “Yes”. But then I add something else. I say:
“You know, this device is somewhat old. And the cable I need is somewhat unusual. It should be a Micro USB cable. Does anybody happen to have that?”
At this point, one person stood up, came up to the pulpit and brought the required cable.
I connected the notetaker to the powerbank, and everything was in good shape. I said:
“Now, we can continue looking at what the Bible says. And in fact, we have just experienced some of this in practice: the body of Christ working together.”
Interestingly, some people in the church decided that it had been a pre-planned illustration. Well… It may have been pre-planned, after all. But definitely not by me!
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