Being a youth pastor was loads of fun. Peggy and I served as youth pastors for the first few years of our ministry together at Kingwood, and we still consider those early youth group friendships among our greatest treasures.  We always tried to use creativity and “outside the box” methods to appeal to young people, so that they could see and experience what it truly means to walk with Jesus.  Youth retreats, drama presentations, musicals, discipleship groups, and cutting edge evangelism ruled the day, but when God, in the midst of a routine youth group trip to Six Flags Over Georgia, threw in a real-life, bonafide MIRACLE among us, we learned a lesson we will never, ever forget.

The plan was the same as any other youth group would have– get there when the park opens, and be the last ones out when it closes.  It was all about getting our money’s worth, and having a ton of fun to show for it!  Everything went along just fine until time to leave.  The instructions were to all meet at the church bus in “parking lot E” at 10 pm sharp.

Peggy and I got to the bus a little before everyone else.  The E parking lot was already half-empty so the kids would have no problem finding the bus.  In groups of two and three they began arriving, most of them tired and broke.  I counted them as they showed up hoping to reach the magic number of forty-seven in record time, but alas, only 45 showed up.  “The last I saw Danny and Lisa, they were trying to ride the log flume for one last time,” someone informed me. That explained it.  At least I could get the others loaded on the bus while we were waiting, and we could have some fun honking the bus horn while Danny and Lisa ran in a panic toward the bus.

But there was a problem.  A big problem.  Our bus driver, my friend Barry, could not find the keys to the bus!  He looked everywhere– around the bus, in every pocket, in his billfold.  He looked once, twice, three times and still no key.   “It must have fallen out of my pocket in some roller coaster ride,” Barry surmised.

Danny and Lisa showed up, safe and sound, but I didn’t have time to harass them because we had to come up with a plan to get home.  By this time we were about the only vehicle in the immense Six Flags parking lot E, and we couldn’t even get the bus doors open without the key!  Stranded in the parking lot!  It was a major dilemma, but I had an idea– find a pay phone (yes, they were abundant in those days, and only cost a quarter for a local call) and try to get a locksmith to respond and agree to come at almost 11 pm on Saturday night!

In the yellow pages I discovered that there were very few locksmiths that were available for 24 hour service.  The first one I called was in the suburb of Austell, but I had never heard of Austell.  Besides, his price was $60 cash– a fortune in 1980.  The second one I called was in downtown Atlanta, and he could’t come for at least an hour.  The third one simply said that Six Flags was outside his territory. Finally, I called one from the Stone Mountain area, far on the other side of Atlanta.  His price was $100 cash, and it would take him over 45 minutes to get to us.  I was tired and out of quarters so I said, “Come on!”

I had about five dollars of my own money left, but I knew I had at least 45 minutes to raise the remainder of the $100 total from our 47 kids sprawled out all over the empty parking lot.  I explained our predicament and demanded that they give me ALL the money they had left– with a promise of paying it back once we got home.  It was a sinister power move that felt very unspiritual, but I had to do it.  The offering was taken and we collected a whopping $17.31– including my 5 dollars!  Oh boy!  We really have a problem!

Now it was time for the big guns!  Prayer!  Why did I wait until last to think about it?  (Lack of faith!… oh my!)  I gathered the young people together and we prayed.  Then I told them to start singing choruses (of course, someone had brought along a guitar), and pray for a miracle.  And they did.

The locksmith showed up in his little locksmith van.  I felt bad that I didn’t tell him up front about the lack of funds, but thought I would at least wait until he got the bus cranked before I told him!  Worst case scenario was that he’d let me be his hostage until someone could drive to Birmingham and back with the money to ransom me!  I had a sick feeling in my belly as I heard the bus motor come to life.  How would I break the bad news to him?

I could hear the youth group still singing behind the bus as the guy went to his van to draw up the invoice.  He took a moment to scribble the information on white paper with a carbon copy underneath.  I stood about six feet away with the $17.31 hidden in my hand, hoping and praying for mercy.  “Here you go, Buddy,” he drawled as he handed me the bill.

I looked at the invoice and did a double-take.  So did Barry who stood beside me.  On the invoice the locksmith had drawn a simple cross, and underneath it was written, “Paid in full 2000 years ago by Jesus Christ.”

“I’ve never seen this many young people singing and worshipping God like this,” the locksmith said.  “It’s a real inspiration to me.  You don’t owe me a thing.”   We shook hands and I thanked him over and over.  He was the locksmith from the farthest distance, with the highest price– but he was the Holy Spirit’s choice.  The first one I had called, from Austell, would have only been four miles away.  Fortunately, I didn’t know that.

The Stone Mountain locksmith left with a smile, satisfied that he had been chosen by God for this job.  He either made his way back to his home in Stone Mountain, Georgia– or perhaps he flew right back to heaven from where he had been dispatched.

Man, or angel?    I don’t know.   I’ll find out one day.  But I DO know that the young people who rode the church bus back to Alabama in June of 1980 will never forget that miracle night at Six Flags over Georgia, and the great lesson we learned:

Prayer matters, faith works, and miracles happen.

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”      Hebrews 13:2