Another Bar Story

Here's one you likely haven't heard...

When I became manager of the Buzzard Beach, we needed someone to take my place at the door. After a couple of weeks we found Jerry. His nickname was "Clubber" and he decided it was time for a career change. He was the Sound Man for a rock band from Iowa called "Loud." I always imagined when someone asked what kind of music they played someone would yell "loud music!"

Anyway, Jerry met a woman in KC and he decided his road days were over. So he got a night job and bought a car from one of our regular customers who sold used cars. In Missouri, you had to have a car inspected before you could get plates, so he took the vehicle to the GoodYear place on Broadway in Midtown KCMO. He asked how long it would take and he was told it would be a couple of hours.

So what does Jerry do? Does he go down the block to the Grand Emporium for Cajun food and reggae? No. Does he go across the street to Club Royale for country music? No. Does he go down the block to Davey's for their "All Grateful Dead-All the Time" fest? No. Jerry goes across the parking lot to The Pink Garter Strip-O-Rama (not making this up) to get a beer.

So Jerry goes in and gets a bottle of beer and started watching a young lady shaking what her momma gave her on the stage. (By the way: Drink bottled beer in a strip club, you know the bottle is clean and it makes a weapon if you need one. We're here to teach the children... now where was I...) With Jerry standing against the wall, this young woman approaches him after she finished her time on stage. Jerry is bummed. He doesn't want to be rude, but he has a new girlfriend and a new car and no money. He doesn't want or need a private dance.

So she walks up to him and as he prepares to smile and say "sorry" she points at the right side of his chest, right where the bar logo is on his new bar jacket. She asks, "Do you know Paul?"

This was the last thing Jerry expected the woman to say so he laughed with relief and said, "Yeah, he's my boss."

She added "Isn't he a sweetheart?"

Now for the life of me, I don't know who she was. Jerry described her to me and I didn't recognize her at all. We had a lot of dancers come in and out of the bar so she could have been any one of a half dozen women, I just don't know. Still, it left me a question: What do you have to do in this life to get a stripper to call you a sweetheart? Honestly I don't know the answer... and I did it.

Preparing for our bible study tonight I was reminded of this story. Jesus hung out with the tax collectors and bouncers and strippers. Together they were all welcomed in fellowship with the Lord. I'm not going to say that I'm the Lord and everyone hung out with me, thank God I'm not that conceited.

The truth is that I worship a risen Lord who by his good grace calls me and every other sinner to come to the table to taste and see that the Lord is good. The Lord welcomes us all, even the tax collectors and bouncers and strippers.

Oh, what did I do that was so special that she thought I was a sweetheart? Hopefully, it was the same thing I did for all customers. I welcomed her and treated her with dignity and respect hoping she had a good time at the Buzzard. That's all I can imagine. Thanks be to God.