I saw a man, the other day,
Walking along the street, going no particular way,
He had no shoes, and no fancy clothes,
All he had were sandals, and his smell was not like a rose.

I asked him to tell, his story to me,
How he came to be like this, a pitiful sight to see,
He gladly obliged, and started his story,
A remarkable one, but one without glory,

He was born into a rich family, well fed and well nourished,
He was sent to the best schools, and there he flourished,
But he felt a void within him, an emptiness unexplained,
And thus he seeked to fill it, with the money he obtained,
But alas, in one of his ventures, a fight broke out,
And he came away battered, and was crippled without a doubt,

Thus with all his banquets, robes and riches,
He still was not happy, for he was now lame,
And even the best doctors, in this country of his,
Could not fix him, despite all his fame

So one day as he limped, along the road to his house,
He saw a stranger walking, whose face shone bright,
Remembering the void, in his heart and his life,
He invited the stranger, to dine and spend the night

The stranger was different, from anything this man had seen,
His way of acting and speaking, showed that he was inwardly clean,
A man of pure faith, that much could be seen,
Speaking great and powerful words, but what could they mean?

The man told tales, of a man named Jesus,
Told of the miracles, the signs and wonders,
Told of the power, that we know saves us,
Told of the voice, the one that could summon thunder,

The rich man sat amazed, his void was filled,
He felt the love of Jesus, and his heart was thrilled,
He made the decision, right then and there,
To follow this messenger of great tiding, wherever he dared,

Before they set out, there was just one more thing,
The man healed the cripple, you could hear heaven’s bells ring,
But just as they stepped, outside the door,
An army of people, stopped them from going anymore,

Shouting blasphemer, lawbreaker, liar and cheater!
They seized the holy man, but did not take him to Caesar,
Instead he had a trial, by the synagogue and high priest,
And was convicted of blasphemy, through witnesses who lied through their teeth

Stephen gave his final sermon, that day before his accusers,
He showed them the light, that penetrates the dark like intruders,
He had a chance, to rebuke Jesus and live,
But he chose to stand for the right, to believe and give,

He gave the life, of Jesus that day, to the poor rich man who learned, to trust and obey,
As the stones hit his body, his face suddenly shown bright,
For he looked to the heavens, and saw that eternal light,
Stephen saw Jesus, in that timeless moment,
And so did that rich man, and it ended his torment,

The rich man who stood there, and watched Stephen die,
Gave away all he had, without even a sigh,
The example of Stephen, standing tall for his God,
Turned a rich man into a beggar, but the beggar knew God.

There is a God, there is a Savior,
He lives in each heart, regardless of behavior,
Only with Him, can people follow Stephen’s example,
There is no other strength, none that is as ample,

I looked at that beggar, whom I had at first disdained,
But now I saw the face of one, in whom Jesus was engraved,
I felt shame and pity, for the life that I lived,
Not having the courage, to stand up and give,

I saw my weaknesses, stretched out before me,
I saw my daily falls, what a sight to see!
Nobody would know, that I believed Jesus in my heart,
I had to change something, and this meeting was a start.

There is a time to laugh, and a time to cry,
A time to walk, and a time to fly,
But the time to stand up, for what you believe in,
Is every single moment, through thick and thin,

So I ask you this question, right here today,
Are you willing, to stand for the right every day?

Albert Kim