Thanks to Mamma Sunday

In 1862 Mrs. William Sunday of Ames, Iowa, sang gospel songs to her baby, Billy. Billy, who later played ball with the Chicago White Stockings, stopped for a few beers one day in the Windy City with his teammates, and they heard street preaching from the Pacific Garden Mission. Billy remembered his Mamma's songs, put his faith in Jesus, got married, turned down a lucrative baseball contract to work for the Chicago YMCA, and told over a million people --- mostly without a microphone --- about Christ.

Billy Sunday came to Philadelphia in the early 1900s and the owner of Pent Brothers Cigar Manufacturers on Juniper and Sansom wasn't the least bit interested. But the preaching was so loud in the street he overheard John 3:16 and bought a Bible, got saved, sold his three stores, and studied for the ministry at age 45. People thought he was nuts but the Lord blessed.

His son Arnold Pent II took a wife and eight children on the road with the gospel in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and logged a million miles, while you and I were hiding under our school desks from Communists. His son Arnold Pent III, hunkered down somewhere among life's necessities in the bulging Packard, Desoto, and Buick, was writing everything down in his private journal.

Arnold Pent III's son Jeremiah left Texas via Virginia to study at seminary and stopped in at the café where I worked to introduce himself. We got to be friends and he, his wife, and six godly children blessed me, and also gave me the book that was made of his Dad's journals in 1965, Ten P's in a Pod. The book has changed my life. Thank you Pacific Garden Mission. Thank you Billy Sunday. Thank you Mamma Sunday, who sang gospel songs to your little Billy in the crib.