The Twenty Dollar Bill

I hefted a crisp twenty-dollar bill from my wallet and held it up until I was certain I had the attention of my audience, which consisted of 250 high school student leaders.

“Does anyone want this?” I offer.

At first, their eyes ask, “Is he serious? Is he really giving away money!” And then the hands start to fly and stretch as high as possible because they are not sure what the criteria is. Is the first hand up? The highest?

“Wow, that’s a lot hands.” (Everyone had at least one hand in the air, some were trying to double their chances with both held high).

I picked someone out of the first row and ask, “Why do you want this?”

“Because it’s TWENTY DOLLARS…and you’re GIVING it away!”

“Now before I give this away to one of you, I want to do an experiment with this twenty-dollar bill.”

I then proceed to wad the bill up in my hands until it becomes small and round, about as big as a rubber-bouncy-ball.

“Do you still want it?” I ask.

Affirmative.

I look at the bill in my hand, and say, “Hm, they still want you.”

I proceed to toss the “ball” onto the floor and then stomp on it repetitively with my right foot and turn my ankle and grind it into the ground like someone squishing a bug.

I reach down and pick up the brutalized bill and lift it up once again.

“Do you still want it?”

All hands indicate the affirmative.

I look at the bill in my hand, and say, “Hmm, they still want you.”

What can I do to change their mind?

I get a brilliant idea. I raise my left arm and place the flattened bill in my armpit and lower my arm like a vice leaving the bill “in there” to marinate. This brings mixed reactions, “Eeew” from the girls and belly laughs from the boys.

I reach in and lift the bill out and hold it up again, this time, just with my finger-tips and as far away from me as possible like I would hold a dirty diaper.

“Do you still want it?”

“YES” is their reply.

I look at the bill in my hand, and say, “Hmmm, they still want you.”

............Find out what happens in the book, A Wider Road...........