Thanks Kristin!

Daniel's cousin, Kristin, sent this to me today, and although I don't usually read forwards, I read this one, and loved it. What a great way to put this!
There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a
> studious man, who taught at a small college in the western United States
> . Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at
> this particular institution. Every student was required to take this
> course his freshman year, regardless of his or her major.
>
> Altho ugh Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the
> gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the
> course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts,
> most students refused to take Christianity seriously.
>
> This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was
> only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary
> for the ministry. Steve was popular, well liked, and he was an imposing
> physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football
> team, and was the best student in the professor's class.
>
> One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could
> talk with him. "How many push-ups can you do?" Steve said, "I do about
> 200 every night." "200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson
> said. "Do you think you could do 300?" Steve replied, "I don't know....
> I've never done 300 at a time." "Do you think you could?" again asked
> Dr. Christianson. "Well, I can try," said Steve.
>
> "Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need
> you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do
> it? I need you to tell me if you can do it," said the professor. Steve
> said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it." Dr. Christianson
> said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have
> in mind."
>
> Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the
> room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts.
> No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy
> BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty
> excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to
> get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's
> class.
>
> Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked,
> "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?" Cynthia said,
> "Yes."
> Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do
> ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?" "Sure." Steve jumped
> down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk.
> Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.
>
> Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do
> you want a donut?" Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve
> would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten
> push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve
> did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.
>
> Walking down the s econd aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was
> on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very
> popular and never lacking for female companionship. When the professor
> asked, "Scott, do you want a donut?" Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do
> my own push-ups?" Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
>
> Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then." Dr. Christianson
> shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten
> push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?" With perfect
> obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I
> didn't want one!"
>
> Dr. Christianson said, "Look! this is my classroom, my desks, and these
> are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he
> put a donut on Scott's desk. Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow
> down a little. He j ust stayed on the floor between sets because it took
> too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a
> little perspiration coming out around his brow.
>
> Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were
> beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny,
> do you want a donut?" Sternly, Jenny said, "No." Then Dr. Christianson
> asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a
> donut she doesn't want?" Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.
>
> By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were
> beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the
> desks.
> Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these
> push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat
> on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginni ng to get
> red because of the physical effort involved.
>
> Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the
> class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten
> push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work
> for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was
> so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.
>
> Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class,
> however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down
> on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room.
> When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now
> there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would
> be able to make it.
>
> Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next.
> Near th e end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was
> taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Dr.
> Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?" Dr.
> Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your push-ups. You are
> in charge now. You can do them
>
> any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.
>
>
> A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room
> and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO!
> Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve
> picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."
>
> Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you
> will have to do ten push-ups for him?" Steve said, "Yes, let him come
> in. Give him a donut." Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let
> you get Jason's out of t he way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"
> Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said,
> "give me a donut."
> "Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"
>
> Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason,
> bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Dr. Christianson finished
> the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the
> heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle
> to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time, sweat was
> profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy
> breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.
>
> The very last two students in the room were two young women, both
> cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the
> second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?" Li nda said,
> very sadly, "No, thank you."
>
> Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups
> so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?" Grunting from the
> effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda. Then Dr.
> Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a
> donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr.
> Christianson, why can't I help him?"
>
> Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it
> alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that
> everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not.
> When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my
> grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade.
> Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior
> work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up
> he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my
> party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a
> deal for your sakes."
>
> "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?" As Steve
> very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he
> had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups,
> his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.
>
> Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our
> Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, pleaded to the Father, 'into thy
> hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done
> everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like
> some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk,
> uneaten."
>
> Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically
> exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.
>
> "Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding "Not
> all sermons are preached in words."
>
> Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might
> understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that
> have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior
> Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave Him up for
> us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose
> to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid."
>
> "Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"