Your parts are in the right places. Your intelligence is behind your eyebrows. Your emotions are behind your left nipples. Is it okay to say "nipple" in the paper? Martin Luther said, "Faith is under the left nipple." Come on you Lutherans, back me up on this! We're talking about heart here! Folks, I'm putting it this way to get your attention.

Now, let me tell you about Sandy Tilley. She is a beautiful, wonderful, friendly person who doesn't necessarily see herself this way although everyone who knows her will say "Amen!" to my description. Sandy is the founder and executive director of Angels and Sparrows in Huntersville. At a time in life when most folk are sitting back, elevating their feet and relaxing in retirement, she is a perpetual motion machine running this ministry of kindness and mercy to those struggling to get three meals per day.

But they can get one good meal daily at Angels and Sparrows. Drop in at the soup kitchen between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, year-round, and you will find her there with a team of volunteers feeding hungry people. You may be of the mistaken notion that all of the residents of the Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson community are comfortably affluent. Would it surprise you to learn that Angels and Sparrows serves meals to 100-120 persons per day?

This is possible because of Sandy's personal devotion to doing what love requires. She is obviously a deeply spiritual person as are those who help and support her. They come from many religious traditions. Their churches also lend support as do some local businesses. Angels and Sparrows receives no support from government sources.

I sat down last week with Sandy and it was like opening a floodgate of inspiration and joy as she talked about this work. She hardly paused to breathe as she talked excitedly about the need to feed hungry people. She is filled with stories of rescue and redemption. Although she confesses that she would quake at the thought of giving a formal speech in public, she admits that she can talk for hours about what this ministry means to those with less means. As I listen, I am thinking also about what it means to the Lake Norman community. Think of the value to a community when neighbors pitch in to help neighbors. How can you measure the value of good, corporate citizenship by local businesses? Churches behave like real churches when they contribute. Civic groups are at their finest when they get involved.

As Sandy and I talked, she mentioned that sometimes emergency situations arise and she has to scramble to gather resources to meet the needs. "But, "she said, "We always have enough!" I thought, yes, you will have enough. The Lord provides. Then I added a mental footnote: the only way you will always have enough is if the Lord provides folk like me and my friends to help you! So, I am going back to Angels and Sparrows to leave a contribution to this godly cause.

When you go out to do your last-minute Christmas shopping, go by the soup kitchen and do some last-minute Christmas giving! If you can go by between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. you will find a warm welcome. Say hello to Sandy. You will love her. The Wise Men brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Sandy and her angels of mercy don't need those. They need a little cash so they'll always have enough.

And if you don't get there until Christmas Day, you just go right on. She will be there. They are located behind New Friendship Presbyterian Church, corner of Ramah Church Road and Highway 115. Visit the Web site at www.angelsandsparrows.org.

Harold Bales is a semi-retired Methodist minister who lives in Kannapolis. He's also got a new book out and copies are available for sale. For more information, visit www.TheSouthernFriedPreacher.com. Send him an e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .