His Eye is On the Sparrow at Starbucks-Truth!

His Eye is On the Sparrow-At Starbucks-Truth!

Summary of the eRumor
A warm story about a man who is a musician and who was performing at a Starbucks. A woman who caught his eye because of her being caught up in the music came and apologized if her singing along had been a problem. He spontaneously asked her if she wanted to sing. She accepted, said she'd like to sing a hymn, and asked him to choose one. He suggested "His Eye is On The Sparrow," a well-known and much-loved Christian song. She sang, the audience loved it, and afterwards, she told the musician that it was been interesting that he had chosen that particular song because it had been her 16-year-old daughter's favorite song, who had died the previous week.

The Truth
This is based on an article by John Thomas Oaks and published in the November/December edition of Christian Reader.

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

Subject: Sparrow at Starbucks great story

   Sparrow at Starbucks

   It was chilly in Manhattan but warm inside the
   Starbucks shop
   on 51st Street and Broadway, just a skip up from
   Times Square.

   For a musician, it's the most lucrative Starbucks
   location in
   the world, I'm told, and consequently, the tips can
   be substantial
   if you play your tunes right.

   I was playing keyboard and singing backup for my
   friend who also
   added rhythm with an arsenal of percussion
   instruments. During
   our emotional rendition of "If You Don't Know Me by
   Now," I noticed
   a lady sitting in one of the lounge chairs across
   from me. She was
   swaying to the beat and singing along.

   After the tune was over, she approached me. "I
   apologize for singing
   along on that song. Did it bother you?" she asked.

   "No," I replied. "We love it when the audience joins
   in. Would you
   like to sing up front on the next selection?"

   To my delight, she accepted my invitation.

   "You choose," I said. "What are you in the mood to
   sing?"

   "Well ... do you know any hymns?"

   Hymns? This woman didn't know who she was dealing
   with. I
   cut my teeth on hymns. Before I was even born, I was
   going to
   church. I gave our guest singer a knowing look.
   "Name one."

   "Oh, I don't know. There are so many good ones. You
   pick one."

   "Okay," I replied. "How about 'His Eye is on the
   Sparrow'?"

   My new friend was silent, her eyes averted. Then she
   fixed her
   eyes on mine again and said, "Yeah. Let's do that
   one."

   She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse,
   straightened
   her jacket and faced the center of the shop. With my
   two-bar
   setup, she began to sing.

   Why should I be discouraged?
   Why should the shadows come?

   The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed.

   I sing because I'm happy;
   I sing because I'm free.
   For His eye is on the sparrow
   And I know He watches me.

   When the last note was sung, the applause
   crescendoed to
   a deafening roar. Embarrassed, the woman tried to
   shout over
   the din, "Oh, y'all go back to your coffee! I didn't
   come in here
   to do a concert! I just came in here to get
   somethin' to drink,
   just like you!"

   But the ovation continued. I embraced my new friend.
   "You, my
   dear, have made my whole year! That was beautiful!"

   "It's funny that you picked that particular hymn,"
   she said.

   "Why is that?"

   She hesitated again, "that was my daughter's
   favorite song."
   She grabbed my hands. By this time, the applause had
   subsided
   and it was business as usual. "She was 16. She died
   of a brain
   tumor last week."

   I said the first thing that found its way through my
   silence.
   "Are you going to be okay?"

   She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my
   hands.
   "I'm gonna be okay. I've just got to keep trusting
   the Lord and
   singing his songs, and everything's gonna be just
   fine."

   She picked up her bag, gave me her card, and then
   she was gone.

   Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be
   singing in
   that particular coffee shop on that particular
   November night?
   Coincidence that this wonderful lady just happened
   to walk into
   that particular shop? Coincidence that of all the
   hymns to choose
   from, I just happened to pick the very hymn that was
   the favorite
   of her daughter, who had died just the week before?
   I refuse to
   believe it.

   God has been arranging encounters in human history
   since the
   beginning of time, and it's no stretch for me to
   imagine that he
   could reach into a coffee shop in midtown Manhattan
   and turn an
   ordinary gig into a revival. It was a great reminder
   that if we keep
   trusting him and singing his songs, everything's
   gonna be okay.