In days gone by it was a custom at many schools, including Needmore, to begin the day with prayer and allow each student to quote a Bible verse. It’s a wonder it didn't ruin every one of us, at least the ACLU would argue that today.  They hadn't crawled out from under their rock back then, so we did it.  Each student, in turn, would say their Bible verse. The smarty pants girls always seemed to have some long verse they had memorized the night before. The boys always had one also. I say they had “one”  the same one. In fact day after day they fell back on the only one they could remember....  John 11:35 Jesus wept.  Around the room we would go.  Danny Dishman...  Jesus wept.  Durell Maynord...  Jesus wept.   Harold Clark..  Jesus wept. Thurman Seber ... Jesus wept. I think you get the picture.  The smarty pants girls would roll their eyes and snigger at us, but Jesus kept on weeping.   In fact I think Jesus probably set a record for most weeping around any school in history. 
It wasn't the only weeping that took place.  Often on test day there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth  around our school.  When Mr. Bilbrey called one of us into his office a bit of weeping would often be heard also.  Of course, all the sissified girls would choose a write off or sitting in at recess rather than  a paddling.   But we “tough as nails” fourteen year old men would always chose the paddle.  At least at first.
Before very long some of us began to rethink  things.  He paddled pretty hard.  Later when Jesus called me to preach the gospel.  I really only had one verse memorized. Yep, you got it. Jesus wept.
I figure when Jesus heard my pathetic attempts to preach He may have wept some more.  He has never made a mistake, but I  think a few folks round Needmore probably wondered if he had made one then.
I have been preaching for50 years now and I have learned a few more verses. But one of my favorites remains. “Jesus wept.”
I know we can not turn back the hands of time, but sometimes I almost weep when I see how much awry our nation has  gone.  Jesus must look out over our country and say “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” Matthew 23:37