Feeling God’s Presence

            I read of a preacher who once ministered to young parents who had a baby isolated in the quarantine section of a children’s hospital in Los Angeles. The infant was dangerously susceptible to infection. To visit the parents, he had to don protective clothing and walk down a long hall constructed of plastic tarps.            

            The baby, a girl, had been placed in a small hospital bed, also surrounded by plastic, and cut off from the outside world. Her parents had not held or touched her in months.

            The preacher wondered how in the world baby could feel the love of her parents. The mother showed him. She inserted her hands and arms into a specially constructed plastic mold, which formed sleeves and hands. The mother then picked up the baby and cradled the child in her two arms. She leaned over, placed her lips on the plastic, and gave the tiny one a kiss. After the kiss, she rocked the baby back and forth. That mother’s flesh never touched the baby; still, the infant felt her presence and her love.

            It occurred to the minister that our relationship with God is like that. We can't see God, we can't touch God, but we can feel his presence and his love, just as that baby felt the presence and love of her mother.

“I’m Moving Again.”

            Too many believe that great people reached their heights without trials, tribulations, failures, and heartaches. They did not.

            The story is told of a young man, who was a struggling newspaper writer in San Francisco. A lady saw him one day with a cigar box under his arm looking in a shop window. “Mr. Clemens, I always see you with a cigar box under your arm. I'm afraid you are smoking too much,” she told him.

            “It isn't that,” he replied. “I'm moving again.”

            In spite of those dire circumstances, Samuel Clemens would go on to write great novels under a pen name—Mark Twain.

            If you are God's man or God’s woman and are presently facing difficult times, it does not necessarily mean that God is displeased with you. Nor does it mean that you are to remain in difficult times.

            I invite you to faithfully look to God, allow this time to deepen your intimacy with him, enjoy his presence, and wait expectantly for what he will do next in your life. 

            If you do, I can promise your life will never be boring!

Inches and Seconds

            In last summer’s Olympic Games, viewers were reminded that Roger Bannister was the first man to break the "four minute mile." Bannister ran less than 1% faster than anyone else had ever done.  Just a second or two made a difference.

            Many call football "a game of inches".  The referee’s spot of the ball can be the difference between a first down and the opposition receiving possession. Possession can mean the difference between victory and defeat. A few inches can make a difference.

            Little things make a difference.

            One of the biblical words we translate as “sin” can also be translated as "missing the mark.” We may be barely off God’s standard of holiness, but we are off. We gave righteousness a shot, and we missed. When it comes to the holiness of God, little things make a difference.

            No wonder we need a Savior.

The Thief Who Tithed

            Years ago, I remember hearing my college preacher, Rick Atchley, mention in a sermon about an article he had read in a newspaper. A widow, living in New Jersey, was robbed of $7000 in jewelry, coins, and dollar bills. It was everything valuable that she owned.

            The thief, going through the loot, had noticed that the widow had set aside some money in an envelope for a church where she worshipped. Consequently, the robber took that money, addressed the envelope to the church, put a stamp on it, mailed it off, and kept the rest for himself.

            It was as if he was saying, "It wouldn't be right to take something that belongs to the church. But what you can get from people in the world you take and stick in your pocket."

            Rick applied that to God’s people in the book of Amos. They were dividing their lives into two categories: one dedicated to the Lord on the Sabbath (Sundays for us) and the other dedicated to the rest of the week—when they could exploit people.

            When we take from people, we are taking from God.

            When we exploit people, we are exploiting God.

Justice and the Biker

            I will be preaching on justice Sunday week. One of my favorite stories is a humorous one concerning justice. It is about a man who appeared before St. Peter at the Pearly Gates:

"Have you ever done anything of particular merit?" St. Peter asked.

"Well, I can think of one thing," the man offered. "Once, on a trip to the Black Hills out in South Dakota, I came upon a gang of high-testosterone bikers, who were threatening a young woman. I directed them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't listen. So, I approached the largest and most heavily tattooed biker and smacked him on the head, kicked his bike over, ripped out his nose ring, and threw it on the ground." I yelled, " Now, back off! Or you'll answer to me!"

St. Peter was impressed: "When did this happen?"

"Just a couple minutes ago."

            Unfortunately, the pursuit of justice DOES often come at great cost—even for those who seek it in a non-violent way. See Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. … and Jesus.

            Remember, it was God who said, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24.) NIV 1984

       

The Kiss of God

            I love the old story of the nobleman and his garden. The source is unknown:

            A nobleman had a garden of beautiful flowers. He had a gardener who was a wonderful steward. He was responsible and cared for the garden with great detail to make it like a paradise.

            One morning, the gardener entered into the garden to inspect his favorite flowers. To his dismay, he discovered that one of his most lovely flowers had been cut from its stem. Next, he saw that the many of the most magnificent flowers from were missing.

            The gardener's adrenaline began to surge through his veins. He was filled with anxiety… and then anger. He hurried to some of the laborers who worked under his leadership and demanded to know, "Who stole my treasures?"

            One of the workers replied, "The nobleman came into his garden this morning, picked those flowers himself, and took them into his house. I guess he wanted to enjoy their beauty."

            That’s when the gardener realized: he had no reason to be concerned. It was good for his master to pick some of his own prize blossoms.

            Deut. 34:5 describes the Lord taking Moses home,  So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. KJV

            Moses did not die of old age; he died because the Lord said it was his time.

            The original word for “word” is used 341 other times in the OT where the KJV translates it “mouth” instead of “word.” Many of the ancient rabbis noted that and interpreted it in a tender way, “Moses died at the kiss of the Lord.”

            I like that phrase.

            Whenever God is ready to pick me for his house, I am ready. I am ready for the kiss of God.

            How about you?

            

Will The President Be There?

            One day the telephone range in the office of the St. John’s Episcopal Church during the years Franklin Roosevelt served as president. “Tell me,” the voice said, “do you expect the President to be in church this Sunday?”

            “That,” the Rector explained patiently, “I cannot promise. However, God will be there and that will incentive enough for a reasonably large attendance.”

Happy Quarterbacks

         I heard two commentators talking about Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck potentially playing together for the Indianapolis Colts. They noted that-were this to occur-one quarterback would surely not be happy.

         The other commentator mentioned Aaron Rogers and Brett Favre playing together on the Green Bay Packers, and Joe Montana and Steve Young competing for the quarterback job with the San Francisco 49ers. Both the Packers and 49ers won Super Bowls under all four quarterbacks.

         Then the question arose: was one of those four quarterbacks ever unhappy? Absolutely. Nevertheless, most fans were pleased with the outcome. To them, it was better to gain the victory than it was to have happy quarterbacks.

          I wonder if God thinks the same for us? Happiness is not the priority. What is important is to gain the eternal victory.

How Do Firemen Find Fire Hydrants?

           I read about a nursery school teacher who was driving a vanload of kids home one day, when a fire truck rushed past.  A Dalmatian was faithfully sitting in the front seat of the fire truck.

            This created quite a discussion for the children! First question—what was the dog’s duties?

            One child said, “They use him to keep crowds back.”

            Another answered, “No! He’s just for good luck.”

            A third child won the prize for best answer, “They use the dogs to find the fire hydrants.”

            Ah, the joy of discovery. Now, I don’t know if those dogs are up to all of those things (which I had not previously known!), but I do believe that someday--in eternity--I’ll find out a lot more about Jesus’ activities in this world.

            The writer of Hebrews wrote, “God's Son has all the brightness of God's own glory and is like him in every way. By his own mighty word, he holds the universe together” (Heb. 1:3a.) 

             I don’t know what all is involved in holding the universe together, but I bet it is a lot!

           

SUPERMAN AND THE SEATBELT

           I have immense respect for the great boxer, Muhammad Ali. That’s why I read with great amusement a story, perhaps apocryphal, on one of those Internet sites last week. Of course, during his heyday, Ali was known as much for his braggadocio as he was for his boxing.

            The legend goes that once Ali was flying to a fight on a commercial airline. Before the plane took off, a flight attendant, making her rounds, noticed that Ali had not buckled his seat belt.

            The flight attendant asked him to buckle up, and Ali refused. The flight attendant insisted, but Ali said, "Superman don't need no seatbelt."            

            The attendant replied, "Superman don't need no plane."

            Ali buckled his seat belt.

            It’s always good to keep things in their proper perspective.

             3 O LORD, what is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow (Psalm 144:3-4.) 

          

Story Source: Perry Greene… http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-perry-greene-humor-80350.asp

Focus on the Bad Guys

            Okay, this is not exactly a story, unless you count it as a story about the biblical scholar, James Sanders. However, it is so good, I had to share it in some venue.

            Here it is: when you read the Bible, you should never identify with the good guys. Rather, identify with the bad guys.

            If you come away from the Bible feeling good, you have misread it. That will make you feel self-righteousness.

19 Messages from God

          Okay, this is more of a funny list than a story.

Ever seen those billboards displaying a “message” from God? Well, a few years ago, some one sent me a list of 19 he had seen. Hope you like them:

            1. Let's Meet At My House Sunday Before the Game - God

                        2. C'mon Over And Bring The Kids - God

                        3. What Part of "Thou Shalt Not..." Didn't You Understand? - God

                        4. We Need To Talk - God

                        5. Keep Using My Name in Vain And I'll Make Rush Hour Longer - God

                        6. Loved The Wedding, Invite Me To The Marriage - God

                        7. That "Love Thy Neighbor" Thing, I Meant It. - God

           

8. I Love You...I Love You...I Love You... - God

           

9. Will The Road You're On Get You To My Place? - God

10. Follow Me. - God

             11. Big Bang Theory, You've Got To Be Kidding. - God

             12. My Way Is The Highway. - God

             13. Need Directions? - God

             14. You Think It's Hot Here? - God

             15. Tell The Kids I Love Them. - God

             16. Need a Marriage Counselor? I'm Available. - God

             17. Have You Read My #1 Best Seller? There Will Be A Test. - God

             18. I don't question your existence.  -God

             19. Don't make me come down there. -God 

The Man Who Couldn’t Ride

       SHANE is one of my favorite movies. Perhaps you have read the story (it appears in Wikipedia and other internet sites) that one actor found it extremely difficult to mount and dismount horses. Finally, George Stevens determined that the actor had made the perfect dismount—and it was captured on film!

            Thereafter, Stevens used that dismount for every scene he needed with the actor dismounting a horse.

            What about the mount? No problem. Stevens ran the dismount in reverse. Voila! The perfect mount.

            I have not found scholarly confirmation of this story. Even if it did not happen exactly that way, it provides a good parable. A good director can edit a movie in such a way as to take a flawed actor and make his performance outstanding.

            I believe God is like this. He takes our performances, flawed as they are, and uses them for His outstanding purposes.

        

Almightygod (@almightygod) is now following your tweets (@sean_fuller) on Twitter

The other day, my friend, Sean Fuller, received this tweet:

Almightygod (@almightygod) is now following your tweets (@sean_fuller) on Twitter.

We had a good laugh about that and, obviously, we assume that it is not THE ALMIGHTY who maintains this account. Still, it is a cool reminder that God offers intimacy more potent than Twitter:

Psalm 139:1-17

 1 O LORD, you have searched me

       and you know me.

 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; 
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; 
you are familiar with all my ways.

 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

 5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, 
too lofty for me to attain.

 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; 
if I make my bed in the depths, ^[a^] you are there.

 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

 10 even there your hand will guide me, 
your right hand will hold me fast.

 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"

 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; 
the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, 
I know that full well.

 15 My frame was not hidden from you 
when I was made in the secret place. 
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

God and the Spider Web

David R. Helm writes in his commentary on Jude about Frederick Nolan. Nolan was fleeing from his enemies during a time of persecution in North African.

Vigilantly pursued by his foes, Nolan was running out of places to hide. Finally, bone-tired he came upon a small cave. Hiding inside, he expected his enemies to find him.

Certain he was awaiting his death, he saw a spider begin to weave a web. Within minutes, the insect had woven an intricate web across the mouth of the cave.

Shortly thereafter, his hunters arrived. At first, they suspected Nolan had entered the cave. Then, they considered how it would have been impossible for him to have entered without destroying the web. So they left.

Nolan escaped his potential captors. Later, contemplating his fate, he wrote, “Where God is, a spider’s web is like a wall. Where God is not, a wall is like a spider's web.”

Who Was That?

An old story goes like this:

            After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into her old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair.

            As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin.  At last she threw a towel around her neck and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings.

            As she left the room, she heard the 3-year old say with a trembling voice, “Who was that?”

            Some people imagine God speaking in the same tone as that grandmother, when he talks with Adam and Eve in Genesis three, after the Fall. I envision a God who is clearly in charge, yes, but also very merciful. Nothing more awful could have occurred than Adam and Eve remaining alive forever in their fallen state. God’s consequences, if you check, also bring ultimate redemption.

Life in the Year 2000

In 1968, the Hudson Institute predicted what life would be like in the United States in the year 2000. Here are some of the things they anticipated:

the annual per capita income would be $7500 a year,

the typical American would work seven-hour days in four-day weeks,

the typical American would enjoy 13 weeks of vacation each year.

Who knew? Actually, I have no regrets. While working seven hour days in four-day weeks would be nice, I sure am glad my income is not limited to $7500 a year.

All of this reminds me of how difficult it is to plan for the future. While I certainly believe in planning, because it demonstrates good stewardship, I do not want to lose sight of the fact that my dependence in the future is not based upon my planning. In the future, should God give me a future, I will depend upon God.