The Essential Part

Great Expectations

2009-09-05T18:10:00.001-07:00

What do you imagine God thinks of you right now? Jeremiah 29:11 declares God loves you and has plans to prosper you. The King James Version says it this way: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil; to give you an expected end.

What kind of an end would you like to have? The NIV says that He wants to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. How do you see your future in God right now? Do you see yourself under this plan for a brighter future, or do you feel like you’re missing a piece of that puzzle?

Our imagination has a lot to do with how we perceive the character of God’s love. Genesis 6:5 said that the imaginations of men’s hearts were evil from their youth up. Our expectations are bred in our imagination. God loves us more than we can ever know in this life, but if we allow our imagination to be guided by our flesh, we will always be fearful. In the flesh it is impossible to please God, and our perceptions of others will also probably fall short of where God wants them to be.

That’s why Romans 12:12 said to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You must renew your mind on a daily basis. Also, Ephesians 5:26 talks about washing of water by the word. You must wash your brains. Brainwashing is paramount in the Christian lives. Sanctify your imagination. Turn off unclean TV and internet programming and turn on something inspirational.

You will have less anger toward others and more confidence in your prayers if you cleanse that little area of your brain called imagination, and added inspiration to write better poetry and prose. If you are a born again son or daughter of God, the desires of your heart are the ones He put there. Don’t believe that? Read Jeremiah 29:11 the way it was written.

He wants to bring your life to fruition in Him. Of course it may not mean you’ll be rich beyond measure in this world’s goods. They are passing away, pretty quickly now days. God’s promises are meant to make you a showcase of His grace, honor and glory…

Dragon Net 2009

2009-09-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

It’s 8:00 a.m. and I’m Sgt. Joe Fireday, working day watch out of homicidal. A beautiful day dawns here in L.A. Rain and smog cover the valley in a beautiful blanket of grey. News on the wire tells of stabbings, assaults and fatal wounds. Truly it fills my darkened heart with glee. But sometimes good things happen to bad people. It’s my job to see that doesn’t happen.

This is Dragon Net 2009

8:20 a.m. My partner, Detective Bill Z. Bub and I were cruising the strip in our unmarked Beer truck, when the call came in for a 3:16 at the corner mart in Watts.

“Step on it, Bub. We’ve got an emergency. Make an illegal u-turn here and head for Watts”.

With a quick jerking motion of the wheel, Bub caused the truck to careen out of control. We slid sideways down the side street, dumping kegs of swill in front of the corner mission. Then we changed direction and headed immediately across town to investigate. Upon arrival we questioned witnesses at the scene.

8:45 a.m. Lots of folks were milling around, shoplifting, smoking crack, listening to ungodly music and engaging in various types of degenerate behavior. Noticing that nothing seemed out of order here, we were about to call in to central to confirm our location. Suddenly a rotund woman in her 40s, with the smell of gin on her breath, spun around and caught Officer Bub off guard. Staring glassy eyed into his face, Officer Bub was almost overcome by the fumes.

“Officers! Thank whatever powers that be! There has been a terrible social faux pas committed here just now.”

I took a deep breath to avoid asphyxiation and continued on. “Excuse me, Ma’am. Did you see what went down here?”

“Why yes, Officer. I was minding my neighbor’s business when this polite looking young woman I was talking to interrupted my gossip with some kind of thing she called good news. I’m not sure what the news was, but I sensed she was up to nothing bad. When I saw she wasn’t interested in my story, I cut her off in mid sentence and told her to take that God stuff out of here.”

“Yes ma’am. Did you see which way she went from here?”

“Yes officers. I knew she was up to some kind of trouble, disturbing good meaning church folk with that “Jesus” stuff. You know how those goodie two shoes girls are. Well, I watched her cross the street at the light over there. Of course she just had to wait for the walk light signal before she crossed. You know what kind of girl that is.”

“Yes, ma’am. Now which way did you say she went?”

“I’m not sure where she went after she turned the next corner, Officers. But I do know she must be stopped.”

“Yes ma’am. We’ll catch here alright. That’s our job, taking Jesus freaks off the streets. Thanks for your help.”

Not having much of a description to go on, we cruised around the block, searching for a Christian type person. Knowing how far down hill this end of town has gone, we knew we were dealing with a real weirdo. Who else would be walking around trying to help these dirt bags?

Suddenly my partner blurted out, “There she is Joe.”

“Sure enough Bub. Call for backup. We’ll need at least two Mormons and a cute babe in a tank top with some wine.”

“10/4 boss.”

9:45 a.m. We stopped in front of a pleasant looking, well dressed young lady on the street corner, obviously someone out of place here. She was holding a Bible while witnessing to a denizen from the darker side of L.A. As we exited the beer truck with badges in hand, we prepared for action. Bible thumpers can be a dangerous lot.

“Excuse me, Miss. I’m Sgt. Joe Fireday and this is my partner Officer Bill Z. Bub. We need to ask you a few questions. What is your name, ma’am?”

“Well Officers. I’m Polly Purelybread. I’m here with my church group doing street corner witnessing. We’re trying to spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Can I talk to you about Jesus?”

“No ma’am. We already know the person of whom you speak. Please don’t use His name in our presence. It is the right of every peace loving citizen in L.A., such as this fine young drug addict, to believe in whatever deity they choose, if they choose. May I see your peddler’s permit, ma’am?”

“I don’t have one, Officer Fireday”.

“I see ma’am. You must have a permit to distribute religious materials or collect for religious purposes.”

“But Officers, I’m not passing out tracts or collecting money. I’m just trying to shed the light of Jesus Christ in a darkened world and invite them to the corner mission. My church is giving away money and goods to the needy. We don’t charge for anything that we do.”

When she made her defense I knew this one was going to be a hard case. Obviously, despite the innocent looking demeanor, she was no stranger to the wrong side of the law. She knew just how far she could go without crossing the line. She had all the right answers. I stepped back and motioned to Bub.

“Yo Bub. This one’s gonna be tricky. We can’t just cuff and stuff her. She hasn’t technically done anything wrong yet, but I know she’ll trip up sooner or later. We’ll have to fall back and watch for an entry. She’ll trip herself up in a while and we’ll have her then. Remember the Annas and Caiaphas technique. It’s good for cross-examining witnesses. If we can’t twist her words and use them against her, we can always bring up false witnesses later. After all, the ends justify the means. We’ve got to get a good apple off the streets. In the mean time we can make her plenty nervous.”

We returned to the suspect, who was trying to ruin the rest of the life of the aforementioned young dirt bag. “I’m sorry ma’am. We didn’t mean to disturb your conversation. Please continue on. Don’t mind our menacing manner, or large shiny badges and cocked firearms.”

“Thank you, Officer,” she said without even diverting her gaze from her target audience. “Young man, as I was saying, you too can receive the love of God in your heart today. He loves you with all His heart and wants you to be a part of His family”.

As the young man started to gain interest in her efforts, another woman walked into his peripheral field of view.

“Wow”, said the young man. “Can you believe that? What a babe.”

The “babe” continued on past the respectable young lady and winked at the young man lying in the gutter. She flashed the label of the wine bottle and a little leg his way. Suddenly he arose and followed the babe, leaving the respectable young lady for the tramp. We knew we snatched victory from the mouth of defeat.

She had no audience now. We had won by a very narrow margin that time. At last acknowledging defeat, she let out a shrug of her shoulders. Then the young woman did something unexpected. She shot a glance towards me and Officer Bub. She knew the enemy of her soul had dealt a blow to the kingdom. But she was not to be bested by the son of perdition.

“Say gentlemen. You know, God loves you too. You can accept the blood of Jesus Christ and He will save you from your sins“.

“I’m sorry young lady, I said. You can’t convince us. We’re hardened against God in our hearts. Isn’t that right, Officer Bub?”

“Well, I don’t know Joe. I listened to what she said. The lady makes a lot of sense to me. You know, Joe, I’d kind of like to get rid of this monkey on my back. What do you think? Couldn’t she be right about this Gospel stuff? We could at least hear her out.”

With a look turning from disbelief to disgust, I turned my gaze from Polly Purebred to Officer Bub. “Guess that’s it for you Bub. Turn in your badge and pitchfork, uh sidearm.”

With that I turned away in disgrace from Officer Bub, forcing him to bow his head in shame. Slowly I walked back to the truck. The nice young lady was now witnessing to Officer Bub. There’s no telling how much trouble she could stir up down here in the mean streets.

“I’m Joe Fireday and this is my beat, turning up the heat on the street on the children of God. Can you take it, or will we make it - shut you down?”

Daybreak

2009-09-05T18:04:00.001-07:00

As newborn day breaks over the land
And sends its rays of warmth to fan
The chilling blanket of grey night
And shadows put sunbeams to flight

All Gods creatures small and great
Pause to muse their daily fate
As early risers look to eat
Some late sleeper for a treat

A rabbit stirred from his repose
Bleary eyed and wiggly nosed
Escapes the rapture of his den
And props on hind legs in the wind

Bowing lowly to the ground
For grace to live the day he’s found
As it was imparted him
More precious than the rarest gem

For all Gods creatures great and small
Are attentive to His beck and call
For nature’s children though they’re wild
Live God’s plan as they were styled

And so should we as each day’s given
Cause it just might be the last we’re livin.

Peace Brother

2009-09-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Peace I leave you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

"Peace brother ": As men we wish each other peace. As God, Jesus physically gave peace to us, because He could do something we could never do. He actually created peace, through His death on the cross.

It was an actual creative work, like the original creation. Christ's death and resurrection literally spoke life into the face of utter spiritual darkness. It was a literal act of creation like when God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

He as the Prince of Peace purchased it and He gave it to us. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He took down the barrier, created by sin, nailing it to the cross. That's why your heart should not be troubled or afraid. Your eternal destiny is secure! Without the cross your life would be a tragedy regardless of its merits.

Satan's primary target is your awareness of that peace, not your health, finances or whatever. If he can rob your peace, the rest doesn't make any difference: he's won the battle. Likewise, if he can't steal your peace, the rest is irrelevant: it's all-good from here on out, come what may.

Your peace isn't grounded in what you think or feel, or what doctrines you believe. It's grounded in your heart when you accept Christ as your savior. Thusly we may state with Paul: What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus?

Answer: Whatever you allow. Your mind is the battleground. That's where Satan can rob your victory. The circumstances that come into your everyday life are your enemy when you allow what you see, taste, feel, hear or sense in any other manner to draw you away from the truth: God has already purchased it for you. That’s why you are more than a conqueror!

A big part of the equipment God gave you is defensive. Peace is armor plating for your soul. It can harden you against the arrows of temptation by reminding you what really matters in life, your eternal salvation. Pray the peace of Christ on and over yourself and family, and learn to use the weapons God has given you. They are not carnal, but spiritual, to the pulling down of strongholds. Fall into the ranks and pull down that helmet of salvation a little tighter mister. We're at war here.

Hit the Wall in Canaan Land

2009-09-05T18:01:00.003-07:00

The capacity for forgiveness, love, mercy and grace is a true test of our maturity. God is the author and greatest example of all these attributes. They are Him. How closely we resemble Him depends a lot on how much of the stuff like forgiveness, love, mercy and the like flow from us. Are you all grown up or anywhere close to it?

When you were 2 years old and your mother told you to stay out of the street, there was good cause for her cautionary warning. If you were 20 years old and still hadn’t left your yard, “Cause mommy said not to,” you would be (granted you were physically and mentally able), somewhat behind the times. Are you moving out of the yard, experientially speaking?

Your daddy gave you permission to leave the front yard of faith on the day you were reborn. It’s a matter of being willing to step out and really experience God. Take the Bible challenges and let them take you away from mommy’s apron strings. The love of God in human flesh (yours and mine) in this day and age would be without contradiction the greatest miracle that could ever pour forth from today’s church, bar none.

You don’t have to of course. Many Christians are content to just go with the flow. Many cautionary mommies will even give you license. “You have to be careful, you know”. Practical application of words like give, forgive or love can cause real pain. I let those words take me down the street and even around the corner sometimes and sometimes I miss the corner, hit the wall and crash and burn. BUT GOD, always gives me His grace, in time. Can you literally let the words in red (The Beatitudes among others), take you out of the front yard of your own church comfort zone? Or will you be satisfied to sit on your pew Sunday morning observing the status quo?

Or, will you step out boldly; walk the line of witnessing, loving, forgiving, having mercy and the like. This is the Canaan land of New Testament folk. This is the land of the brave and home of the truly free. This is the air that real faith breathes. In a day where sin abounds and the love of many has grown cold, it’s sorely needed.

Lunchtime Come and Me Wanna Go Home (Sung to the tune of the Banana Boat Song)

2009-09-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Oh no, Oh no o-o-o-o-oh,

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

Sit all day till the mornin done

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

Preachin man preach till the kingdom come

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

Come Preachin man we all goin bananas

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

Come Preachin man we all goin bananas

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

Oh no, Oh no o-o-o-o-oh,

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

Come nine clock, ten clock almost brunch

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

Preachin man preachin and me got a hunch

He already ate and don’t wanna eat some

Oh no, Oh no o-o-o-o-oh,

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

Come Preachin man we all goin bananas

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

Come Preachin man we all goin bananas

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

I see deadly black tarantula

Lunchtime come and me wanna go home

Look like me found my lunch substantula

Lunchtime gone and no need to go home

Oh no, Oh no o-o-o-o-oh,

Lunch come up and me need go home now

BNN (Beak News Network)

2009-09-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

I just discovered a wonderful news feed this morning. It’s called BNN. It doesn’t seem to have either a liberal or conservative bent and I don’t believe they support any particular party platform. They’re on the wire every morning by about 6 a.m. my time, and repeat the feed continually for probably at least two hours. The newscaster I heard was named Robin somebody or other. I receive the broadcast with windows, but my version is pretty old and I don’t believe you even need to have windows to receive it. You could open a door as well. The Beak News Network feed starts automatically about the break of day almost every day right behind my house. Robin’s kind of flighty, but I can’t blame her. Sometimes it’s kind of dangerous to sit on a telephone wire. The network however, is faithful to its daily listeners.

The big news story of the day was something to the effect of: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night shows knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof”. (Psalm 19:1-6).

You need to tune in early to get the whole feed. And sometimes noises produce interference or may dampen the signal. I know that TV, internet, Ipods and other similar noise producing devices can impede signal clarity and distort the message. Similarly, road or city noise as the day goes on may hamper broadcast reception if you wait too long to tune in. These animals and others have been speaking of the glory of God daily since the creation of time itself. They don’t require batteries, or any kind of electricity for a telecast. Their operating system is their DNA, which God put in them the day they were first created. If you listen closely, you can almost make out the words.

A Sign of Life

2009-09-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

I didn’t die to ease your life
To fill your wallet
Or fix your wife

I wasn’t true so you could lie
Or turn away
But learn to die

I wasn’t mocked that you’d be safe
But sent a sword
So life would chafe

My blood was shed to set you free
For eagles soar
In liberty

Die to your flesh and live for Me
The cross you need
If you will be

The sons of God borne out of strife
The fight within you
A sign of life

A Life for a Life

2009-09-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

All power and praise
Be only to God
Who over the shadow
Of my death hath trod

He gave up His blood
He was nailed to my tree
That the angel of death
Would Passover me

For the blood on my hands
Was the lamb crucified
For the exceedingly sinful
The sinless one died

For if judgment has justice
The guilty must pay
Or there can be no mercy
Only moral decay

There is only one verdict
To end all the strife
And a price has been paid
A life for a life

The Road

2009-09-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

In the midst of a world fraught with worry and strife
We crushed like roses must give up our life
Though His death and His flesh have opened the veil
Up Calvary’s road we must all make a trail

For it's easy to trust God on a sunshiny day
Or proclaim a great victory when our flesh has its way
But that's not really trusting in Almighty God’s plans
For your death is the victory that His great love demands

Down the pain and the heartache we all walk that road
Fatigued with the hardships, borne down with a load
Till the ranks of God's army are numbering few
For to march in the faith is to learn to be true

And over the Jordan is where the troops rested
When the Children of Israel were forty years tested
For we cannot rest here nor disobey His command
But march on to glory, home to the Promised Land

And at the end of the trail stands death the last foe
Here much faith is needed to let the fear go
And over the Jordan to sail as a dove
To the arms of the Master in the Heavens above

The Phillistines Be Upon Thee Sams Sons

2009-09-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

The Philistines be on thee, Samson

Your strength is cut off on the floor

As Delilah’s singing vamped you on

You traded God’s love for a whore

You judged all Israel of your day

Made the devil’s hordes check out

Till a harlot took your breath away

And her minions put your lights out

Yet God looks down the ages still

To find Sams Sons born of his kin

Blood borne ones of Calvary’s Hill

To make hell’s horde retreat again

But not straying from the narrow way

Twas too great a task for Adam’s kind

For just like the men of Samson’s day

True hearts as then are hard to find

Where are His kin, the promised seed?

God’s strength is needed now this day

As again the world is filled with need

His kinsmen redeemed need but obey

But we want the finer things in life

And forget the best there ever was

Freely offered as our sacrifice

To Let a harlot give our head a buzz

Finding Jesus in the Mall

2009-09-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

Overheard one night at bedtime in the Johnson household as Mr. Johnson talks to Becky his young daughter:

“Daddy, who is God?”

“I don’t know, darling. I guess it just depends on who you think he is?”

“Oh, so God is a man?”

“Well, that’s a good question, honey. What made you ask?”

“One of the girls in my class today told me she says something called “prayers” every night to someone named Jesus, before she goes to sleep. She says he’s God.”

“Oh, well dear, what can I say? Prayers are like talking to a higher power. I learned about higher powers in my AA class. You remember when daddy had his little problem? You talk to a higher power and gain knowledge, wisdom and cool stuff we can’t afford to buy.”

“Is he kind of like Santa Claus then?”

“I guess so, but I really don’t know. My folks weren’t very religious and I guess it just never caught on with me. We should go somewhere tomorrow and find out more about this God thing.”

###

So the next day the man and his little girl go looking for God.

“Hey sweetie, it’s time to go and find God.”

“That’s great daddy, but where do you go to look for someone to worship?”
“That’s easy sweetie, at the mall. God would logically be there since we get most everything else there.” The man and his daughter drive off to find the true meaning of life (God).

Upon their arrival they discover many interesting sights. Mr. Johnson sees a possibility in a curious looking shop next to the liquor store, where he has a real thirst for knowledge. He points to the store and suggests going in there.

“There’s an interesting cultural look to that store. Let’s poke our heads in there and see what we can find.” They two enter and engage the sales clerk.

“Hello sir and nice little girl. Welcome to “Oh My God,” a wholly owned subsidiary of Deities, Inc. I’ll be your personal assistant. We carry all the latest in classic and contemporary gods. What can we interest you in today?”

"Well I don’t know, Miss. My daughter here wants to know more about a god she called Jesse or something like that. What did you say his name was sweetie?"

"My girlfriend called him Jesus, daddy. Do you have a God here that goes by the name of Jesus?"

“No, I’m sorry honey,” said the clerk with a look of exasperation. “I’m afraid I am required by law to inform you that we’re barred by statute from specializing in the occult. This Jesus God is not a user friendly model. Although some people desire this one, he is barred because he has been known to be dangerous and is hard to control on occasion.

F.Y.I. the man Jesus was actually executed by the state of Israel around the first century. His followers are a little strange. They claim he’s still alive somewhere, like that’s possible after 2000 years, and are even willing to die if necessary to prove their faith.”

“That’s way too extreme for a store like us. We only deal in user friendly gods. But that’s enough about the occult. We have some exciting new cutting edge models with all kinds of features to dazzle the user."

"Here we have the new Excelsior model “G Class” god. It has the Good Godkeeping seal of approval. We guarantee this model will not shed, issue commandments, control or in anywise impede your own personal lives. His or her (models are available in either sex or a nice neutral gender) finish is guaranteed for ten years against wear and tear and guaranteed for life not to peel, rust or corrode except as noted in paragraph 5 under Battery Replacement Exceptions.”

The clerk continued on, “We also have this small Southwestern deity. It doesn’t really do anything, but if you purchase it you will also receive a license to use peyote and other herbal supplements in worship to enhance the experience. This is real popular with the over 50 crowd; you know, trying to relive Woodstock and all that. You could worship together that way. It makes for a really laid back family atmosphere around the home. Of course, you will probably gain a lot of weight.”

“Well," said the daddy. “What do you think, sweetie? Do you want the new “G Class” god? It sounds pretty exciting to me. Look at all the lights that light and bells that go off when you bow before him. I’ll bet he has some kind of motion sensor that goes off when you come near, or you could go with the more existential, esoteric Southwestern doll and experience true nirvana.”

“I don’t know, daddy. Those look more like toys than gods to me. I’d rather find toys in the toy store across the other side of the mall. Let’s go over there.”

“OK, sweetie, so we’re finished with looking for God today?”

“Yes, daddy, This is too hard for me to understand. My friend said it was a lot simpler than this. All she has to do is bow her head and talk. Suzy said he even hears and speaks back to her heart.”

“I don’t see how that’s possible, dear. After all, if you can't see him, how do you know he’s even real? Maybe she’s just making up an imaginary friend like you do sometimes when you talk to Mr. Bunny.”

Now Becky was the one getting exasperated with her father. “No daddy," she wailed, her voice growing louder. “She said he’s really real. The Jesus God is not an imaginary friend.”

“Look daddy, there’s Suzy, the girl I told you about. Let’s go over and ask her what she meant.”

“I don’t know, dear. Why don’t you go talk to her while I check out this liquor store? This doesn’t sound like anything I would be interested in.”

“Come on daddy. You promised to help me find a god. We can go to the liquor store later.”

“OK sweetie. Let’s go talk to Suzy. She’s coming this way now. I think she’s seen us.”

“Hi Suzy, this is my daddy, Mr. Johnson.”

"Hi Becky, Hi Mr. Johnson, I’m Suzy, your daughter’s BFF."

“Suzy, tell my dad what you told me yesterday about this Jesus.”

“OK Becky, let’s go over to a bench and sit for a while. Mommy and I have been shopping for school clothes all morning and I’m tired.” After they're all seated, Suzy explains.

“Here’s the whole story. Jesus is a real person, not just a toy like the ones over there in the “Oh My God” store.”

“But Suzy”, exclaimed Mr. Johnson. “We were warned against worshipping Jesus by the sales clerk in the store. She said he can be dangerous and controlling at times.”

“But Mr. Johnson, My Pastor said that if Jesus is God at all, He can’t be controlled, but is the master and maker of all things. My Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Holliday read to us from the Bible and it said that hand made gods are not real gods at all. Mrs. Holliday said they were called idols. She called Him the creator and said He was not made by human hands.”

“Wow, Suzy. That’s a powerful reality. But why would we want Him to control us? We are the masters of our own destiny. Why would we want someone else to make our most important life’s decisions for us?”

“Because He loves you and wants you to love Him back. Jesus wants to reveal himself to you and fill your hearts with His love. If you are willing, I can show you how to find Him right now.”

“I think I’ve heard enough, Suzy.” Suddenly Mr. Johnson’s voice was very angry. “I don’t think I’m going to let Becky play with you anymore. Your ideas sound a little crazy to me. I believe this conversation is over. Good day, Suzy.”

“But daddy,” protested Becky, who was beginning to cry, “I want to hear more about Jesus. Suzy is a really good girl, daddy. That’s why I like her so much. When we are together I feel so good about myself and I just know she wouldn’t deceive us.”

“Now, now there honey. I will go back to the god store and get you one of those nice deities there and then daddy will go next door and get some refreshments.”

“No, No, daddy! Please listen to Suzy; at least try to open your heart to hear what she has to say.”

“I don’t know”, said Mr. Johnson. But after about 5 minutes of Becky’s tearful protests, his eyebrows un-furrow and he becomes more reasonable again.

“OK honey. But there had better not be anything weirder than what we’ve heard before.

Mr. Johnson and Becky returned to Suzy and after listening to the Gospel message about the love of Jesus, were able to receive Him in their hearts because a little girl stepped out and let the Holy Spirit lead her. How about you? Of course this story is fictional. There is no store I know of that sells electronic deities, but witnessing the love of Jesus Christ to a lost world is real. Have you told anyone about the real love of the real God lately?

THE END