Hurricane Season

August 25, 2024 Beginning of the School Year Celebration Ephesians 6:10-20 Hurricane Season 14th Sunday After Pentecost Year B Prelude Greeting Call to Worship ONE: Calling all children of the Living God: the gospel is good news for every age and every stage. ALL: Let us worship together, the young and the old. ONE: The good news is proclaimed in God’s words, and also with crayons, silly songs, snacks, and rest time. ALL: Let us worship together, every generation. ONE: We come together with different abilities and disabilities, learning in a rainbow of ways and styles. ALL: Let us worship together, with our family of faith. ONE: All are welcome in the arms of Christ who proclaimed, “Let the children come!” ALL: Let us worship together, united in our eternal hope. Opening Prayer Let us pray: God our teacher, who helps us to understand the world around us, Thank you for the privilege of education. You have blessed our communities with teachers who take new skills and concepts and pass them along to each new class of young people. God who came as a child to show us how to be fully human, to show us how to be children of God, You have given our children minds that grow and develop in unique ways, at unique speeds, and we are astounded by that miracle. You speak to us through the words, actions, play, and feelings of children. You call us to listen to the Spirit speaking through our young siblings in Christ. We celebrate the beginning of this school year and ask for your blessings upon the children, the educators, and the families who support them all. But in this celebration of education and learning, we do not forget there are children and families and teachers who do not have the resources they need. When systems are unjust, the outcomes are unacceptable. Today we remember those who are beginning school this year: those who have what they need to learn and grow in safety, and those who lack supplies, teachers, safe buildings, and accommodations for all needs and abilities. We come to worship together, to lift up our young people and all those who care for them and teach them. Open our hearts to what you are saying to us today. Amen. Song Stand up, Stand Up for Jesus UMH 514 A Sermon for all Ages – Blessing of the School Year and Supplies BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS Gathering: Before reading through the blessing, Invite kids to bring their backpacks and gather around you. Or, if gathering virtually, invite kids to sit with their backpacks in front of their screen. You may choose to follow the script below, create your own, or skip it altogether. Here are some suggestions to help kids identify and share their feelings during the gathering questions: • Move your thumbs: Kids can use one, or both, thumbs to share how they feel. They can use any combination of thumbs-up (good), thumbs-down (not good), in between (okay), or all around (a little bit of everything). • Raise your hand: This is a great way to expand a child’s feelings vocabulary and help them see they’re not alone in what they feel. Begin by saying, “Raise your hand if you feel (fill in the blank)” then give space for kids to raise their hands. Repeat a few times with different feelings. • Share your voice: Empower kids to identify and share their feelings with their own words and images. If appropriate to your context, encourage them to expand on vague and straightforward feelings like “good” or “okay.” Did you bring your backpack with you today? Can you show me? How are you feeling about starting a new year at school? (Allow time for their responses.) Thank you for being brave and sharing how you feel. Going back to school always invites big feelings to come along with us, and those feelings can be different for everyone! Whether you’re starting school for the first time, moving to a new school, or staying at the same school, we can all feel happy, nervous, scared, curious, ________ (insert any other emotion). Sometimes, we can even feel all those feelings at the same time, and that’s okay! But did you know God is always with us? No matter where we go and what we feel? As we start a new year at school, I want to give you this special backpack tag so that whenever you look at it, you can remember God loves you and is always with you, no matter what. Passing Out the Tags: You may choose to read the following blessing over each child as you give them a tag, or you may choose to pass out all the tags at once and speak this blessing over everyone at the same time. (NAME), this school year, may you be curious and kind, gentle and strong, brave and love Sharing the Blessing: Along with the backpack tag, I also want to share a blessing with you. A blessing is something that you receive, so can you open your hands like you are ready to receive a special gift? As I speak, imagine the words are dancing, floating, and fluttering all around, and watch them as they land on your hands and on your backpack. If you want to receive it, take the blessing and put it in your heart. May these tags remind you that God is always with you. As you sit and as you stand, as you learn and as you play, in every fear and every celebration, may you know God, your friend, is always there. Praying for the School Year: You may also choose to include this prayer to wrap up your blessing of the backpacks. God of fresh starts and new beginnings, we bring ourselves, our big feelings, and our backpacks to you. In our backpacks, we carry blank pages, sharpened pencils, and pointy crayons, and in our hearts, we carry big feelings, unanswered questions, and hopeful expectations. There are endless possibilities of what this new year might bring— of what we might learn, who we might meet, and who we might become. God, our friend who is always with us, be with us through it all. Be with us as we ride the bus. Be with us as we walk. Be with us as we buckle seat belts, zip-up jackets, and tie shoes. However we get there, and whatever we wear, bless this journey into something new. For the grown-ups going back to school, With-Us God, be with them too. Thank you for our teachers, helpers, caregivers, and leaders, and for all they do to help us learn and grow. God, our friend who’s full of wonder, fill their hearts and bless their hands. PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE ONE: With you, every transition and new start is a reminder of your goodness, for you are always creating fresh, amazing things in us and through us. Though we are sad about the summer ending, we are grateful for this school year. We appreciate the opportunity to learn and grow, knowing it is one of the biggest privileges we have. With thanks and love, we now offer everything we are to you, asking for your blessing. ONE: We pray as and for students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. We pray for our hearts and all they hold—excitement and nervousness, disappointment and hope. We give you all our loves and fears. We pray for steady self-esteem and deepening resilience. ALL: Loving God, hold us and our prayers ONE: We pray for our minds, that they will expand in wonder and celebration, learning not just from the books studied but the people beside us. Open our minds with a willingness to be changed in unexpected ways, and settle our thought loops in peaceful places. ALL: Loving God, hold us and our prayers. ONE: We pray for our hands, that they will reach out to help welcome and care. Bless our hands with patience and dedication as they grip pencils and type on keyboards, swish paint brushes and clap in song, grip monkey bars and lunch box handles, spin wheelchair tires and basketballs. ALL: Loving God, hold us and our prayers ONE: We pray for our mouths, that they will speak words bringing life and connection. Help us use our mouths to honor the dignity and belovedness of all. Remind us to open our mouths for deep belly breaths when we’re feeling anxious or afraid. ALL: Loving God, hold us and our prayers. ONE: We pray for our feet, that they will move toward those different from us and help others in safe ways. Plant our feet next to those who feel alone, and bless our steps down hallways and sidewalks. We know you are with us wherever our feet go or stay. ALL: Loving God, hold us and our prayers. ONE: We pray for our eyes, that they may see ourselves and others with compassion. Point our eyes toward those who are forgotten or struggling. Grow us in flexibility to see from all kinds of angles. Bless what and how we see, whether we’re looking at a screen, a whiteboard, or the beauty of a person’s face. ONE: We also pray now for teachers, staff and administrators. Bless these faithful servants with courage and confidence, knowing you are in their classroom with a steady hand on their shoulder. Give them peace, patience, and balance in the pressures they face, and bravery to build structures and systems which justly serve all your children. Give them delight in the young ones before them, and recognition of the sweet ways children are also teachers. ALL: Loving God, hold us and our prayers ONE: We pray for health and wholeness, fun and growth, surprise and amazement, for this school year ahead, knowing you will hold us all the way through. ALL: We thank you, God, and love you. Amen. (Liturgy provided by Illustrated Ministries) Passing of the Peace Scripture. Ephesians 6:10-20 Sermon Hurricane Season Superheroes have a way of capturing our attention. There is this deeply rooted human need to look for someone to take care of us, to provide for our needs and to make our lives easier. We yearn for that outside force to break into our lives and to do the things that we can’t do for ourselves. Last week I attended a workshop on telling your life story. Joel Silberman is a media strategist says that usually our superheroes have 4 basic superpowers – they solve problems that no one else can tackle, they are able to heal and regenerate themselves and others, they have super strength or abilities, and they are able to sense things that others can’t see. We Want our Superheroes to Identify with Us Since 1939, Stan Lee created or co-created some of the world’s most popular superheroes. His super-human imagination gave birth to Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, and Ant-Man, just to name a few. Of course, the world has no shortage of storytellers, but Lee was something of a mutant in the field. The Avengers series alone has generated more than $10 billion in ticket sales at the box office since 2008. So, what set his stories apart from the rest? Lee was able to tap into deeply rooted human instincts. He explains his secret in a 1984 interview with ET: The whole formula … was to say: Let’s assume that somebody really could walk on walls like Spider-Man, or turn green and become a monster like The Hulk. That’s a given; we’ll accept that. But, accepting that, what would that person be like in the real world if he really existed? Wouldn’t he still have to worry about making a living? Or having acne and dandruff? Or his girlfriend jilting him? What are the real problems people would have? I think that’s what made the books popular. We all know we need a superhero to rescue us from our enemies and from calamities. But we simultaneously want this hero to be someone with whom we can identify. There are two instincts woven into our fallen nature: the knowledge that we need someone to save us and the deep desire for another to understand our struggles. Lee was also well-known for his cameo appearances inside the stories he had written. Each film since X-Men in 2000 has featured a brief incarnation of the author. Possible Preaching Angle: Stan Lee wasn’t the first to write himself into his storyline. Jesus did not simply rescue us from afar. He wrote himself into our story. He became a man and subjected himself to all the tyrannies of a fallen world. Even though Stan Lee passed away in 2018, his characters will live permanently in our culture. Imagine if you were a superhero – just curious, what would your costume look like? What would be your super powers. (think about that for later) Scott Bayles is a pastor and comic book lover. He talks about one of the highlights of his life is taking his family to meet Stan Lee. Scott has created a whole ministry around his love for comic books. He was written several books connecting the gospel to the marvel and DC universe. Bayles is a pastor in Southern Illinois. He tells the story of traveling to the hometown of Superman, Metropolis, which is also in southern Illinois. Every year in June the town has a superman festival. They also hold the world record for the largest statue of superman. Recently, about 2013, they tried to set the world record for the most people dressed as superman in one place. They have since lost that title, but Scott and his two year old son were present for the moment. The pastor was so excited to have created and sewed his own costume. Today creating superhero costumes is an important part of his ministry. His whole family dresses up in costumes to bring the superheroes to life. He has since created a much better costume for superman. For him, superman has a lot in common with Jesus. The both have a secret identity. Superman spends his day as Clark Kent. Eventually the secret got out, and yet he still poses as Clark Kent. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus constantly tells everyone that he heals not to tell his identity. The both have a duel identity. Superman is both a superhero and Clark Kent. Jesus is both the Son of Joseph and Mary and the Son of God The both have superpowers. Superman has the 4 common superpowers. Jesus heals, provides, sees in the future, see the heart of others, and is able to manipulate nature. The both care for the needs of others and are willing to sacrifice themselves to save others. The best part of the superman stories is when he looses his strength trying to help someone, but somehow he regains it and defeats the bad guys. Jesus dies on the cross, yet is resurrected and saves the world. Stan Lee was not the creator of Superman. Superman was created in 1938 – during the end of the depression and the beginning of WWII. Men who were able to succeed or perform in those tough times were called superman. If you were a superhero, what would your costume look like, what would be your superpowers? I suspect that the original supermen were the characters of the bible. There is just something in our spirit looking for good news, seeking a savior. Thinking of our superheroes and their costumes gives us an excellent perspective for today’s scripture – Ephesians 6. Paul encourages us to put on the armor of God – our superhero costume. So stand with the belt of truth around your waist, justice as your breastplate, 15 and put shoes on your feet so that you are ready to spread the good news of peace. 16 Above all, carry the shield of faith so that you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word. What is interesting is that truth, justice, peace, faith, salvation and spirit are all attributes of God. Hmmm Paul is telling us that we are the superhero of your own story. I think God is telling us that we are the superheroes of the story of life. What does your costume look like, what are your superpowers? Ephesians says put on God’s armor so that you can make a stand against the tricks of the devil. Whether we are going to school, to work, or to the doctors office we all face challenges in life. We all have issues to deal with. All of us have in some way experienced the tricks of the devil. It is so easy to feel vulnerable and sometimes even helpless. We have all had that kryptonite moment where are are zapped of our power. God reminds us that our power begins with God. Christ in You Makes You Like a Superhero To explain how Christ in us now labors to make us more human, not less, pastor/author Rankin Wilbourne used the following illustration: Consider two superheroes, Batman and Spider-Man. Batman is a rich and strong man with lots of cool gadgets. His superpowers stem from his external possessions. Spider-Man has a few accessories as well, but he is a superhero because of the spider powers he obtained when he was bitten by a radioactive spider. His nature has been changed. Now he has a new power accessible to him, within him. Christ in you makes you more like Spider-Man than Batman. Something alien to you, from outside of you, has entered into you and changed your nature. You now have power that you did not have before. The trouble with this analogy is that Spider-Man became something more than human, while we instead are being restored to our full humanity. We are becoming more like Christ. I Step Out on the Word of God Poet Maya Angelou recalls the struggles of her grandmother living through the great depression. She remembers a lot of things about her grandmother: her wisdom, her stature. But it was her grandmother's faith that Maya remembers most. Clasping her hands behind her back her grandmother would look up into the distant sky and say, "I will step out on the word of God." The great depression was a difficult time for everyone, but "especially so for a single black woman in the South tending her crippled son and two grandchildren." But when faced with mountainous burdens, Maya's grandmother would face the sky and say, "I will step out on the word of God." "She would look up as if she could will herself into the heavens," Maya writes. And because of her grandmother, Maya Angelou grew up knowing that the word of God had power. And now, today, whenever she experiences the injustices of this world, Maya remembers the great faith of her grandmother. God gives us spiritual armor to protect us from the evil we face daily: He gives us truth, righteousness, the willingness to speak up for Christ, and, most importantly, faith. King Duncan, www.Sermons.com In times of struggle, we look to the hills for a savior, but we know our help is always in the lord. According to Ephesians that attributes of God us just our costume. We are more than soldiers of Christ. John C. Purdy, a staff member of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., has written a challenging book entitled Returning God's Call: The Challenge of Christian Living. In it, Purdy suggests that we need a new metaphor for the Christian life. He points out the inadequacy of the old metaphors such as "a soldier in God's army," "a scholar in the school of Christ," "a traveler along the Christian way," "a citizen of the commonwealth; "and a member of Christ's body." We are the ones who can hear God’s call in our life. According to Ephesians we only have one superpower – that is prayer. Prayer William Barclay, in his commentary, points out that the sign of the Christian is when he or she is eager to be on their way to tell the story of Jesus: his death, his resurrection and his ascension. This is the commitment of being a servant for the Lord. Barclay emphasizes that for servant ministry there are three conditions people must have in their prayer life: (1) Prayer must be constant. It is from daily prayer that we find daily strength and holy guidance. (2) Prayer must be intense. No beating around the bush. When you have a clear message from the Lord about a particular concern, be bold about your prayer life. Be the prayer warrior he has called you to be. (3) Prayer must be unselfish. We must learn to pray as much for others as for ourselves. We must seek a community of believers to pray with us and for us. Together we will know the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as it uses us to be a vehicle of servant ministry. Harry Denman, adapting William Barclay’s Commentary If you were a superhero what would your costume look like? I think I would have on white flowing gowns. And I would have the ability to heal, and to read minds. As you go forward in life today, in whatever God has called you into – remember that you are God’s superhero. Whatever challenges you face remember that you have the power of God on your side. Put on your costume, remember your superpower – to rely on God. The world needs you. Let us pray……. Song Hope of the World. UMH 178 Pastoral Prayer Where has the time gone, Lord? It seems as though we just got started with summer, having plans for rest and recreation, leisure and celebration. Then suddenly we are at the end of the summer. We know, as we begin to focus more closely on our daily planners, that time fills up fast with duties, meetings, organizations, and just generally getting back into the swing of things. It is easy for us to get lost in the obligations and to neglect our commitment to you. You have girded us for the journey, giving us armaments of faith. Your beloved Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, has poured out blessings upon blessings in his teachings that we might be made whole and be in good and faithful service to you by serving your world. Open our hearts and spirits, Lord, to faithful ministries in which we may take part. Let us take the extra steps into the wondrous mission to which you have called. Heal, restore, and prepare us for service. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Ephesians sounds as though it could have been written just last year. Did you hear (if this text has been read…otherwise, just quote this line) these directions for life? “Be careful how you live!” That is, “Pay attention!” Pay attention to what God wants for all of us! Pay attention to the song in your hearts, Pay attention to the ways you give thanks to God, in the name of Jesus Christ. Today, we gather to sing, and to show our attitude of gratitude to God through the act of giving from our hearts. We invite you to share your time, your talent and your finances…all showing your spirit of thanksgiving, as you pay attention to what you’ve received. Please give in the ways that work best for you: on-line, with a check or cash, or sending your check thru’ the mail to the church office. And give thanks! Prayer of Thanksgiving Holy God, we do give you thanks for all we have received from your hand: For the goodness of air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, land on which we live…for the love of friends and family…for the safety of this space… for the opportunities we have to reach out to those who are in need, Accept this offering as one response to your generosity. Strengthen our resolve to live in your Spirit, with gratitude. Help us use all your gifts to shape our congregation and our community more like the way we believe your Realm exists – with love, peace, and justice for all. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Loving God, Coat the year before us with miracles of your mercy and strength, and help us appreciate most of all the bedrock miracle of your presence with us in every single ordinary, sacred moment. Lead us this school year into life-giving rhythms of grace and light, where our regular routines become the framework for worship and blessing. Community Time Joys and Concerns Benediction Children, families, and all who love them, go out into the beautiful world that God has made! Go and play! Go and learn! Go and love others! May you be filled with lovingkindness for yourself and everyone around you. May the prayers of your faith community keep you safe, healthy, and full of joy. Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener - It’s Humble or the Umbles - Ephesians 6:10-20 by Leonard Sweet You know you’ve crossed into some new station in your life when you visit the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and realize as you are leaving that you completely skipped all the paintings. That’s right, the entire Renaissance wing just was not on the agenda. Suddenly it hits you: You are no longer a student, or a tourist, or an art lover. No, you are a parent of small, squirming children who need to see something big, and strong, and hard-hitting. So your museum tour was through the pyramids. Your museum circuit consisted of huge tombs and temples, the mummies and the caskets of ancient Egypt. But perhaps most importantly, you meandered through the mists of the medieval ages. This means rooms and rooms of ancient, awful-looking weaponry, and the Met’s huge collection of all types of “awesome” armor. There are over 15,000 pieces of ancient armor and weapons in the Metropolitan’s collection — dating from 400 BCE, through the heavily weighted years of medieval Europe, and including a huge collection of Japanese implements and armories, from the fifth through the nineteenth centuries. As you wander around the Museum complete coats of heavy iron armor stand at attention all over the place… Everything Changes When You Are Called Each of these metaphors has served us well in the past, Purdy says, but they are not as useful for today. The metaphor Purdy recommends with much vitality is "Hearers of the Call." His rationale is that this would be the image of one who has heard, and keeps hearing, a persistent summons to belief and action. "Hearers of the Call!" Whether we agree with Purdy or not, that reality is the key to our faithfulness as disciples. The same author goes on to describe how, as a child, he would be outside playing hide and seek with his friends. Inevitably, his front door would open and his mother's voice would call, "John, time to come in!" But Purdy said, "I would go on with hide and seek as though nothing had happened. And to anybody passing by, I looked no different from my playmates." "But", as Purdy continued, "I was different. I had been called - in; everything was changed.” Maxie Dunnam, adapted from John Purdy, Returning God's Call; The Challenge of Christian Living Pray to Gather Strength One time, some time ago, some army troops were participating in a military training exercise in the Mojave Desert. Jim Bolton was on a crew that became separated from the rest of the troops. One of the vehicles in their convoy had lost its traction and had come to rest at the edge of a sand cliff above a fifty-foot drop. The vehicle was hopelessly mired in the sand, and the soldiers in the unit tried to free it several times unsuccessfully. Meanwhile the rest of the company was getting farther away. After another fruitless attempt, when the troops were hot, tired and discouraged, the commander gathered the men together to pray. It seemed kind of out of place for a group of soldiers, and some of the group were uncomfortable with the idea. But after spending a few minutes in prayer, Jim remembers that everyone seemed refreshed. One last time they tried to free the vehicle from the sand, and this time they were successful. Jim doesn't know whether their prayer actually dislodged the vehicle from the cliff's edge or not. But when they took the time to pray, they had a chance to focus their attention on God, relax, and gather their strength. The greatest spiritual weapon we possess is prayer. We can turn to God in prayer at any time. And we can be assured that our prayers will be heard. King Duncan, www.Sermons.com Humility One of my favorite stories, that God uses whenever my head start to swell because everybody keeps telling me I'm such a good preacher is about the preacher who died and went to heaven. This preacher was known as one of the best preachers around. Thousands of people had come to Christ because of his sermons. And he knew it. St. Peter was showing him around and they passed through this huge section of humongous homes. These things were so big, they were nearly Castles, not mansions. Either outside or looking out the window of each of them was a little widow lady or widower or a teenager or a child. And they all looked somewhat overwhelmed by the size of their mansion. The preacher was getting excited, if these people, just you're ordinary every day kind of Christians got those kind of mansions. Imagine what he was going to get. As they ended their trek through the neighborhood, they came upon a large Texas style ranch house. It was gorgeous but wasn't huge. It had everything you could imagine but it was nowhere near what he was expecting. So he asked why? St. Peter sort of grinned and said: "Oh, we appreciate everything you did. You're a great preacher and thousands upon thousands came to Christ because of you. But truthfully, you were just the distraction. The real work, the tough work was done on the knees of every one of those people we passed. They were our prayer warriors. And that's where the real battle was fought." Prayer brings us into the very presence of God. Through prayer we are brought to the throne of grace and we are enabled to stand before God. Not presumptuously but in all humility and because we've been invited there. Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company God’s Armor There is a big difference between striving just not to die, and doing all you can to live a life of purpose and meaning. There are freeways, and factories, and families full of people who are just trying not to die. These people keep going to work, keep going on. But they don’t know why. Weekends and vacations become blurry, frantic “festivals” — parties devoted to trying to celebrate something other than the mere survival of another week, another season, another year. For Christians who feel the (enlightening) protective weight of “God’s armor,” there is a different goal: to “stand firm” and to “keep alert.” Christians recognize there are evil forces and genuine enemies. But Christians know that there is a protective layer of divine love that always offers the safety net of salvation. God’s armor does not so much keep us from dying as God’s armor keeps us alive — alive in Christ, alive to love, alive to hope, alive to peace. Leonard Sweet Footprints No doubt you have heard the story Footprints: One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to him, and the other belonging to the Lord. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, You said that once I decided to follow You, You'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." It's refreshing to be reminded God is with us at all times. I ran across an update which is called "A Variation on Footprints": Now imagine you and the Lord Jesus walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily and consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your prints are disorganized, a stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures and returns. For much of the way, it seems to go like this. But gradually, your footprints come more in line with the Lord's soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends. This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens. Your footprints that were etched in the sand next to the Master's are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints is the small "sand-print," safely enclosed. You and Jesus are becoming one. This goes on for many miles. But you notice another change. The footprint inside the larger footprint seems to grow larger. Eventually, it disappears altogether. There is only one set of footprints. They have become one. Again, this goes on for a long time. But then something awful happens. The second set of footprints is back. And this time, it seems even worse. Zigzags all over the place. They stop. They start. Deep gashes in the sand. A veritable mess of prints. You're amazed and shocked. But this is the end of your dream. Now you speak: "Lord, I understand the first scene with the zigzags and fits and starts and so on. I was a new Christian, just learning. But you walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with you." "That is correct." "Yes, and when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps. I followed You very closely." "Very good. You understand everything so far." "Then the smaller footprints grew and eventually filled in with Yours. I suppose that I was actually growing so much that I was becoming like You in every way." "Precisely." "But this is my question. Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints went back to two, and this time it was worse than the first." The Lord smiles, then laughs. He says, "You didn't know? That was when we danced!" That's what happens when you're equipped. Robert R. Kopp, Golf in the Real Kingdom, CSS Publishing Company • Archie Smith Jr. - there is a difference between stubbornness and sanding firm o Stubbornness - will not listen to different ideas, rejects alternatives, refuses regardless of any facts or change in situation to change position, is not self-reflective or discerning, does not change and does not grow o Standing firm - willingness to listen, debate, consider alternatives to reach a higher goal without sacrificing basic principles. MLK Jr - non-violence, Margaret Sanger - women’s rights After watching a movie or a TV show about a person with superhuman strength, kids may start to believe they could be that person. So they get the mask or the cape, and they are immediately transformed. They go around the house convinced that they are the equivalent of that superhero. A point comes, however, when they are tested just as the superhero was, and reality comes crashing in on them. In the same way, humans struggle to understand God when they view themselves as equal to God. In those moments, they call out to God not for counsel but for explanation. They treat the God of creation as if he is accountable to them instead of the other way around.