Our minister writes an article in the paper each week and I thought I'd share this week's article:
God, like Gravity, Exists Whether You Believe It or Not
by Ronnie McBrayer
My youngest son, Braden, started preschool this year. We are fortunate that he attends more of a home school than a public school at this point. The setting is small and intimate and his classmates are no more than a half dozen.This has been a more tolerable adjustment than jumping right on the big yellow school bus and he getting lost in a sea of faces. See, he's a terrible mama's boy. So while the smaller environment is good for him, the adjustment is more bearable for his mother than anyone else.One more advantage to this small home school is that it is distinctively Christian. Our baby boy watches Veggie Tales videos, hears the stories of Jesus, and says grace over the meal most every day. We like that just fine.Not long ago Braden reported back to his mother Cindy and me about his day. He was deeply troubled over how the meal-time prayer was being conducted. "E-ffun isn't doing it right", Braden said of his little friend Ethan's ability to pray.This made us wonder. Was Ethan trying to divine the future by reading chicken bones at the lunch table? Had he convinced his lunch-mates to shave their heads and sell roses at the airport? No, it wasn't that serious.Braden explained to us that Ethan failed to hold hands with those around the table with him as he prayed (a McBrayer family tradition). Instead, he clasped his hands together, neatly under his chin, in the traditional posture.Further, Braden was distrubed over Ethan's lack of extemporaneous creativity. When Braden says grace he prays for anything and everything that comes to mind: food, family, the rain, grandparents, the beach, Spiderman.His prayers are so lengthy that sometimes his brothers, if they are really hungry, will interrupt him with "Say 'Amen' already, we're starving!" But Ethan said the same prayer every time, a memorized rhyme about God being great or good or something like that. For Braden, this was sacrilege.Cindy and I tried to explain that it really didn't matter how Ethan posed his hands or mouthed his words. What really mattered was what was inside Ethan's heart. What really mattered was that Ethan paused to be thankful.I sometimes talk to people in this season of the year who are generically thankful but don't know how to best say it or to whom to say it to. "Why don't you thank God", I'll suggest. One or two of these folks will always counter, "But I don't believe in God".Responses like these always make me chuckle to myself, not because I think these beliefs are comical or naive. It's because I think such an answer is irrelevant. It really doesn't matter if we believe in God. God believes in us.It's like gravity. Gravity doesn't care if you believe in it or not. Refute it. Ignore it. Complain against it. No matter. It will always be there keeping your feet on the ground, your home and life in place. Gravity can stand your indifference but all would be better served by being thankful it's there.Is God any different? He is the centering persona of the universe. You don't have to believe it, though. Refute him. Ignore him. Complain, accuse, grumble and whine. No matter. He will always be there keeping you grounded and your life in place. He can stand your indifference but maybe you would be better served by being thankful.How do you give thanks? Well, I don't think there is a singular way. Maybe you could begin by bowing your head at mealtime. Grip tightly and gratefully the hands of those closest to you. Speak whatever come to mind.Or maybe you would like to memorize a few lines. Get on your knees, clasp your hands, say what you must and finish with a hearty "Amen".What really matters is what is inside your heart. What really matters is that you attempt to talk to God. What really matters is that you pause to be truly thankful.So, begin giving thanks like this: Thank You.
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Thank you God for this Thanksgiving, thank you for my life, thank you for my health, thank you for my family, thank you for my friends!
God, like Gravity, Exists Whether You Believe It or Not
by Ronnie McBrayer
My youngest son, Braden, started preschool this year. We are fortunate that he attends more of a home school than a public school at this point. The setting is small and intimate and his classmates are no more than a half dozen.This has been a more tolerable adjustment than jumping right on the big yellow school bus and he getting lost in a sea of faces. See, he's a terrible mama's boy. So while the smaller environment is good for him, the adjustment is more bearable for his mother than anyone else.One more advantage to this small home school is that it is distinctively Christian. Our baby boy watches Veggie Tales videos, hears the stories of Jesus, and says grace over the meal most every day. We like that just fine.Not long ago Braden reported back to his mother Cindy and me about his day. He was deeply troubled over how the meal-time prayer was being conducted. "E-ffun isn't doing it right", Braden said of his little friend Ethan's ability to pray.This made us wonder. Was Ethan trying to divine the future by reading chicken bones at the lunch table? Had he convinced his lunch-mates to shave their heads and sell roses at the airport? No, it wasn't that serious.Braden explained to us that Ethan failed to hold hands with those around the table with him as he prayed (a McBrayer family tradition). Instead, he clasped his hands together, neatly under his chin, in the traditional posture.Further, Braden was distrubed over Ethan's lack of extemporaneous creativity. When Braden says grace he prays for anything and everything that comes to mind: food, family, the rain, grandparents, the beach, Spiderman.His prayers are so lengthy that sometimes his brothers, if they are really hungry, will interrupt him with "Say 'Amen' already, we're starving!" But Ethan said the same prayer every time, a memorized rhyme about God being great or good or something like that. For Braden, this was sacrilege.Cindy and I tried to explain that it really didn't matter how Ethan posed his hands or mouthed his words. What really mattered was what was inside Ethan's heart. What really mattered was that Ethan paused to be thankful.I sometimes talk to people in this season of the year who are generically thankful but don't know how to best say it or to whom to say it to. "Why don't you thank God", I'll suggest. One or two of these folks will always counter, "But I don't believe in God".Responses like these always make me chuckle to myself, not because I think these beliefs are comical or naive. It's because I think such an answer is irrelevant. It really doesn't matter if we believe in God. God believes in us.It's like gravity. Gravity doesn't care if you believe in it or not. Refute it. Ignore it. Complain against it. No matter. It will always be there keeping your feet on the ground, your home and life in place. Gravity can stand your indifference but all would be better served by being thankful it's there.Is God any different? He is the centering persona of the universe. You don't have to believe it, though. Refute him. Ignore him. Complain, accuse, grumble and whine. No matter. He will always be there keeping you grounded and your life in place. He can stand your indifference but maybe you would be better served by being thankful.How do you give thanks? Well, I don't think there is a singular way. Maybe you could begin by bowing your head at mealtime. Grip tightly and gratefully the hands of those closest to you. Speak whatever come to mind.Or maybe you would like to memorize a few lines. Get on your knees, clasp your hands, say what you must and finish with a hearty "Amen".What really matters is what is inside your heart. What really matters is that you attempt to talk to God. What really matters is that you pause to be truly thankful.So, begin giving thanks like this: Thank You.
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Thank you God for this Thanksgiving, thank you for my life, thank you for my health, thank you for my family, thank you for my friends!
3 comments:
How true! How true! Wonderful article...thanks for sharing!
Yes people pray in so many ways, sometimes with out knowing it- great analogy of God and gravity.
Thank you for posting this :)
This is so wonderful thanks for sharing it...I am so loving your header...where do you get the beautiful pictures to post??
Smiles
Sheila
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