Chapter 2 Radical “The Gift”

Fishing has not happened since the last post although I am almost finished building a new fly tying table and cabinet.
Chapter 2 Radical “The Gift”
When I was a boy my youth pastor, Doug Pogue, gave us a taste of a secret church. We attended a church that was at least a hundred years old, so in the mind of a nine year old it was a bit creepy at night to say the least. We were doing an all nighter at the church. About midnight or 1 AM Doug led us in to the far corner of the basement, into a small room. He turned no lights on as we entered the basement and by the time we made it to the small room in the corner it was complete darkness. We entered the small room and with a click of the latch the door closed behind us and no one said a word. A small candle was lit and cast an eerie glow in the room. Our eyes adjusted and we could see that Doug had taken out a Bible and began to read from it. About that time we heard boots pounding down on the pavement outside past the small dirty window above our heads, we could see the beam of a flashlight. Wwwhhheeeewww and out went the candle, “ssshhhh be quiet or they will find us”. My heart is racing now as I think about the emotions this evoked, we were in the mist of the cold war and we knew they, the USSR, hated God. Thirty years later I still recall that evening and remember the fear that was evoked by just having God’s word out in the open. A secret church is an act of love and devotion.
When was the last time we just read God’s Word? No commentaries, no slick new book talking about the latest thought on Christianity, no internet blog of thoughts on a passage. You read it just because you love the Word. I know that I have read and reread love letters and notes that my wife has sent me. Why don’t we treat God’s love letter to us that way? We read it, but out of a sense of duty or because we need to so we can lead a bible study or maybe in a time of trouble for comfort. Should we not just want to hear words of affirmation and love? I want to love the Word more and love Him more but as I stated last week there are too many distractions in my world. Peace is hard to come by to share moments with God’s Word, no different than find that intimate time with my wife. It takes planning, divine intervention and determination to make it a priority. What is your priority? Can you determine to have a time of intimacy with the Word this week?