I’m continuing my blog posts about going on a God Hunt—learning to look for God in your everyday worlds. In yesterday’s blog post, I concluded by quoting from my wife, Karen Mains, from her book The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. Karen continues:
Most of us, some highly trained in theological truths, have lost the childlike ability to find God in the commonplace; we can only find him as we have crated him to be in the rationalized terrain of our own minds. We experience the incarnation as historical fact, not as ongoing experiential revelation. We no longer “jump in the air, whirl around, dive into the sofa, or bury our heads under the cushion”—a most proper response to evident divine intervention.
Going on a daily God Hunt admittedly forces all of us to be more child-like than what we’re normally accustomed to. But then didn’t Jesus say in Mark 10:15 that “anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it”?
It was the child-like quality of the God Hunt that prompted me to make sure our children were included in this series of blog posts. That’s why I chose a text for these blog posts from Acts 23, where the hero, humanly speaking, was someone younger. In just a bit, I will begin quoting from a kid’s book entitled I Spy God—a God Hunt Book for Kids. The protagonist in this delightful story is “Loser.” No, that’s not the name his mom and dad gave him. They called him “Luther.” But the name “Loser” came from his little sister’s inability to correctly pronounce “Luther” and also because he seems to constantly lose things.
Let me share a few paragraphs with you.
Loser had two close friends, Joey Schmidt and Jimmy Schwartz. The three boys had formed their own detective agency. They called it SCHMIDT, SCHWARTZ & SCHWEIBERT Detective Agency. Schmidt was the brains of the organization. Schwartz put up the money. Loser was supposed to provide the business.
Strangely enough, Loser never lost things when he was part of the agency. Joey Schmidt said this was because they had a strategy. “You gotta have a strategy if you’re gonna find things.” This was one of Joey’s favorite sayings. The SS&S Detective Agency strategy was as follows: Be on the lookout for clues. Keep a record of your evidence. Think about the facts.
Loser liked to remind his parents that he never lost things when he was part of the SS&S Detective Agency; instead he found things. “Hm-m-m,” said his father one evening at dinner. “I guess there’s just a gap between your private and professional life. Why don’t you use Joey’s strategy to find my calculator?”
The SCHMIDT, SCHWARTZ & SCHWEIBERT Detective Agency had an office in an abandoned old shack near the river that flowed behind the boys’ homes and divided their hometown, Centerville, in half.
The office had one rusting metal cot (without a mattress). A wooden plank laid over two barrels served as a desk, and several orange crates held SCHMIDT, SCHWARTZ & SCHWEIBERT Detective Agency files.
“Files are important,” explained Joey Schmidt. “If you’re gonna be a first-class agency and really find things, you gotta keep records.” This was part of Joey’s strategy.
Well that’s enough of the story for right now, except to say “Look out for that river that divides Centerville!” I couldn’t help it. I’ve been reading ahead.
But I like the fact that these boys kept records. “If you’re gonna be a first class agency and really find things, you gotta” according to Joey Schmidt.
Keeping records is also important if you’re a serious “God Hunter.” In fact, I’d say that’s what separates the experienced and the inexperienced Hunters.
Well, that wraps up the blog posts for this week. But, don’t worry. I have quite a few more blog posts to share with you from this series about looking for God in our everyday worlds. I intend to post the next blog post on Monday. I hope you’ll come back to read it.
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
