Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Remember The Waltons?

We just got our DVD in the mail from Netflix. It's the 4th season of The Waltons. This episode was called The Sermon. The town teacher and the town preacher decided to get married. The teacher asked Olivia (the mom) to take over her one room schoolhouse for the week they were on their honeymoon. The preacher asked John Boy to give the sermon. John Boy stressed all week about what to preach about. He checked out huge books from the library, got unsolicited advice from his grandmother, and overheard discouraging comments from the town gossips. He was confused and didn't think he had anything to give. He was looking for the answers in all the wrong places.

Then one night while he was pouring over books, his dad came in and told him he should put all the books away and spend some quiet time with God and he would know what to preach on. He spoke that Sunday about how everyone approached God in their own way. They spent time with Him and worshipped him in their own unique way, just as God had made them all uniquely. His grandfather sang hymns on Walton's mountain, his grandmother read the Bible and knew the shalts and shalt nots like the back of her hand, and his dad, though he rarely graced the steps of a church, spent time with God and had answers for anyone who asked him.

This reminded me of the Spiritual Pathways to God. Author Gary Thomas came up with 9 or so ways people connect with God. How do you connect best? By being in nature? By being alone? By fighting for a cause? By serving others? There are many ways. You can find your way by going to our website.

It doesn't matter how you connect, it just matters that you do.

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