Have you ever been in a place where you felt you were alone with God? I found a place just last week where God and I were alone. As my family and I stood on the beach, there was a sense of being in control. As I began to move into the surf, this feeling began to disappear with the crashing of the waves around me. With the force of the water, I could have been swept out to sea or back to shore. Suddenly I no longer had the control I once had on the shore.

What undercurrent in your life right now tosses you to and fro? Satan has many undertows pulling you from the shore. Keep your soul focused to the light on solid ground.

Written by Bill Bare, 1999, Mayfair Church Bulletin.

"And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, Who then is this that even wind and sea obey him?" (Mark 4:31)

A Very Short Prayer

A few years ago about dark, my young family and I were returning home from the Sunday worship services. As we climbed the four steps to our porch my young son, about 5-6 years old, stopped before me almost making me stumble over him. He lifted his head upward to the sky and in a small imploring voice shouted, "Jesus! Come down!"

A young boy had just got his driver's permit and inquired of his father, an evangelist, if they could discuss the use of the car. His father took him to the study and said to the boy, "I'll make a deal with you, son. You bring your grades up from a C to a B-average, study your Bible a little, and get your hair cut and we'll talk about the car." Well, the boy thought about that for a moment and decided that he'd best settle for the offer, and they agreed. After about six weeks the boy came back and again asked his father about the car. Again they went to the study where his father said, "Son, I've been real proud of you. You've brought your grades up, and I've observed that you've been studying your Bible and participating a lot more in the Bible study class on Sunday morning. But I'm real disappointed since you haven't got your hair cut." The young man paused a moment and then said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, and there's even strong argument that Jesus Himself had long hair." To which his father replied, "You're right, son. Did you also notice that they all WALKED everywhere they went?"