When You Hit a Deer

I hit a deer the other night. I preached in Greenfield on July 23rd. We were driving between Greenfield and McKenzie when Tara yelled, “Deer!” I locked the Odyssey up to no avail. That brought us to a stop. I had other places to be, but we were stopped in the road. After some cleanup, we were on our way. Lord willing, the van will get fixed this week, and it will continue to bless us with safe travels. This incident (and the fact that I need to get something out of this incident) got me to thinking about life. We had experienced rain on the way to Greenfield; stop signs, traffic, and turns, but nothing stopped us in our tracks like hitting that deer. What do you do in your spiritual life when you hit a “deer?”

Most of us expect ebb and flow in life, like the stop signs, turns, and traffic while driving. These things can be annoying but are usually expected. What happens when something big happens? Maybe your deer is a job loss, a bad medical report, the loss of a loved one, or whatever major thing hits your life. What do you do? I will share with you what we did. We checked on ourselves and those that were affected. Is everybody ok? We have a new reality that we all need to adjust to. We checked on the damage. The car had damage but was still functioning and still able to be driven. Pieces of it were scattered across the road. We tried to pick those up so others would not be affected. We eventually went on our way. You cannot quit driving because you had an accident. You cannot quit walking with the Lord because something bad happened. The Bible refers to it as faithfulness or perseverance. Some passages that come to mind are Revelation 2:10 and 2 Peter 1:6. There are plenty of other passages that teach the same thing. The reality is that bad things come up in life. Will you continue to walk with the Lord?

Design Demands a Designer

My family loves fresh vegetables right out of the garden. I know you do also because you are enjoying fresh vegetables and sharing them with others. Right now, gardens are in full swing with tomatoes, lettuce, squash, and so on. It is amazing that we can plant a seed in dirt, and with the addition of sun and water, plants grow and produce food (Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17). It is like seeds were designed to do this. What an amazing design for a seed to grow into the same kind of plant it came from just to create more seeds so that type of plant will continue to survive. 

We see design in our bodies as our minds and bodies work in harmony to create the garden. I can learn that tomato seeds grow tomatoes, and if I want tomatoes, I need to plant tomato seeds. My mind uses the knowledge it has gained to tell my body what to do to grow tomatoes. This may involve buying fertilizer, digging holes to the right depth, and weeding around the plants. Then my body can eat tomatoes, and that provides my body with the energy I need to live. How can my mind and body do that? What incredible design we see in our bodies!

Not only do we see design in tomatoes and our bodies, but we see the design of those two things working together. Because there is design in nature, there must be a designer (Psalm 19:1-2; Romans 1:18-20). What if I were to tell you that the house that I live in was put together by a tornado? The tornado blew through and placed all the lumber, bricks, plumbing, landscaping, etc. in the exact place it needed to be.  You might try to commit me to a mental institution because chaos (the tornado) does not create design (the home). Yet people today are trying to teach this fact, saying life began randomly and accidentally with no God. You are not a random accident. God created you; why not worship Him?

Special Thanks

I hesitate to write this article because I will miss someone, and that is not my intention. So let me just start by saying thank you to everyone for all the many things you do here at Huntingdon for the glory of God.

Time after time so many show up to help move food, pack boxes, or help with the food giveaway. Thank you!

Lunch with Love has been such a blessing to so many people. So many people plan, cook, and deliver. Thank you!

Multiple people have stepped up to help with our youth, from soak up the sun, guys night out, summer youth series, the Dollywood/white water rafting trip, etc. Thank you!

Vacation Bible School is a massive undertaking. It is amazing all the planning and prep work that goes into it. Teaching, puppets, skits, food, crafts, decorations, helpers, clean up, set up, tear down, bringing kids, praying, being here. Thank you!

I missed our fireworks. I hate that. I think it is one of our great activities. Many donate, bring food, watch kids, shoot fireworks. Thank you!

Our jail ministry work is a great work. When you plant the word of God into their lives, you are blessing them. Thank you!

Space fails me to thank those taking care of the Wednesday night bus kids, those in the Corn hole tournament, the Bereans, those in the ladies ministry, those packing boxes and making contributions for disaster relief, those who are working with Magi boxes and backpacks. To all those serving the Lord, thank you!