Altar Call – Opelika-Auburn News
Walter Albritton
Random thoughts and prayers I have prayed lately
How on earth did the word “carb” become so popular so quickly? Suddenly half the stuff sold in the super market is judged by how few carbs it has.
“Lord, teach me their secret so I can use it
to make ‘forgiveness’ as well known as ‘carbs.’ People need to know that
forgiveness can improve their health quicker than a low-carb diet. Amen.”
§
Is it not possible to be elected president without so much mud-slinging? Have we reached the point in American politics that one cannot win the presidency without proving that his opponent is a liar? How much name-calling must we endure before going to the polls?
“Lord, please give us the strength to endure
the next two months of campaigning. Could you possibly arrange for November to
come a month earlier this year? If not, at least help us not become so weary of
the mud-slinging that we decide not to vote on November 2. Amen.”
§
How do the cell phone companies find so much money for advertising? Everywhere you look, there is an ad offering a million free minutes if you will only buy their cell phone. This, despite the fact that nobody makes a phone that will work in every location. The most frequent comment I make daily on my cell phone is the familiar question, “Can you hear me now?”
“Lord, if cell phones are not going to
work in every location, could you please fix it so none of them will work when
you are driving a car. If not, would you at least flood the cars of cell phone
users with frogs or flies, like those you used to harass old Pharaoh. Just
don’t send both at the same time because the frogs would eat the flies. Thank
you. Amen.”
§
“Lord, you know how much I love Coach
McCracken and the Bulldogs. They have been my team for 15 years and every
Friday night I wish I were walking the sidelines cheering them on to victory.
So help my good friend Spence fire the Bulldogs up and have a winning season
despite the loss to Jeff Davis. A record of 9-1 is not too bad, and that is
what I am asking for the Bulldogs. Even if you don’t care that much about
football, Lord, please care enough to let my Bulldogs win. Thank you. Amen.”
It grieves me to admit it, but in our culture “good” news is simply not news. What makes the news in the media is bad news. Evidently, there is a craving among us to hear about tragedy, evil, and horror. Steal money and you make the front page. Use money to help somebody and you make the back page, if at all. Hatred makes the news; love is ignored. That is just the way things are today, like it or not.
“Lord, help us to be aware of the good
that is going on in the world even though it is not reported by the newspapers
or television. I thank you for the women who sew baby blankets for the newborn
and prayer shawls for the sick and dying. I thank you for the people who keep
on building Habitat homes for the poor even while terrorists continue killing
the innocent. I thank you for the unselfish people who give their time and
resources to help victims of hurricanes rebuild and start over again. Thank you
for letting us know that You are at work even when your work is not reported on
television. Amen.”
Some older people amaze me. They refuse to quit or slow down because their worn-out bones are aching. One woman, at age 81, moved to live with her son. Wanting to continue being active in a church, she began visiting churches in her neighborhood. She visited five churches without having even one person welcome her to church or invite her to come back.
Hearing about a St. James Methodist Church that was meeting in the local YMCA, she went there one Sunday. People greeted her warmly and invited her to come back. She reported to her son, “It did not look like a church. They even had a swimming pool. I went to a Sunday School class held in an exercise room. But what made me want to go back is that it felt like a church because the people were so gracious and friendly!”
“Lord, touch the hearts of your people
so that our churches will always feel like home, like a place where hurting,
lonely people are always welcome. Save us from being so repulsively
self-righteous that ordinary folks feel unwelcome in our presence. Help us to
realize the difference a cheery greeting and a friendly smile can make to a
stranger who is looking for hope. If you cannot do that, Lord, at least make
the folks with a haughty look and a sour face stay home. Thank you. Amen.” + +
+ +