The day a snake visited church

I've heard of the squirrel that got loose in church, and I even saw a bat get loose in church. I've heard of snake handlers, but never before have I heard a story like the one I heard from a pastor's wife in Gulfport, Mississippi. It seems that this preacher's wife was also a preacher's kid. And one day when she was a child, they had a snake visit her father's church.

Her father was preaching with all of his might, when suddenly the serpent poked its head out of the ceiling, extended part of its body down, and looked at the congregation. The members responded by screaming, but the pastor thought they were shouting. Feeling the power of the Spirit, the pastor preached with even more fervor, as the congregation screamed all the more. Then the snake decided to ascend back into the hole in the ceiling. Whether it was all the noise, or the lack of anything to interest him, nobody knew. But thankfully, the serpent slithered away, the congregation calmed down, and the pastor finished his sermon.

On the way home, the pastor told his daughter, "Boy, I preached a good one today!" His girl didn't have the heart to tell her daddy that the people were moved more by fear than by the Spirit. In fact, she never did tell him. But she told me.

Satan himself dressed up like a snake one time (Genesis 3), and he still tries to slither his way into our churches with deception. Deuteronomy gives three tests to recognize whether a Satan is deceiving you: false words, false ways, and false worship. False words: Deuteronomy 18:21-22 says if a prophet says something and it doesn't come true, he's a false prophet. False ways: Deuteronomy 18:9-14 warned against "detestable ways" of the Canaanites, which included divination, fortune-telling, interpreting omens, sorcery, casting spells, and consulting with spirits and the dead. False worship: Deuteronomy 13:1-4 warns that even if a prophet's words come true, he is still a false prophet if he tells you to worship any other God than the Lord.

So the next time a snake slithers into your church, check to see if he speaks with forked tongue. You don't want to be moved by the wrong spirit.

Copyright 2009 by Bob Rogers

Solomon said, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). But Solomon never got to see vanity tags on automobiles.

Jesus told His disciples that they would be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). So if a vanity license plate can spark a discussion and share the faith, then I'm sure wise old Solomon would agree. While our cars are "chasing the wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:14), a word for the Lord on our license plate doesn't have to be a vanity. So here are some samples seen on the road by Flinn and Ikey Gregory of Bluffton, Georgia:

Some are easy to understand, such as these: "BE HOLY," "LOOK UP," "GOD WILL," "SOW REAP," and "NEED HIM."

Other vanity tags refer to favorite scriptures, such as "PSALM 23" ("The Lord is my shepherd"), "LK 14 27" ("Carry your cross and follow Jesus"), "ACTS 2" (The Holy Spirit coming at Pentecost), and "JN 3" ("You must be born again).

I especially like the ones that you have to read aloud to understand, like these: "F8TH," "4 CHRIST," "BLESS B," "SWTMRCY" (Sweet mercy), "LUV 2 SNG," "GDS FAVR," "2 BLESST," "TRI HIM," "IM BLSSD" (I'm blessed), "TRI GOD 2," "JST BLVE" (Just Believe), "BLESS U," and "4 GIVE."

But as much as I enjoyed those, my all time favorite vanity plate must have belonged to a descendant of Eve who was glad to be married. It simply said, "HIS RIB." (See Genesis 2:22).

Copyright 2009 by Bob Rogers. www.holyhumor.blogspot.com