"I DOUBLE DARE YOU!"
by Pauli Hubbard
Imagine this scene. You have signed up for a class in college... the title,
The writings of Paul.
You figure, heck, I have heard about Paul all my life, probably could teach the class, but, I need the two credit hours so this should be a piece of cake.
First day of class and you and other bored students desperately needing two credit hours, file into the ill-lite room and there sits a Gandalf-looking professor.
We sit and he dramatically rises from his seat to say,
"I want you to mentally throw out all your preconceptions of this ancient fellow named Paul. I want you to forget your Sunday School lessons and your dualistic interpretations of what this man said. I want you to listen with your inner ear."
You can imagine, he had our attention... what would he say that hadnʼt been heard before? He looked intently at us from under his bushy eyebrows and then in a vitriolic voice said these words:
“Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.”
Excerpt from
The Message
by Eugene H. Peterson
Silence in the classroom and then he begins speaking in his natural voice:
"The aim for this class is to learn wisdom, acquire understanding, and to let it soak into the very fiber of our being. If you continue this class with me and learn the lessons of Paulʼs words, you and I will experience a new mind and understanding. Are you ready?"
We sat in our seats stunned. What was he asking? What kind of class was this? He sat down and instructed us to read Colossians 1: 9-12, five times a day, highlighting the words which catch our attention. He ended with these words..."Class begins."
And then he walked from the room.
Turning to you now, the reader of this little tale... try it, read Colossians 1.9-12, five times a day for thirty days; follow the 'professorʼs' instruction; perhaps you then will get a glimpse into a walk with God you never knew was possible. Happy travels and I will see ya on the trail.
