The call went out, and 32,000 showed up. A respectable turnout, but God said, No. Too many. Against 135,000 of the enemy, we would have thought the numbers needed to go the other way, but this is God we’re talking about, and God rarely does things the way we would. Continue reading
Yesterday, in a brief description of each, I featured 20 members of our Gideon’s 300 army, focusing mostly on what makes them a “ragtag militia of misfits.” In that list, I had Marti, my wife, as a “lonely leader” — lonely, because she is “so far out in front” of the rest of us.
In a comment yesterday after reading the Catch, dear Mark (who, like Keith, is fighting his battle from a wheelchair) wrote: “I am a proud member of the Catch’s & Gideon’s 300 Army, and running hard to catch up to Marti!” I love that; but Mark, I have to tell you, don’t get your hopes up. Roll as fast as you can, but you’ll never catch up to her.
Let me tell you why. Continue reading
We’re hardly an army
More like a ragtag militia of misfits
We are nonprofessional fighters
Not the highly-trained elite soldiers
One is used to seeing in battle
Far from the green berets —
We are more like the blue ball caps Continue reading
One of the things over which I’ve always identified with the Gideon story is that little bit about the fleece. Gideon becomes so real at this point – not some bigger-than-life Old Testament patriarch with tons of faith doing impossible things I would never attempt in a million years, but a regular guy, full of fear, and superstitiously looking for a sign. Continue reading
I just found out that one of our 15-year-old son’s friends whom I had pegged in my mind as “Least Likely to Succeed,” is on the varsity tennis team at the high school (he’s the second best player on the team), plans on attending the University of Helsinki where his uncle is a professor (that means he’s fluent in at least two languages) and plans on a career in cancer research. I was on the varsity tennis team when I was in high school (sixth best on a team of seven). I asked him if we could play sometime and would he teach me a few things. Continue reading
Come down off your throne and leave your body alone
Somebody must change – Steve Winwood
So it’s “So what?” time. Time to figure out what this reduction principle means in my life. What does it change about the way I live? How will it make me into a different person? Is this just a bunch of words or will make a difference in my life, and, if it does, what will that difference be? I get all this stuff about Gideon, but what about me? So what? Continue reading
Someone asked how long we are going to be in the story of Gideon and my initial answer is: As long as it takes. Continue reading
Think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Why did God choose Gideon? He was weak, scared and hiding. He was the last one anyone would expect could deliver his people. And God did that for a reason. Continue reading
Do the math. Count it up. When it comes to Gideon, it’s all in the negative. Continue reading
We all have fears, and we all have different ways of dealing with our fear. Some get mad and rush right at the thing causing it. I wish I had some of that. I personally think these people are in the minority, but I may be wrong about that. I only know how I deal with it: I freeze. Continue reading
John Fischer The Catch 