So, the “little ol’ lady” is throwing down the junk. She’d make many a seasoned country preacher be put to shame because of the way she was shucking the corn. She was actually quite good and very effective.

At one point she exclaimed: “God can do any thang! Everybody say ‘thang!'” And the crowd, in unison, belted out “THANG!” Not “thing,” but “thang.” I felt like I was back in my college days in rural Tennessee at the little country church I used to preach in.

My little conversation, which started in the first few minutes of her sermon, was now at the back of my mind and I was enjoying the “little ol’ lady’s” presentation. My thoughts were that, though entertaining, it certainly wasn’t significant.

That’s when God said, “Are you ready?”

Now, I don’t know about you and I don’t know if you carry on actual two-way conversations with the Creator of the universe, but every time he says that, I get nervous.

And this night was no exception.

I promptly zoned out of the preaching and innocently asked, “What do you mean?” And, though I couldn’t see his face, I knew he had this little grin that had appeared somewhere in his countenance.

In chatting with my wife last night about this, she acknowledged that she knew something was going on by the way I zoned out. That bothered me; did I go weird and everybody around me begin to think I was freaky? No, she replied, but she said she knew me well enough to recognize what was happening.

Whew!

Within minute of being asked if I was ready, the “little ol’ lady” preacher stopped in mid-sentence, turned to where we were sitting, pointed her finger at me, and said:

Would you two mind stepping up here for a moment?

(to be continued…)