Viewpoints First Things As I'm writing this article, I am thinking that this is my favorite time of year. The lifelessness and dejection associated with winter is about to end, and Spring is coming. For me, this is really the start of the new year. I just like the feel of Spring, warmer temperatures, snow melting, the first signs of new life, a new beginning. And when I look for these first things of Spring, I anticipate the days that are coming. Another first thing occurred to me today in my devotional reading. I was reading about the fall of Adam and how he and Eve hid themselves in the garden. Gen.3:8-9, "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, 'Where are you?"' The thing that stood out most in this story wasn't that Adam and Eve were aware of and felt the lifelessness and dejection associated with their sin, but that even though they had sinned, God came looking for them first. God wanted to give them hope, that even though they had sinned and had to carry the consequences of their sin, He was still seeking after them. To me, this is a profound truth. God is always searching for us lost sinners. From the beginning of mankind, He has been calling, wanting us to draw close to Him, but it is we who are hiding. Some of us are not only hiding, but may even be running away, others may just be ignoring our Lord. The blessings of this world are more than evident if we stop and behold what God is doing for us. The miracle of Spring, the beginning of new life, the beauty of nature, the blessing of each breath we take. If we look, we can still see and hear God walking in this garden we call earth, just as He did in Eden. God is still calling for us, wanting us to be His own. He even made a way, through Jesus, for us to draw close to Him. So the first thing for us to do is answer His call. And like Adam, confess our sins, accept the salvation that God has provided, and let God's blessing flow through us. I am reminded of a quote by Samuel Shoemaker, "Eternal life does not begin with death; it begins with faith." A faith that makes God the first thing in our life. --Jim Dalesandro

Perspective The Missing God A couple who lived in a small town had two young boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were getting into trouble. It seemed that if any mischief occurred in their town, the boys were in some way involved. The parents really tried. But, whether it was their own lack of parenting skills or just the nature of the boys, nothing seemed to work. Both husband and wife were at wit's end as to what to do about their sons' behavior. The mother then heard about a minister in town that had apparently been successful in disciplining other unruly children in the past. Willing to try anything, she asked her husband if he thought they should contact the minister and inquire if they could send the boys to see him. Her husband, feeling as frustrated as she did, said that they might as well since they had nothing to lose. The minister, after listening to the plight of the parents, agreed to meet the boys and speak to them. But he asked to see them individually, rather than together. The eight year old was sent to him first. The minister sat the boy down and asked him, "Where's God?" The boy was dumfounded. He made no response. He just sat there with his eyes wide open staring at the minister. So the minister repeated the question in a louder and sterner voice, "Where is God?" Still no response. No reaction. So the minister raised his voice even more, got right in front of the boy and shook his finger in the boy's face. "Where is God?" he thundered. The frightened boy bolted from the room and ran all the way home. He hid himself in his bedroom closet. The boy's older brother saw him come home in a state of panic. So, he followed his younger brother into the closet and asked him , "What happened?" The eight year old replied, "We are in really BIG trouble this time. God is missing and they think WE did it!" Do you sometimes feel as if God is missing in your life? When you do feel that way, just remember that YOU did it. God does not leave us; we leave Him. Jesus Christ promised us that he would always be with us and that through him God would give us His holy spirit. Not because we did or can do anything to deserve it, but by God's grace. I am not writing this to make you feel guilty when you do not feel God's presence in your life. If you are a Christian who has accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior and you have consecrated your life to Him, then you need to be living by faith. What you feel is not fact. God is with you whether or not you feel like He is. He is NOT missing. It is your own feelings that are incorrect. No matter how much trouble you have gotten into or have caused others, God is still there waiting for you. You need to accept this fact and acknowledge His presence. Confess your feeling to Him. Turn those feelings over to Him. Thank Him for His great love and presence in your life. One other suggestion: confess how you feel to some one else, to a brother or sister in God's family. God has structured the church as the body of Christ for the purpose of our growth and learning. Despite the problems and faults you may find and see in your church, it is the place where the action is. The church is the place where we are to get and give support, where we are to learn to love and be loved, where we are to serve God by serving our brothers and sisters. It is in church that we are to be reassured that God is not missing after all. --Larry Urbaniak

Contributions The Story of Two Brothers Matthew 21:28-32, "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. 'Which of the two did what his father wanted?' 'The first,' they answered. Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.'" When I first came across this story many years ago, it intrigued me. Each and every one of us is unique. Each of our brains is wired a little differently. Even identical twins have certain characteristics that are theirs alone. I'm sure many of you have children. The Lord blessed me with three sons. Our children were and are different from each other in many ways. Some children are very compliant. Perhaps they don't want to risk disappointing their parents. Many are afraid to let their true feelings show in front of their parents. Other children will tell any adult exactly what they think with no prompting and no apparent fear of recrimination. In our Bible story, here comes Jesus! Telling us another parable. First, let's set the historical picture. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a very lowly animal on a Sunday. We often refer to it as His "triumphal" entry. He was saying, in essence, "I am your Messiah." Everyone cheered. On Monday, He came back again and threw out those who were buying and selling in the Temple. He overturned the tables of the money changers. The little kids were hollering to Him, "Hosanna to the Son of David." This really angered the chief priests and scribes. Jesus reminded them of the scriptures that said, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise." On Tuesday, as He returned to the Temple, He was met by the chief priests and rulers of the people. These religious leaders demanded that He tell them who authorized Him to do the things He did. Jesus refused to answer their question unless and until they could answer His question about whether or not the baptism of John was from Heaven. I believe the purpose of the parable of the two sons sent to work in the vineyard, is to show that people are like children whom the Lord has brought up, but who have rebelled against Him. Some of His children are more straight forward in their disobedience than others. It seems quite clear to me that the daring rebel who rejects the Lord's way at first, and then comes to repentance and becomes the Lord's obedient and compliant servant, is the winner in this contest. It's the "yes" child who seemingly agrees with everything, but who doesn't follow through who turns out to be the very deficient servant. In Jesus' time, it was the scribes and Pharisees (the supposed religious folks) who professed the greatest readiness and zeal in the service of God. The real truth: it was a hypocritical profession, contradicted by all their actions. Turns out that the publicans and harlots (known and notorious sinners) were the ones truly changed. Yes, at first they said, "I'll never do it." However, when they realized the error of their decision, they went and did the job they were originally asked to do. It doesn't matter very much how we got started in this life. It often isn't very important what our f irst response is. It's what we ultimately decide that determines our destiny. I leave it to you: what kind of child would you prefer to have in your family? What kind of child should each and every one of us be in God's family? --Roy R. Boswell

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