Then, why do they imprint those little dimples all over golf balls? Wouldn’t those little balls look more perfect if they were smooth?

An aeronautical engineer who designs golf balls says a perfectly smooth ball would travel only about 130 yards off the tee. But the same ball with the right kinds of dimples will fly twice that far (like tiny wings). These apparent “flaws” minimize the ball’s air resistance and allow it to travel much further.

You no doubt have a few physical characteristics you wish you were born without. It’s difficult to see any “imperfections” that might be there for a purpose and a part of the Master’s design. Yet the psalmist wrote of God’s creative marvel in the womb, when he penned, “You formed my inward parts” (Psalm 139:13″, and “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed” (v. 16). In spite of this, he said, “I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (v. 14).

Don’t be ashamed of the “dimples” God has placed in your life. They’re there so you can glorify God like no one else.

The war ministry received this message in reply: “Have arrested ten Germans, six Belgians, four Frenchmen, two Italians as well as several Austrians and Americans. Please advise immediately as to whom we are at war with.”

If you’re not sure who you are at war with, you tend to expect an attack from anyone. We Christians need to understand that we are not at war with other Christians, but with Satan. Our enemy is spiritual in nature and we must stop warring with our own side. It exhausts all our spiritual energy and leaves no strength to stand up to Satan when he tempts us.

Make peace with your brothers (and sisters) because you may need them defending you one day.

1. Our weakness prevents arrogance. Sometimes our weakness makes clear God’s involvement of our success. Gideon chose 32,000 men to fight the Mideonites. But God reduced his numbers to 300, making the odds 450:1. Gideon knew that only God could deliver them.

2. Our weakness produces fellowship. Strength produces independence (“I don’t need anyone else”), but our weakness forces us to depend upon each other. Vance Havner said, “Christians, like snowflakes, are frail, but when they stick together they can stop traffic.”

3. Our weakness creates compassion and ministry to others. Your greatest message and your most effective ministry will usually come out of your most difficult experiences. The things you’re most embarrassed about, most ashamed of, most reluctant to share, are the very tools God can use most powerfully to help others.

Einstein could project revolutionary theories about the cosmos, but he had difficulty with rhythmic counting. Despite his limitation, he remained an enthusiastic musician.

Each of us has abilities, but we also have our limitations. Some might be tempted to use our limitations as an excuse for not doing the things God has enabled us to do. Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:3: “I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.” But he went anyway.

Our church still has the old culture of expecting all ministry to come from the top-down instead of at the grass roots. People still come to church, claim their seat, and watch the ministers do ministry. People still don’t see that ministry is the responsibility of each of us. It will take a while for us to change the culture of our church, but that’s the direction we’re going.

Look for the coming opportunity when you may be invited to go through this same book with a small group. These are the last days and God is gearing up for a huge end-time harvest and His church must be ready. Watch for the gradual change over the next two to three years.

Of course, we had to have a little buffer time in case of emergencies, so we got back into Ft. Wayne about an hour early. Because loved ones were awaiting us at the church, we didn’t dare go there, so we spent that hour driving around the city. We became very impatient. Some of us had families and children waiting for us, and we were all tired of sitting in that bus for a week. We wanted off! Tempers grew a little raw.

But finally the time arrived and we were greeted by family and friends just as we walked into the full church together. It was a glorious moment. But waiting was agony.

Have you ever gotten impatient waiting upon the Lord’s return? It will be glorious, but we have to wait. When was the last time God taught you a lesson in patience?

This was a dirt-poor (literally) community in the desert of Sonora state. The people literally lived in cardboard boxes with salvaged tin roofs. They had no source of income. The only previous church in town was a Catholic Church which was no more than a broom-closet sized shack with a clay crucifix, and few small pictures of some Saints, and a bouquet or two of flowers. Not one seat and no priest. In contrast, This new adobe church sat in the middle of town, with a nice metal roof. It was about 20′ x 30′, had no doors or windows (as yet). But it stood out like a mansion compared to the Catholic Church. They decorated by streaming toilet paper from the rafters. One light bulb hung by the wire from the rafters over the pulpit.

When the meeting began, the ladies all sat on one side of the aisle, and the men on the other. There a couple of speakers set up outside to broadcast the sound in all directions. As the meeting progressed, the church was packed with people, until crowds stood outside around the building trying to get a glimpse inside the open windows. It was a great experience to see these people so excited about something new in their community.

When the last time you were excited about something new happening in town? Got any ideas about how you can help stir up some excitement?

It was really hot but dry. Our drinking water supply was low and purified water was hard to come by down in the desert. People drank a lot of pop and alcohol to quench their thirst. Our leader advised us to all get a pop or juice from the water cooler before we left on the drive back north. By the time I got to the cooler there wasn’t anything left but Mexican beer. That created a dilemma for me, because I am a recovered alcoholic who had pledged to the Lord I would never drink again. Besides, this was a Christian group.

When I asked our leader what I should do, he said, “You need to drink something, and don’t tell me about it,” and walked out of the room. So, I bought and drank the bottle of beer. I have no recollection of whether it was any good or not, and have never drank anything stronger than a ginger ale since.

What do you think about that? Was that a sin? Should I have not done that or what? I’m interested in your opinion.

Afterward, the ladies of the church prepared a traditional meal for us of homemade tacos and burritos. Half the bus had diarrhea the next day. We had been so careful what we ate in Mexico, but in Arizona we dropped our guard and paid the price.

Its easy to drop our guard and enter into temptation. Paul advised the church in Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God. Once it’s removed we are vulnerable. God help us to keep our armor on all the time.

You should have seen me! This was during my hippie days and most (not all) of the students were hippies. I had on a pale blue pair of dress pants, with huge bell bottoms and 2-inch cuffs, a pale blue sports jacket with bright blue, maroon, and yellow plaid, a bright yellow shirt and a maroon paisley tie. I was so proud of my dressed-up appearance.

When we all walked into that conservative church every eye was upon us. I know what I was thinking about my appearance, but I wonder what they all thought about my appearance. Someone once said “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, and that’s probably very true. Is it possible your Christianity isn’t what other people see when they look at your life?

What was the weirdest outfit you’ve ever seen, and why was it so weird?