God, Aliens, and Other Stuff

I am the way… 1) Genesis 11, 12: Following God’s path for ourselves will sometimes require leaving long established relationships, customs, and/or beliefs behind. The Hebrew man named Abram didn’t leave Ur of the Chaldees (today’s Iraq) alone with just a suitcase and a passport. His father Terah led him and his nephew Lot to Haran, a place perhaps named after Abram’s brother Haran that died in Ur. They dwelt in Haran (today’s northern Syria, along the Tigris River) for some time, but God had called Abram to something totally new. Not everyone needs to leave behind as much as Abram, Sarai, and Lot in order to obey God, but for many, it’s necessary. God calls all of us to a separation from our old lives and old connections, but for some that separation is more drastic and painful than for others. Abram came away with an abundance of worldly goods. Tents, food, water, servants, animals, etc. would make for a major caravan. What he left was his entire family, all of their gods, his ...

Pastor Mark Welch of The Pointe Church in Antelope, CA once shared a story about an aged pastor in Michigan who was being honored as the original founder of a church there. At a community meal, that old pastor wound up seated across from young Mark. The man asked Mark general questions as to where he was from and who he was. Mark told him about his father and grandfather who were pastors. Finally the old man began to tell a story. When he was a young man, he felt the call to be an evangelist. In those days, what you did was rent a huge circus tent and set it up wherever you could. People just showed up and the event ran as long as it needed. One time the evangelist came to a farm to ask permission to use the land. The farmer agreed, but warned, "Don't expect me to show up." The evangelist said that was fine. One night the farmer did show up with several friends. They were rowdy and drunk and rude. They heckled the minister as he preached. Suddenly, God spoke to the eva...

Designed by Myra Osborne, Light of Christ Anglican Church, Marietta, Georgia I got their name from an evangelist-speaker named Kathie Walters whose news list is full of miraculous stories, some written by her and some shared in emails from churches where she has preached. I spoke with Charles and Myra Osborne by phone for almost two hours in early July 2009. In just over a year later, this amazing man, Charles, who was such a delight to converse with, tragically passed away. Here is an excerpt from Rev. Charles E. Osborne’s obituary: "Osborne, Rev. Charles Edward, 56, of Kennesaw, GA, passed away on Friday, September 17, 2010. Born in Wilkesboro, NC, Rev. Osborne earned his Master in Divinity with Honors from the General Theological Seminary in New York City. He served as Curate at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Anchorage, KY, and was a Priest at Grace Episcopal Church in Sheboygan, WS. He was currently the Rector at Light of Christ Anglican Church in Marietta. He is su...