He blamed God for dropping the ball

When is God good?

Steve Johnson, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills has had a remarkable career this year. Not many people know him nationally. He was a seventh round pick, a nobody. Then, suddenly this season he makes 59 catches and scores 796 yards. He's doing great.

To what has he attributed his sudden success?

Apparently he thought he had a good luck charm. Somebody told him "as the praises go up the blessings come down." So, he started praising God continuously. It seemed to work for him and his season miraculously turned around. Then in week 12, Johnson dropped five passes in the Bills' loss to the Steelers, including a pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick that would've won the game for Buffalo in overtime.

Johnson was devastated. He blamed God! His good luck charm failed. He pulled out his phone and agrily typed in the following tweet to God:

"I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO..."

While Johnson's tweet raises eyebrows, there are millions like him, who really believe that simply praising God will mean health, wealth and success. They learn a few bible verses, attend worships looking for a magic "word"- that will immediately insulate them from trouble and guarantee success. When their lucky method doesn't work, they get angry with God!

In reality, we should give thanks to God for every situation because if God allows it to happen, it is what He wants for us, even if we don't understand. So we give thanks, anyway!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 puts it this way, In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Steve Johnson forgot about the 59 catches and 796 yards prior to week 12. He forgot all of the blessings that God has given him. Obviously, God is working a great work for him, even a blind man could see that! Everyone except Steve Johnson.

What he forgot in his rage is that God is still good, even when he throws a perfect pass into our hands and we drop them ball.

They named me the barbecue king? Even I laughed!

They named me King of the Pit. Me, the barbecue king? Ha, Ha!

Sunday, our church celebrated the 4th of July with a worship service followed by a big barbecue. All persons in attendance were treated to plates of barbecue ribs, chicken, baked beans, salads, etc. The men of the church participated in the annual "King of the Pit" contest to determine the congregation's barbecue king. There was also a potato salad contest as well.

I entered the contest for the fellowship. I barbecue once in every blue moon. I don't really consider myself very good, probably passable. I set up my pit the day before and relaxed while I barbecued my portion of ribs and chicken. I read my bible, knocked out half of a watermelon and basically relaxed. Then I mixed my sauce. I like sugar, cat sup and other items added to the off the shelf brand of sauce I use. I bathed my little rib and chicken samples in my sauce.

If a part of the meat didn't appeal to my eye, I added more sauce on it.

After the worship they presented me with a trophy as the "King of the Pit"

Who me?

I wasn't trying to win. I was just having fun. They said it was tasty and neck and neck with the first runner up, but I won.

They said the difference was my sauce.

I thought the honor was suspicious, especially since my wife was named potato salad queen. They insisted that the judges didn't know the names of the contestants and the results were real.

The runnerup's meat was just right, tenderized and perfectly cooked, but it had no sauce. Just a touch of sauce would have made the difference.

I guess life is the same way. We are all a little singhed, tough to swallow at times and not really pleasing to ourselves. However, terrible we see our lives we are often not judged by our overcooked or singhed edges but by the fruit of our spirit and the labor of our hands.

That may make the difference.

There is a bible passage that tells about our "sauce" Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

I don't think I'm the King of the Pit by any means, but I did have a mighty tasty sauce!

He wouldn't tell her he loved her; she kept asking

He said he loved her, but didn't want anyone to know.

A friend answered his phone and spoke to one of his significant others. At the end of the conversation, she could be heard saying, "Say, you love me" to which he answered "I do." She repeatedly asked, "Say it! Say you love me." He looked at us and said, "I do." Finally, he turned his back and whispered into the phone "I love you." We all laughed; he didn't mean a word he said.

We've all seen the people who were ashamed to own their lovers in public. They are good people in private, but not in public. There are some who are not very good at the mushy stuff, but there are others who have a good reason why they don't express love in public; their secret may be revealed.

I would hate to be the secret lover, the one that is kept in the dark from the rest of the world. That's the one that hears all the words of praise in private but never in public. It should be a horrible feeling being the other woman or the other man.

Imagine how God feels when we confess our love for him in private but when we are among our friends, co-workers and school mates, we have to speak of him quietly, almost apologetically, afraid to let anyone know. It must be a horrible feeling to God to be our secret love, to be worshipped at home, privately but never never recognized in public.


Luke 9:26 says, "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels."


Soon after my friend finished whispering "I love you" quietly into the phone, his other girl appeared just as he shut off his phone.