Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L. Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

The storm chasers were far away.  B.B., No Joe, Amazon, and Skinny were breaking in some rookies.  Not many of the rookies were working out very well.

But most everyone else was in attendance in the Sunday school class.

Arabella and Menzie were in the restroom with me, while Dr. Ellie was playing with the storm chasing children:  Stormie Yeggs, Misty Johnson, and Joan Casey.

Without Joseph, I led us in prayer.

Emmett led his choir.  The lead was sung by Menzie, Carla and Arabella.  At alto, there was Brooke and Mercedes Lothrop.  At tenor, Samuel, Michael, and Emmett.  And baritone, Dr. Ben.  And Goober sang bass.  The song was God is There.

Samuel said, “Aunt Jemima, what attribute of God are we studying this time?”

I smiled. “As if you did not already know, we are studying God’s Omnipresence.”  Then I turned to Arabella, “Do you need Mr. Dictionary?”

Arabella giggled and shrunk her head between her shoulders, “Yes, please.”

Easy said, “Oxford language is a little off in my opinion.  They say, ‘the state of being widespread or constantly encountered.’  No, they missed the definition as far as God is concerned.  God is everywhere.”

Belle asked, “Even in the toilet?”

I was afraid of where this was going, but a question deserves an answer.  At least that’s what my Dad, Rev C.S.L., told me when I first started teaching this class.  I swallowed hard, “Yes, Belle, even in the restroom.”

Belle replied, “But, Aunt Jemima, that is where my altogether is altogether out there.  I can’t cover everything and still go to the bathroom or take a shower.”

Michael said, “But, Belle, your altogether is altogether very pretty.”

Dr. Ellie asked, “What?!  Michael, when have you seen Fireball’s altogether?”  Joan started fussing.

Michael shrugged, “I was just giving words of encouragement.  I have not altogether seen Belle’s altogether.”

Emmett said, “When I have chaperoned them, they have not taken any clothes off except the time they took off their shoes and socks.  That was it!”

Mary Jo mused, “I don’t see how God can look at a man’s altogether and think that is altogether a nice thing to look at.  No wonder He made clothing for Adam and Eve.”

Jochebed snickered, “When my Georges was taking my little potion, his altogether was altogether very handsome.”

Sophia asked, “How can anything that is ugly look beautiful by making it three times bigger in size?  Isn’t that just more ugly?”

Blaise said, “And Soap, remember when Aunt Hortense forgot her bra and her altogether was hanging out from underneath her blouse?  Any more sagging, and they would be dragging along the floor.  How can anyone say that kind of altogether was altogether good to look at?”

I raised my voice, “Woah!  Stop!  This may be the liveliest conversation we’ve ever had in this class, but we are in a Sunday school class people!  No more talk about altogether being altogether ugly or beautiful.”

Menzie snickered, “Sounds like Aunt Jemima does not have her altogether back in pre pregnancy shape.  It’s called exercise, Aunt Jemima.”

I shot daggers from my eyes.  I couldn’t afford to kick Menzie out of the class.  For one thing, she was the strongest singer, able to sing any female part and probably tenor.  For another thing, she kept Belle from putting the “Kick Me” sign on my back when we are in the restroom together.  And for yet another thing, if Menzie leaves, then our bus alarm, Lauren, will leave with her mother.  Yes, this would be dagger eyes and maybe me sticking my tongue out.  Childish, but better than losing a great class asset.  And for the absolute last word on the subject, Menzie was right.  The pool and water slides were open in the Crystal Mountain, and I was not bikini ready yet, and Stormie was almost six months old in just a few days.

Blaise (Amos 9:2-4) “Though they dig down to the depths below, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the heavens above, from there I will bring them down. Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them. Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them. ‘I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good.’”

Blaise said, “I promised my darling sweetheart, Margueritte, that I would not whine when I had a long passage to read, but God must have been very angry.”

I snickered, “This is God’s curse on Israel, Bro.  And it is the last chapter in Amos’ prophecy.  So, God is not pulling any punches.  But what does this say about God’s omnipresence?”

Blaise said, “I think Amos is being poetic.  He is saying that there is no place where they can hide, but someone who is not omnipresent could do each of those things, except commanding the serpent.  That is definitely a God thing.  But in knowing that God is everywhere, God is saying that if God is out to get you, there is nowhere to hide.”

Dr. Ellie (Proverbs 15:3) “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.”

Dr. Ellie said, “This is clear.  With what Blaise read from Amos, God could search everywhere, but here it says God’s eyes are everywhere.  So, if we have some place somewhere that is our private place and we think no one can see what we are doing, then God can see.  But then if we help someone and no one on earth saw us do that, then God is there, and He saw the good deed that we did.”

I nodded, “This Scripture does say for wicked and good, God sees all of it.  And Arabella, I know you read a long one last week, but …”

Arabella (Psalm 139:7-12) “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

Belle said, “This is about the same thing that Blaise read, but it says God is there, not God could find us if we hid there.  I sure wouldn’t want to play hide-and-seek with God.  He’d win every time.  But then it talks about hiding in the darkness.  God is Light, so He sees us even in the dark.  But I don’t understand what everyone was saying about the bathroom.  I was thinking of having to pull my panties down to go to the bathroom and being naked when I shower, but everyone made it sound like something dirty.”

Darrell said, “I had a friend who would thumb through his grandma’s National Geographics while he was in the bathroom.  For visual aid.  Anyway, he finally got old enough to go to the strip club.  We had a 21^st birthday party for him.  He looked at the stripper and he said, “Something ain’t right.  You’re things aren’t dark and they don’t hang down to your belly button.  Belle, some people go to the bathroom to fantasize.”

Sally Mae, a former stripper, punched him in the shoulder, “You know that was me at your table that night.  Your friend threw me off my game.  I kept seeing National Geographic photographs in my mind the rest of the night.”

Belle still looked confused.

Emmett said, “Last semester, you were taking a class with Michael.  You told everybody that the two of you were taking the class … together.”

Belle swallowed, “You mean, sex education?”

Emmett smiled and nodded, “And what can one person do all by themselves in the bathroom with no one except God watching them?”

Belle said, “Oh.”  But it was clear that she did not understand.  Then her eyes widened, “Oh! Emmett Dalton, if you do that in the bathroom, I am going to have to disinfect the seat before I can do my business.  That’s disgusting!”

When the laughter died down, Carla said, “Brenton and I were very intimate with each other.  We might be in bed together, doing what two lovers do, and not even close the door.  But after we realized that God knew everything that we did, it’s like what happened to Adam and Eve.  We had no shame before, but then we hid.  But we are going to have an afternoon wedding at the First-Third in another two weeks.  We want everyone here to be there.  You are the first Christian family that we have been part of.”

I nodded, “I am sure that Mommie Pinkie can provide buses.”

Lauren came over.  “Aunt Jemima, the buses aren’t here yet.”

I sighed, “I still have no idea how she knows.  All I do know is that she loves her Sunday school class and is worried the bus might be late.  Please, let us stay away from the bathroom, maybe think of good deeds that no one knows about.  How does God’s omnipresence matter to you?”

Brooke said, “I am sure a lot of people noticed, but this entire softball season, Lauren and Sammie have been playing next to the dugout.  Lauren cheers when she sees us, even when we just struck out.  I have used that cheer to help me stay focused when I go to the field or the next time at bat.  She’s just a little girl…”  Menzie said she’ll be four in November.  “Yeah, a little girl who says a friendly word to make someone feel better.”

Carla snickered, “And if Samuel was not there babysitting, they might have been in the nursery here at Lily the Pink instead of at the game.”

Margie spoke up. “I want to say something, but I don’t want it to sound like I’m bragging.”

Blaise added, “Which you are, sweetheart.”

Margie gave him a look.  “But a lot of people have talked about my perfect game.  I was just the pitcher.  The thing that made it a perfect game is that the normal seven-inning game saw no one from Diet Smith reach first base safely.  I faced twenty-one batters and they all got outs.  But the game was far from perfect, at least me pitching was far from perfect.  I threw some wild pitches.  It was a miracle that I did not hit a batter.  Some pitches went past Josie.”

Josie said, “But no one was on base, so it did not matter.”

Margie sighed, “But I missed Josie’s spot a few times.  The batter either missed or hit a line drive.  I thought their power hitter was going to take Soap’s head off.”

Sophia said, “I put my glove up for protection and then I found the ball in the glove.  Who knew?”

Margie snickered, “I think you did.  Another hit went straight to the right fielder who wasn’t the best fielder out there, but again, she did not have to move.  She caught the flyball for another out.  Then the bloop that Menzie had to catch and even then, was sprawled out in the shallow rightfield grass and the ball was a snow cone in her glove.  I got the credit for a perfect game, but everybody on the team played perfectly.  My pitching was far from perfect.  And God saw what all the other players did that night.”

Lauren came from behind Menzie and patted her on the knee, “Mommie!  The buses!”

I smiled, “As we have been doing, let’s end with the Mizpah benediction.  Everyone, bow your heads in prayer.  “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.’” (Genesis 31:49b)

Menzie laughed, “Can you imagine what Lauren is going to be like when she can tell time?”

And as she had done two weeks in a row, Carla picked up Stormie’s carrier and went with us to the bus.

Credits

I am now starting to use the David E. Fessenden study guides for The Attributes of God, A Journey into the Father’s Heart by A.W. Tozer, in two volumes. Again, no quotations, just some Scriptures that keep the flow going.

And here is God is There sung by a virtual choir from GKY Greenville (Jakarta, Indonesia).

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.