Truth

"I noticed at men's prayer meeting this morning that Mr. Bowman had some blood on his pants," I told me children.  "I asked him about it and he told me that the man who owns the Citgo station at the corner of Gladys Road and Marysville Road buys goats from him."

The children sat up, interested in my story.  "Every so often the Bowmans sell him a sheep and they take it to the gas station and he will pray some prayers over it and then they hold the sheep down and he butchers it.  They did that this morning and Mr. Bowman got some blood on his pants from the sheep."

"You're just joking, Dad," Vince said.

"No, Vince," I replied.  "This really happened."

"Vincent,"  Anna said.  "Don't be so spectacle!"

I laughed.  "I think the word you mean is skeptical, Anna,"  I said.

My children are often skeptical of my stories.  I guess it comes from my tendency to joke with them a lot.  At the same time, it is wise to be careful who we believe. 

The other day, I got a call on my cell phone and computer voice told me that it was calling from "Visa and Mastercard Headquarters" about my account.  While I do have a credit card with one of those esteemed creditors, as far as I know, they do not have a joint headquarters.  I decided to politely hang up and wait for the next robo call.

While there are plenty of voices that I do not listen to, I do find that words from the Bible stand out in a world of deception as speaking truth.  It isn't always easy to hear or to understand.

It speaks to me of the darkness in my heart and my need for a Savior.  It does not speak of my best life now, but rather of a road of cross bearing and suffering.  It speaks of a need to love those who are not worthy of love.  Most of all, it speaks of a Father's love for me.

God's Word is truth.

That's why it has stood the test of time.

That's why I believe it.