Snake Oil

So I was thinking about what you said at the end of your post: are we just taking a gimmick that worked at a church and applying it on a large scale? Or, is this just organic oil...

I dunno. I think that God can work with both. I don't think that God needs any gimmicks to prove that He is holy, righteous, merciful, loving, worthy of our worship... It seems like sometimes WE need some gimmicks to kick us in the pants to REMEMBER that God is...

But God can work in, and in spite of, the "organic oils" that we try to use. I have such a high view of the soverignty of God that I believe that if tomorrow morning God wanted me to wake up as a piece of buttered toast (Kafka's got nothing on me - heh), then tomorrow morning I'd wake up as a piece of buttered toast... I don't think that God is going to do that, but I believe that God COULD if, for whatever reason, He wanted to.

Having said that, I also have such a high view of the integrity of God that I don't believe He would ever FORCE me to become that piece of buttered toast (okay, this metaphor is getting way out of hand). I've referenced it before, but one of the most profound statements that our senior Pastor here at First UMC (Bill Starr) ever said in a sermon was, "God gave us the dignity to choose to love Him."

Think about that. God - being God and able to make/do whatever He wants - CHOSE to let us CHOOSE.

So - it's not the "organic oils" - or the kite with the five tails and the neato ads on TV (though I like them) - it's the power of God working through us and in us and, again, sometimes in spite of us to work His ultimate purpose out. If I am willing to let God work in me, God can even use my penchant for relying on "organic oils" or gimmicks or whatever... Because God is God.

So, that brought to mind a song by Kansas (again, Michael will probably have to Google that band name...I know I'm old, but sheesh...) from their In the Spirit of Things album:

Rainmaker

Kansas

Have you ever seen a miracle - you couldn't doubt or imitate

What's it really worth to you to shake the holy hand of fate

Well I did what I could to make ends meet

Been a gunrunner and a medicine man

In a Kansas town I was a rainmaker - there the hand of fate got out of hand

Rainmaker Rainmaker save this one horse town

Rainmaker pray to heaven

From the Flint Hills the land was cracked and dried

Thirsty streets in misery

I took the sign down that said medicine man

Put one up that said rainmaker - that was me

So the townspeople gave me money up front

To light a fire - pray, and dance around

I'd convince them it'd rain so they'd all go to bed

And I'd make my break clean out of town

But I started this dance and a storm kicked up

The sky went black from coast to coast

It was too late to stop - it was to late to pray

I had summoned down the Holy Ghost

Oh the searing wind and the clouds of dust

And hell came raining down

What came out of me and the powers that be

Was the last of that one horse town

(really, really long instrumental break here...)

Rainmaker Rainmaker save this one horse town
Rainmaker pray to heaven

Rainmaker Rainmaker save this one horse town
Rainmaker pray to heaven

(Save us, Save us)

Rainmaker Rainmaker save this one horse town
Rainmaker pray to heaven