Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
My son, Jeremy, and my daughter-in-law, Angela, gave me a tango lesson for my 69th birthday. “Mom,” he informed me, “Angela and I went to a tango class last week. There’s a new studio in town right across from the library. Why don’t you come with me and see if you like it? That will be your birthday gift.”

Well, how could I refuse? Though I am rhythmically challenged, my rule of thumb is: If your adult kids invite you to go anywhere, do everything you can to fit it into the schedule.

So last Monday night Jeremy and I parked in front of La Yunta Milonga (The Tango Argentina Club) in downtown West Chicago, Illinois on West Washington St. The irony of all this is that our town is more than 60% Hispanic and tango is not really a Mexican cultural dance. The core of our community is really working-class. Somehow, a Tango Argentina Club didn’t quite fit the taquerias and Mexican bakeries that fill our town. My son and his wife can dance salsa, meringue, and swing, so why not tango. This Monday night was for “Guided Practice,” explains the little card I was handed that reads, “La Yunta Milonga: a beautiful place for beautiful people.” We would learn to dance the tango with the owners Ruben (from Argentina) and Maria (from France) showing us the dancing ropes.

Jeremy, who was voted the best dancer in his high-school class, was as much a novice as I. So just submitting to the fact that I was going to be awful, I attempted to take their guidance to heart. Ruben taught us in Spanish with his wife translating into English. (Later, Jeremy, who teaches Spanish at Wheaton College, informed me that she, in her delightful way, basically said what she wanted to say and didn’t give a literal translation of her husband’s instructions. I did notice that he said “bueno” whenever she finished, so I think there was kind of a collaboration of agreement between the two.)

In my first tango lesson I learned: The man must lead; you brush your thighs as you walk; you back up (for the woman) in a straight line; that you must relax; you must keep your right elbow bent stiffly so your partner can guide you; and it will take quite a few walking lessons for me to get the hang of it.

At 8 o’clock, the lights were lowered, the music was turned on, several other people arrived for the dancing hour and Maria assigned me to a gentleman with the words, “She is just learning tango.” So this stranger and I began moving around the floor. Amazingly, I found myself in step, making turns, crossing my ankles to twist forward, twist back—all under his guidance. When I made a misstep and apologized, I said, “I’m thinking too much. I need just to relax and move.”

“Don’t apologize,” the man said, who I was realizing was an excellent dancer. “It is up to me to get you where I want you to go.”

Because I am a writer, one of the things I have learned to do is live life metaphorically. A metaphor is an application of a word or figure of speech to a concept it does not literally denote in order to suggest comparison to another object or concept. Living life metaphorically means that I attempt to draw out meaning beneath or beside the meaning.

A good dancing partner is an excellent illustration of what it is like to step in time to the rhythm of life with God, whose responsibility is to get us where it is He wants us to go. Now, we have the choice as humans, to refuse to dance altogether, if we like. We can “sit this one out” and we can refuse to cooperate by barn-dancing when we should be attempting to tango. There are rules we must follow if we are going to look good and get the best benefit of the guided practice. We must walk backward in a straight line; we must keep our elbow bent firmly so our Partner can guide us. But basically, the rhythm and beauty and timing of our dancing activity is a matter of following the Divine Dancing Partner.

I was amazed at the Tango Argentina Club on Monday night last (a 69th-birthday gift) by how beautifully I performed when I danced with someone who knew what he was doing. Perhaps we all should learn to pray, Lord, what kind of dance is it that You want me to dance today? And then we should learn to follow His lead.

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-119)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
I snapped up a plastic refrigerator sack of little toy animals for my grandson Neeham (Nehemiah), who is two years old. This $3.75 was one of my best purchases because Neeham invariably digs into the bag and comes us with a clutch of animals to play with and to carry around wherever he goes in our house.

Though the fistful of toys may be Neehan’s version of a security blanket, it does present some problems:

First, he cannot pick up anything else, not even more dinosaurs, snakes, fish or crabs (this is the sea-animal bag). If he tries, some inevitably drop to the floor though he attempts to retrieve them (leaving another turtle that doesn’t quite make it). This is a source of frustration to Neeham, who sometimes resorts to (dare I name it?) temper tantrums.

Next, it is impossible to pull a coat over Neeham’s full and clenched fist. We attempt to pry the little fingers open, explaining that we are just putting his coat on and that he can have the toys back. “No,” he protests. “Mine!” In fact, I am reminded by this repeated drama by our front door that the wearing of winter coats is more of an adult’s concern than it is a two-year-old’s.

Last, this greedy security habit of my grandson’s is fast depleting the plastic bag of water-loving miniatures. Of course, again, this is more my concern than it is Neeham’s. Supply and demand is an adult’s prerogative. Little children don’t worry about what they will play with when the source of toys is gone.

How often God attempts to pray open our clutched fists. He has something richer to give us, something to warm us against the cold, something more exciting to put in our hands to replace the snakes and other creepy-crawly creatures.

Yet, our proprietorship is firmly established. “Mine!” we announce, clutching more tightly and clenching our fists to our chest. But the truth is, we’ve become too old to carry “dinosaurs” in our hands. We need to move beyond the childlike stages of spiritual maturity. Better pay attention to the Grandma at the front door. My lifelong experience in clutching things too tightly is that if we don’t let go of our well-loved playthings when God asks them of us, we may force Him to find a harsher means to convince us that we best let go.

So. What is it you are clutching in your tiny fists? Is God asking you to let go? He needs to pull on that winter coat to protect you from the blows and windstorms of misfortune. He can see into your future and has a reason for asking for your fistful of clutched toys. This secret I have also learned (hold it to your heart): Our Heavenly Grandparent never takes away something from us without replacing it (eventually) with something better.

Pay attention.

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-116)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
Last week the Chicago area had its first seasonal snowfall. This may be an absolute record in the annals of our particular geographic weather history. The reports on how much snow were variable—some said we had 3-4 inches; some said we had six to eight. After the snowplow cleared our circle driveway at 5:30 a.m. on Friday morning, I shoveled our seven-foot brick-walk that leads from the front door to the gravel drive. According to estimates made from thrusting my red snow shovel into a mound off by the front walk, we had from six to eight inches of snow for the first fall.

The weather here in the greater Chicago area has been, to use the parlance, unseasonably warm. Last year we had a snowfall mid-November, and more and more snowfalls until at least two feet of snow was piled upon itself. The snowplow cleared our driveway seven times last year, and the snow did not melt until April. Two days before our first snowfall, January 12, 2012, the thermometers read 47 degrees in the western suburbs.

So we began preparing ourselves as we Midwesterners are programmed to do with storm warnings. Is there enough provision in the house in case we can’t get to the store for a couple of days? Do we have the fold-up portable shovel in the back of the trunk? Have we made sure our house (driveway really) is on the snow-plowers’ list?

I had a funny phone call: “Paul,” I said to the man who owns the snowplow service up our lane, “the weather has been so good, I neglected to call you and ask you to put us on your list.” “Now, who are you?” he asked. “I’ve just had a hip operation. I’m in the hospital. They replaced my hip.” Nevertheless, he had arranged for a surrogate driver to cover the driveways in our little loop and somehow he did—groggy as he was—get our name on the list. Snowplowing is a serious commitment.

David and I had invited friends to go to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert on the 12th of January, and we made reservations for dinner at the Russian Tea Time restaurant before the eight o’clock performance. This restaurant is just around the corner from Orchestra Hall; on concert nights, it usually empties like clockwork at 7:45. First snow or not, this is an occasion hardy Chicagoans do not cancel simply because weather warnings are being broadcast on radio and on television.

Our only question was: Should we take the Metra into the city, or risk it and drive during the first snowfall, at rush hour? My call was to take the train. David, however, loves that when we drive, we can park in the underground parking, which shoots us up a stairway right in front of the Orchestra Hall doors. Driving means we also don’t have to get to and from the train station, some eight blocks away; nor do we have to wait an hour or so for the next-to-the last commuter train to the western suburbs.

So drive we did, and in driving, we noticed the snowplows already blowing mounds of snow beside driveways and sidewalks. Cautiously, our friend steered his four-wheel-drive SUV through back streets and by ways to quickly hook up to a major artery going into the city. Hm-m-m-m. The streets weren’t so bad—we’re all hardy Midwesterners, you know. Most of us know how to drive cautiously in new-fallen snow. And many workers, at news of snowfall, had left their offices early. The expressways moved fast and we actually arrived at the underground parking with plenty of spots to choose from, close to the Jackson Street exit, and right on the minute to honor our dinner reservation.

Br-r-r-r-r-r. Of course, the temperature had dropped below 20 degrees. We bundled ourselves up against the wet, soft, white snow falling in our hair, laughed about all the little kids out on the streets with their Christmas-gift sleds, noticed a darling young mother shoveling her walk and towing a little toddler stuffed in a snowsuit on a sled behind her. We had a wonderful dinner, shared stories, laughed at our own foibles. The Chicago Symphony sound was lush and wondrous and reached, as usual, parts of the soul in the listener it is hard to explain to people who don’t understand or love classical music.

“First snow,” we said to the volunteers who held the doors for us as we entered and exited the Hall. “Yep!” they said. “We knew it would eventually get here.”

“First snow,” I said to the homeless woman selling Streetwise, the paper they publish that helps to support their needs. “Yes,” she replied. “First snow. Have a good night.”

Instead of turning left out of the parking garage, we turned right, intending to cruise down Michigan Avenue and catch a glimpse of the Christmas lights still in the trees shining through the blanket that now covered the cement flower troughs the city has built in the middle of the Avenue. Snow piled on the bridge spanning the Chicago River, on the ledges of buildings, and spread itself all over the ground.

“Oh,” we all exclaimed. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

Yes, it is. Despite the discomforts. Despite the blowing cold. Despite the hazards of slippery, unexpected falls or of car crashes, it is beautiful. Indeed, it is.

Though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow. I remembered this Scripture from Isaiah 1:18. But even biblically illiterate people see what I see. Ugly holes are covered by the first snow. Bare branches and breaks in the cement are hidden. The world is wound together in a bundling of white.

Though we hasten to home and safety (and to those provisions of food), every single one of us is in a kind of celebratory mood. Everyone sees that the ugliness around is covered, not to be noticed for as long as the snow stays on the ground, on the fences, on the paths in the wintered forests. There is a common metaphor here that reaches into the heart even of the unbeliever, the cynical, the twisted pervert, or the neglectful, inward-obsessed narcissist.

The world is white again. God has breathed His breath to cover us. First snow!

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-114)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
I spent a couple of weeks putting together a letter asking for travel funds for three of us who plan to visit the Global Bag Project, our work where a handful of Kenyan women are lifting themselves out of poverty by sewing lovely, artisan African bags. The project is at a crucial growth stage, and although I would like just to apply the travel funds toward their fabric purchases and their salaries, ten days spent together hugely encourages them, generates all kinds of product ideas and business plans, and keeps the stateside crew pumped for about six months!

Since my husband and I and our Global Bag Project Director have traveled to Africa about 11 times in the last five years, we have drained our personal resources and do need to look to friends to contribute to the travel fund.

You can imagine our wonder when a film project David and I had been talking about with another organization actually came through for the exact time we were planning to be in Kenya for a shoot!

This means our airfare, and half of our land fee, will be covered, and now all I have to do is raise land expense for two for the weeks we aren’t shooting!

When we teach people how to go on the God Hunt, we recommend they look for unusual evidences of God’s care. This certainly is an immediate example of that out of our personal experience. Not only do we love this kind of work since we were in the media industries for over 20 years and regret that we are not able to use our expertise in that field much, but the provision of the budget means is always a sign to us of God’s green light to involve ourselves in a project. When He doesn’t want us heading in certain directions, He just closes down the financial means!

With full and grateful hearts, we will be in pre-production planning on this film adventure for the next two months—grateful to be chosen. In addition, the funds will allow us to visit the Global Bag Project sewing sites, interact with our friends, and make joint plans for the future growth of the GBP development project.

Thank you, God. I spy You!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-112)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
I have been reading John Stott’s beautiful book Life in Christ, which includes replications of many of the grand master’s paintings of Jesus. Stott, who died a few months ago, was a great theologian and an exemplary Christian leader. This book is an ongoing exposition of all the Scriptures that have to do with the topic of “life in Christ.” One quote, which I read New Year’s Eve day, struck me. It was written by J. C. Ryle, the Bishop of Liverpool from 1850-1900. Life in Christ consists of Christ saying to us, “Abide in me. Cling to me. Stick fast to me. Live the life of close and intimate communion with me. Get nearer and nearer to me. Roll every burden on me. Cast your whole weight on me. Never let go your hold on me for a moment.”

The next morning, early, I checked my e-mail to find a note from a good friend. We had been having an ongoing conversation about my not pursuing my creative writing at this stage in my life. He chided me on allowing the not-so-important to divert me from what was most important. I disagreed with him about what was important and what was not important. It was, if not a heated exchange, a warm one.

So I shot him an e-mail showing him what I was doing regarding what I felt was important and he felt was not-so-important and assured him I was writing quite a bit (although just not for publication).

My first e-mail early on New Year’s Day was from this friend. And the dialogue continued with him asking the often-discussed question of how multi-gifted folk decide exactly where they devote their energies. “I guess the only way to know is to live a life that grows increasingly closer and closer to Christ.”

These two “nudges” reminded me of the set of cassettes that is stored in my book shelf that holds lectures dedicated to the topic of spiritual growth. They are recordings of the teachings of an Indian Christian spiritual leader, Brother Zac Poonen, and are profound in their emphasis that we must live a life in Christ.

Three nudges is more than enough. Obviously, this is to be the theme of my spiritual journey for this New Year. Since we no longer have a cassette player in the car, I will have to be intentional about listening to these 15 cassette teachings. The only place we have a cassette player is the small study at home where I often read the Scripture, pray and write in my journal. I have dubbed this place “the listening room.”

I just pulled down the Zac Poonen cassettes, and after I send these blogs off to my editor, I will carry these tapes down to the listening room, where I suspect I will be spending much time this year. I have much to learn about a life in Christ.

I spy God!

 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-110)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
“Randall said that Nathanael almost had a terrible car accident,” my husband reported about a phone call with our eldest son who lives in Phoenix. Nathanael is old enough to have a learner’s permit and can drive with a licensed adult present in the car.

“What happened?” Of course, grandmother that I am, I was eager for the near-miss details.

It appears they had been driving on an expressway, mounted a hill and realized that logs had torn loose from a flatbed semi and were now rolling across the road toward them. Our son yelled to Nathanael to brake, pulled the wheel to steer the car away from impact, then immediately worried about the cars coming up the same hill behind them. Somehow, they avoided what could have become a tragic highway accident.

This is one of those lessons in the rationale behind defensive driving that all teens need to learn and that seasoned adult drivers often forget. On the road, it is impossible to know what surprise in the lane ahead may turn into life-threatening danger for any of us.

“Oh, I was almost in a collision on New Year’s Day.” I had forgotten to report this near-accident to my husband. Driving home from an early trip to the grocery store, with hardly any cars on the road, I paused at a four-way stoplight, and then began to turn when the light showed green and the left-turn arrow flashed. Suddenly I realized the black SUV traveling in the intersecting lane, Route 59, was going exceedingly fast and not slowing down. Instead of accelerating, which I should have done, I braked, putting me directly in the line of impact. Fortunately, the driver of the black car screeched on the brakes. I checked the signal—yep! the light was still green, the left-turn arrow still showing. I was the one in compliance. I lifted my hands in a what-the-heck-do-you-think-you’re-doing gesture, then proceeded to complete my turn.

I realized as I drove home that I had been spared a collision that would have hit our car right at the driver’s side and would have been a really, really bad beginning for the New Year.

It is at these moments when we remember that a loving God protects us from advancing dangers; they are reminders of His constant loving protection at times we know nothing about.

So I lift my heart in thanksgiving for myself, for our new teen driver Nathanael Mains, and for our families to say, “Thank you God, for these unusual evidences of your care that poke through the fabric of our daily lives to remind us that your web of protection is ever cast over all our days—even when we don’t know it.”

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-108)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
Because we had such a wonderful Christmas season with our extended family—adult offspring and grandchildren—I was sure I would be filled with wonderful memories of how God had met us during these holy days.

Why!—the house was all decorated three weeks before Christmas! I had time to enjoy the music and the Christmas lights and my beautiful Noel banner hung on the summer trellis outside our front door. We attended concerts in the city, shared a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner at my daughter’s, spent two days together in a timeshare in rural Illinois, went to Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago with the grandchildren, and ended our week with a sing-along around my son’s piano following an appetizer supper.

Even so, those specific details eluded me—why?—I hadn’t taken the time to journal. With everything going on, I had let the recording of God’s daily work in my life pass so when I sat down at the computer to recount His goodness for this blog, my recall—filled with Christmas and the start-up of this new year and the schemes crowding my mind of how to become more efficient (a lifelong pursuit)—was just flushed away. I could not remember the intricacies of God’s goodness over the past two weeks!

David, my husband, read this psalm yesterday in the morning office. It was a reminder to me that if I am going to be faithful in going on the daily God Hunt, I must keep a written record of all the ways He has intervened in my ordinary life. And, I must keep that record every day. The God Hunt must be an intentional action on my part, not just an “Oh, by-the-way…” byproduct of life.

Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name,
make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him, and speak of all his marvelous works.
Glory in his holy Name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Search for the Lord and his strength, continually seek his face.
Remember the marvels he has done,
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth.
He has always been mindful of his covenant,
the promise he made for a thousand generations.
The covenant he made with Abraham, the oath that he swore to Isaac,
Which he established as a statute for Jacob,
An everlasting covenant for Israel.

—Psalm 105:1-5, 8-10

A journal is key to remembering God’s marvelous works; when God works in your life (and in my life), write it down.

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-106)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
Christmas starts for different people at different points. Some don’t feel like Christmas has begun until they have attended a concert of Handel’s Messiah. Others feel that Christmas starts when the tree is up, decorated and the lights are plugged in.

For me Christmas starts when the house is decorated—all three floors—the trees are up and lit and the Christmas table is set. Doing all this is no small chore since David and I have traditionally divided the holiday chores between us. He does the gift-buying and wrapping, he plans and purchases tickets for outstanding events. I decorate the house and plan the menu. I shop and cook. My husband does the kitchen clean up after the meal.
Also, any cards that get sent to friends are taken care of by David also.

This is a pretty good division of Christmas labor—at least, it works for us. It does mean that what rooms get decorated or not depends completely upon my schedule, strength and gumption.

This year, after three or four days of straight work, the house looked and felt like December magazine photos. I cannot say how many times I went up and down the attic steps, but the charley-horse cramps I felt at night indicated I’d taxed my physical abilities.

However, all this work was made worth it when my granddaughter Eliana dropped past (along with her Mom and Dad and little brother). “WOW!” she exclaimed, looking at the tree lights, and the nativity sets. “WOW!” The basement also received her acclamation. Eliana “WOW”-ed her way through my entire house.

I have to admit that not only was this slightly funny—was she “WOW!”-ing because she thought that was the appropriate thing to do? Or, was it because this was really a “WOW!”-ful experience for her?—but it made me feel really good that I had gone to all the work of filling the house with all the traditional Christmas things I dragged from the attic boxes.

I wonder if, like Eliana, I have been saying “WOW!” enough to God. Have I really let the deepest meanings of Christmas penetrate my heart and psyche once again? Have I been overwhelmed, filled with awe and struck by the beauty of it all? There have been exquisite moments, but have I made a point of “WOW”-ing all over the place?

Christ has come. God is with us. Christ is coming again. WOW!

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-105)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
My four-year-old granddaughter, Eliana, is being raised bilingually. She actually has three languages—Spanish, English, and Eliana. When in doubt she resorts to babble. Consequently, I only catch about one-third of what she enthusiastically reports to me.

To five of my grandchildren (Caitlyn, Landis, Nathanael, Elias and Nehemiah), I am Nina. To two of my grandchildren (Joscelyn and Ayden), I am Nonnie. Eliana started out by calling me Meena. Frankly, I have enough trouble remembering which grandchild calls me what. So, I worked hard to teach Elle that my grandma nomenclature began with an N, not an M. “Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah Nina, “ I would demonstrate. And she would answer, “Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah Meena.” It was just hard getting that M out of her head once it had taken lodging there.

However, last weekend I noticed that Eliana was calling me Nina, emphasizing the N, to my great pleasure. “Yeahh!” I shouted. “Great job, Eliana!” And then to be sure, “Who am I?”

“Nina,” she replied.

I am learning that when I have the little ones over—Nehemiah, age two, and Eliana, age four—the better part of wisdom is to put everything away and just park myself in the same room and play with them. This is not the time for me to make progress with tasks at hand.

Nehemiah gets absorbed in his toys, but Eliana explores the house. Her great curiosity drives her to open doors, investigate cupboards, etc. She leaves a remarkable trail behind her wherever her explorations have led.

Take the downstairs bath, for instance. The water glass, the soap dish, and my dried arrangement above the toilet had all been plundered. Soggy water sat in the glass, which had been stirred with a stalk pulled from the basket. Some random toy animals guarded this mess. There were hydrangea droppings on the floor, on the toilet seat, and on the rug.

Or, take the Advent Calendar on the table in front of the fireplace. Where did she find the scissors and how did she cut up that cardboard cover? I decided to leave the clean up for the next morning.

Instead, I took Eliana downstairs and we began to play “Monster-Meena.” This is where the grandmother stretches out under a blanket among the pillows on the couch, then pulls the cover over her head. The child approaches, discovers the grandmother who swoops her up onto the couch, tickling and shoveling her gently and roughly (yes it can be done) against the cushion. Much whooping and giggling ensues.

Sometimes we can’t make our mind up whether or not God is Monster-God. Because of our language development, we go around misnaming Him “nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah Meena.” Other people know Him by other more correct names. But, we’re sort of stuck with a childlike mispronunciation. If the occasion warrants and we find time to roughhouse on the soft couch among the pillows, to get close to Him in a playful kind of way, we may discover that He is so much more than our feeble attempts to describe Him can possibly achieve.

“The chief end of man is to enjoy God and love him forever.” —Westminster Catechism.

Have you had time to play with God this season? Enjoying God enough leads to loving Him forever. You may not only begin calling Him by another name, you may even hear His pet name for you.

“Who am I?” is a questions we humans wrestle with most of our lives. It is been my experience that knowing God better helps me answer that question well.

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-103)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
Some friends gave us their annual gift of a CD-mix with Christmas music taken from various sources. Moving in and out of the reading study in our home where we also keep the music library, I kept hearing little pieces of this song. I finally took time to sit and listen to the whole thing. It pretty much says it all.

Zechariah and the Least-Expected Places

Jerusalem and the holy temple filled with smoke
Zechariah shuns the news from the angel of hope
Stuck behind an incense cloud of religion and disappointment

God keeps slipping out of underneath rocks
in alleys off the beaten path.
Open both your eyes.

Prophet and kings and poets can contribute their work
Just like the eggs in a nest are alive with the promise of birds
But the Lord of Creation will not be subjected to expectation

God keeps slipping out of underneath rocks
in alleys off the beaten path.
Open both your eyes.

Elizabeth, barren, her knees black and dirty like coal
her consistent prayers float to the sky and revive her soul
God we will wait though we don’t understand your redemptive story.

God keeps slipping out of underneath rocks
in alleys off the beaten path.
Open both your eyes.

—So Elated

We are at the beginning of the Twelve Days of Christmas. There is still time to open both your eyes.

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-102)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
David ordered tickets to attend the Ballet Folklorico at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL. This auditorium restoration has returned the theatre to its original art-deco style. It is gorgeous and has served the western suburbs with dance and theatre for the last couple of decades. My husband invited some of the Hispanic friends who serve us in the bank we frequent.

We were not prepared to be stunned by the sheer beauty of the traditional costumes. It felt like the majority of the hundreds of Hispanic Americans in the audience were friends and family of the performers on stage, a local dance troupe. Everyone—kids parents, grandparents—were all certainly boosters.

At the end of the evening, the dancers came down off the stage into the aisles, and I noticed one middle-aged man stepping out of the audience and moving to the traditional rhythm with a teenage girl between 13 and 16 years of age. It felt like the people around me, even with the music and the dance and the clapping, took special notice. They nodded to one another and fixed their attention on this man and his young partner.

The Cuban émigré sitting beside me, with whom I’d been chatting during the intermission whispered, “You see that man? He is a priest in town here.”

Suddenly the picture became enchanting. This was a local pastor, known and beloved by many, grabbing the opportunity to celebrate the music of his native country by dancing part of the ballet folklórico in the aisles!

That piece ended. The dancers proceeded back up to the stage for the curtain calls. One woman in front of me motioned to the man who had danced, who was across the aisle from her. He collapsed in fake exhaustion back into his seat, pounded his chest with his hand, then made the sign of the cross over his heart.

The Ballet Folklorico provided us with a lovely, lovely pre-Christmas evening. “We’ll have to do this every year,” whispered my husband.

Yes, I thought. We must celebrate the fact that the High Priest has edged into our human performance and is wanting to step beside us to the rhythm of life’s music. Those who have eyes to see understand that this Dancing One is the One whose birth and life we celebrate this Christmas season.

Olé!

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-101)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
Since we were home the whole month of December, since it was a Mains family Christmas year (our kids spend the even-numbered years with their in-laws), since this was the first time in nine years when I hadn’t been planning and leading the annual Advent Retreat of Silence, I decided to decorate the house from top to bottom.

Now there is some reason to this madness; I’ve spent the entire year knowing that both my parents died at age 69, which I will turn in January 2012. This is not a morbid consideration for me—I feel prepared to die and don’t fear it (a sign on my household desk reads, “I don’t fear tomorrow. I have seen yesterday and I love today”). It’s more a matter of wondering what my parents would have done differently (what would anyone do differently) if they knew they had only one more year to live.

I do not want to leave behind a mess that my family has to spend weeks wading through in order to settle the estate (such as it is). So, part of my decision to decorate from top to bottom is one that entails a process of purging, reorganizing and relabeling.

“I can’t believe you’re cleaning your attic during the weeks leading up to Christmas,” said a friend. Since I had already organized it three summers back, the task is not so monumental as it sounds. But, I’ve also discovered a lovely secret to tackling onerous tasks. The secret is this: You must learn to love the work.

Do I love filling the house with Christmas beauty, or don’t I? I love it.

Do I love having organized drawers, closets and attics, or not? I love it.

Do I love getting rid of extra strings of lights we no longer use, the old tree that has been in the box unused since 2004 (I always put the date on the label so I know if I am using whatever is in those green and red plastic storage bins)? Yes, I really love ridding the attic of extra boxes.

This year, in case of early forgetfulness setting in, or in case of my children having to sort through the attic, I thought I’d even put together a clipboard explaining that the attic is divided into four seasons: Summer is on the immediate right-hand side, Winter is on the immediate left-hand side, Spring is on the middle right-hand side, and Fall is behind that.
Down the middle of the attic are canning supplies, picnic hampers and fans. I do have one woebegone corner to the far-left back, but I’ll tackle that when the weather warms again.

The strange thing about doing what you do out of love is that everything changes. I’ve put Christmas music on the CD player and listened to the joyful melodies of well-loved hymns. A friend and I had a baking morning together, laughing and sharing recipe secrets. As I’ve decorated, I’ve repaired along the way. The hinge on my sewing box, for instance, had come unscrewed. I found those small screwdrivers with the quarter-inch heads and fixed the brass hinge to the wooden back. I moved the button and clasp on a too-small waistline.

Moreover, because I am choosing to love what I do, I am blissfully happy. An aesthetic being with a demanding eye, I am deeply and sweetly pleasured by harmony of line, by balance of forms, and in this pleasure, I experience God’s love and approval.

Don’t ask me why—I don’t really know. But choosing to love the work this season leading up to Christmas, tearing apart the attic, decorating every room in the house (I think I may pick up one of those small wreaths and fix it to the front of the car), I feel His pleasure. This may be one of the best Christmases ever!

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-099)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
The Christmas responsibilities in our family divide up this way: David does all the Christmas shopping and orders gifts for friends. I decorate the house and do the holiday baking and meals. David cleans up after Christmas dinner. He also oversees the December calendar and purchases tickets (with extras, so we can invite old or new friends).

This year he purchased tickets to see The Nativity at Goodman Theater in Chicago. I saw an advertisement on television and realized it was a black performance group (Congo Square Theatre Company), but I was not prepared to be next to the only white folk in the audience. However, for me, since we worked for ten years in the inner city of Chicago, and attended an African-American church in the suburbs for six years, it felt like we were coming home. And, guess what, the audience dresses up. No sloppy excuse for casual here. There were heels and furs and fancy clothes, suits and ties. I loved it.

Inspired by Langston Hughes, one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance, this performing troupe attempts to celebrate what is best in this black life and culture.

The music moved through traditional Christmas music rendered in jazz and soul began to announce that “Christmas is coming.” With little deviation from the scriptural storyline or even from the exact words of the biblical narrative, the artists danced and swayed across the stage, their voices soaring with the earthy and true-toned musicality of church-experienced musicians.

It felt so good to be in a place where the Gospel was unabashedly presented, where the artists were comfortable enough to let a really good story tell itself. Tears began to well up in my eyes. I wiped them from my cheeks. My granddaughter, Joscelyn, grabbed my hand and squeezed. I looked at David and his eyes were teary. We, as well as many in the audience, were raising their hands.

Then Gabriel began to preach. She quoted the Scripture verbatim and the crowd began to respond. “Yes,” they said. “Preach it.”

It may have been Goodman Theater in the heart of the theatre district in Chicago. But, as far as I was concerned, we had been to church with our dear sisters and brothers. Christmas was not only coming, it had arrived, baby. It was here.

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-098)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
For years now, whenever I take a bath, the water turns a translucent grayish-black. This is most concerting, because I think of a warm bath as a kind of non-sacramental form of baptism—at least a reminder that as a Christian, I have willingly entered the waters of baptism as a living metaphor of my life, death and resurrection in Jesus Christ.

A bath washes away not only the dirt of gardening, the dust and cobwebs of rummaging in the attic or in the basement, it soothes away achiness, comforts a disordered soul, and eases a too-active mind into sleep—either for the night or for a nap in the afternoon.

So, a bath that leaves a residue in the tub after the water has drained offends my sensibilities regarding the sacred meaning of cleansing and purifying.

When we had the water heater replaced two summers back, the plumber disengaged the water softener. “This just ain’t doing nothing for you, ma’am. Might as well turn it off.”

Even though the blackened water had existed before he disconnected that tank, I was anxious to purchase a new unit. This December my husband gave me a new water softener as my Christmas gift—I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more!

And, since the water is still a little grey, I’m thinking we probably need to replace the inside well-pump—we have well water with a high iron content. But, my baths are much, much better (as well as the kitchen-sink dishwater). We have lived in our home for 37 years, after all.

When I think that all around the world, the poor often have trouble drawing water. When they find a water source that is not polluted or putrefied, someone has to haul it, often for miles. My grey-black water is nothing compared to what others face when clean water is needed to drink, or to wash their hands, to bathe their children or to scrub clothes.

God is a God of clean water: He created it, He sanctified it for bathing and employed it as a sign of purification from sins. He commands, “Wash your hands your sinners and purify your hearts.” But more than anything, water is used as imagery to help us humans understand that God not only is the source of clean and pure physical water, He is also the source of spiritual cleansing: “The water that I give will become … a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The assurance in all this is that God’s Spirit within is experienced as a mysterious ever-renewed source, upwelling in fullness of life.

This is a great Advent meditation, one that fits with John the Baptist’s cry, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!” Advent, the season before Christmas, is a time for bathing.

I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-097)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
A Scripture reading from Morning Prayer last week gave me some pause: Why would the compiler include that reading in this second week of Advent?

“Near the cross of Jesus, stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdela. Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” (John 19:25-27)

Don’t you think that’s an odd Scripture for the season leading up to Christmas? It seems to me it would be more suitable for the Lenten season, which leads to Easter. And yet, Christ Himself compares His death to a kind of birth:

“When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her hour as come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world.” (John 16:21-22)

In fact, this imagery is intertwined throughout much of the Old and the New Testament.

After years of ministry, I know the season of Christmas is often the hardest part of the year for many. That first holiday after the death of a loved one is filled with the angst of ragged emotional surprises. Instead of celebration, the season is laden with jugular attacks, then, to be reminded in Advent—as we look toward the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child—that there is an agony that accompanies love, the agony of giving birth, the puzzlement of raising an exceptional child, the sword that pierces a mother’s soul when she sees him die.

How fitting to be reminded in Advent—that Jesus, while enduring the torture of crucifixion, tenderly, tenderly remembered His mother, a woman who after His death would need protection and shelter and comfort. Birth and life—aren’t they always commingled? A woman faces near-death in order to give life. A Son enters death in order to provide everlasting life.

What a mystery it all is—and what a wonder! I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-096)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
Sometimes I come to mental conclusions that are not the right conclusions. I suppose everyone does this; certain evidence points in a certain direction, and we make snap judgments based on that evidence. This satisfies us. We feel smug in knowing what we know (not knowing that we are wrong).

The problem is that I recognize this tendency in myself, and I need to not allow myself to nurse this tendency. I need to press myself to do a little more research, What else do you need to know? If you dig a little harder and find out other realities, will you make your mind up in another direction? How do you know for a certainty that this conclusion is the right conclusion?

Take the water softener, for instance. We have well water that is high in iron content. Two summers ago, after the flood in our basement caused by the storm that knocked out the power in hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans’ homes, I had the water pump replaced, and the plumber also suggested that due to the age of the water heater, it could spring a leak that would leave me with more flooding in the basement. So, we bought a new water heater and he installed it.

“Anything else?” I asked, knowing that other repairs would only help his financial bottom line, but he had been extremely helpful, tutoring me in the whole water system in my home, what did what, what could be improved, etc. “For instance, your water softener is so old, it’s not really doing anything. The best thing you can do right now is disconnect it and buy a new softener.” He made his point, showing me the iron in a water test he performed, and truthfully, with black silt in the water that turned grey in my tub and the kitchen sink, with the sulfur odor when we turned on taps, and with the fact that we chose never to drink the house water, only clean with it, the plumber guy didn’t have to do much convincing.

He gave me the estimate I asked for, which totaled about $3,500. I researched water softeners, looked into saltless tanks, called another company who sent out a another water guy, who took the same water test, informed me of what I already knew, that we had a high level of iron in our water. He also gave me an estimate of around $3,500.

So, I concluded that a new water softener would have to wait. There was no way we were going to cough up $3,500—but every time I took a bath I rued this forced decision and the fact that we did not have excess funds to fix this problem. “Money for a water softener” is actually on my list of prayer requests.

I kept meaning to call DuPage Water Systems, the company that had installed our original tank, but it wasn’t until Mike Teague, the builder who has been replacing our toilets, said, “Boy, is your water bad. Those innards, that tubing are filled with rust! Why don’tcha do somethun’ about your softener system?”

I explained that our financial reserves were depleted (annoyed slightly that he with the construction industry floundering in this economy wasn’t more sympathetic). I told him what I had discovered in my two responsible-homeowner inspections and estimates.

“Yeah. Well, why don’tcha call DuPage Water Systems? They’re close. Maybe they gotta payment plan or somethun’.”

So I did. DuPage Water Systems was having a sale—great timing, said the sales guy. Nor would they charge for installation. In addition, because I was a previous customer, they’d take 15% off and throw in the first blocks of salt as a courtesy. The total was $1,500 (plus another $15 because I put it on our MasterCard and they pass the merchant’s fee along to the user).

They are installing the new water-softener tank this morning.

I’ve gone for almost two years with wretched water, with having to Lysol the toilets every few days instead of once a week, wondering if my skin was itchy because of the black residue that turned the tub grey simply because I got lazy and didn’t listen to that inner nudge: Why don’t you call DuPage Water? (I pass this company frequently as I drive, and it was the name on the old tank that had been disconnected.)

God is patient with us, isn’t He? I just needed two broken toilets being replaced with new ones (both fast-flush that only use 1.5 gallons of water) and a builder who couldn’t see the sense in going to the work of installing an almost new bathroom, new plumbing lines and have them corrode with rust in a few years. One more phone call and I might have had this hard-water problem fixed two years ago.

But, I got another chance, another chance to correct my miscalculation. Mike, the builder, just talked sense. Oh, for more concrete thinkers in my life—Why don’tcha just…? I might not come to as many erroneous decisions as I am inclined to come to.

Sometimes God is a Divine Nag—but that’s OK. He knows what’s good for us. I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-095)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
As suspected, the new bathroom cabinet I purchased from HOBO’s was too big for the collapsed backseat of my compact car. The young salesman assisted me in lifting the cabinet/mirror and the sink/counter into the back, but I would have to beg or borrow a van from someone, make another 20-minute trip to and back from Lombard. And, I really needed to bring the cabinet home this Tuesday night so that Mike, our handyman, could install it on Wednesday morning.

Who in the world could I borrow some vehicle from large enough to haul that cabinet in to my house?

I left HOBO’s trying to remember if my son’s SUV was roomy enough to fit in this box that measured 36” by 28” by 28”. Drat—it was a cold November night, slightly rainy. Jeremy would have to clear out the back of his SUV—what a nuisance!

At that moment, a flatbed truck cut in front of my car, zoomed into the lane that was on the far left of me. The truck had a large sign that read:

MENARDS RENT-A-TRUCK
ONLY $18.99 for 75 MINUTES!

“Now there’s a thought. I could rent a truck from the Menards near my house—I’ve done that before. I wonder if there’s a Menards near here. I could leave my car, rent the truck, pick up the cabinet from HOBO’s, drive it home, unload the cabinet, then drive back it back, pay for it, then pick up my car in the parking lot. Would that take more than 75 minutes? Probably not.”

I literally thought to myself, Follow that Menards rent-a-truck. Sure enough, a Menards loomed before my eyes in the shopping center to my left. The bozo who had cut me off, moving across two lanes, was probably returning this truck there. I then proceeded to cut across two lanes in order to make a sudden left-hand turn into the parking lot myself.

“David,” I phoned home. “I’m at Menards. I’m renting a truck to move that cabinet. It didn’t fit into the Mazda.”

“You’re renting a truck…?”

“Yes. I’m renting a truck.” My theory on trucks (not semis, just the flatbed kind) is that all kinds of bozos drive trucks—like the guy who cut me off in the rent-a-truck. If bozos can drive trucks, so can I.

So—I rented the truck, drove back to Lombard, picked up the cabinet, drove home where David helped me tip the cabinet box onto a dolly and move it into the garage. He then decided to accompany me back to Menards, where I learned that I had arrived within the 75 minutes and my deposit would cover the fee. We picked up the little Mazda, ordered me a dinner at the Wendy’s drive-through, returned home and emptied the back of its load—a mirrored cabinet, a porcelain sink and countertop, and the funky new faucet set.

I was home by 7:15, ready to meet my handyman by Wednesday morning.

However, in reflecting back on this little incident, I realize the “bozo” driving the truck may in truth have been a “bozo” (he seemed a little bozo-ish standing at the Menards customer-service counter in front of me), but he clearly participated in a scheme that we call some “unexpected evidence of God’s care.” Because of all the remodeling going on, not to mention the fact that it is the first week of December with all the Christmas tasks also looming, I had been up since 2:19 that morning, functioning in meetings with just four hours of sleep—not enough to propel a dedicated non-shopper into an evening of shopping. Certainly, I wasn’t eagerly looking forward to begging a car from family or friends.

That truck shot in front of me with a sign that could have been neon: Rent-a-Truck! Rent-a-Truck! I was not thinking about Menards trucks; I was thinking about whether or not I could fit that cabinet box in my son’s SUV. And, the guy driving that truck had to be cheeky enough to cut me off, someone who could clip in front of me, then once he had my attention, zoom over into the next lane. I got the idea: “Hey! What if I rent a truck? It’s only $18.99 for 75 minutes. I’ve spent $541 already, and it will save me a whole night of hunting around. Yah! Let’s rent a truck!”

This is a silly story and the fact that I consider it to be one of the ways my loving Heavenly Father intervened in my really long day may seem silly to someone else. But hey!—it’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Once again, I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-094)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
“Have you tried out HOBO’s?” The man who asked me this question was actually a salesperson at Home Depot, the home-improvement store close by. The innards of our downstairs guest-room toilet just up and died on Thanksgiving morning, and I had to cry for help to replace it (I’ve hated that yellow porcelain fixture the whole 35 years we’ve lived in the house). Since Mike Teague, a contractor who picks up odd jobs to supplement his income, was coming anyway, we might as well scrape together the money to have him tear apart our master-bedroom bathroom—the cabinet had a bottom in its floor and the toilet was slowly sinking through the sub-flooring.

“’Bout time you did something about that bathroom,” my fix-it friend commented as he was laying tarp on the stairs, folding up the area carpet and moving intruding furniture. “You got everything moved out up there.”

“Yep,” I replied, not really happy about spending the next week without a bathroom (the bathroom in my husband’s study has been completely shut down because water leaks from it into the dining room ceiling). Nor do I enjoy, like other women seem to, the arduous comparison-shopping it takes to price, choose, then gather paint and a new cabinet, a new basin, lights and faucets. Not the way I want to spend my time.

The salesman sensed I wasn’t finding what I wanted, so he explained that HOBO’s was sort of a home-improvement store outlet where the prices were unbeatable. It was in Lombard, several towns east of us. Last Saturday, I picked my husband up from the Amtrak train depot in Chicago, we caught a delightful lunch together at Sweet Sally’s Café on Taylor Street, then stopped past HOBO’s (Home Owners Buyers Outlet) on North Avenue on our way home.

There certainly was plenty to choose from. Mike gave me a Wednesday deadline, and last night, without any other arduous shopping stops, I cleared the hatchback of my compact Mazda Protégé and bought a bathroom cabinet, a matching mirror cabinet with its own lighting system, a porcelain sink set in a counter and some funky-looking faucets.

I wish I had kept a list through all these years of a word fitly spoken. How often the question, “Have you thought about…?” has totally shifted my thinking and set me on a better track. And, I am convinced these little nudges are also divine guidance, ways God uses a human comment, advice, or as the Scripture says, “a word fitly spoken” to direct our paths.

I am grateful for that anonymous salesperson. He directed me just the way I needed to go. It was a small but simple thing and it saved me hours of hunting around.

I spy Your hand! Thank you, God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-093)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
One of the ways we teach people to spy God every day in the world is to teach them to look for “any help to do God’s work in the world.” Yet when we say this, people often are confused. “What do you mean,” they will ask. What is obvious to me is obviously not obvious to many others.

So, I simply explain that doing God’s work in the world is anytime we seek to do good. A person does not have to have a calling to earn a master’s in theology to get that. God is good, and so, when we seek to do good in the world and find that He has helped us, we can readily identify His intervening hand in that interaction.

For instance, I write. I write books and articles and donor letters and marketing e-mails; I write this blog and an e-mail bimonthly newsletter. These days, I’m struggling to write business plans and spiritual-growth material. This is one of the ways I do good in the world. With so much writing going on, I am completely dependent upon God to catch my attention with the right idea at the right time.

A friend of ours died recently. When we were serving in an inner-city church in Chicago, he had been on our staff as Community Outreach Director. And, after my husband resigned to head up a national media ministry, this friend went on to develop a model Christian community development outreach in the slum-infested heart of the city.

I wanted to take some time to remember this friend and his life. But, since most of my memories of him were during the few years we worked together—early in our marriage—I felt that my remembrances might be trivial given the breadth of his accomplishments.

“It just so happens...”—well, I’ve learned that nothing just happens—there are reasons beyond our ken as to the whys and wherefores of life’s events. But, as far as I’m concerned, God directs our paths. It was just so divinely ordained that a college professor has been living in our home this school year, and he and I have been conversing about power structures in our society and how hard it is to confront them because they basically, even when they cause ill, have no reason to change.

This discussion caused me to order the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr’s book Moral Man & Immoral Society. Niebuhr, more than any other thinker, was the one who most influenced Dr. Martin Luther King. One quote summarized a thought I wanted to emphasize when writing this tribute to my friend: “Conflict with power structures is inevitable, and in this conflict power must be challenged by power.”

I began to think about how outrageous, how courageous, how wearying it is for mere mortals to stand against these power structures that become entrenched in our societies and do incalculable harm and how my friend, and his co-workers, served as an example of the few amazing people in the world who ask, “Why not?”

And, in this mental journey, in this non-coincidental mental journey was the theme of the e-newsletter I wanted to write for my remarkable friend, recently deceased.

Help to do God’s work in the world. I spy God!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-092)

Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
 
 
 
Usually, around the end of October or middle of November, I find myself driving somewhere, and my eye catches a stand of wild red dogwoods by the roadside. Now I love to poke these twigs into an arrangement of Christmas greens in the barrel by the mailbox and in the pots by the walk that leads to the front door. So, I stop and clip a fistful with the garden scissors I keep in the car’s glove department. But, for the last two years, winter freeze has hardened the soil unseasonably early, forcing me to carry soup pots of boiling water out of the kitchen, through the garage, across the driveway, across the street to pour them into the barrel to soften the dirt. What a job!

So this year, though I’ve been traveling, I’ve kept my eye on the weather report. Tonight we are supposed to have our first freeze; I’ve invited 25 neighbor women for a pre-Christmas tea and really don’t have much time. It looks as though I’ll be boiling water again this year! Not only do I not have greens for the barrel, but I don’t have red dogwood twigs to stick into them.

However, my sister called yesterday. She and her husband took a trip to Paris, and while gone, their yardmen disposed of the twigs she usually uses in her Christmas pots. What was my daughter’s new cell number? Melissa once had a floral-design business, so we look to her to help us in predicaments like this. “If you can’t find any, just spray some branches the colors you want.” She thought that was a good idea for a backup plan if needed.
 
I did grab a moment yesterday to run to Home Depot. This Sunday will mark the second week of Advent and I don’t even have a traditional Advent wreath for the living-room coffee table. Walking into the garden center, I spied a tub with a few bunches of redwood twigs, and though it pained me, I plunked down $7.99 for two bunches ($7.99 for each bunch; that’s $17.08 for what I usually harvest for free—ouch!). But, if I can carve a moment this afternoon when the temperature is at its highest—a forecasted 41 degrees—then perhaps I will spare myself the labor of heating and hauling all that hot water.

Now some people might call this a circumstance, but the timing was simply too unusual. I call it a God Hunt Sighting. One phone call turned my mind toward dogwood twigs, the very day before a freeze was predicted to set in. A few dogwood twig bunches sat at the doorway to the Home Depot garden center and I spied them. I have this afternoon to store the dried gourds, haul in the few pumpkins that will freeze, and plant my red twigs—all I need is an hour!

Thanks be to God. I spy Him!
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.

Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, "Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains." In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.

Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This microfinance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.

For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.

Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
 
 
(GHS-090)