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:
Several years back, a fabric-artist friend made me a NOEL banner out of kite fabric. But, I’ve never had a place to hang it. The design was meant to hang perpendicularly. To hang the bright blue strip with its curlicue letters horizontally, like a flag, meant that no one could read the message, NOEL (the French word for Christmas; a jubilant expression of Christmas joy).
I once hung it flat against a wall in the basement, but somehow that didn’t seem to be the dramatic setting its design demanded. So, I folded the banner, stored it in a cedar chest and, sadly, forgot about it.
Last summer, Amy Casper, the Wheaton College student, lived with us for about eight weeks after her graduation. She was a delight to have in the house. One morning we tackled a project I had been determined to start (AND finish) that summer. We pounded and spray-painted and joined together a rather stunning trellis for the brick wall beside the front door.
“Did you see our trellis?” we asked everyone who came to the front door. “Amy and I made that. We are WOMAN?” You get the idea. We were gleefully gloating over our accomplishment.
This Christmas I dug deeply down into the cedar chest and pulled out the NOEL banner. “Where in the world could I hang it this year? Certainly, there must be some place for this beautiful artisan fabric.”
The trellis! … Could it possibly fit on the trellis?
I pushed an empty flagpole rod through the top header, took some twine and tied the banner snugly against the wooden slats. The weather was climate enough that I was able to press a spotlight holder into the ground, run an outdoor extension-cord around the garage to an inside outlet, and lo and behold! the banner hung in place as though Amy and I had designed the trellis to hold it and it alone. The spot illuminated the NOEL graphics. And, at dusk, or in the deep of night, or in the northern grey of a December morning, my banner proclaims, it sings! It announces this age-old, jubilant expression of Christmas joy: NOEL! NOEL! NOEL!
That, of course, could not happen when it was folded, hidden and forgotten, underneath seasonal blankets and spare pillows for guests, at the bottom of a cedar chest with the top shut. A banner needs to be hung if it is to be seen and its message read.
NOEL!
I spy God!
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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 micro-finance 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. They 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.
