10/13/2025
Tell me God's not real ...
Yesterday I had the pleasure of reading Gathered at the Table: Celebrating Communion at Chapel Hill UMC Battle Creek. After worship, I was signing books for my new little friends.
Pastor Julie Yoder Elmore had ordered copies of the communion book and, at the last minute, she also decided to order a copy of my Storybook Bible, I Wonder: Exploring God's Grand Story.
"We'll just keep that on the table," she said, "and see if someone comes who we're supposed to give it to. We'll let God lead us."
A family was visiting from New York that morning. This young boy and his parents came with his great grandma, who is a member of the church.
I'd chatted with the parents and signed Gathered at the Table for their son, and just as they were about to leave, Pastor Julie said, "Glenys, let's give I Wonder to our new little friend too."
So I called him back, signed the book and before they left, his mom smiled and told me...
"Growing up In Vietnam, I was taught a lot about prayer, but not about the Bible. I've always wanted to learn more about it, because the Bible can be so hard to understand."
It was then that the great grandma spoke...
"I was just telling her, on the way here, that the best way to learn about God and the Bible is through books."
The thing is, friends, that boy's great grandma didn't know I'd be signing books at the church that morning. None of them knew that a copy of I Wonder: Exploring God's Grand Story was sitting there quietly, just waiting for them.
"We're going to start reading these stories together tonight," the mom said, as she left.
My prayer, as mom and son turn the pages of I Wonder together, is that they'll discover the God of hope and love who helped me pen those words, and as they do, they'll know that they're part of God's grand story too.
You might think that what happened at church yesterday was a coincidence.
But I know it was a God-incidence.