I Had Lunch with God: Gospel Inspirations for Tough Times

12/03/2025

How to let God and let go

There was a farmer who worked diligently on his land every day, planting seeds, watering the crops, and praying for a good harvest. Despite all his efforts, a terrible drought came, and his crops began to wither. Desperate, the farmer tried everything—irrigating the fields more, working harder, and even praying with more intensity. But the drought continued, and his hopes seemed to fade.

One evening, an old wise man visited the farmer, who was sitting on his porch, looking defeated. The wise man asked him, "Why do you look so troubled, my friend?"

The farmer replied, "I’ve done everything I can. I’ve worked hard, I’ve prayed, but nothing is happening. The drought is ruining my crops. I don’t know what to do anymore."

The wise man smiled and said, "You’ve done all you can, but have you considered that sometimes the answer isn’t in the work or the effort, but in the surrender? You see, you can’t control the weather, the rain, or the seasons. You’ve given your best, now trust that what comes next is part of God's plan."

The farmer was puzzled. "But I don’t understand. What more can I do if I can't control the rain?"

The wise man gently replied, "The hardest thing for us to do is to surrender—to give up the need to control everything and trust that God is working in ways we can’t see. When you surrender, you open your heart to peace, even in the midst of uncertainty."

That night, the farmer took a deep breath and prayed once again, this time not with a request, but with trust. "God, I surrender this situation to you. I’ve done all I can, and I trust that you are in control."

The very next day, a light rain began to fall on his fields, and the crops slowly began to recover. Though the rain didn’t come immediately after the farmer’s surrender, it was the farmer’s peace and trust that allowed him to remain steadfast. The harvest turned out to be better than he had hoped, and he learned that surrendering to God’s plan was not about giving up, but about trusting in the divine timing.

25/11/2024

Let Go of the Branch

A man named Jack was walking along a steep cliff one day when he accidentally got too close to the edge and fell. Fortunately he grasped a branch that kept him from plummeting more than a thousand feet. Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would hear him and lower a rope or something. He yelled for a long time, but no one heard him. Ready to give up, he at last heard a voice from above.
"I can see you, Jack. Are you all right?"
"Yes, but who are you, and where are you?
"I am the Lord, Jack. I'm everywhere."
"God, please help me! I promise if, you'll get me down from here, I'll serve you for the rest of my life."
"Now, here's what I want you to do, Jack. Listen carefully."
"I'll do anything, Lord. Just tell me what to do."
"Okay. Let go of the branch."
"What?"
"I said, let go of the branch." Just trust me. Let go."
There was a long silence.
Finally Jack yelled, "HELP! HELP! IS ANYONE ELSE UP THERE?” (author unknown)

Ever feel like Jack? We want faith until that faith demands a leap out of our comfort zone. Could more faith mean following more closely the footsteps of Jesus – which led him to the ridicule and suffering and death on the cross? Do we really want more faith? We may want more of the faith that will help us out – a faith that might heal ourselves or a loved one, a faith that gives us the assurance of eternal life. But do we really want a faith that will make us more Christ-like? What is one way you could be more like our Lord? Something that really challenges you. Are you ready to ask in faith? He's listening.

07/11/2024

The Video Tells All

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.' Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!" (author unknown)

Ryan got it right. Jesus calls us to sacrifice. Yet many people who knew Jesus were confused by his identity. Some thought he was John the Baptist; others a prophet, or a divine leader who would restore the Jewish kingdom.

When Jesus quizzes Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter triumphs. "You are the Messiah.” Here's the challenge for us. Suppose your day were videotaped - unknown to you. And the video were played back before an audience of familiar and unknown people. The attendees were then given a sheet of paper with one question. "Based on the action and thoughts of the person, who is Jesus to this individual?"

How do you want your video to look today?

Check out where these stories appear: I Had Lunch with God: Gospel Inspirations for Tough Times.

06/11/2024

Mechanical Rabbit

Life had changed dramatically for the sleek Greyhound. The days of the race track were gone forever. Now as the rescue dog’s young owner petted him, the child asked the Greyhound if he missed the glitter and excitement of the track. “Nope,” responded the dog. The boy wondered if the dog had gotten too old to race and simply couldn’t keep up with his pals. “Nope,” answered the dog. Perhaps the dog simply wasn’t very competitive --- didn’t win much money. Or maybe he was treated poorly by his owner. T

The Greyhound shook his head. “I won over a million dollars for my owner, and he treated me royally while I was racing.” The boy finally blurted out, “Then why did you quit?” The dog stared for awhile and then answered. “I discovered that what I was chasing was not really a rabbit – just a mechanical rabbit. All that running and running, and running and running – what was I chasing? It wasn’t even real.” (author unknown)

Jesus warns us against the mechanical rabbit. In his parable about the w**ds and the wheat, our Lord tells us that the w**ds can disguise themselves as the real deal. Their effect is deadly - choking off the genuine wheat. Only a skilled farmer could distinguish wheat from w**d. To avoid the w**ds, to not give our time and energies to the mechanical rabbit, we need to ask ourselves, “What really matters most in my life?” Mechanical rabbits and w**ds can be the seedbed of profound regret. Is something choking off your joy? Are you on a chase that is but an illusion for capturing happiness? What one thing could you do differently to free your spirit? It’s all about choices. You still have time to grab your truth.

Keep yourself in the “sonlight” and illusions will be revealed. Remember that an abundant life is God’s personal promise to you!

Check out where these stories appear: I Had Lunch with God: Gospel Inspirations for Tough Times.

I Had Lunch with God offers penetrating, challenging and consoling meditations on Gospel events echoed in stories from our world today. Based on the popular website Pray.nd.edu, this is a book that awakens faith and applies it to the vexing questions of daily life. It is a perfect gift for yourse...

04/11/2024

Lighten Up

A young boy had just gotten his driving permit. He asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss his use of the car. His father said to him, "I'll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study the bible a little, and get your hair cut; then we'll talk about it." A month later the boy came back and again asked his father if he could use the car.

His father said, "Son, I'm really proud of you. You brought your grade up, studied the bible well, but you didn't get your hair cut!" The young man waited a moment and then replied, "You know dad, I've been thinking about that. Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair." His father replied gently, "Yes son and they walked everywhere they went."

Laughter. What a good thing! Fun -- what a balm for the soul. It's not uncommon to mark our days by our accomplishments -- with the projects and people in our lives. What about measuring your day by the joy you gave and received? By the number of times you laughed or smiled with another. How lately have you said, "That was really fun"? Jesus tells us that “the kingdom of God is among you.”

Lighten up. You have the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in your camp. Sometimes it’s helpful to ask yourself, "If things don't go as I had hoped, what's the worse thing that can happen?" Let's pray for perspective --for a spirit that catches the fun and laughter of the moment. Today don't rush past the laughter for the serious. In the laughter of God, you will be refreshed and directed in powerful ways.

Read more gospel inspirations: I Had Lunch with God: Gospel Inspirations for Tough Times

I Had Lunch with God offers penetrating, challenging and consoling meditations on Gospel events echoed in stories from our world today. Based on the popular website Pray.nd.edu, this is a book that awakens faith and applies it to the vexing questions of daily life. It is a perfect gift for yourse...

02/11/2024

Looking for an inspiring Christmas gift?
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I've been in publishing for nearly 40 years. I have rarely come across a book so filled with insight and inspiration, so punctuated with 'Wow' moments." --Jim Langford, author, Walking with God in a Fragile World

02/11/2024

The Home That Has Never Known Sorrow

There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. In her grief, she went to the holy man and asked, "What prayers, what magical incantations do you have to bring my son back to life?" Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her, "Fetch me a mustard seed from a home that has never known sorrow. We will use it to drive the sorrow out of your life." At first she came to a splendid mansion, knocked at the door, and said, "I am looking for a home that has never known sorrow.

They told her, "You've certainly come to the wrong place," and began to describe all the tragic things that recently had befallen them. The woman said to herself, "Who is better able to help these poor, unfortunate people than I, who have had misfortune of my own?" She stayed to comfort them, and then went on in search of a home that had never known sorrow. But wherever she turned, in hotels and in other places, she found one tale after another of sadness and misfortune.

The woman became so involved in helping others cope with their sorrows that she eventually let go of her own. (author unknown)

Frequently we wonder “why do I have to suffer?”

The meaning of life becomes clearer when we realize that we find purpose when our search leads us from why to whom. Suffering, especially chronic physical sickness, deep emotional pain, and death itself, causes a personal crisis that forces us to go deep into ourselves. We ask those questions that are most fundamental to our human existence. Jesus tells us that “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” Our personal cross, which cannot be transferred to anyone else, is an essential aspect of our walk with the Lord Jesus. By turning our sorrow into our servant, we find a little more comfort, a little more hope and even the easing up of our own cross.

29/10/2024

In a village, a man was passing by a group of elephants that were tied by thin ropes to small stakes in the ground. He noticed that, despite their enormous size and strength, none of the elephants were trying to break free. Curious, the man asked a trainer nearby why the elephants didn’t simply break the ropes and escape, given how easily they could do so.

The trainer explained, "When these elephants were young, we used the same ropes to tie them. At that age, the rope was strong enough to hold them. As they grew older, they were conditioned to believe that they couldn’t break free, even though they’ve long outgrown the ropes. Now, they don't try to escape because they still believe the ropes are stronger than they are."

The moral of the story is that limiting beliefs can hold us back, much like the rope holds back the elephant. The elephants' physical limitations were only in their minds—just as we may be held back by doubts, past experiences, or learned fears. It serves as a reminder to question these constraints and recognize that we have the power to break free if we choose to challenge our beliefs.

23/04/2023

02/08/2022

100% correct.

16/08/2011

"Is the Water Over God's Head?"

07/08/2011

The most important lesson I have learned.