I was reading

that a prison chaplain had purchased boxes of Mother's Day cards for the

inmates to send home to their mothers. After a short while all the cards

were taken and sent home. The program was so successful that he did the

same for Father's Day but only a very few were picked up to be used. One

can read into this what ever one wishes.

I remember

when my mother and father died, I didn't know what it would do to my life's

"compass needle." We had been such a close family and such good

friends that I didn't know if I could take the losses. In fact, I preached

both my mother's and father's funerals but still I didn't know at the

time whether I could do this or not.

When the children

of Israel wandered for forty years in the desert looking for the promised

land that God had promised, they one day ran out of food. They went to

Moses and Moses prayed and God sent manna.

Now manna was

very interesting food. First of all, its name "man-a" means

in Hebrew "what is it?" I believe if you or I would have been

among this group of people in the desert we would have probably said the

same thing. Imagine you get up one morning and see this substance lying

all over the ground; your first response would probably be, "What

is going on here?"

They found

out that the manna was good to eat to sustain them but there was an interesting

stipulation that God put on it. He told them to "only gather up enough

for one day." Just like today, some listened and some did not. Some

tried to gather enough for several days but something interesting happened

to the manna that was gathered for more than one day. God's Word says

"it stanketh and turned to worms" (KJV).

Was this a

cruel joke God was playing on these people? No. He was constantly looking

for their daily obedience. One theologian wrote that it took 10 plagues

to get the children of Israel out of Egypt but it took 40 years to get

Egypt out of the children of Israel. The lesson here for us today is to

rely on God on a daily basis.

God's Word

talks about "that peace that passes all understanding." In other

words, it is His peace that allows you to preach your own parents' funerals.

It is His peace that allows you to press on in daily life and not fall

apart at every obstacle that comes your way.

There are several

interesting phenomena that happen with this "peace that passes all

understanding." I have learned after 30 years in the ministry that

this peace is like the manna, it is only there when you need it. I have

learned another phenomenon about this "peace," and that is that

it is never late.

I have learned

another phenomenon and that is that, like the manna, you can't store any

of it up. I have learned another phenomenon about this "peace"

and that is that it often only comes on a daily bases. I have learned

another phenomenon about this "peace" and that is that it can

and will sustain you through the crisises of life.

Our little

church voted two Sundays ago to finally, after six years, build our sanctuary

and get out of our "church alive in the doublewide on 85" status.

Once we build we will go forward out of our mission status and into the

constitution of a full-fledged church. I feel like we have been 40 years

in the dessert and are finally seeing into the Promised Land.

Take a moment

now and then and thank the pioneers who have gone before you to establish

your church you are now attending. I promise you that there were many

days of daily gathering of the manna so that you could feast in your wonderful

church today. God bless you as you gather and eat and gather and eat of

the daily manna of God's wonderful Holy Spirit.

The Rev.

Dr. Knox Herndon is pastor of His House Community Church (SBC). The Rev.

Greg Mausz is senior associate pastor. The Rev. Dr. Lydia Herndon is the

Sunday School superintendent, Bible study coordinator and teacher. The

church is just below Fayetteville, on Ga. Highway 85, a mile south of

Ga. Highway 16, just below the fire station. Visitors welcome. Church

office and prayer line 770-719-2365; e-mail [email protected]. The church's

new Web site is www.hishousecommunitychurch.com.

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