Ahh, the best laid plans of men. We had a terrific Sunday planned yesterday, with a focus on one of our missionaries, Linda Johnson in Brazil, and special number by our kids and other really important things. But God had other plans. The huge snow day left most people stranded at home. But for those who came, we had a wonderful time, about 20 of us hardy folks showed up. Even one lady whose car had gotten stuck in a ditch.

You can look at the snow in two ways. You can be like me and see it as a huge hassle, an inconvenience, a depressing step back into winter when we all want to embrace spring and summer. Or, like our dear Arlene, who was stranded at home, you can say, "Oh, Pastor, but look how beautiful the snow is on the ground and on the trees."

In truth, the snowstorm is a great reminder of the soveriegnty of God. We have all of our little plans here on earth, but God may say, "I'm going to dump 8 inches of snow down there, just to let them know who is really in charge of things." Its good for us. Its really good for us. Today's culture embraces a worldview that conveniently photoshops out God. We're worried about the climate, thinking we can control the hurricanes and the snowstorms and the earthquakes. We do as Paul said in Romans, worship the creature more than the Creator.

And so it snows at the end of March, reminding us that God is still here. Maybe that's a lesson we needed to hear more than anything a preacher was planning on saying.

In my personal devotional time I've just begun a study by Henry Blackaby called, Called and Accountable. This week I'm studying thru the book of Esther. Today I was in chapter 3 where Haaman, angered by the refusal of Mordecai to bow down to him, hatches his secret plot to exterminate the Jewish people. Foolish thing to do, considering that God famously said that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those that curse Israel will be cursed. Also foolish considering God promised that Israel would always remain a people and a nation.

But you knew that and I knew that. What I didn't know and maybe you knew was some interesting information about this word, Purim. Now the Jewish people celebrate the Feast of Purim in remembrance of Esther's bold decision to save her people by alerting the King to Haaman's wicked plot. But before Purim was a celebration, it was a persian word for dice or lots. See, Haaman casted lots or rolled the dice to determine when he should set in motion his plan to exterminate Israel. What he came up with was one year.

Now, God soveriegnly allowed it to be one year, to give Esther a chance to intervene. But this is what struck me. God is never mentioned in the book of Esther. And yet His fingerprints are all over this book. This roll of the dice by Haaman tells me that God is in the random things of life. Which really tells me that nothing is random.

So when things happen to you that seem out of order, random, misplaced, know this. God is in it. His fingerprints are all over it. Sure, you may not see God, but He is there. He is in charge. He is on the throne.

What's even more intriguing about the story of Esther is that wicked movements and laws were being passed in the Persian government. It was an ungodly state. And yet, God was there, working thru man's pride, cunning, and evil to bring about His will.

So for Israel, Purim went from an obscure persian word for randomness to a reminder of God's faithfulness. God turns man's random acts of wickedness into demonstrations of His glory. God takes the random events of your life and turns them about for your good.

Here are things they generally don't share with you as you contemplate having children. They are things you can only discover after your children are alive and kicking:

• You may have a child who has such a creative mind that she gets up frightened at 4am because of the spiders she thinks are crawling all over her. Grace literally screamed last night and was pounding her bed at the "spiders." Love the creativity, but don't always love the time in which she displays that creativity!
• You may have a child, who in the middle of your potluck at church, when you, the pastor are supposed to be giving a short devotional, comes running up the middle of the Fellowship Hall and says, "Hey, that's my Daddy." At that point, do you get mad or do you melt because she thinks you're cool? (I choose the last one.)
• You may have a child who comes up with weird theological questions like, "If God is sleeping, does He snore?"

Just a few random thoughts on a monday afternoon.

So, here we are in the midst of an economic meltdown. Depending on which overheated news anchor you watch, this meltdown is either catastropic, epic, and/or the greatest recession since the Great Depression. Either way, times are really tough right now. But what is so interesting is how the media and our culture is spinning the causes of the meltdown. In random order, here are the various alleged culprits:

• George Bush. Why not? He caused everything from Hurricanes to wars to global warming to famine in third-world countries. Why not blame Bush, its just easier that way.
• Greedy Wall Street guys. Bernie Madoff, every CEO, and anyone who is rich. They must be the problem.
• The banks.
• CNBC because they didn't predict the collapse.
• Not anyone in the media who cry wolf 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Here are a few things we're missing. Lessons that might help us avoid another economic crisis.

• Perhaps we all are to blame. Didn't we all get greedy and want more from the stock market, more equity from our homes, more stuff, and more everything? Its easy to blame those greedy guys on Wall Street (and they have a lot to answer for), but its harder to look inside and say, "Maybe we got greedy and envious and materialistic."
• Speaking of those greedy CEOs and Wall Street guys and politicians everyone wants investigated and locked up. Didnt we as a culture create them?
  • For several decades we've taught our children that there are no absolute truths, that their is no God to be accountable to, and that we all came from monkeys.
  • For several decades we've mocked and ridiculed Christians and anyone who espouses family values, as if they are old-fashioned and out of touch. Maybe, just maybe some of those old-fashioned values would have come in handy in Wall Street.
  • For several decades politicans have promised Americans everything. They have told them that they deserve everything easy, fast, and free. Its no wonder people started believing them. Now we're paying the price for our indulgence.
• Sin has consequences. The bill is coming due for our self-indulgence, materialism, and rejection of God. Sadly, many, many good, godly people who followed Christ are the unfortunate victims of our country's mistakes.
• Even though this is a painful time and many people I know are struggling to find a job and to make ends meet, perhaps as a whole, this recession will cause people to think deeply again about what is important. I think this maybe an important reset in our history. I hope to see evangelical churches filled, to see Christians getting serious about God, and to see a genuine revival in the hearts of people everywhere.

I personally believe this is an extraordinary time for the church to stand strong. To call people back to Christ. This is also the time for believers to stand tall in the midst of crisis. I've seen extraordinary faith by believers who have lost their jobs or have a hard time paying their mortgages. Their faith under fire is inspiring.

On Mondays at the Darling house, we try to "go dark." This just means that I have a day off and we try to spend time with the kids. Doesn't always work because there are pressing needs at the church or a conference or meeting I have to attend. Pastoring is 24/7, I believe, so my cell phone is always on. But generally, we try to go dark on Mondays. Which is hard for me to do, because I really love church work. Sometimes too much.

This Monday Grace and I opened up the play-doh. Our family has an interesting history with play-doh, really. Growing up we played, but I don't know that we got to play it enough. I never understood that. Until I had a child and realize how messy play-doh can be. When Grace, at age of 3, put play-doh in her ear and had to have it surgically removed (true story), I suddenly realized the wisdom of my parents and their play-doh restrictions.

But Monday was Play-doh day. Now at four years old, Grace kept reminding me that she was now a big girl and she wasn't foolish enough to put the stuff in her ear. I'm realizing how important it is for me to affirm her "grown-up-ness." I'm realizing the need to balance correction with positive affirmation -- words that communicate the message, "Hey, you're really growing up. Daddy's proud of you. You're really something."

Now, when Grace and I break out the play-doh, we really have a good time. First I get rid of all the really crusty old play-doh that is hard to manage and I put it in the "throw-away" pile. I realize that you can heat it up in the microwave and rejuvenate it, but honestly, at $1 for a sleeve of 8 little cans, I'm not sweating it.

It usually works best if I use the cookie cutters with my few cans of play-doh and if Grace has her pile. She's not big on me trying to get her to make cool shapes. She's more of an impressionist when it comes to play-doh scultping, liking to mix colors and pile it all into one big pile. She told me she was "making a cake." Angela really doesn't like this, because the colors mix and then at the end, you have one big tie-dyed glob that looks like the carpet people enjoyed in the 70's. But if Grace is having fun, enjoying her creativity, and we're getting good Daddy-daughter time, I'm okay with globs of tie-dyed Play-doh. And again, the stuff is only $1 for a sleeve of 8 at the dollar store. I'm not sweating it.

But as we were enjoying our play-doh time, I realized a few important spiritual lessons. Here they are in order:

• Dry, crusty play-doh is no fun. You can't shape it into anything. Its really only good to sit and eventually be thrown away. Doesn't the Bible say that God is the Potter and we're the clay? When we get crusty and inflexible, He can't do anything with us. He can't shape us into something beautiful for His glory. However, if we stay fresh--like the fresh, sweet-smelling play-doh that comes out of the can--God can do remarkable things with our lives. I think I often tend toward the crusty.
• Grace had a huge pile of play-doh. Then she wanted all the shapes I was making. So I gave them to her. She kept piling them all up until she had all the available play-doh in a huge pile. Then I asked for some so I could make another cool shape. She said, "Okay, Daddy," like she was being all generous and loving. She proceeded to scrape off a tiny, miniscule piece and said, "Here you go." It reminded me of our own attitude of perceived generosity toward God. God gives us all this stuff, right? Then we take it and we hoard it. God askes us to give--at church, in a tithe, maybe even to a needy family or missionary. So we squeeze off just a little bit of what we have and act as if we're so generous. I wonder how that makes God feel?
• Its really cool to open a can and scrape out that fresh piece with a solid color, like blue or red or yellow. But do you know what is really cool? Taking like 6 colors and mixing them together and putting them thru the play-doh factory. What comes out is a beautiful rainbow of colors. It reminds me of the church. God says that He has made each one of us special, hasn't he? We're unique and we're fearfully and wonderfully made. But what's even more beautiful is when you have a body of believers, each with different and unique gifts, personality traits, backgrounds, life journeys, and ideas. Mix them all together and you have something really beautiful. The Body of Christ.