They're digging in the wrong place! - Indiana, Sallah

“I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the Lord.” Isaiah 43:11-12 NLT

Sip some coffee, At first I'm thinking, another Isaiah verse, I've heard this bedtime story before - Indiana Jones. I also feel like God is twisting my arm and I'm yelling "Uncle, Uncle, Uncle".  My wife and I both had Friday off yesterday, so it was mainly spent on the road with our daughter running errands, it was fun. Shayne took a 5 hour nap so we've been up for most the night. Really tired this morning, I'm using my "Tomi Virolainen mug" he was another youth pastor back in the late 90's, a very dear friend, that gave me a mug about spending time with God in the morning, it has the verse "oh Lord in the morning, will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up". One of my most favorite mugs. Sip some coffee, I read and think, I read and I think.  I don't get certain things the first time, I don't get things the second time, and sometimes I don't get things the 3rd time.  I have found myself always understanding things when no one else did or understanding when it was way too late. I remember at SCC in 1996, videotaping some of my classes so I could watch them over, I would have my teachers use a lav mic too, lol. They put an end to that by the second class but it really helped.  It's called taking the class twice. I read and think, I read and I think. I'm reminded of the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when they discover that Balloq didn't have the right medallion therefore he was digging in the wrong place. How many times have I done the same thing, knowing full well that I'm using the wrong thing, but I don't want to get give in because I want my own way. Or I have no idea I'm using the wrong thing until I get stuck. When I was learning how to shoot sports in High School, our teacher said, you guys aren't thinking, we all got mad, "what do you mean we're not thinking?" She went on to say, when you shoot football, you don't watch the game, you're following it, you're listening to it. HUH? You're telling a story so that the viewers can watch and listen to it. So after the kick off, where should the next shot be? the two guys way back at the end of the field. After they get a touch down? Do we want every camera to be on the guy who made the touch down? NO. We want the opposing teams reaction, coaches face, etc. We're telling a story. I read and think, hits me. I keep on getting distracted by the game, I keep on just reading the verse on my mug as a nice phrase, I get tempted to think that there other things that can replace God and do the same thing. I keep on thinking that my copy of the medallion is fine but its not. At work, if we're instructed by our producers on exactly how they want a show setup and we don't follow it, oh boy we will hear about it. Yet I was probably right next to the producer when he was telling us. Hits me again, God's not angry with me, He's designed me like this, He's well aware of the things going on my head, everything. Even though it seems He's way over my head, He's right next to me along the way, helping me listen as many times as it takes.