Charlie Won’t Go

Charlie, George and Cliff had been going fishing together since they were little boys.  They all could remember walking along the dirt path to the small lake near the small town where they were raised, carrying their poles and tackle boxes to fish the day away.  Most of the time, it wasn’t about fishing at all but being together and becoming closer buddies.  Some guys don’t stay friends after they get older but Charlie, George and Cliff stayed good pals all the way into high school.  When they could drive, they often borrowed one of their parent’s cars and went fishing at a lake a little further away.  They  had a tradition that when they did that, each one would take a turn picking a lake to fish at and not tell the other two until they got there.

The car rumbled along the freeway with Cliff at the wheel.  It was his turn to surprise his life long pals.  “I will promise you this boys.” He said as they pulled out of the driveway.  “Today will be a truly unique fishing trip.  Truly unique.” And he laughed a very strange laugh when he said that.

They listened to old time songs on the radio as they rode along but Charlie and George soon felt lost because they didn’t know where they were or where Cliff was taking them.  “Hey Cliffy boy, you know where we are going?’  Charlie teased him from the passenger seat poking George who was in the front seat with Cliff.

“Oh I know, trust me, I know very well where we are going and what we will find when we got there.”  Both of his pals just stared at Cliff when he said that because he said it in a very spooky way.  Finally, Cliff turned the car off of the main road and started up a country road and then off of it on to a dirt road so his friends felt sure they must be close to this mysterious fishing spot.  But then, just before they topped a very tall hill, Cliff pulled over to the side of the road, stopped the car and got out.

“Hey what’s going on Cliff?”  George said getting out with Charlie right behind him.  “This can’t be the place can it?”

“It’s the place.”  Cliff said staring at the top of that big hill.

“But Cliff, I was looking at the map and there isn’t a lake anywhere near here.  What’s going on?”  Charlie asked puzzled.

“Well, first we are going to go over that hill.  But we aren’t taking the car, we are going to walk.”  Cliff said mysteriously.

“Should we take our rods and tackle?”  George asked.

“Nope, won’t need them.  Not for what we will meet over that hill.”  Cliff said with a grin on his face.

“Ok, I have about had it with all the mystery Cliff.”  Said Charlie angrily.  “What are we going to meet on the other side of that hill?”

“God.” Was the one word answer.

“God?” both friends questioned.

“Yep, God.”  Was the answer.

“Just over that hill.  God is there.  And what is He doing there?”  George continued.

“Waiting for us.  It’s our time.  When we walk over that hill, we all meet God.  Not in a Sunday school way.  We will see him, hear him and meet him face to face.  God.  Just over that hill.  Let’s go.”  And Cliff turned to walk up to the top of the hill.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.”  Charlie touched Cliff’s shoulder to stop him from leading them to the other side.  “What do you mean, ‘meet God’?  Do you mean we are going to die on the other side of the hill?” he said with fear in his voice.

“Well, I don’t think so.” Answered Cliff.  “One way to find out though is go over the hill and meet God.  Ready?”

“No, no, no, no, no.  This is crazy Cliff.  People don’t just walk up to God and meet him?”  George objected.

“Sometimes they do.  Today we will.  Come on, let’s go.” Said Cliff.

“Hold it, hold it, hold it.”  Charlie complained.  “Doesn’t this sound a little crazy to you?  We don’t want to do anything crazy here.”

“I don’t know Charlie.”  George said thoughtfully.  “If God is really just over that hill, it would be crazy not to go meet him.  Sure, Cliff, I’ll go, lets check it out.” And George and Cliff both started up the hill.  “Coming Charlie?” George called back to his friend.

“Wait, please, wait.”  Charlie said sweat bursting from his brow and tears forming in his eyes. 

“What’s the problem pal?”  George said as he and Cliff approached Charlie, worried about him.

“I can’t do it.  I can’t meet God today!” the panic stricken Charlie said frantically.  “I have, well, some sins.  They are hidden.  And they are bad.  I can’t meet God.”

“But God knows about your sins already Charlie.”  Cliff explained.  “And he is ready to forgive you and offer you his friendship.  It’s just over that hill Charlie, complete forgiveness because of what Jesus did for us on the cross and friendship with God.  You want that don’t you, Charlie?”

“Yes, well, no, well, maybe.  I don’t know.  I am scared Cliff.  I can’t.  I am sweating.  I feel faint.  I might throw up.  Please, don’t make me go George.  Maybe next time.  Yeah, that’s it.  You guys go.  Tell God I will come next time.  When I get a chance to clean up my heart.  Tell him for me. You will do that for me, won’t you Cliff?  George?”

Charlie’s friends helped him find a seat on a fallen tree near there and gave him some water to help him calm down.  “Ok Charlie.  Sure, we will tell him.  You just stay here with the car.”  And at that, Cliff and George turned and walked up the hill.  Charlie watched him feeling awful inside.  So many questions raced through his mind.  What if there isn’t another time?  What if I die before I make myself right with God?  He considered running after them but then they disappeared over the crest and they were gone.  Charlie just put his face in his hands and wept.  He didn’t have the courage to run to God’s arms and be saved and now it was too late.  And all because Charlie wouldn’t go.

Cartoon Dreams

Kimberly loved cartoons.  It was a pretty big hobby before but when mom and dad let her have a TV in her room, she really started loving cartoons even more.  She loved the old ones a lot like Bugs Bunny, The Roadrunner, Popeye and lots of new ones too.  Recently the one she liked best was Roscoe Rabbit.  On Saturday nights, they play three hours of Roscoe Rabbit in a row.  So Kimberly goes to bed early to curl up for a long fun evening of watching cartoons.

As half hour episode after half hour episode drifted by, Kimberly thought she felt herself drifting off to sleep.  She really couldn’t tell the difference between sleep and being awake.  Suddenly she woke up feeling a strange shaking sound and a high squeaky voice saying, “Kimberley, Kimberley, wake up, we have a long way to go and a lot to do.”

She felt herself come away slowly and suddenly bolting up staring right into that strange face.  “Who are you?” she shouted although she recognized him right away.

“Well, I’m Roscoe Rabbit of course, come on, we have to travel three dozen galaxies to get to Moonblind where you will live forever”

“What do you mean forever?”  But before she could get an answer, his white gloved hand closed on hers and they shot out in space like two Fourth of July rockets out into the cosmos and past the sun.  Kimberly felt herself changed into just a blur of cartoon steam as she rocketed past stars and planets and comets sometimes doing squiggly patterns and loop-de-loops in space and then THUNK she was standing on a completely cartooned world, holding hands with the cartoon Roscoe Rabbit who was twice as big as her. 

“Well, here we are?  What do you want to do first?”  Roscoe said in that goofy cartoon voice of his.

“I want to go home.  How did I get here?”

“Wait, here comes the Bosco Boys!”  Roscoe said with a wild giggle and in a flash from horizon to horizon was filled with every size, assortment, species and gender of alien motorcycle riders heads down and racing along at ridiculous speeds right toward them.  Before Kimberly could yell, “HELP” she was swept up and holding for dear life to a huge pink and green hairy cartoon animal that kept doing wheelies with his motorcycle.

“Hang on Kimberly, we are going to ZIMZIM CITY” You are going to meet the GRAND ZIMZIM!!”  Roscoe yelled as his hat blew from his head and he almost toppled form behind a yellow skeleton with big floppy feet racing his motorcycle with his skinny Skelton bottom shoved high up in the air.  When the thousands of motorcyclists hit the gates of ZIMZIP CITY, they suddenly merged into a cycle of cartoon creatures all mixing together into one out of control mess when they were suddenly shot out and landed in a huge room in front of a throne high above them.

Turning to Roscoe Rabbit, Kimberly had to know “Is the GRAND ZIMZIM the president or something?”  Suddenly Roscoe slammed to the floor and became flat as a pancake with his long cartoon rabbit arms stretched out before him.  His totally flap lips moved when he said “Bow down, Kimberly, the GRAND ZIMZIM is our God!!!”

ALL BOW said another voice that came from a smallish purple cartoon duck with yellow spots.  Then it came in, what had to be the GRAND ZIMZIM.  The thing that walked in looked somewhat like a cross between an alligator and a petunia.  It sat on the throne looking very pleased with itself, until it saw Kimberly.

“You are not bowed down?  You better get with it.  Cartoon land works badly when someone disobeys.  I am the God in this cartoon you know.”

“I am NOT going to bow because first, I am not a cartoon and second, I already have a god and I don’t worship anybody else.”

“Well, “the GRAND ZIMZIM said beginning to pout.  “Why not?”

“Well because in the real world there is only one God and we only worship him.”  Kimberly insisted.

“Oh please, juts a little worship.”

“NO” Kimberly said and she stomped her feet. 

“Ok then, you have a right to your choices, but the penalty for not worshipping the GRAND ZIMZIM is to be dangled above the huge worm tank!!”

There was a cartoon flash and Kimberly first felt her arms over her head, bound by cartoon ropes.  “Well I hope your satisfied NOW” she heard to her right where she found Roscoe Rabbit dangling and wiggling above a tank of very nasty multi-colored worms.  “All this because YOU couldn’t FOR JUST FIVE MINUTES worship the GREAT ZIMZIM!!!”

“OHYEAH!”  Kimberly shouted loosing her temper.  “WELL I AM NEVER WATCHING YOUR SHOW AGAIN!” but before the words were completely out, the ropes let go.  Kimberly felt herself screaming and falling and falling and falling and……….

‘EEK” she sat straight up in her bed.  It was morning and the cartoon channel was selling exercise equipment to her.  The first thing Kimberly saw was not all the cartoon posters and toys but in the corner a sweet picture of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  She ran to that picture and hugged it crying.  “Jesus, I’m sorry I loved cartoons more than you” and she was too.  Because before the weekend was over the posters were gone and mom and dad happily took TV from her room and Kimberly knew for certain why she should never consider worshiping another god who is not the one true God again.

Belinda and Tempest

Belinda was a good girl.  She tried to keep the right kinds of friends and together they tried to stay away from things they knew their parents and teachers would not approve of.  Most of her friends were from the church so they listened closely to the sermons, the Sunday school lessons and other instructions they got at church to make sure they knew what was right.  Belinda also did as she was taught and read the bible and prayed even though she didn’t always understand what she prayed and if she prayed with her eyes closed, sometimes she went to sleep.

One day daddy brought home a new pet.  His name was Pete the Parakeet.  For several days, everybody had fun talking to Pete but he didn’t say much.  But it was clear that Pete had come to the house to be Belinda’s friend.  So he lived in her room. 

“Wake up Belinda.”  Pete suddenly said as she dozed off reading her Bible.

“Did you just talk to me?” she said to the little bird.  She had a hard time believing that Pete the Parakeet would actually speak to her.

“Yes, it’s my job to talk to you.  I have been sent here to do this.  I am called to be by your side to help when you have trouble like sleeping when you should be reading your Bible.”

Well it was clear that God had sent Pete for a very special mission to help Belinda with her faith, in struggling against her weaknesses and to advise, comfort and teach her.  That’s a pretty good parakeet.

One day, Belinda met Tempest.  Tempest wasn’t like the other girls, she was new, exotic, kind of exciting.  So Belinda wanted to know Tempest more because she felt that Tempest could teach her some of those grown up things that other people would tell her about because they always treated Belinda like a little kid.

Belinda starting finding times to be with Tempest when nobody knew about it.  She found her best times with Tempest were always when nobody knew she was around and the thing she was telling Belinda were secrets.  Secrets are fun.

“You know most of the things your parents and the church say are bad aren’t bad.”  Tempest told her. 

“Really? Why would they lie to me?”  Belinda objected.  “I know they love me.”

“They do love you but they think you have to be protected because they don’t want you to have the fun things they have.  God could let you have fun things like smoking and drinking and staying out all night but he knows the adults should keep things fun things all to themselves.”  Tempest lied to Belinda.  Sadly, Belinda started to believe her.  It was so easy to want to be like Tempest and to try to please her.

As Belinda was walking home from spending time with Tempest, she was thinking about trying a few things she liked to do.  After all, it was a secret so nobody would know.  Plus she would still be a good girl to her friends and family and at church.  Her fun times with Tempest would just be a little secret between the two of them.  Suddenly Pete the Parakeet landed on her shoulder.

“How did you get out of your cage?”  Belinda objected.

“You would like to box up the voice that reminds you of your moral duties but it doesn’t work like that,” the little bird said to her sternly.  Belinda didn’t like be lectured, particularly by a bird but she knew he was right.  “Tempest is leading you astray from God.”  Pete continued.  “God knows what is going on so your little secret isn’t a secret and if you develop sin habits with her, they wont be a secret long from your parents and friends either.”  He said insistently. 

Belinda felt so much guilt and conviction in her spirit because of what Pete was telling her.  But she was confused because she wanted it both ways.  She wanted to be good and have the respect of God and her mom and dad and the church but the fun things Tempests offered were so hard to resist.  Finally, she did start to give in and met with Tempest to try some things. 

Tempest laid all of the exciting forbidden things on the table in front of her at Tempests house when nobody was around.  There it all was, the cigarettes, the alcohol, the bad magazines and tapes, a connection to the internet already on some naughty sites.  All she had to do is reach out and take it and nobody was there to stop her.

Suddenly she looked out the window and saw Pete the Parakeet in the tree out side the window and his eyes were fixed on her.  She thought she could hear his voice in her head.  But this time he wasn’t lecturing her or making her feel bad.

“None of that will satisfy you Belinda.”  The voice said.  “All of these things are Satan’s cheap substitute for the perfect joy and love that Jesus gives.  Right now Jesus am inside you giving you the strength to get up and walk away from these sins.  You can feel him can’t you?”  The voice said.

“Yes, I can feel him.”  Belinda said out loud.

“What?”  Tempest responded.  “Who are you talking to?Belinda and Tempest

Value:  An allegory about temptation

Belinda was a good girl.  She tried to keep the right kinds of friends and together they tried to stay away from things they knew their parents and teachers would not approve of.  Most of her friends were from the church so they listened closely to the sermons, the Sunday school lessons and other instructions they got at church to make sure they knew what was right.  Belinda also did as she was taught and read the bible and prayed even though she didn’t always understand what she prayed and if she prayed with her eyes closed, sometimes she went to sleep.

One day daddy brought home a new pet.  His name was Pete the Parakeet.  For several days, everybody had fun talking to Pete but he didn’t say much.  But it was clear that Pete had come to the house to be Belinda’s friend.  So he lived in her room. 

“Wake up Belinda.”  Pete suddenly said as she dozed off reading her Bible.

“Did you just talk to me?” she said to the little bird.  She had a hard time believing that Pete the Parakeet would actually speak to her.

“Yes, it’s my job to talk to you.  I have been sent here to do this.  I am called to be by your side to help when you have trouble like sleeping when you should be reading your Bible.”

Well it was clear that God had sent Pete for a very special mission to help Belinda with her faith, in struggling against her weaknesses and to advise, comfort and teach her.  That’s a pretty good parakeet.

One day, Belinda met Tempest.  Tempest wasn’t like the other girls, she was new, exotic, kind of exciting.  So Belinda wanted to know Tempest more because she felt that Tempest could teach her some of those grown up things that other people would tell her about because they always treated Belinda like a little kid.

Belinda starting finding times to be with Tempest when nobody knew about it.  She found her best times with Tempest were always when nobody knew she was around and the thing she was telling Belinda were secrets.  Secrets are fun.

“You know most of the things your parents and the church say are bad aren’t bad.”  Tempest told her. 

“Really? Why would they lie to me?”  Belinda objected.  “I know they love me.”

“They do love you but they think you have to be protected because they don’t want you to have the fun things they have.  God could let you have fun things like smoking and drinking and staying out all night but he knows the adults should keep things fun things all to themselves.”  Tempest lied to Belinda.  Sadly, Belinda started to believe her.  It was so easy to want to be like Tempest and to try to please her.

As Belinda was walking home from spending time with Tempest, she was thinking about trying a few things she liked to do.  After all, it was a secret so nobody would know.  Plus she would still be a good girl to her friends and family and at church.  Her fun times with Tempest would just be a little secret between the two of them.  Suddenly Pete the Parakeet landed on her shoulder.

“How did you get out of your cage?”  Belinda objected.

“You would like to box up the voice that reminds you of your moral duties but it doesn’t work like that,” the little bird said to her sternly.  Belinda didn’t like be lectured, particularly by a bird but she knew he was right.  “Tempest is leading you astray from God.”  Pete continued.  “God knows what is going on so your little secret isn’t a secret and if you develop sin habits with her, they wont be a secret long from your parents and friends either.”  He said insistently. 

Belinda felt so much guilt and conviction in her spirit because of what Pete was telling her.  But she was confused because she wanted it both ways.  She wanted to be good and have the respect of God and her mom and dad and the church but the fun things Tempests offered were so hard to resist.  Finally, she did start to give in and met with Tempest to try some things. 

Tempest laid all of the exciting forbidden things on the table in front of her at Tempests house when nobody was around.  There it all was, the cigarettes, the alcohol, the bad magazines and tapes, a connection to the internet already on some naughty sites.  All she had to do is reach out and take it and nobody was there to stop her.

Suddenly she looked out the window and saw Pete the Parakeet in the tree out side the window and his eyes were fixed on her.  She thought she could hear his voice in her head.  But this time he wasn’t lecturing her or making her feel bad.

“None of that will satisfy you Belinda.”  The voice said.  “All of these things are Satan’s cheap substitute for the perfect joy and love that Jesus gives.  Right now Jesus am inside you giving you the strength to get up and walk away from these sins.  You can feel him can’t you?”  The voice said.

“Yes, I can feel him.”  Belinda said out loud.

“What?”  Tempest responded.  “Who are you talking to?”

“Don’t use your own strength to resist the sins Belinda.” The voice said to her.  “Use God’s strength inside you and get up and walk away and go home and have a Bible study with your pet bird.”  It helped her.

And that is what she did.  She stood up and just turned and walked away.   God’s strength inside her even helped her resist arguing with Tempest but instead she just put Tempest behind her and treated her like she didn’t even exists.  Belinda had learned an important lesson about resisting the devil and his desire to make you sin.  You can too.  You are the believer, like Belinda.  And you will get temptations, like the ones Tempest brought.  But the Holy Spirit’s job is to “come along side and help” you resist temptation, just like Pete the parakeet did.  If you look for your own Pete, you will hear his voice and he will help you feel God’s power to resists temptation in you too every day.

”

“Don’t use your own strength to resist the sins Belinda.” The voice said to her.  “Use God’s strength inside you and get up and walk away and go home and have a Bible study with your pet bird.”  It helped her.

And that is what she did.  She stood up and just turned and walked away.   God’s strength inside her even helped her resist arguing with Tempest but instead she just put Tempest behind her and treated her like she didn’t even exists.  Belinda had learned an important lesson about resisting the devil and his desire to make you sin.  You can too.  You are the believer, like Belinda.  And you will get temptations, like the ones Tempest brought.  But the Holy Spirit’s job is to “come along side and help” you resist temptation, just like Pete the parakeet did.  If you look for your own Pete, you will hear his voice and he will help you feel God’s power to resists temptation in you too every day.