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Butter Pecan vs. Chocolate Chip Mint

Monday, August 1, 2022

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“Seek God relentlessly. Seek to know His direction at every crossroad.” – Os Hillman

When I started in prison ministry is 1987, I was very unaccustomed to speaking in public, let alone preaching to a group of inmates. As a result, my first few “sermons” were short… and not so sweet. Thankfully, lots of repetition – and lots of prayer – has made me more proficient. Nowadays, I chomp at the bit for a chance to share God’s Word with anyone, whether they are behind bars or on the “outside.”

One of the first messages I preached in a prison used the Wizard of Oz as an illustration. Specifically, it was the scene where Dorothy and Toto encounter a crossroad and have to decide which of the three paths to follow. Fortunately, there is a scarecrow hanging on a post in a nearby field, but his advice isn’t very helpful.

“Pardon me. That way is a very nice way,” the talking scarecrow says, pointing to his left. “It’s pleasant down that way, too” he adds, now pointing to his right. “Of course, people do go both ways,” he concludes while crossing his arms and pointing in both directions simultaneously.

My friend, life is full of decisions. Some of them are small and relatively inconsequential, while others are potentially lifechanging. For instance, it doesn’t matter whether you order butter pecan or mint chocolate chip at your local ice cream parlor, but choosing a college, a career, and a spouse are decisions that will most likely impact the rest of your life.

When faced with such a momentous decision, some people just roll the dice and trust that things will turn out OK. They are seemingly content to follow Yogi Berra’s rather ambiguous advice, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Others simply “go with the flow,” following the well-beaten path of least resistance. Poet Robert Frost would argue against that passive approach, suggesting that you take the “road less traveled” instead. After all, Frost would remind you, doing so makes “all the difference.”

Of course, the best decision-making advice comes directly from God and His Word.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President

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