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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Sunday School (10/25/07)
I grudgingly walked up the wide concrete steps of the stately red brick Presbyterian Church where my parents were members. Once inside, it was down the stairs this time to the basement where the meeting rooms were. About 10 boys, twelve and thirteen years old, were attending Sunday School in a room with dark wood paneled walls and metal folding chairs. It was my first time there and the experience was, to be honest, one that I will never remember. There was a teacher, almost certainly a volunteer, but I can’t recall who he was or what he looked like. I’m sure there was a lesson of some kind, but don’t ask me what it was about. I couldn’t tell you.

The only thing that captured my attention was the pastor’s son Galen and his bottle of Elmer’s white glue – the kind with the orange cap. I watched intently as he squeezed the glue onto the palm of his hand and underside of his fingers until he had painted the whole area sticky white. After a few minutes, the glued dried and he slowly peeled it off until he had his own white glue handprint. Now if you think I am going to tell you about how I found God in the Elmer’s glue on the palm of the hand of the pastor’s son, you will be disappointed. What happened was completely the opposite of that. I never went to Sunday School again. And when I became an adult, I didn’t attend church for thirty years, even though I had become a born-again Christian in the meantime.

Something must have gone wrong. I am sure God was in the room that day, but I don’t think He was there for me. Did the teacher do a poor job? Maybe he should have grabbed me by the shoulders and said, “Will you pay attention to me? This is important stuff. I’m talking about Jesus!!” But then I would probably be telling you how I didn’t go to church for thirty years because a Jesus freak got in my face and scared me away from organized religion. There wasn’t much I could have done, either. I was a lost soul, and as such, I didn’t know what I didn’t know, or more importantly, I didn’t know what I needed to know.

Now, when I’m talking to an unbeliever, I sometimes think I’m like that Sunday School teacher. What can I say that will make a difference? But somewhere along the way, I made it to the other side. My soul isn’t lost anymore. So when I’m in this situation, with God in my corner, I can pray, “Lord, put the thoughts in my mind and the words in my mouth that will help this person know who You are.” Then, all I need is the faith that God will work through me to help this other lost lamb. Maybe he will become a Christian right then or maybe I’m just one link in a long chain of events that will someday result in that person’s salvation. But either way works because God is in control, not me. Jesus directs us to share the Gospel, but He doesn’t promise immediate results. If I had my way, everything would happen quickly. But my ways aren’t God’s ways and my timing isn’t God’s timing.

As I think back to that Sunday School teacher and his method and his message, I shouldn’t blame him for not making it more memorable. It probably wasn’t his ways or his timing either. (I just figured that out a paragraph ago.) Maybe it was God’s way of getting my attention by having me focus on something besides Him. I’m sure God already knew when I would turn my life over to Him – on His timing. Now it makes me wonder if maybe I really did find God in the Elmer’s glue!
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Jan Ackerson
11/01/07
What a fascinating testimony, written in a casual, conversational style. I enjoyed reading this very much (I used to love to play that way with Elmer's glue, too). Great title, fantastic hook.
Laury Hubrich 
11/03/07
I really like your ending: how you tied the glue into your topic again. Good job! It's too bad your Sunday School experience wasn't more memorable. Probably needed to go more than once to make some memories:) Thank you so much for sharing. Keep on writing!
Laury
LaNaye Perkins
11/05/07
You grabbed my attention with the title and kept it through the ending. You did a good job on this. Keep writing.
Lynda Schultz 
11/06/07
"maybe I really did find God in the Elmer’s glue!" I think you did — it just took it a little longer to "stick" to you. Sorry about the pun — I couldn't resist. Nicely done.