April, 24, 2022 . . . .
Have you ever been hustled? Hustled is a kinder synonym for the word scammed. Maybe you watched one of those infomercials and decided that the latest, greatest what-cha-ma-call-it is just exactly what you needed. Especially when they used the line “but wait…if you act now, we will double the offer and give you two of the latest, greatest what-cha-ma-call-its.” When your what-cha-ma-call-it arrives, you find our why they let you have two for the price of one and you also realize that you have just purchased this year’s gift for the “Mean Santa” game at the church Christmas party. When I was a boy, the pages of the Captain America comic books always had an advertisement for creatures called Sea Monkeys. These “Sea Monkeys” promised to be the most terrific pet to ever be unleashed upon kid-dom. After all, who needs a dog or a cat when you could have Sea Monkeys? I can’t say I wasn’t warned. My parents said something along the line of, “Are you out of your cotton-picking mind?” (For you cityfied folks, the term “cotton-picking” has absolutely nothing to do with picking cotton in any shape, form or fashion. For the record, I have never picked cotton with my mind or any other various and sundry parts of my anatomy.) To put it in simple to understand terms, my folks said I was crazy, but of course I knew better, and for $1.99, I became the proud owner of a batch of Sea Monkeys. They came in a packet where all you had to do was add water and the next day, low and behold, your Sea Monkeys would be born. Turns out, the Sea Monkeys were actually a small type of brine shrimp that died soon after they were “born”. I was devastated, and I still think I suffer from the disappointment of the Sea Monkeys that weren’t Monkeys at all. Do you know something that sounds just about as outrageous as Sea Monkeys? How about the fact that a dead, crucified, Savior named Jesus of Nazareth got up out of the tomb and is still living today. At first blush, it sounds about like my Sea Monkeys story, but the fact is, Jesus DID die. He WAS buried and He WAS raised to live again, and this time, He would live forever. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is “good news”. In fact, it’s the greatest news ever, because it’s true, not just another Sea Monkeys ad. Because He lives, we can too!
Be blessed and be a blessing . . . Bro. Andy
