A little boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. "Mama, look what I found," the boy called out. "What have you got there, dear?" With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear."
Tee hee. And as the cartoon depicts, fall is coming soon. With it a couple of conferences I'd like to tell you about.
I'll be speaking at Zion Christian Church in Troy at a worship arts conference. Visit the Ascend 2007 website for all the details at
www.ascend07.org. The dates are September 20-22, and it's going to be a great time with Martha Munizzi, Donnie McClurkin, and Michael Gungor as we experience God's presence and explore the power of purity.
I'm also teaching a workshop geared at transmitting the values of living within Biblical boundaries for youths and singles at the upcoming ICEA Sunday School & Church Ministries Conference in Northville, Michigan on Saturday, October 13. I'll be hosting an exhibit there as well. Visit their website for more info at
www.iceaOnline.orgAnd since the cartoon brought this to mind, I'll share a little about Adam and Eve's wardrobe choices from my book
Gates & Fences: Straight Talk in a Crooked World from Chapter 4: Modest is Hottest.
After Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened to their nakedness. Once they realized this, Scripture tells us they made themselves "aprons" out of leaves. Get a picture in your mind of an apron. There are short ones that tie at the waist and those that have bibs covering the chest area as well. How much of the body does an apron cover, and how much does it leave exposed?
Now, back to the Garden. Even with their new clothes on, Adam and Eve knew they weren't properly covered and hid themselves from God. God must have found their garments insufficient as well, because he created tunics (or robes) for them from the skins of the sacrifice offered for their sin. The clothes God made covered more than just their "private parts."
There are obviously a lot of different styles, but if the clothes we choose are more apron-like than robe- or tunic-like in the way they cover our bodies, perhaps we should reevaluate our wardrobes.
