6 Mar, 2009

Leave God a message at his Dutch answering service

AMSTERDAM (Reuters Life!) - God is taking calls.

Dutch artist Johan van der Dong has set up a local telephone number in the Netherlands, where he urges people to leave messages for God on his answering machine.

Van der Dong said he set up the number to give people an opportunity to take pause and contemplate life.

"Like praying, leaving a voicemail message is a way to organize your thoughts," he said. "It's a perfect combination for some contemplation."

Callers dialing 06-4424-4901 (or +316-4424-4901 if calling from outside the Netherlands) from March 7 will hear.

"Hi, you are speaking to God. I'm not in right now so leave a message after the beep."

Story courtesy news.yahoo.com & photo images.google.com 3/5/09

"I'm Not In Right Now..."

Does God Need an Answering Machine?

2Samuel 22:7 (ESV)

In my distress I called upon the Lord, to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.

What does today's God's Story Scripture teach us about calling out to God?
Aren't you grateful that when we call out to God that it doesn't have to be from a phone and that we never really get His voicemail?
God hears us when we call out to Him. Whether it's out loud or in the quiet of our heart, He hears us.
Whether it's in a worship service on the weekend or in the middle of a math class at school, He hears us.
Whether we are keeling beside our bed with hands folded and eyes closed or we are walking down the hall at school, He hears us.

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?

  • Thank God. Thank God for hearing your cries and always being available.
  • Call upon God. Spend some time talking to God about what's going on in your life.
  • Cry out to God. Cry out to God on behalf of your friends who aren't connected to His Story yet.
  • Ask God. Ask God for an opportunity to connect with someone who isn't a follower of Jesus today.

How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?

  • Start a conversation today about talking to God with someone who is ready for that conversation.
  • When you are with someone today, and they are forced to leave a voicemail for someone else, say "I'm glad God doesn't need voicemail" and see where that conversation goes.
  • Ask a close friend if there is something going on with them (good or bad) that you can pray about. Take a bold step and pray for that friend right then and there.
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