The year was 1954. The place was Gordon County, in north Georgia.

A small church in the farming community of Sugar Valley was having a “fire and brimstone” revival. The preacher had everyone on their feet, shouting and praising the Lord. There were mostly women and children in the congregation. All of the men, except for a few elderly fellows, were in the parking lot smoking cigarettes and waiting for the service to end. The preacher and women wanted their men to show more interest in the church, and unknown to them all, that is exactly what was about to happen.

A 5 or 6-year-old boy, whom we will call “Jake” (not his real name), was in the church that night. His sat in church with his mom, but his dad was outside with the other men. Oh, how they prayed that real revival would break out, and God would reach those men who were not concerned about their souls.

Suddenly, they heard a loud scream from outside and what sounded like someone beating on a car with a hammer. The doors flew open and all of the men came running in and ran all the way to the altar, like the devil was after them. The preacher started yelling praises, and the women started crying and the kids were in shock. “Jake” had never seen his dad in church before this. It took a few minutes for all of them to calm down, and then there was total silence.

The preacher turned and looked at Jake’s dad and said, “Brother, tell us what just happened and how the Lord touched you.” Jake’s dad said, “He sent a bull, and that bull is tearing up the cars out front!”

Although “Jake” is not his real name, he assures me that his story is true, and the rest of that service was really special as his dad and uncle stayed to worship the Lord on the front row of the church. As Jake says, “I remember the night that God sent the bull to stop those who were shooting the bull in front of His house. It made a large impression on one ole country boy, and that is me.”   

Isaiah 45:15 (New Living Translation) says, “Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior, you work in strange and mysterious ways.” If He wants to, God can work in unusual ways to get our attention. Watch out! He may be trying to nudge you inside the doors of the church, too. And that ain’t no bull.

Copyright 2007 by Bob Rogers. Read this column each Thursday for a mix of religion and humor. You can read more “Holy Humor” on the Web site of First Baptist Church of Rincon at www.fbcrincon.com.