By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

Last Friday, I met with our contractor, the project supervisor, and the project engineer for the new church building we are about to build. It has been a long process to get to where we are now. In fact, it's been almost six years since a handful of people met together in a living room to begin a new church.

We outgrew the living room and, for five and a half years, we have been graciously hosted by the wonderful people of Carmichael-Hemperley Funeral Home. Yes, we meet in a funeral home chapel. It's quite lovely, actually. We have padded pews, beautiful dÈcor, thick carpet, and, on Sundays, it looks just like church. But I digress. For almost six years, we have prayed, saved, and planned. Our loan application was approved and we have a great architect. Recently, we signed with our builder and everything is a "go." We anticipate being in our new building (which will actually look like a church, by the way) in the fall.

Last Friday, however, our contractor said, "I have to warn you whenever you move equipment onto the grounds, the gods of weather send rain." I smiled. "Silly man. Doesn't he know that we are in a prolonged drought in Georgia?"

So, Monday morning the skies were a piercing blue as the construction guys began putting up an orange "silt fence" in preparation for the grading that must be done. Monday afternoon it rained. Monday night it rained. Tuesday it stormed and poured all day. As of this writing, it's still raining. Why is that?

In fact, "why is that" about a lot of things? Why is it that when I wash my car it rains? Why is it that when I am in the shower, the telephone rings? Why is it that telemarketers never, ever call except when I am sitting down to dinner? Why is it when I pass by the post office there are no cars in the parking lot but when I need to send something Express Mail there are 33 people in the line ahead of me?

Why is it that, in high school, that the prettiest girls dated the thugs and bad boys? Why is it that the girls who never dated in high school grow up to be the prettiest girls? Why is it that, the girl you always wanted to date but considered too beautiful and unapproachable had a crush on you but you didn't find out about it for 17 years? Why is it that guys can have the body of a Greek god in high school but the body of a Gothic gargoyle in later life? Why is it that the football coach promised that the lessons we were learning in football would last forever but all I carry with me is a bad knee?

Why is it that the "fast food" lane is not? Why is it that Democrats want to give away everybody's money but, when it comes to charitable giving, Democrats give far less than Republicans, who are thought to be stingy? Why is it that fundamentalist churches preach "salvation by grace" but practice legalism as a way of "keeping saved?" Why is it that we can go whole-hog after terrorists but we tell Israel they can't? Why is it that, when Christians say, "I just want to tell the truth in love," they often do neither? Why is it that Islam is considered a peaceful, tolerant religion when, in countries dominated by that faith, it is anything but peaceful and tolerant?

Why is it that grandchildren never dirty their diapers until grandparents pick them up? Why is it that police officers are never considered heroes until one of them gets killed? Why is it that, when you have a bang-up, whoop-de-do sermon, attendance is downway down? Why is it that when you have a putrid, odoriferous stinker of a sermon it's the highest attendance of the year?

Why is it that guitar strings never break in practice but always break during a performance? Why is it that, at a movie you really want to see, the obnoxious loud guy sits behind you? Why is it, at that same movie, that the lady with four kids all under the age of four sits in front of you? Why is it that neighborhood dogs always do their dirty business on my lawn? Why is it that my dog does her dirty business on my lawn, too?

Why is it that my wife always thinks she is right? Why is it that my wife is always right? Why is it that skinny people can eat 13,298 calories a day and never gain weight but I can look at a doughnut and swell up like a rubber raft?

And the greatest mystery of all: Why is it that I can say the wrong things, do the wrong things, and have the wrong attitudes, but the scriptures state that "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you?'" (Hebrews 13:3 NIV). There's a great many things that I simply don't understand but that last contradiction is one I really don't get. It is, however, a contradiction I can live with.

[David Epps is rector of Christ the King Church in Peachtree City. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.ChristTheKingCEC.com.]

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