I HAVE NEVER HEARD SO MANY SPEECHES crammed into such a short period of time as in the national political conventions. And long ones at that! I think we should bring the “one foot rule” to the United States. A South African tribe has such a dislike of long speeches that speakers are limited to what they can say while standing on one foot. As long as he can balance himself, a speaker can talk to his heart’s content. But the minute his upraised foot touches the ground, his speech is over. One thing is certain---our political conventions would be shortened by a great deal.

Long speeches remind me of “Edison’s Talking Machine.” Once when introducing Thomas A. Edison at a dinner, the toastmaster mentioned his many inventions, dwelling at length on the talking machine. The aged inventor then rose to his feet, smiled and said gently to his audience, “I thank the gentleman for his kind remarks, but I must insist upon a correction. God invented the talking machine. I only invented the first one that can be shut off.”

What I am most concerned about in these speeches is “honesty.” Often, promises are made, then broken, excused, or ignored. A “Truth in Government Act” proposed by Representative Donald M. Fraser (D-Minn.) would have made it illegal for federal officials to lie to private citizens. Frazer rightly said, “Right now, honesty is a one-way street.” Under current law, it is a crime for a private citizen to lie to a government official, but not for a government official to lie to the people. Perhaps officials should take an oath of honesty when they are sworn in.

I’ve often thought that politicians running for office should do two things before speaking to the public:

(1) Read James 3:6: “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

(2) Ouote the following: “I’m careful of the words I say to keep them honest and sweet. I never know from day to day which ones I’ll have to eat.”

Perhaps I’m too hard on politicians. After all, they are a part of fallen humanity as are we all. And it is incumbent upon all of us to “set a watch” upon our lips. The reason we seem to hone in on elected officials is that they are the recipients of public trust. We trust them to lead us with integrity---to be men and women of their word. Power and fame are ever enticing them. Let us pray that they will make their word their bond.

A GOD MOMENT! THAT’S WHAT IT WAS. No doubt about it, at least not in our minds. A God moment---a specific time when He was in charge of arranging an event that would touch a need---lives would intersect perhaps for only a brief moment, but with purpose. And somehow upon reflection, you knew Presence was behind it all. I’ve had my share of them over the years. Perhaps you have also been aware of those special times when the Spirit of God was very evident. Let me share a recent such one.

My wife and I were returning from a trip to Iowa last week. We were heading east on I-80, looking for a place to stop for lunch. We decided upon Cracker Barrel, just west of Joliet. We like this restaurant a great deal for its prices, quality of food and atmosphere. As we pulled into the parking lot we could see that they were extremely busy. Disappointed, but not wanting to spend an hour there, we changed our plans and headed over to Arby’s which was just across the street.

I stepped up to the counter to give my order and could immediately see that the clerk was distraught about something. She was on her cell phone, trying to take my order and at the same time handle what seemed to be a very difficult situation. When she finally hung up the phone, her hands were shaking and her face ashen. I asked her if everything was all right and her reply was, “My son-in-law was in a terrible automobile accident and was badly injured. That’s all I know.” It was at that point that I knew this was a God moment. Now I understood why we chose Arby’s over Cracker Barrel. I put my hand upon hers and said, “We’ll pray for him. What’s his name?” She thanked me and I could see her countenance change almost instantly. She calmed down. Her demeanor took on a whole new appearance---one of peace and a sense that somehow everything would work out.

My wife and I prayed right there in Arby’s. We asked God to give strength to the family, and healing to the injured. We further asked God to reveal Himself to this family in a way that would bring glory to His name. As we left the restaurant, she thanked us for the second time.

Some would say that this was simply a coincidence---this intersecting of strangers. We choose to believe differently. We choose to believe that God moments are real and frequent.
A God Moment is when all of a sudden, at any time, any day, and without any warning, you're just totally overwhelmed by God. It can be like peace, or joy, or love, or all of them at once. It is hard to tell if it's actually happening to you when you are in the moment. It's only when you look back that it's easier to see that God was with you in that moment in your life.
A God Moment seems to happen in the midst of everything ordinary in your life. A God Moment can be when God protected you, healed you or when God led you or inspired you. A God Moment could be when God gave you an unexpected blessing or, as in our case, an assignment, an opportunity to allow His love to flow through you to touch one in need.
A God Moment might be when God spoke to you through scripture or gave you a God-inspired message or made you stronger through some type of adversity. Think about when God gave you a moment and share it with others. And oh, yes, be sure to give God the glory and be prepared at all times to be available for His use. You never can tell when that moment will be.