Soon after I moved to Texas, I learned to use a lasso. I was preparing in case there was a citizenship test.  I mastered putting the noose around a fence post, so it was time to try it on a calf.

There he was in the pasture, munching on some grass, when I whipped that rope past my head and over his.  He began mooing for his momma and she quickly showed up with several of her irate bovine buddies and I ran for cover.

It took nearly an hour and a barrage of cow pies to get my rope back. 

I didn’t think I could rope a real calf.  I guess I had more potential than I thought.

It reminds me of the story in Mark 11. “In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered.” Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, if someone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.”  – Mark 11:20-23 – NETBible ®

Jesus cursed a tree the day before, and it withered in response.  He told Peter, however, that even greater things could be done by those who believe.  A mountain could be moved by faith. 

Now to my knowledge the faithful through the ages have not moved any mountains – at least not yet. 

On the other hand, maybe the failure has to do with our flawed faith, rather than His dependable promises.   No mountains have been moved yet, but God has moved other great things in response to the faith of His people. 

Way back in the eighteen hundreds, there was a small group of Methodists living in Swan Quarter, North Carolina.  They believed they needed their own building to grow the church.   The need was bathed in faith-filled prayer. 

They identified the perfect lot for the church location.  It was owned by Mr. Samuel Sadler.  But Sadler sadly refused to do business with them.  He would not give, lease or sell the property to the church.

So, they settled on a lot that was on the banks of Oyster Creek.  It was low lying property and far from ideal, but they made do.  They completed their one room white frame building on Sept. 16th, 1876. 

Then three days later the town was lashed by a hurricane that left it under 5 feet of water.  The water lifted the wooden church building off its brick foundation and it began to float.  It moved northward up Oyster Creek St.

The townsfolk saw it and sloshed through the water trying to lasso it but to no avail.  The church building floated to the center of the town and then for no apparent reason took a right turn on Main St. as if it had a mind of its own. 

It drifted for two more blocks and then again veered without explanation off to the left side of the road to a vacant lot – and there it stopped.  And that lot – was Samuel Sadler’s lot – the one they had tried to buy

The next day Sadler knocked on the door of the Methodist minister’s home and with trembling hands, presented him with the deed to the lot. 

The brick building in the attached picture is the newer building, the white one is the original building moved by the hand of God.  Both are still in use.   Oh, and by the way, they appropriately named the church – Providence Methodist Church. 

The mountain you need to have moved, may be even greater: a child with an addiction; a spouse with cancer; downsizing at work; or maybe an insufficient income.  

Pray – believing that God is for you and will be there for you.  He still moves mountains and church buildings.  

A PRAYER: Lord, we believe.  Help our unbelief (Mark 9:24).

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you