Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Pigs Might Fly (10/31/13)
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TITLE: You May Have Won | Previous Challenge Entry
By Holly Hoell
11/07/13 -
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delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,
she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who
was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)
So the LORD God asked the woman, "What is this you have done?" And
the woman said, "It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate." (Genesis 3:13)
Have you ever seen something that was pleasing to the eyes or the heart, and then acted on those feelings? Did it work out good for you or not so good? I recently had an interesting experience due to some mail I received.
I grabbed the mail from my mailbox and noticed most of it was junk including a flyer stating “you may have won $25,000”. I set it down on the table to take my jacket off. My husband Chris picked it up and asked if I played the game to see if I won.
I giggled. Yea and pigs might fly too.
“I think you won $2000”. He held out the card and there were two matching numbers $2000 across from each other that he had scratched off.
I looked at it closer. “I can’t believe it, I was just going to throw it away. I guess we’d better go check it out.” So, off we went. Surely this was a blessing from God. Wow, $2000 this was going to be a great Christmas .
The dealership had balloons on many of the cars, so it was visible that an event was going on.
We walked in, salesmen were scurrying about. They had us sit down at a small table. A young guy introduced himself and began to explain. “You have a match, so that entitles you to one of these three prizes. You can win $100 if your number matches the number on this sheet (which it didn't) or you could win one of these two cars if you scratch off 7 keys in this grid of boxes. Or you can win a commemorative gold coin.” He handed me the scratch off game.
I scratched the first box that caught my attention and it was not a key, so we did not win a car. The salesman asked us a few questions and we indicated that we were not interested in buying a car, so he handed us the gold coin and said have a nice day.
We got in Chris’s truck and looked at the coin. It was a shiny gold coin in a little plastic case. It had $50 on it and all the normal markings. It looked like it was real, with one exception. Engraved in a couple places on the coin was the word “COPY”. I asked my friend who is a gold dealer if it was worth anything and of course she said it wasn't.
Chris shook his head. "I knew it was too good to be true. I bet every game on those flyers were winners"
Chris and I had fallen prey to a scam. Now, as I look at the coin, I think about other areas in my life where things had seemed so real only to realize they were false. Lies can creep into our lives bringing disappointment, bondage, and all manner of destruction. We can even deceive ourselves. It is knowing and believing the truth that will set us free.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)
Dear Lord, Thank you that you are truth and there is no deception in you. Your light exposes the darkness. You are our pure source and safe haven. I ask that you would give us discernment to be able to see through the counterfeits of this world. Elements that can draw us in, like a moth to a flame. I ask you Lord for the wisdom and grace to deal with those who try to harm us with deception, seduction, trickery and flattery. Thank you for being our protector and redeemer. We are thankful that because of you we are winners.
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God bless~
Nice writing and a good warning to each of us.
Temptations come in neat looking packages that catch us unawares.
Continue to exhort us all the more as the day approaches.
If we are not faithful till death, God's grace won't work.
You did have some tiny errors like not starting a complete sentence in the quote with a capital letter and the punctuation should go inside the quotation marks.
Those are little things though. You did a fine job of transitioning from the story to your Bible message. You nailed the topic in a unique and fun way. The best was the prayer. Not everyone knows how to pray, so I always like it when a prayer is included.
If you haven't seen Jan's Writing Basics on the message boards, you should check it out. She gives wonderful advice for all levels of writers. Jan also answers everyone who posts in her threads. She has a wealth of knowledge and is willing to share. God bless.
God bless~