Taste My Jesus

This was sent to me in an e-mail by my uncle. I have seen it before. I really like this story.

TASTE MY JESUS

At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what is
called "Baptist Day." On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten
outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every "Baptist Day" the school would
invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center.

One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich.

Dr. Tillich spoke for two and one-half hours proving that the resurrection
of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book.
He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical
resurrection the religious tradition of the church was groundless,
emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with
a risen Jesus, who, in fact never rose from the dead in any literal
sense. He then asked if there were any questions.


After about 30 seconds, an old, dark skinned preacher with a head
of short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the
auditorium. "Docta Tillich, I got one question," he said as all
eyes turned toward him.


He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began
eating it. "Docta Tillich.. CRUNCH, MUNCH "My question is a simple
question,... CRUNCH, MUNCH... "Now, I ain't never read them books
you read..CRUNCH, MUNCH.." and I can't recite the Scriptures in
the original Greek...CRUNCH, MUNCH ..." I don't know nothin'
about Niebuhr and Heidegger...CRUNCH, MUNCH...


He finished the apple. "All I wanna know is:
This apple I just ate, . . . was it bitter or sweet?


Dr Tillich paused for a moment and answered
in exemplary scholarly fashion: "I cannot
possibly answer that question, for I haven't
tasted your apple."


The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple
into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich
and said calmly, "Neither have you tasted my Jesus."


The 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves.
The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers.


Dr. Tillich thanked his audience and
promptly left the platform.


Have you tasted Jesus?


"Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
If you have, rejoice in the hope of the
resurrection that your faith in Him brings." Psalm 34:8

I remember thinking something along this line when I was in labor with my second child. The doctor told me that there was no chance for his survival. I remember thinking to myself but you don't know my God. Our child did not live but just a few hours on this earth but it was not because God was not able to keep him alive. God had other plans for our life at that moment in time. He had so much that He wanted to teach my husband & I. We thought we knew so much about God and His ways. Little did we know that God's ways are past finding out.

However He does continue to teach us if we trust Him and seek Him. It is hard to get the point that you can thank God for those hard difficult valleys in your life. I did not think I could ever thank Him for some of the ones I have been through but I have and I can. I praise Him for the things that I have learned through them. I thank Him that He was with all the way and all the time. Even when I felt so all alone He was there. He was faithful.

Come and Taste my Jesus!