by Carol Gustke

Created on: October 29, 2008

"God has a body." My oldest brother sat across from me at the kitchen table. He had recently become involved in a particular religion which taught this concept.

"No, He doesn't," I argued. "God is a Spirit." How I knew that at the age of twelve I don't remember. My family attended a very liberal church where you could pick and choose what you wanted to believe.

We continued to debate this topic until my brother suggested I ask God for the answer.

Later that night as I lay in bed I begin to talk to God; something I hadn't done before. "God, my brother says you have a body. I want to know if this is true or not." As I continued to rattle on I suddenly felt a presence. A joy swelled up from within me and grew stronger and stronger. I bolted upright and said, "Well, what do you know, there is a God." As soon as I said this, I clapped my hand over my mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry, God. I didn't mean that." God must have gotten a good chuckle out of that one.

The next morning I shared this experience with my brother. "See, I told you He had a body," he said.

"He didn't tell me He had a body," I countered. "He proved to me that He exists."

That was my first encounter with the Almighty. There were others that followed, but the initial one I'll never forget.

Years later, when I was married, my four year old son had a life changing encounter with God. It was a hot, muggy night and he came into our bedroom complaining of the heat. I suggested he sleep in the bed on the screened in porch where it would be cooler. He agreed and soon was sound asleep.

Several hours passed and once again he entered our bedroom This time he was shouting and waving his arms. "Lights, fire," he repeated over and over. "He's had a nightmare," I whispered to my husband. "Would you sleep with him?" The two of them returned to the porch.

The following morning, my son continued to talk about what he had seen. He would lay on the bed and point to the window. "He came in here," he said and patted his chest. "He loves me and He's coming back."

By now, I realized that my son had experienced some kind of vision. What it meant for his life I wasn't sure, but I knew it was true. The message was so simple; He loves us. He dwells in our heart and someday He will return.

Flash forward sixteen years. My son was in college, searching for direction for his life. One week-end he attended a prayer meeting at a friends' house. During the meeting his friend prayed for him and perceived that God was calling him into the ministry. This came as a confirmation to my son as he had been praying about this very thing. Today, he is a children's pastor at a large church in Pennsylvania.

We can meet God for the first time at any age. The message is always the same. He loves us. He dwells in our heart and He's coming back.

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