14 Oct, 2009
Those Crazy Animals!
7-year-old tackled by deer while playing football
AP Oct 13, WINTERSVILLE — A 7-year-old Ohio boy playing a game of backyard football was tackled by a deer.
Brandon Hiles says he encountered the buck when the ball rolled into woods while he was playing with friends Saturday in Wintersville, about 125 miles east of Columbus. The boy says the buck ran at him and flipped him with its antlers, leaving bruises and a gash.
His 9-year-old friend Wyatt Pugh (pyoo) beat the deer with a stick to make it go away.
Wintersville Police Officer Art Fowler Jr. says there were actually two bucks in the area gearing for a fight, and Brandon was attacked when he inadvertently got between them.
Story Provided by: Cantonrep.com
Picture (not the actual deer) provided by: petsoftheweek.georgetown.org
1 Samuel 17:33-35 (New International Version)
33 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."
34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.
What does God's Story scripture teach us about God using unexpected people to do great things?
You never know what will happen when wild animals are around because, well, they are wild. David, the youngest of seven brothers, knew this far too well. He also knew that the wild animals weren't unbeatable, even if he was small, because God was on his side.
We pick up this conversation between King Saul and the boy David after David had showed up at the army camp to bring his brothers some food. David had listened as the Giant Goliath mocked the God of Israel. Goliath had been asking for days that the army of Israel send someone to fight him. David heard only a little, and it was more than he could handle.
That is the story around this conversation. David has just walked in to tell King Saul he will fight the giant. I just imagine Saul leaning back in his chair waiting for David to deliver the punch line to the joke. The punch line never came, and Saul realized David was serious. The King then tries to explain to David why this would never work. The argument boils down to, "David, you're too small, and He is way too big." David wasn't deterred because he knew God did big things with unexpected people. After all, if he can kill a lion and bear with God's help, what's a warrior?
How can we connect today's God's Story Scripture to our lives?
Have there been moments in your life when you felt you were too "small"? Maybe you were told you were too unimportant to accomplish something. Perhaps the thought that God could never use you has run through your mind. Here's where you find encouragement! I have known lots of students who decided they were going to make a difference, big or small, in this world.
The bible is full of God using unexpected people; people who thought they couldn't accomplish anything. Moses said he couldn't lead because of a speech impediment. Gideon said he was too insignificant to change things. God used them, because often He uses underdogs to fulfill his purposes. We just have to be willing to let Him use us.
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture, and our story to others?
Who doesn't enjoy a good underdog story? The conversation with your friends starts by asking if they have ever wanted to do something to change the world for the better. As you listen to the passion of your friend's heart, doors will open for you to connect their passion to the passion of David. "I know a story about a kid who fought with a giant and won." Or I read a couple of crazy stories the other day, one about this kid whose friend beat a deer off of him when it attacked, and another about a boy who killed a lion and bear to save a sheep.
You can share with your friend as you dream big together that God uses people like us, small people, to accomplish His great purposes. You can share how Jesus wants to partner with us to make the world a better place.
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