The Egg

I have preached or taught in many churches in many places from Texas to Nigeria, from Oklahoma to Brazil. I have preached to goats and pigs, swatted mosquitoes and sand flies while I taught, and have spoken while toddlers clung to my legs, dogs licked the blisters on my toes and while everyone ran off to see who was arriving in the port below. I've been amazed in each of those situations that God still works and manages to communicate with the hearts of people amid all the distraction.

Sunday morning in Tres Islas Ashéninka community on the Apurucayali River. I thought I was doing OK going through my prepared lesson: a detailed explanation of God's plan of salvation. In the open church building there are no doors to close in order to keep out the dogs or the chickens. No one knew that a certain hen had already "laid" claim to the place. She came in the side door about six feet from where I was standing on the small platform. She came in "full cluck" making herself known to all that she had arrived. It was not readily apparent why she was so determined to get into the corner beneath a stack of unassembled bench parts left there. I gave her a start to get her back out the door and continued my teaching. Mrs. Chicken was not finished. She returned more determined than ever, but with less noise. While someone else was reading a bible verse I decided to take a peek into the corner and there was confirmed my suspicion, she had a clutch of eggs in there on the bare wooden floor.

She eventually won and gained access to her dark corner. Later in the day I wanted to see if she was actually sitting on those eggs since we can always use fresh eggs. I was surprised to see four eggs instead of the three I saw when I originally checked. The lady clucker had deposited another egg while I was speaking. Now in English we have a term that reflects having badly spoken or failed in an effort, so my mind quickly applied it to my situation. In my preaching I had "laid an egg." The chicken was not returning to sit on the eggs so I wondered if the Lord had sent her as a sign, a messenger, to tell me I needed to improve my efforts. 

Now I don't know if God speaks to His people through chickens, probably not, though He certainly could, but if it wasn't a pointed reminder to put forth my best for the Lord, it was at least fun to think about Him trying to get my attention through a noisy hen and her eggs. I'm sure I didn't "lay an egg" in my preaching as there was one man who responded to the gospel invitation. I'm not sure where the chicken is this morning, but her eggs are on the breakfast table. Was that fourth egg a letter of warning to me to do better? Maybe not. But breakfast delivery in remote quarters of the jungle isn't a bad thing!