Between the Hammer and Anvil... Faith Fellowship Church PO Box 1586 Broken Arrow, OK 74013 Terry Dashner Maybe you can relate to this. This is the story of my life--the hammer and the anvil. Apart from each other, they may serve various functions. The hammer may drive a nail, chisel and demolish stuff, or be used as a makeshift weapon. The anvil might not have as many uses as the hammer, but it can function as an impromptu workbench or a doorstop. But used together they have essentially one purpose. Together they forge metal into workable items. My life has been, and continues to be, the raw metal between the hammer's blows and the anvil's stop. Ouch! It hurts. I think the hammer and anvil was designed with my life in mind. My prayer is that one day the dents will be smoothed out enough to be a polished vessel for God's use. And here's the kick. God doesn't use the hammer only to get His point across. He could afflict me without reason. God could have been a ruthless tyrant to me, but He isn't. Every thing He does in my life has purpose--this I've come to trust. Nor does God use the anvil only in my life. He's not stopping me from doing certain things, simply because He can. He's not restricting me from fun in life. Actually I've come to trust that He is challenging me to soar to greater heights in life. God is both hammer and anvil to me. And that is a good thing--this I've come to believe. Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is building us up for His Kingdom that is coming... Pastor T.