I remember Evander.

I remember Evander...even though it's been 20 years. Yeah, I'm talking about Evander Holyfield. I was coaching football at the time. Our team had been invited to the state capitol in recognition of the state championship we had won that fall. On the way home, we stopped off at a mall just south of Atlanta to let the boys eat supper. I joined the other coaches in a cafeteria there for dinner. After paying and exiting the restaurant, I remembered I had left my cap on the table inside. So, I turned and rushed back towards our table. As I turned the corner, I ran into a wall. Only, it wasn't a wall, it was a large black man with huge arms and a rock solid chest. I issued my apologies, grabbed my hat off the table and rushed back out to the other coaches. They had huge grins on their faces and one of them asked me, "Do you realize who you just ran into in there?"

Looking back inside the restaurant, I had to tell the truth. "No. I don't. Who was it?"

"Evander Holyfield--the boxer, " came their reply.

By the time I realized who I had collided with, he was gone--he and his entire entourage of bodyguards and friends. I had missed my chance for an autograph but it gave me a cool story to tell. I went one round with Evander Holyfield and lived to tell about it.

We all have those same kinds of stories. Maybe we've heard others talk about when they met some celebrity or athlete. I've been at parties where people jockeyed for position to tell their "celebrity" story. It's kind of fun to hear and be a part of.

But don't we have more to look forward to? The Bible says you and I live daily in the presence of a Holy God. And not just a God who is way out there beyond our reach. He is a God who lives daily within us--if we choose to follow Him--in the person of the Holy Spirit. He has promised His presence would be with us through every situation, through every difficult moment. However, it's something we take for granted or we don't see its importance. We underestimate what an honor this truly is

Don't believe me? Next time you're sitting around with a bunch of people who are trading their "celebrity" meetings, share how you have a "star" that lives inside of you and see what response you get? Yet, not one of us could make it without Him. I pray that today you and I would grasp the signficance of this gift, a God who refuses to leave us and longs to be that close to us every single day.