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Day 199, or July the 18th. Standing out from the crowd.

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Today's thoughts are rooted in Isaiah chapter 20 verse 2. At that time the Lord spoke through

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Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals

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from your feet. And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.

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And now the big picture surrounding this verse. Isaiah declares more prophecies against the

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enemies of Israel, such as Ethiopia, Egypt, Babylon and Edom. In the midst of this tirade

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we are given a fascinating insight into part of Isaiah's personal life. We need these

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reminders because we often forget that the prophets were people too. Some were married

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and many had families, so their worries and responsibilities were like ours, but their

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response to God's call was quite outstanding, and a great example to all of us.

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And now today's action step. In 1852 an Englishman called Samuel Fox invented

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the lightweight steel-framed umbrella that many of us use today. It is said that he was

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ridiculed by some of his contemporaries and told that such a fanciful article would never

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catch on. When I was growing up only businessmen and well-dressed ladies used umbrellas, but

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nowadays you get folk in tracksuits and even T-shirts and shorts sheltering under brollies.

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Laughter and ridicule can seem such a force at the time that many good ideas have been

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discarded, and even more importantly it has deterred some of God's followers from witnessing

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well. Isaiah was a respectable prophet who moved in powerful circles and who always had

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something of value to add to the society of his day. He was nevertheless willing to lose

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his dignity for God. I think part of the reason that our society

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reveres the Salvation Army so much is because they are willing to dress in a distinct way

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and stand out. I still have a Palm Sunday cross in my car and a small ichthys on the

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boot lid. Society sometimes tries to eradicate them, but persevere with them. You never know

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how influential they can be.