Tavern Versus Church
The story is told of a man who got a permit to open the first tavern
(bar) in a small town.
The members of a local church were strongly opposed to the bar, so
they began to pray
that God would intervene.
A few days before the tavern was scheduled to open, lightning hit the
structure and it burned to the ground. The people of the church were
surprised but pleased--until they received notice that the would-be
tavern owner was suing them. He contended that their prayers were
responsible for the burning of the building. They denied the charge.
At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, the judge wryly
remarked, "At this point I don't know what my decision will be, but it seems
that the tavern owner believes in the power of prayer and these
church people don't."