{"id":42,"date":"2009-06-01T14:32:00","date_gmt":"2009-06-01T19:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/2009\/06\/01\/june-3-10-2009-idaho-man-fails-to-sell-%e2%80%9chand-of-god%e2%80%9d-rock-on-ebay\/"},"modified":"2009-08-24T11:17:06","modified_gmt":"2009-08-24T16:17:06","slug":"june-3-10-2009-idaho-man-fails-to-sell-%e2%80%9chand-of-god%e2%80%9d-rock-on-ebay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/june-3-10-2009-idaho-man-fails-to-sell-%e2%80%9chand-of-god%e2%80%9d-rock-on-ebay\/","title":{"rendered":"June 3-10, 2009 – Idaho man fails to sell \u201chand of God\u201d rock on eBay"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Contributed by Pastor Julie A. Kanarr<\/strong><\/em>
\nHoly Trinity Lutheran Church
\nPort Angeles, WA<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Warm-up Question:<\/strong><\/span> Where would you look for signs of God\u2019s presence?<\/p>\n

Paul Grayhek, a resident of Coeur d\u2019Alene, Idaho, decided that a giant rock he discovered in his backyard after a small landslide looked like the hand of God. Grayhek, age 52, had lost his previous job and was praying for a sense of direction in his life when discovered the rock on March 8, 2009. Grayhek determined that the rock\u2019s appearance and proximity to his house was a direct sign from God that he should follow his dream of becoming a counselor for troubled youth. \u201cI prayed between licking my wounds and looking for a job,\u201d he reported. \u201cWe rarely get rockfalls and this formation is twenty feet from my house. It\u2019s definitely a symbol of the hand of God in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grayhek recently put the rock formation on eBay, intending to auction it off and use the money to help pay for his education. His idea was that the massive nine foot by four foot \u201chand of God\u201d rock formation would actually remain in his yard, and that the buyer would be purchasing the \u201ccomplete and exclusive rights\u201d (including literary and movie rights) to the rock.<\/p>\n

Grayhek\u2019s rock formation did garner a lot of attention, and at one point, his eBay listing had over 5,000 \u201chits\u201d in an hour. Grayhek was pleased by all the publicity \u201chis hand of God\u201d rock received. He was interviewed by multiple radio and newspaper reporters from around the world and received over 800 e-mails. He attributed the interest in his \u201chand of God\u201d rock to a deep spiritual hunger in people\u2019s lives. \u201cThere were days when I didn\u2019t get a lot of sleep,\u201d Grayhek said. \u201cI answered 95 percent of all those messages. I think it touched a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grayhek\u2019s rock attracted a high bid of more than $16,800. But as all three of the top bidders backed out, Grayhek realized that he was being \u201cplayed.\u201d Grayhek noted that he wasn\u2019t very sophisticated when it comes to on-line auctions, and admitted that he had \u201cmuddled\u201d the auction. Still, he was unfazed.<\/p>\n

Although nobody actually ended up buying the rights to his rock, Grayhek did grant free permission for a picture of it to appear in a book that Harry Charon is writing. Charon\u2019s book will also feature a grilled cheese sandwich bearing a possible image of the Virgin Mary, a tree trunk that might have an imprint of Jesus, and a picture from the Hubble Space Telescope that some people believe shows an image of Christ. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it (the rock formation) would mean anything to me, but that\u2019s not the issue,\u201d explained Choron. \u201cThe issue is what it means to the person who discovered it. I think in general people just want to feel they\u2019re connected somehow, that miracles do occur, and it\u2019s something that supports their faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Grayhek, he has decided that the purpose of his rock was to help him spread the word of God. \u201cI\u2019m convinced now that\u2019s why the hand showed up in my backyard\u201d he explained. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just a symbol for me to strengthen my faith; I was supposed to share it.\u201d He still intends to finish his master\u2019s degree in social work and become a counselor for troubled youth, but hasn\u2019t yet figured out where he will get the $10,000 he needs to pay for his schooling next year. \u201cI have no idea,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just called faith and trust. I\u2019m surprisingly calm about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information and to see a picture of the rock, check out: www.2news.tv\/news\/43640977.html<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Discussion Questions<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n