This is a true story of something that happened just a few years ago
     at USC.  There was a professor of philosophy there who was a
     deeply committed atheist.  His primary goal for one required class
     was  to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn't
     exist. His
     students were always afraid to argue with him because of his
     impeccable logic.  For twenty years, he had taught this class and no
     one had ever had
     the courage to go against him.  Sure, some had argued in class at
     times, but no one had ever 'really gone against him' (you'll see
    what   I mean later).

     Nobody would go against him because he had a reputation.  At the
     end of every semester, on the last day, he would say to his class of
     300 students, "If there anyone here who still believes in Jesus,
    stand  up!"

     In twenty years, no one had ever stood up.  They knew what he was
     going to do next.  He would say, "because anyone who does believe in
     God is   a fool.  If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk from
    hitting the ground and breaking.  Such a simple task to prove that
        he     is God, and yet he can't do it."  And every year, he would drop the
     chalk onto the tile   floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred pieces.
     All of   the students could do nothing but stop and stare.
     Most of the students were convinced that God couldn't exist.
     Certainly, a number of Christians had slipped through, but for 20
     years, they had been too afraid to stand up.

     Well, a few years ago, there was a freshman who happened to
     get enrolled in the class.  He was a Christian, and had heard the
     stories about this professor.  He had to take the class because it
        was    one of
     the  required classes for his major. and he was afraid.  But for 3 months
     that  semester, he prayed every morning that he would have the courage to
    stand up no matter what the professor said or what the class thought.
     Nothing they said or did could ever shatter his faith, he hoped.
 

     Finally the day came.  The professor said, "If there is anyone here
     who still believes in God, stand up!"  The professor and the class
     of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of
     the classroom.  The professor shouted, "You FOOL!!  If God existed,
    he  could keep this piece of  chalk from breaking when it hit the
    ground!"

     He  proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his
     fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleats of his pants, down his leg, and
    off his shoe.  As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away, unbroken.
   The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk.  He looked up
    at the young man and then ran out of the lecture hall.

     The young man who had stood up proceeded to walk to the front
     of the room and share his faith in Jesus for the next half hour.
    300  students stayed and  listened as he told of God's love for themand
        of  his power through Jesus.

     "Yet to all who received HIM, to those who believed in HIS name, HE
     gave the right to become children of God--children born not of
     natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born
     of GOD."

     "But HE knows the way that I take.  When HE has tested me, I  will
     come forth as gold."     Job 23:10