A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble, and their parents knew that if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved.
The boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town was successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed but asked to see them individually. The mother sent her 8-year-old first in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.
The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?"
The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there wide-eyed. The clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God?!" Again, the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more, shook his finger in the boy's face, and bellowed, "Where is God?"
The boy screamed, bolted from the room, ran directly home, and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"
The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in big trouble this time. God is missing—and they think we did it!"