Monday, February 3, 2014

"Father, I know that all my life Is portioned out for me, And the changes that are sure to come I do not fear to see; I ask Thee for a present mind, Intent on pleasing Thee." taken from a hymn written by Anna L. Waring, 1850

Welcome back to a brand new work week and a brand new month. It's Monday, February 3, 2014, and I bid you a Texas sized howdy and welcome. Using quotes by recognized people in my titles and in the body of my blogs does increase the number of visits, depending on the person. It took me a while to figure that out. I never began doing it for that reason but if someone is looking for a quote by a certain person and they end up landing on my blog and in the process they hear about God and His grace, well, I consider that to be a good thing. I've had nearly 400 visits to one I wrote back in November of last year. That one has this as its title: “Wherever you are, be all there.” - Jim Elliott, missionary martyr. Based on my understanding of Bro. Elliott's testimony, he is a man worth quoting. I also remember hearing his widow, Elizabeth Elliott, doing her inspirational radio program and I listened to her off and on for years. Sometimes you can't figure out why one particular blog has so many hits. I did one last September that generated even more visits. My guess is that it must be the Garfield graphic I used and maybe that's what generated that many searches.

I mention this because we never know how God might use something to get someone's attention. I've used this little story before but it is worth repeating. I remember the testimony of a Russian engineer who was working in Iraq during the Saddam Hussein reign on an underground project. One of the workers on that project had scribbled on the side of the tunnel the iconic John 3:16. The engineer finished his work and returned to Russia but that verse kept swirling around in his head. He asked someone about it and they said they thought it came from the Bible. He visited a library and looked up the verse. His heart was struck with conviction and he ended up giving his heart to Jesus. We don't know what a word, deed, or seemingly insignificant action might do as God works to accomplish His purpose. Pretty exciting stuff, if you ask me. You didn't ask? Still exciting. To me. Anyway.

I read another little ditty about an older man visiting the grocery store in bitterly cold weather. They had found a spot but he noticed one coming open nearly at the front of the store. Not wanting to walk so far in the cold, he redirected their car and when he got out, a man just happened to be passing by who stopped long enough to comment on his license plate. He was from that same area and they continued to visit as they went into the store. As it ended up, the man changing parking spots was able to witness to the fellow who stopped to ask about his license plate, and he gave him a pocket New Testament that the man promised to read. As they parted company, the man who did the witnessing had these thoughts: "I was awed with the timing of our meeting. If we had parked in the first available spot nothing else that followed would have taken place. Further had there been delays on the road or any other change whatsoever, this bit of our lives intersecting each other would not have taken place. It is strange but perhaps every meeting new or old is a divine appointment. Had I viewed previous ‘chance meetings’ in such a way what interesting memories might I have had." Now that is a plateful of food for thought if I ever saw one. Take care and may God bless each one. Amen. ...More later.

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