Category: Stories


  • A Serpent of Slaves

    A Serpent of Slaves

    Image by Silke from Pixabay

    It was March 21st, 1748, a day he would never forget.  The storm ravaged the ship, ripping the sails and splintering the wood on one side of the ship.  John was too exhausted to man the pumps which removed the water threatening to sink the ship, so he was tied to the helm and did his best to hold the ship to its course.

    Through the next 11 hours, John compared the devastation of his life to that of the ship.  He couldn’t speak without profanity, his heart was hard as he sold men and women for profit, he drank like the proverbial sailor that he was and his lust for women were all in stark contrast to the hopes his mother had for him.

    When he was a boy, John’s mother had prayed for him and taught him scripture, some of which he recalled during his time at the helm.  The book of Proverbs came to mind as he thought about the words which paralleled his life in his present circumstance, “When your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you…” Proverbs 1:27.  Although John had rejected his mother’s faith and was critical of anyone else’s faith, he wanted to live and could not help but see the connection between the Word and his life.  It was in those moments that his faith was born.

    At first, John could not believe he was worth saving.  The words from Proverbs were clear that God would laugh at him.  How could he live so far apart from God and still believe that God would save him?  Eventually John read the bible verse, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13

    Faith and change were slow for John.  He continued slave-trading but eventually changed his work, and sought to build up other’s faith.  He also married Mary, the daughter of the family that took him in when his mother died and his father was gone at sea.  It is said that at the end of his life John wrote their love “equaled all that the writers of romance have imagined.”1

    At age 39, John Newton began his life in ministry preaching what he once tried to destroy.  His mother’s prayers all those years before were finally being answered.

    John spent 43 years of his life preaching the Gospel.  During that time, he wrote 280 hymns, including “Amazing Grace”, was involved in abolishing the slave trade and ministered to people whether they were the poor, working class or wealthy.

    Although John felt he was beyond saving, it is abundantly clear he was not.  Perhaps you feel you are beyond saving, that you have sinned so much there is no way God could possibly love you enough to save you.  That would be no truer today that it was on March 21st, 1748.

    In his life, John Newton certainly would have read the following verses.  I share these with you as proof that God cares about you and wants you with Him in heaven when this life is over.  The world can be a dark place.  God, “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” 1 Timothy 2:4, has left His word as a light for us to follow:

    “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

    For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” Romans 10:13

    “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Luke 5:32

    We are on an epic journey through life.  When the time comes, there are only two ways this life will end.  Either we will go to heaven, or the other place.  Please take the time today, right now, to consider that Jesus Christ came to save each one of us.  It is not so difficult to believe that God came in the form of a Man who died on a cross 2000 years ago to pay the price for sin.  Jesus Christ came to repair our path to heaven that Adam damaged.

    I leave you with the words of John Newton, a former slave trader and vile man who was near the end of his life:

    “My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things:  That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a Great Savior.”  John Newton

    I too must confess that I am a great sinner and Jesus Christ is my Great Savior who delivered me from death to life.

    Story taken from:  https://www.bethelripon.com/life-stories/2020/4/18/john-newton-the-great-blasphemer-behind-amazing-grace

    1.  https://www.bethelripon.com/life-stories/2020/4/18/john-newton-the-great-blasphemer-behind-amazing-grace, paragraph 9.
    1. Library of Congress, The Creation of “Amazing Grace”
      1. https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200149085/#foot1
    2. “Amazing Grace” by Steve Turner

  • Jesus Commands Us to Go!

    Jesus Commands Us to Go!

    Image by Mario from Pixabay

    This man’s story is one I am not qualified to write.  Both he and his music bring me to tears.  I first learned about him through a woman who is no longer in my life.  Immediately, his music touched me and spoke to me.

    Everything is taken from two resources listed at the bottom.  If I have missed notating credit, please forgive me.

    Keith began writing and singing his own songs at the very young age of 6.  Sure, there was music in his blood through the influence of his parents and grandparents, but still, 6 years old?!

    He learned to play the guitar and piano at an even younger age.  The piano was his favorite instrument, but he became bored playing classical music, so Keith would memorize the classical pieces and pretended to read the sheet music during his lessons.

    At age 11, Keith signed his first recording contract, singing only his own material.  With photos in the Teen Magazines but only minor success with his music, Keith became disappointed.  By age 14, Keith “felt like a total failure”.1

    At age 14, most of us have barely thought about what we want to do when we grow up, but Keith was more than a decade into his musical career by that time, if you include his singing baby songs before the age of 2 when his mother realized he had perfect pitch.

    When Keith was 15, he ran away from home.  That day, he started a journal, keeping track of his musical life as well as spiritual truths.

    Like so many people, confusion and misunderstanding drove him to drugs and a broken life.  For anyone, once in that hellhole, it is very difficult to escape, but Keith did escape and at age 19 met, Melody.

    The two married a year later, both musicians and both seeking spiritual truth.

    By age 21, Keith found the Rock he had been looking for all those years.  That Rock is Jesus Christ.

    It took a while after accepting Christ, to really understand and believe that Jesus was and is the One True God.  When this point finally sank in, both Keith and Melody were baptized in the Pacific Ocean.2

    They immediately became involved in ministry on the beaches and boardwalks where they lived.3

    Still newlyweds, Keith and Melody opened their home for a pregnant woman in need.4 But it didn’t stop there.  This couple invited so many people into their home that they needed more space.

    Keith and Melody bought another home and rented even more to help house “the homeless, hippies, people fleeing cults, troubled youth, and more.”5 Their home affectionately became known as “The Greenhouse.”

    Keith’s musical career took off.  He went from “concerts of 20 or less, to stadiums of 12,000 people.”6

    Keith and Melody, often gave their time and resources, including albums, away for free.  At one point, the count of over 200,000 albums had been sent into prisons and the poor.7

    By age 28, Keith’s music was at the top of the charts.

    Keith and Melody had 3 children and a 4th on the way.  Hosting some friends, everyone decided to take a ride in the plane the ministry owned.  Melody didn’t want to go and stayed behind with their one-year-old daughter.

    The group hadn’t been gone long, when Melody got a call that the plane had gone down.  “Too much weight in the small plane prevented it from taking off properly.”8 There were no survivors.  Keith, along with his friends, the pilot and two of his own children perished.

    As I write this today, it has been more than 40 years since I first heard Keith’s music and determined faith.  Perhaps you have heard of him.  His name is Keith Green.

    Keith’s deliverance from drugs and his life beyond the path of darkness and the shadow of death are an amazing testament to the incredible and unbound power of Jesus Christ.

    There is so much more I can say.  If you are interested in reading more about Keith’s life, I would encourage you to visit the ministry Keith and Melody started many years ago.  It is called Last Days Ministries and can be found at LastDaysMinistries.org.

    I believe we are truly in the last days.  The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is so near.  Please take time today to discover who Jesus Christ is.  May you find a like faith as Keith Green.

    “The Lord says to us tonight, He gave us His Son, why won’t we give Him our life in return, all of it?  Why not?  He loves us.” Keith Green, final words in “Song for Josiah” lyrics.

    1. https://lastdaysministries.org/Groups/1000008700/Last_Days_Ministries/Keith_Green/Bio/Bio.aspx, paragraph 3.
    2. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/melody-green, Ministry Begins, first paragraph.
    3. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/melody-green, Ministry Begins, first paragraph.
    4. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/melody-green, Ministry Begins, first paragraph.
    5. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/melody-green, Ministry Begins, second paragraph.
    6. https://lastdaysministries.org/Groups/1000008700/Last_Days_Ministries/Keith_Green/Bio/Bio.aspx, paragraph 16.
    7. https://lastdaysministries.org/Groups/1000008700/Last_Days_Ministries/Keith_Green/Bio/Bio.aspx, paragraph 13.
    8. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/melody-green, The Tragedy, paragraph 8
    9. Information for this story was taken from the following two resources:
      1. LastDaysMinistries.org
      1. CompelledPodcast.com/episodes/melody-green

  • A Step of Faith

    A Step of Faith

    Image by Ilo from Pixabay

    He took a step of faith, but it didn’t work out so well.  Jesus was standing outside the boat and Peter asked to step out and meet Him there, on the water.  He left everything he knew and trusted, the comfort and security of friends and familiar surroundings and expectations for a taste of the unknown.  Peter went to stand with the Creator of the universe in a place mere mortals never dared!

    At first, it was a touch of heaven and majesty.  Peter walked on water!  What an amazing feeling it must have been to defy gravity and do the impossible.  The guys in the boat must have been jealous.

    It didn’t take long for fear to strike his heart, though.  Peter looked at his circumstances and remembered that people can’t walk on water!  Old knowledge and old emotions swept through him and replaced his faith with fear.

    It was the old knowledge of life without the power of God that caused Peter to remember his circumstances were impossible.  It was the old knowledge of past failures that drove Peter to doubt the living God standing before him.

    Isn’t that what paralyzes the rest of us and keeps us from doing great things for the Lord?  The fear of losing everything scares us into doubting He can and will save us.

    As Peter began to sink, the Lord lifted him up.  He asked, “Why did you doubt?”

    Are you in the middle of it?  Is there nothing but water as far as your eye can see?  Do you feel alone out there working to make a difference in other people’s lives?  Then remember, Jesus is not going to stay in the boat and yell to you, “Hey!  Are you alright?  Do you need a line?”  He will be in the water with you.

    Do you know why He will be with you?  It is because He dwells in the place of impossible.  As with everything else, He created it.  It is His nature.  With Him, all things are possible.

    Jesus Christ would not ask you to do something He has never done.  When He said, “I will be with you always,” there was never a “but” there.  He meant what He said, that there will never be a time when He leaves you.

    I am not sharing these words having never taken solemn steps of faith.  It is frightening to risk it all, but risk is the key.  It’s like moving out of your parent’s home.  You may struggle a little but eventually you get your feet on solid ground.

    I just have to say, thank you to Peter for his courage in trying.  He became to all of us an example of what a step of faith looks like.  It was also that step of faith that revealed the Lord would never let him sink.

    What great thing would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

    I can’t tell you what the Lord’s will is in your life, but I can tell you that He has prepared a place for you in Heaven.  Have you ever thought about Heaven and what it looks like?  The Bible says there are many mansions.  It also tells us the city and streets are made of pure gold, like clear glass.  The wall is made of jasper and every kind of precious stone.  There are 12 gates into the city and each of them are made of a single pearl.  It is a place of great wealth and abundance.  You will have a place to live and food to feast on.  And the best part?  None of it will cost you a dime!

    If God has spared no expense for your time in Heaven, then is it a small thing for Him to provide for you here on earth?  At what point in Jesus’ life did He charge anyone for what He gave?  In every example, Jesus Christ covered the cost completely.  He spent His life so that you could share in the wealth of His abundance.

    Are you living in yesterday?  Are you looking at yesterday’s results and expecting the same today?

    We all have failures as well as ups and downs, mountain peaks of certainty and valleys of doubt and fear.  It is what every Christian who seeks God for their needs and desires will face.  But it is our blessing to walk this path.  It is the path of walking on water with Jesus Christ.  It is being on the water with Him and watching Him work in our lives whether we are building a new home, looking for a new job or struggling with a serious health condition.  And it is a blessing.

    The world does not get to enjoy that deep intimacy of being with Jesus Christ on the water.  It is God’s children who will see Him working in their lives and recognize that it is Him moving.  We get to see His hand moving in our lives.

    It is hearing the songs that speak to our heart at the exact moment we need it.  It is hearing another share words that we need at the exact moment.  It is witnessing miracles, big and small, in our lives and knowing where those come from.  It is moments of deep intimacy with the Lord, knowing and feeling that He is right there with us, standing next to us, filling us with His presence and reminding us that this life is not forever and that one day we will be with Him and never suffer or need again.

    Behold, I will do a new thing,
    Now it shall spring forth;
    Shall you not know it?
    I will even make a road in the wilderness
    And rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19


  • Feed My Sheep

    Feed My Sheep

    Image by 12019 from Pixabay

    A friend asked her if she wanted to go to church.  Suzy could care less about church but went for her friend’s sake.  She had decided that afterwards she would get high.  Suzy was a drug addict and had been for many years.

    This visit to church was going to be different for Suzy.  She didn’t know it but Suzy was about to be moved by the world she could not see.

    During the message, Suzy was touched by the Holy Spirit.  She saw the barren path of life she had been walking in her drug abuse and all that came with it.  When Suzy realized that God was for her and not against her, she could not contain her faith.  In tears, Suzy ran to the front during the alter call.

    Suzy had her own place to live but rented an apartment with her friend so the two could be close.  Being in the lower end of town, the rooms were small and the appliances old.

    At her first Thanksgiving as a child of God, it was Suzy’s friend that suggested they make a Thanksgiving meal for their neighbors.  Suzy was petrified!  She could not cook and was afraid they would not be able to take care of a lot of people.  Her friend told her to relax.  They would make the dinner together and everything would be alright.

    Suzy and her friend began telling everyone about the Thanksgiving dinner that was being planned.  Many contributed to the dinner and soon their little apartment was filled with bags and bags of food.

    On the morning of Thanksgiving Day, Suzy and her friend got up early to get things started.  Opening the bags of food, they began sorting the groceries and making their preparations.  The two had not gotten far in their work when Suzy’s friend announced that she was going to see her son.  “Don’t worry,” she said, “I will be back in time to finish and serve the dinner.”

    Those words did not come true.  Suzy, a 26-year-old recovering drug addict with no ability to cook a big Thanksgiving meal for a family, let alone an entire building of people, was left alone with all the preparations for this ambitious endeavor.

    Suzy prayed.  She was overwhelmed and asked Jesus Christ for help.  He answered her prayer.

    Suzy began cooking.  Because of the volume of food, much of it was cooked in different apartments.  Suzy asked her neighbors if she could use their ovens and stoves to cook the Thanksgiving meal.  They consented and so Suzy ran from apartment to apartment, cooking the biggest meal she had ever made with barely the experience to pour a bowl of cereal.

    In her preparations, Suzy said that she even baked homemade bread.  Without knowing beforehand what to do, Suzy said the knowledge just came to her.

    Hours later, the food was ready and people were showing up in numbers far greater than Suzy or her friend had expected.  The line of people went out of the apartment and around the building.  She was terrified that there was not enough food.

    Suzy prayed again.  “Lord, there isn’t enough food for all of these people.”

    His response came back to her.  “There is enough.”

    Suzy opened her apartment and set up tables with the food.  The line of people came in her door.  After getting their food, the line squeezed out the same way.  Plate after plate of food was taken by the waiting crowd.  Suzy worked hard to keep the food filled.

    Somehow, Suzy made it through the meal.  When everyone had been fed, she was surprised to see that there were a lot of leftovers.  Like the miracles of feeding the multitudes in the Gospels, God took Suzy’s meal and multiplied it to meet the needs of the hungry.

    From that Thanksgiving meal, Suzy learned a valuable lesson.  She learned that people are hungry.  Suzy began buying groceries and taking them to impoverished neighborhoods.  Sometimes, Suzy had a truckload of food including cold foods like butter and even ice cream.   When Suzy married Mike, they both worked to get food to hungry people.

    Each time praying for guidance and protection, Suzy would enter different neighborhoods.  Each time, God directed Suzy’s path and connected her with a person in the neighborhood who would take the food and distribute it to their neighbors.  Even during the hot summer months, the food was distributed before the perishable foods spoiled.

    When Suzy connected with a person in the neighborhood, that person became her contact for that neighborhood.  For example, one day, Suzy had her children with her as she took a load of food to a new neighborhood.  She prayed for safety for herself and her children.  God led her to Sister Jean.

    Sister Jean was a Christian who ministered to her neighborhood with a friend.  These two women faithfully ministered the goods that Suzy brought.

    There are more stories, but more time would be needed to discover the work that God has done through one faithful woman.

    Do you believe that God speaks to you?  Suzy does.  God told Suzy that He was sending her to feed the multitudes.  She didn’t understand it at the time, but looking back on her life, Suzy realizes that indeed, God was feeding the multitudes through her, one car load or truck load of food at a time.

    Time and again God has spoken to Suzy and fulfilled His words.  Time after time, He has answered her prayers.  Is she special?  No more than you or I.  But she believes.

    Suzy believes in the God who created the Heavens and the earth and everything in them.  She understands there is life in the world that she cannot see.  And Suzy knows that one day, when the veil of this life is removed, she will see the God who saved her and has used her to do His will all these years.


  • I Say to You, Arise!

    I Say to You, Arise!

    Image by lmaresz from Pixabay

    There was no doubt about it.  He was dead.  Laying in the coffin, being carried by the pallbearers, his mother followed the procession.  A great many friends accompanied her as she mourned the death of her only son.

    Who knows when her husband had passed.  It didn’t matter.  Now she was alone with no family left, to live out her days in solitude even though her heart’s desire was for a family to share those days with.  And maybe one day have grandchildren or even great-grandchildren accompany her to the veil that closes this life and opens the next.

    But this journey she hoped for was only a dream, and now it was too late to recreate it.  Her dream was as dead as her son and husband, which only made her son’s passing more difficult.  He carried her hopes through the veil before her.  She would go to him, but he would not return to her.  Or so she thought.

    As this mother was going to lay her son to rest, a Man came up to her and the coffin bearing her son.  Touching the coffin, the Man stood there, a great multitude with Him and said to her, “Do not weep.”

    This Man was none other than Jesus Christ.  He saw the procession carrying her son’s body out of the city to bury him and in typical Jesus’ style, He felt compassion for this woman who had suffered the loss of her husband and son.

    As the pallbearers came to a halt, Jesus spoke to the dead man and said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”  The dead man sat up and began to speak, then Jesus gave him back to his mother.

    The Gospels are filled with stories of how Jesus Christ filled the hungry, healed the sick and raised the dead.  The apostle, John wrote, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” John 21:25 Clearly, Jesus Christ was busy while He was here on earth and His works clearly demonstrate His compassion for people.

    Why did Jesus Christ come to the earth in the form of a Man?  To save you and I and all the people of His creation.  The path to heaven was broken by the sin of Adam, the very first man who lived.  Jesus Christ came to repair that path to heaven.  And that path is restored.  All we must do is believe in Jesus Christ and what He has done.

    The apostle, Paul said, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” Romans 10:9-11

    Be not unbelieving but BELIEVE!

    Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

    Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us;” and, “God has visited His people.”  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.


  • Too Busy for Dinner?

    Too Busy for Dinner?

    Photo by Marcus Winkler

    There is a story in the Bible in the book of Luke that tells of a man who threw a great dinner party. This man was very generous and invited many people but when the day came for the party and everything was prepared, that is when the excuses started coming in.

    How many times have you thrown a party only to have people back out at the last minute? Well, this time the excuses were probably different than the ones you received. One guy said that he bought five yoke of oxen and asked to be excused so that he could test them. Another guy bought some land and wanted to go see it so he asked to be excused.

    One by one each person invited chose not to come to this man’s dinner party. As you can expect, the man was hurt and angry, so he told his employees to go out and tell every person good and bad about his dinner party, which they did and eventually filled the man’s house with guests.

    The story is an analogy, so what’s the point of the story? Each of us has been invited to dine with Jesus Christ when this life is over. That invitation has come to us in the form of simply believing that Jesus Christ came to the earth 2000 years ago and lived as a man, willingly offering up His life to pay the price for sin that we could never pay.

    My choice and yours is whether we believe Him or not. No one is going to force you to believe, but like those who asked to be excused from this man’s invitation to dinner, if you choose not to believe then your name will be removed from the guest list just as the others who were invited and chose not to come.

    When the final day comes, it will be natural for those who rejected Jesus Christ in this life to want to enter His house, because in hindsight they will see the truth of all that they have been told.  They will come to Him and ask to enter, but will not be allowed in.  If you threw a dinner party, would you let total strangers in to your house?  I don’t think so.

    The Book of Revelation says, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5 The Book of Life is the guest list for the Supper of the Lamb. It stands to reason that if a person’s name will not be blotted out from the list then there must be some whose names will be blotted out.

    Let’s drive this down a little deeper. Surely you can see that we aren’t just talking about some casual dinner party. We are discussing the final leg in our epic journey of life. It is that part of life that we will not see until this life is over. Only then will the next life become visible. There are testimonies of the next life that we can see if we are paying attention. Things like miracles are a witness that God exists and there is more to our lives than what we see.

    I don’t want to make this more complicated that it really is. The choice is simple. Do we believe in Jesus Christ or not? Do we believe that He came 2000 years ago, born in a stable in Bethlehem to a virgin named Mary, who lived a perfect life and was crucified on a cross to pay the price for sin that separates us from God and Heaven?

    Will your name be on the guest list? I pray you choose to believe.

    “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ” Luke 14:16-24


  • A Story Worth Telling

    A Story Worth Telling

    She was 16 when they married.  He was 22.  Laurel’s parents supported their marriage but it was difficult for them not having their daughter at home.  Looking back on her life, Laurel would say that getting married was one of her better decisions.

    Married life started out with the hope and promise of building a life and family together.  They wasted no time.  Not only did Laurel get married at 16 but she also got pregnant.

    Laurel’s husband, Richard, was often gone either working or in the Naval reserves.  With her family just a few miles away and her husband’s family a few blocks away, Laurel had a solid support system.  She remembers 1959 as a time when there were always friends and family around her.  Laurel’s sisters and brother were among her best friends.

    Laurel grew up in Downey, California where she met Richard.  When Laurel was 19 her father was killed while driving in the San Bernardino mountains.  It is easy to take mountain roads for granted and it is just as easy to forget how little visitors understand those mountain roads.  No one knows who went over the center yellow line but it was no contest between the truck and the little Triumph sports car that Laurel’s dad was in.  

    Laurel’s father was in the cabinet business along with his three other brothers.  The four of them had built three cabins in Crestline, Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear.  Laurel’s dad was on the way to a meeting with his brothers at their Lake Arrowhead cabin when the accident occurred.

    Laurel was too young to enter bars, but this is when the drinking started.

    After her father’s death, Laurel’s mom moved to the San Bernardino mountains where her husband had died.  She opened a sewing shop next to the Dime store in Blue Jay, CA.  Laurel, age 20, followed with Richard and their 3 babies.

    10 years into their marriage, Laurel and Richard were alcoholics.  Not only were they drinking heavily, they were also driving those same winding mountain roads that killed Laurel’s dad many years before.  Laurel said it was a miracle no one was hurt or killed.

    The drinking for Laurel and Richard had become a serious problem.  They just didn’t know it. When they were evicted for not paying their rent, they should have realized the depth of their problem.  But they didn’t.

    For more than a week they lived in their car by the lake.  It sounds like fun unless you have three kids and no place to live.  While the children remember it as a fun time at the lake, Laurel and Richard knew better.  Richard was able to get enough money for a hotel room off the hill.  He drove up the mountain every day to work and eventually they saved enough money to rent another home.

    Laurel and Richard had child number 4 but they continued drinking.  All four of Laurel and Richard’s children grew up making the same poor choices their parents did.

    It wasn’t until they became guardians of their granddaughter that they quit drinking.

    After 30 years of marriage, a life changing event was about to transform their lives.

    On their way home from a car show in Nevada, Laurel and Richard were arguing.  Laurel says it was an argument about nothing but she did not want to be with Richard and asked to be dropped off at Harvest church.  Laurel knew her kids would bring her home.  Richard was glad to get rid of her for a while.  Although she had never been to this church, the service intrigued Laurel.  It was not as stiff and formal as the church she remembered.

    When the Harvest crusade came, Laurel went with her kids.  The theme of the crusade was called Summer Harvest.  The first night of the crusade, Laurel came home happy.  That made Richard think Laurel was cheating on him, so he decided to go the next night.

    At the service the next night, Richard learned that Laurel wasn’t looking for another man.  Instead, he gave his life to Jesus Christ along with one of their daughters and her husband.

    Laurel resisted accepting this faith.  It took reading the bible and going to bible studies to understand that she could be born again; born of the Spirit, and have a personal relationship with the only Living God of the Universe.

    Once she accepted this knowledge, Laurel began to change.  As Laurel and Richard changed, so did their children.  Within a couple of months, each of their children gave their life to Christ.

    45 years into their marriage, Laurel’s husband, Richard was diagnosed with stage 4 Multiple Myeloma.  He was 67 years old.  Laurel had to quit working to take care of him.  The doctors said he only had 6 months to live.  God gave him 5 more years.  Laurel said those years were filled with bible studies every day and lots of time together.  Richard was the only man in her life and she loved him deeply.

    Life for Laurel and Richard encompassed 50 years.  They wanted to build a life and family together and that is what they did.  Though there were many poor and outright bad decisions, Laurel sees the hand of the God she now loves watching over her even when she didn’t know Him.  She sees that it was a living and loving God who protected them while they drove drunk on mountain roads.  It was that same God who provided for them when they didn’t have a place to stay.  And it was that same God who transformed their lives and the lives of their children.  It is still that same God who is transforming lives through the work of each of the children that the Lord gave to Laurel and her husband.

    Thirty years have passed since their transformation and more than 60 years since her marriage to Richard.  3 out of their 4 children serve in ministry.  Their oldest son is an associate pastor and has battled esophageal cancer.  Their two daughters each serve in ministry.  One of their daughters struggled with tumors and underwent surgery to remove them including one on her spine.  Because of the Covid Pandemic, her family could not be with her during surgery and recovery.  Their fourth child, a son, followed his dad’s footsteps into cabinetry and construction.  Each of them has a unique story.

    Do you want to know Laurel’s regrets?  We all have them.  She regrets more than 20 years of drinking.  She wishes she had been born again earlier in life.  Laurel also wishes that she had been a better mom.  Loving others more is another change she would make if she could.  Most of all, Laurel regrets not spending more time laughing with her husband, more time hugging and laying with him instead of worrying about cleaning, cooking, and fussing over dumb stuff.

    Laurel’s is a story worth telling because it is a story of an epic journey through life to eternity.  It is a story we all share.  The details may be different, but the struggle is the same.  It is the struggle of life lived out in good choices, bad choices, and the unknowns we all face.  Through it all is Jesus Christ witnessing of the life and wholeness He has to offer.

    This is Laurel’s story but your story is just as important.  You too are on an epic journey.  Jesus Christ is lighting the way for you.  Can you see Him?


  • Under These Circumstances

    Anne was born in 1866.  Her parents were Irish immigrants and settled near Boston.  When Anne was only 8 years old, her mother died.  Anne’s father felt that he couldn’t care for his children, so he sent his daughter and her younger brother to live at a poorhouse.  Three months after arriving, Anne’s brother died from the unsanitary conditions.

    Living with hundreds of other people forced Anne to focus on simply existing.  There was no learning or personal growth and no plans for a future.  Add to this that Anne had an eye disease which caused substantial vision loss meant Anne’s life could have been hopeless, but when she learned of schools for the blind, Anne asked to go to one and was granted permission.

    When Anne started school, she couldn’t read or write.  Her classmates were from wealthy families and didn’t struggle like Anne, but she worked hard and within two years caught up with her fellow students.

    Some people face adversity and thrive.  Others encounter that same hardship and struggle with defeat.  Anne came from a place of total loss.  She lost her mother, brother, home and a father who chose not to care for his children.  Working through the adversity was the only hope Anne had.

    Anne ultimately became valedictorian for her graduating class.  Not bad for a girl who struggled during some of her most important years.  We cannot minimize just how difficult those years were for Anne, but it was those years that were preparing Anne for her life’s work.  Because of the challenges she faced and eventually overcame she became a one-of-a-kind person.

    You see, Anne became the teacher for an uncontrollable, young blind girl named, Helen Keller.  It was Anne Sullivan’s determination, patience and creativity that helped her guide Helen into life.  And I will go so far as to say that there is no one else who could have done what Anne did.  It was the circumstances of Anne’s life that molded her into the person that Helen needed.

    We go about our lives with our eye’s laser-focused on ourselves and our daily routines and I fear we miss the true meaning of life.  Life is not about filling ourselves and building so much ease and comfort that we are not challenged.  We were meant to face difficulties because those struggles grow us, refine us, and make us useful in helping others.

    You were created to make a difference.  Although you may look like the people around you, there is no one like you.  You are unique just because of who you are and where you are.  There are moments of great need that only you can meet, although there is a good chance you will never know when you meet those needs.

    The person that you are is the one that God has spent time creating and shaping.  He didn’t make you so that you could look and act like someone else.  God created you to meet other people’s needs in His timing.  And I will let you in on a little secret.  Those needs of God that are so important to Him, are you and your needs.  Just as He made you to meet the needs of others, He created others to help meet your needs.

    You see, you and I are eternal beings.  And of all creations by God and Man, the only things that will last forever are you and I and the rest of our fellow eternal travelers.

    This one point is the reason it is so important for you to understand that Jesus Christ loves you and wants you to believe in Him.  It is believing that Jesus Christ came to the earth 2000 years ago as a baby in a manger, who died on a cross to save Mankind that will give you an eternal life filled with light, love, joy, peace, mercy, understanding and forgiveness.

    Believe in Jesus Christ and never forget that it is the circumstances of your life that fuels the story of your life.  And it is the story of your life that others will read and share when you are gone.

    The story of Anne Sullivan is from HistoryDaily.org.  https://historydaily.org/anne-sullivan-facts-stories-trivia

    https://www.perkins.org/anne-sullivan/


  • Her Friends Just Call Her Feather

    Photo by Robert Balog

    She was born in Troy, Ohio, in a farm town near Dayton.  Her father and namesake left when she was 6 months old.

    Alexis was named after her father, Alexander, who drove tanks over mines for a living.  When she was older, her mother marched Alexis up to a strange woman and said, “This is the woman your father left me for.”  Alexis would never know her father and would only remember him as a womanizer.

    As a result of her father leaving, Alexis lived with her mother and grandmother. With no means of support, her mother was forced to work in an era when most mothers stayed at home.  As it is, Alexis was raised by her grandmother while her mother left for the day to work.  Could this be the reason that mother never understood daughter?

    When asked about her earliest memory, Alexis said that it was a day her mother had come home for lunch.  When her mother was leaving to go back to work, she was looking for her office keys and couldn’t find them.  That’s because Alexis had hidden the keys in her little wooden with ceramic bowl, potty.  She did not want her mother to go back to work.

    Sunday mornings after mass, it was her responsibility to walk two blocks and pick up the Sunday paper.  She was probably 11 or 12 years old.  This chore took Alexis by the church where black people worshipped.  It always touched her as she passed their church because she could hear them praising Jesus Christ and worshipping Him so sincerely.  They sounded happy and joyful.  And she couldn’t help but compare that to her own solemn church.

    If you ask her now, Alexis would say that she is a recovering Catholic.  As a child, she went to Mass with her mother and grandmother every week, but by the 4th grade she had figured out that she could do one more sin before confession and it would be covered.  It didn’t take long to figure out that she did not want to follow the Catholic faith.

    When Alexis saw a picture of Jesus Christ with several children around Him, in her spirit, Alexis felt she was there with those other kids standing around Jesus.  Ever since, she has loved Jesus with all of her heart, soul, mind and strength.

    As Alexis got older, she dated a black man.  This caused her mother to put her in a mental institution.  These institutions were called “hospitals,” but they specialized in treating psychiatric patients.  If you didn’t fit in to what society understood, then you were sent to one of these “hospitals”.  Videos from the 1950’s promoting these “hospitals”, make them look more like a prison than a hospital.  Is it any wonder that she escaped?

    Alexis became a ward of the state and was sent to a girl’s industrial school.  Her path eventually brought her together with a group of souls where she found peace and acceptance.  History refers to groups like the one Alexis joined as hippies.  Even now, as she nears the final years of life, Alexis considers herself a hippie.

    As part of the group, Alexis found herself surrounded by birds and thoughts of birds.  It was a point in her life where she was focused on birds.  Perhaps it was because birds have a freedom that she longed for.  Since Alexis identified with birds, she decided to change her name to “Free Feather,” but her friends just call her Feather.

    As a young woman living on her own in Cleveland, Feather lived in an apartment on the ground level of the building.  One night a man snuck in to her apartment through the bathroom window.  He stabbed her seven times, then stabbed her again in the neck and began choking her.

    Subdued and motionless, Feather felt something wet and warm on her.  Looking up, she saw her attacker ejaculating on her.  She got up and tried to run but could not get away from him.

    When he chased her, Feather swung back and hit him with a force not her own.  She hit him so hard that he flew backwards across the room.  Taking the opportunity to escape, Feather dove through a plate glass window and landed on the ground in front of a mother and her young son as they were walking by.

    Bloodied and almost lifeless, Feather lay where she landed and heard the little boy said, “Look Mommie, she can’t breathe.”

    Feather was transported to the hospital where she underwent a surgery that lasted hours.  The doctor said that she should not have made it off the operating table.  Clearly, Jesus Christ had other plans.

    Having suffered so much by the hands of an unknown assailant, it wasn’t the knife of her aggressor that caused her life’s deepest wound.  Looking back over the years, Feather says her deepest wound was feeling abandoned by her mother.  There is no knife on earth that can wound a heart or soul more deeply than the words or actions of one so close to us.  My friends, life was not meant to be this way.

    Through it all, Feather has learned to be true to herself and never let anyone discourage her from being who she is.  She shares this advice with anyone who would listen.

    In time, life blossomed for Feather.  Her simple loves are reading, writing, cooking and Chinese food.  Feather says that she deeply loves people, but when it comes to her children, Feather confesses that she loves them more than anything in this world.  Feather, an only child, had 6 children of her own, although tragedy took one many years ago.

    I think Feather loves her children so deeply because she knows firsthand how precious a treasure, children really are and how important it is to pour out on them every ounce of love she can.  And she doesn’t hold back that love.

    Of course, nothing compares to her love for Jesus.  Feather adamantly says that Jesus Christ is love and love is Jesus Christ.  In fact, Feather believes that love is the greatest force on the planet and I would agree with her.  She would tell you that life is framed by the two greatest commandments.  They are:

    • “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and
    • “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27

    It is a beautiful thing to see a life grow from adversity to a being of love.  She is one who is driven by a force so great yet so gentle as the purest form of love that Jesus Christ pours out on His children.

    Out of the wounds of her life, God has created a unique and beautiful soul that shines in the darkness for all to see.  If you meet her, you will not soon forget her.  And this light that has been forged by the only living God, will shine brightly forever and ever.


  • It Was Always You

    It Was Always You

    She was born on January 7th, 2020, but her story starts many years before.  At 7 weeks premature, she weighed only 3 ½ pounds.  A month in the NICU would decide her fate; where she would live and who she would call mom and dad.  This little lady was a miracle and didn’t even know it.

    Each human life is an amazing miracle and deserves every letter of accolade and recognition, but this is not the miracle of her life that I am talking about.  She was a miracle because she was a gift to two people who realized they did not have the means to raise and care for her the way she deserved.  Her parents decided to give her up for adoption.  Her adoption and how it came together is the miracle.

    You might say that love would keep this new family together and that they could make it through life somehow.  Often, I would agree, but there are times when the chips of life are stacked against you in such a way that you know in your heart the best chance for that precious life is to give her up for adoption.

    Make no mistake.  Any decision to give your child up for adoption is an assault to the natural order of your heart.  It is a heart-wrenching decision that carries a crushing weight of pain that can’t be minimized.  Creation of a human being inside you is a God thing.  It is a taste of His power that He has given to women.  No mere mortal man will ever know what it is like to be so intimately joined to another being.  My heart goes out to anyone who has had to surrender their precious baby for any reason.

    On January 6th, Kelly, a mother of two, was praying and listening to worship music.  Her oldest would be 18 in a month and her youngest 14, two months later.  Much was on her heart this day as she contemplated the past year.

    As a young girl, Kelly wanted a big family and imagined having several children.  When marriage came, two children seemed to be the magic number for this young couple.  As the years passed, Kelly’s desire for more children grew.  Not because she didn’t love her two children, but because she did love them.  Kelly has a well-spring of love for children in her that would drown most of us.  Each of her children would grow up knowing that their mother loved them completely and unconditionally.  Both children were secure in their relationship with their mom.

    As Kelly’s desire for another child grew, so did the frequency of discussion for another child with her husband.  Growing up as a single child, her husband, Jonathan, was content with their two children and did not want to start over.  When Kelly approached the topic, it usually ended in tears and hard feelings.  As their kids aged though, Jonathan began to want another child as well.  Having had a vasectomy after their second child posed a problem for having a third child together.  When their son, Caleb, was 14 and their daughter, Kylee, was 10, Kelly and Jonathan sought medical help and reversed his vasectomy.

    It became apparent the following year, that the reversal had not worked.

    I have found that there is a timing for certain seasons of our lives.  Our heart and mind often need time to grow and meet together in that secret place inside each of us.  Sometimes we need a little nudge to bridge the gap.  A little nudge is just what Kelly received.

    In August 2018, Caleb, who played the drums for their church band, came home one day after he had been spending time with the church band leader and his wife, who had a new baby.  He told his mother that he had been able to hold their new baby.  Caleb then asked his mother if she had ever considered adopting a child.

    Once, many years before, the idea of adopting a child had been suggested.  Kelly dismissed the idea.  Her dream and the desire of her heart was to have another child with her husband.

    When Caleb posed this question to his mother, he had no way of knowing that at church that morning, the Lord had spoken to his mother.  Kelly heard clearly, “You need to be open to adoption.”  These were words of thought that came from no will or intention of her own.  In her heart, she was surprised and thought, “What?  No!”  Her first instinct was that she didn’t want to adopt.  Her second thought was, did I really just hear that?  She heard the words again and thoughtfully considered them.

    Kelly said nothing to her son about her experience that morning.  Nor did she say anything about it for the next two weeks.  Her husband had been away and they had not had a chance to talk much while he was gone.  When he returned, they had an opportunity to catch up.  In their conversation, Jonathan told Kelly that he had been working with someone who was adopting two little girls with his wife.  He suggested that maybe they could adopt a child.  To his surprise, Kelly burst into tears.

    Thinking he had said something wrong, Jonathan asked if she was ok.  Kelly told Jonathan how the Lord had spoken to her at church.  She also shared the question Caleb had asked her about adopting a child, and now he was asking the same thing.  The topic of adoption had never been seriously discussed and now within two weeks there were three people telling Kelly to consider adoption.

    Old desires were replaced with hope and a new desire to adopt a child that needed them.  Six months later, Kelly and Jonathan had finished all their paperwork and home visits, and were finally certified to adopt a child.  With one catch.  They could not approach any pregnant woman to say they would be willing to adopt her unborn child.  Instead, they would have to spread the word through family, friends, church, social media and any other resources available to let the world at large know their intentions.

    Kelly and Jonathan made booklets of their family which contained photos and family bios.  This was an expensive undertaking but allowed them to share who they were and why they wanted to adopt a child.  These were distributed to organizations like Idaho Youth Ranch and others who worked with pregnant mothers.  They felt confident that God would bring a child into their home to become part of their family.  With an unexpected gift of a crib and changing table, it looked like the Lord was confirming their decision to adopt.

    As they waited for a call to adopt a child, what seemed so sure in the beginning began to fade.  Kelly began to wonder if the Lord had really spoken to her.  Several months passed and no child came.  Kelly struggled with discouragement.  If adoption was from the Lord, wouldn’t a door have opened by now?  She had wanted another child for so long and now that she was getting older, she was beginning to wonder if she could physically hold up to the rigors of raising a child.  How long do you hold on to a dream you have had since childhood?

    Eventually, the discouragement passed and acceptance began to settle in Kelly’s heart.  Ironically, what had been a dream that Kelly carried alone, now became important to Jonathan.  He had increasingly been burdened with the desire to help children who needed it.  By Christmas, 2019, Jonathan was overwhelmed with yearning to help a child in need.  If adoption was not possible, perhaps fostering children was.  After sharing his feelings with Kelly, the two decided to look into being foster parents.

    Between Christmas and New Year’s, Kelly began praying about who could use the crib and changing table they had been given.  The crib and changing table had been wrapped up neatly for almost a year, waiting for the day a baby came home.  Since it looked like that was not happening, Kelly realized those things should be given to someone who could use them.

    On January 6th 2020, as Kelly was worshiping, she was considering the transformation of her dream from having a baby, to adopting a baby and now the idea of fostering older children.  She had surrendered her heart’s desire for another baby and was at peace, but still had the crib and changing table to give away.  In her prayer, she asked the Lord for direction and what she should do about fostering a child.

    Bare moments later, the Matthew West song “Do Something” came on.  If you have never heard the song, the central character is complaining to God about all of the wrongs that he sees; “people living in poverty, children sold into slavery and wondering when there will be an end to all this pain.”  He asks God, “Why don’t You do something?”

    God’s response is, “I did.  I created you.”

    The timing of the song was perfect and brought Kelly to tears and with it, the knowledge that she was on the right path.  That evening, Kelly spoke with her dad and told him the ship had sailed on the idea of adoption.  She said she was ready to move on and that they were looking into fostering children. She and Jonathan had an appointment on January 8th, 2020, to take the next step in becoming foster parents.

    The evening of January 7th, Kelly received a text telling her there was a baby girl in need of a home and asking if she and Jonathan were still interested in adopting a child.  The emotional rollercoaster began immediately.

    At first, Kelly was unsure.  She had already decided the idea of adoption was behind her.  Now she had to consider it again.  Kelly and Jonathan’s first steps into the life of this baby girl were cautious.  As they learned more, they grew closer to this tiny life.

    From the start, everything seemed to be moving forward, but problems arose because this tiny being was now a ward of the State with a shelter order in place.  Since Kelly and Jonathan were certified for private adoption only, they would not be able to adopt her.  The only other avenue to adopt was to be certified foster parents, which they were not.  To become foster parents would take 6-8 weeks, but by that time, this little baby would be sent to an existing foster home.  Just when they had accepted the idea of a new addition to their home, they were told the adoption would not be possible.  It was a confusing blow.

    Three grueling weeks passed.  Each day was an emotional ride.  One day was up when they were being told the adoption would happen.  The next day was down when they were told it could not happen.  Every day they were talking with either the hospital staff, social workers or attorneys.  In all this time, Kelly was not allowed to see this little girl because of the shelter order placed by the State. 

    Kelly and Jonathan were finally told there was no way to adopt outside of the state system.  This had never happened in the state system before and there were no protocols to follow to allow this adoption to take place.  Kelly and Jonathan were told that a foster family was ready to receive this new life.

    Kelly had grown to love this baby girl even though she had not been allowed to see or hold her.  Her fears were that she would go to a foster family only to be lost in the system.  It was incomprehensible that they were so close only to be told no.  It was unfortunate, but the State’s primary concern was for the welfare and safety of the child and they would have to follow the State’s rules.

    Kelly and Jonathan spoke with their attorney, who in turn spoke with the state attorney general who stepped in to help.  The attorney general had already heard about this family who wanted to adopt a premature baby.  Working with the courts and both sets of parents, the attorney general accomplished something that had never been done.

    The attorney general facilitated an emergency court meeting to drop the shelter order that made this infant child a ward of the state.  This allowed Kelly and Jonathan to become legal guardians.  On January 30th, 2020, Kelly’s dream came true and she was allowed to hold that dream in the form of a premature and fragile little girl.

    By January 31st, Kelly’s bags were packed and she spent the next two days in the NICU with her new daughter, learning her care program and discovering who this little person was.  Although the shelter order would not be officially lifted until court on Monday, hospital social workers communicated with state social workers to allow Kelly the time she needed to prepare her for the baby’s discharge by the coming Monday.   It wasn’t until the evening of February 2nd, that Jonathan was able to meet her.

    On the evening of Monday, February 3rd, after the emergency court meeting and two more court hearings in one very long day, Kelly and Jonathan brought their new baby girl home.

    When it became clear that Kelly and Jonathan would become the new parents, the baby’s name started being discussed.  The birth-mother had named her, Raven.  Kelly wanted to be sensitive to Raven’s mother and her choice of a name, but was hoping for something that reflected the gift that this little girl truly was.

    Jonathan came up with the name Raylynn Kelly in place of Raven.  He thought Raylynn sounded like, Raven.  Also, Lynn was the middle name of both mothers.  The two women were a Kelly Lynn and a Lynn Kelly.  Each spelled their middle name the same.  Kelly liked the name Hope for a middle name because she saw so much hope.  There was hope for Raven’s parents to manage their struggles, hope for Raven to be given a life that her parents desired for her and hope for Kelly and Jonathan to love another child.

    The two mothers discussed Raven’s name.  The birth-mother liked the new name, Raylynn Hope.  When the birth- father learned of Raylynn’s new name, he said that Raylynn was his oldest daughter and his sister’s middle name.  The coincidence was amazing, but Kelly realized that it was more than coincidence.  It was the signature of Jesus Christ revealing that He was in complete control of each life represented.

    One last event sealed the gift of this miracle.

    The attorney fees were climbing for Kelly and Jonathan.  They would handle the expense but it was a burden that would make life more difficult.  Over two years before, Kelly’s blood-father passed away leaving money to his two daughters and widowed wife.  The estate should have been settled over a year and a half earlier, but problems prevented it from being resolved.  As Kelly and Jonathan brought home their new daughter, Kelly’s late-father’s estate settled and provided them all of the money to pay off their attorney fees.

    The timing of the adoption, care for all parties involved and all expenses were taken care of completely.  If you look at the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will find the life of Jesus Christ and in every circumstance, Jesus took care of everyone and covered all of the expenses.  Some examples are; feeding the 5000 (Luke 9:10-18 NIV), feeding the 4000 (Mark 8:1-9 NASB) and Peter and the two-drachma tax (Matthew 17:24-27 NASB).

    As Kelly’s heart turned towards the heart of this tiny life, love welled up and threatened to overcome her.  In her own words, Kelly could not imagine loving so much.

    Several months passed before the adoption was complete.  On the day of the last court hearing, Kelly and Jonathan’s attorney told them that if Raylynn had been delivered at her due date, Kelly and Jonathan would never have been able to adopt her.  The courts had been closed due to COVID-19.  Raylynn would have gone into the foster care system. It was truly a miracle divine.

    From the beginning of a heart’s desire to its fulfillment could be many years.  We see through a mirror dimly, but God sees clearly around every corner and crevice of time.  Kelly’s journey taught her that God sees every heart and He hears every prayer.  She has learned that some dreams are worth waiting for.  Now, when she looks at her daughter and remembers her heart’s desire, she can say, it was always you.

    Have you ever had a miracle in your life?  Would you describe it as an event or circumstance that was so extraordinary it was almost impossible to believe?  There are times that we seem to be led to a dead-end of our reasoning only to discover there was an answer or solution hiding in the darkness of our understanding.  It was an answer so preposterous that nothing would allow us to believe it could actually happen.  When the impossible does happen, what do you do?  Who gets the credit?  Do you write it off as coincidence or do you look for the source of the miracle?  A miracle is divine in origin and should be proof of the existence of God.  If you doubt that, then how many coincidences does it take before it is a miracle?