Strange Start to My Day...

Okay... so, I'm getting ready to walk into Starbucks this morning - where I spend quite alot of time, although I don't drink coffee - and I'm holding a Ted Dekker book ("Chaos", to be exact) in my hand. There are these two guys sitting at a table outside, and one of 'em says to me, "Hey, young man! What are you reading?" So, I told him... and he said, "I like Dekker! Come sit down... I'm about to make you a very wealthy man!" So, of course, I sat down.

(First of all, I just turned 40... so "young man" will definitely get my attention. On top of that, he said something about money...)

Then, the show started.

He told me his name is Jeff Fisher, and that he's one of the "deliverers" of Obadiah 21 (although he made it very clear that the KJV renders the word, "saviors"). He told me that he was "one of the 5 children blessed by MLK." He said that he is friends with Al Sharpton (uh-oh), Jesse Jackson... and Al Gore. He gave me a bunch of "key words" to Google, so I could read some articles either about him or written by him (articles are definitely online) - as well as some "contacts" with whom I should speak to get in the loop about "World Peace."

At the end of this... conversation... he grabbed my hand, made some invisible symbol-like markings on the back of my hand, and then "pronounced a blessing over me" by saying the Lord's Prayer. That was cool.

Except for the part where he messed up: "... and deliver him not from evil..."

Uh-oh... this might be the start of a very bad day. :-)

Burning Bushes and the Voice of God

There was nothing about Moses' life that one could consider normal. He grew up in an Egyptian palace... left that behind and went out into the desert, where he just happened to hook up with a man who gave him a place to stay and a wife (sweet!)... and now, he's seeing things: a bush burning in the desert (maybe not so unusual), but not burning up (now, that's unusual). So, he said, "I need to get a closer look at this bush!" And, if he thought his life was unusual up to that point, he was now in for the ride of his life!

Who would think that a simple bush could change the trajectory of a person's life? It's amazing, the places that God shows up! And He knows exactly what will get our attention. The bush, and the fact that it was on fire, didnt't jar Moses' attention... it was the fact that the bush wasn't burning up. And when God got his attention (VERY important), He spoke. I think there are many "strange occurances" that happen in our lives... we ponder them, and then talk about the "thing" that happened to us... we get upset or frown because of a flat tire, rowdy kids, misplaced keys, late spouse, traffic jam, whatever...

Could it be that God is trying to get our attention?

When I think about it this way, I wonder how many opportunities I've missed to hear God speak. I wonder how many times I've been so pressed to get to where I wanted to go, that I've missed getting God's direction as to where He wanted me. Sometimes... God shows up in the strangest of places.

The next time you have a strange, "burning bush" experience... stop and take a look... you might be surprised as to what you find... or hear. ;-)

Strange Occurances

This guy looks strange to me...

And so does this guy...

and, strangely, they have an odd resemblance.