Coincidence or God-incidence

God is truly Amazing!

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that this God who created the universe, planets, solar systems, stars, sun and moon is the same God that intricately created the smallest insect. It’s easy to forget that He cares about every weighing thought and burden we have. I admit that I don’t take it “All” to him at times because I believe that he may be “too busy” to tend the certain needs I may have… it’s really my Pride that gets in my way…

Last week God reminded me that he Providentially Places me in the right place at the right time. Last Friday I was on my way home from the base, talking to my wife on the phone when I looked to my left and realized I was passing her job at the Base Club. We have the convenience of working on the same base. So I frequently stop by just to say hello and to visit with her coworkers and boss, who have a very demanding job, and as a Chaplain I am constantly concerned about their Self-Care. My wife was out of town on a conference that week so I didn’t stop by at all. All of a sudden I get this pressing in on my spirit that I need to stop by and check on them. So I do… The set up began…

I walked into an Officer’s Lounge of the Club and it is filled with Pilots; highly unusual…

I walked into a “quasi memorial celebration” for a fellow pilot who was killed in his plane earlier that week.

These are my pilots, my ministry responsibility, I am their Chaplain… Needless to say I spent the next 2 hours there providing ministry to these men who really don’t show any emotions.

We talked, hugged, laughed, some cried, others prayed…

All in all I was the one who left there encouraged; I needed to connect and God placed me at the right place at the right time and used that situation to share with others, who may not have a “public faith” position, that HE cares about them…

Q: Has God ever placed you in a place or position where you know in your inner that he providentially placed you there?

And the Oscar goes to…

Last night the Oscars aired. I couldn’t watch it because I was traveling. But of course with Twitter, FaceBook and Airport Cable I was able to read the tickers and keep up with the winners. The one part I love about the Oscars is the acceptance speeches, some are good while others… well are not. I just watched some of the better ones and got to thinking… if I received an award for a life achievement who would I thank? Of course God, my mother, my wife, my family and my close friends --- but the more I began to think the more names and faces flushing my memory. So I made a list and began calling these people who I have not spoken to in years and thanked them for the role God had them play in my life.

So if you received a life achievement award who would you call and thank?

“Betting on God in Sin City” Mar 8, 2010

As I pen this, my second blog entry, I sit in a hotel room in “Sin City”. Yes, Las Vegas, the city where you can “do anything that you want and no one has to know." Where the night life is fast and the lights are bright. To be honest; I was a bit naïve concerning the things that I have seen while just walking in public or the conversations that I have overheard.

At the airport in Phoenix, I caught wind of a man talking about his gambling experience. He described how he was headed to a “VIP - Invite only” Poker Tournament. If he did well this tournament would get him a seat in the World Series Poker Tournament. He shared about his last time in Vegas. How he was doing well at his last tournament and then he got one “bad hand” after another which eventually led to him not making it to the next round. He then made this statement, “Poker is all about the hand that you are dealt and knowing what to do with it.” The same could be said for life. We all know that there are valley experiences in life, aka bad hands. Knowing how to play those hands can determine how well we finish.

One individual in the Bible who was dealt a bad hand was Joseph.

Joseph’s childhood was far from ideal. His mother died while he was young. He was despised by his brothers because he was his father’s favorite. His brother threw him in a pit, betrayed him and sold him into slavery. He was double-crossed in Potipher’s house and accused of sexual assault despite honoring Potipher and being a man of integrity. He was then falsely imprisoned and then forsaken by those he helped. If anyone had a reason to be bitter, resentful and angry it was Joseph. Instead what do we find? When the time came for his brothers to come bow before him begging for mercy Joseph says; "Do not be afraid, for I am in God's place? "And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. "So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them Genesis 50:19-21.

Through the midst of difficult times and many bad hands, Joseph entrusted himself to God. I wonder how we would play our hands if we just entrust ourselves to God and bet on him.

How does your faith in God affect how you see your life when circumstances are not ideal?