Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Identifing as Christian, but not

Most people just do not want to get involved.

It is kind of been said already, but let me just rephrase it a bit.

Look, from my reading of this incident, you've got a perfect example of how the Holy Spirit works. Somebody needs help and one person in just the right frame of mind, sees things in a slightly different way and comes to help. There's just enough there to let you know Somebody's watching-- nothing more or less.

One of my favorite anecdotes was from a fellow I met while I was going through the class that prepared me for joining the Methodist Church. He was a businessman from back East that had recently moved to Cincinnati. He said that he'd been standing on a train platform waiting for his morning train and spied a small child alone. Even though he was going to be late for work, something caused him to hang back and let the train leave without him. He and the child were the only ones left on the platform.

He went over to the child, a young boy about 5, and asked him what was going on. The boy said he'd wandered away from his parents and gotten lost and missed the train. This guy offered to sit with the kid until his parents showed up.

"Are you Jesus?" asked the child.

In that instant, the man realized that for that moment he was. That was what had brought him into the church.


I have been very busy the past few weeks at work. I have not had a chance to write this all down. However, I had a rather amazing meeting with the Holy Spirit a week or so ago. I was driving to work in my Dad's Caddy. I've been driving it frequently to keep it in running shape since he died. It's a minty 2004 Coup de Ville. At the last light before turning into work, I pulled up to a stale red light in the curb lane. Just as I was coming to a stop, the light changed. I was just behind a white SUV, in his blind spot. I put my foot on the gas just as the SUV's driver decided to change lanes and went into me. There was a utility pole right in front of me, so I could not swerve. I slammed on my brakes and took the hit. My left front quarter panel met his right rear and gave me a good thumping. We both pulled off into the nearby office park.

The driver of the SUV got out. He reminded me of Tony Martinez, the guy that Pepito on The Real McCoys. He was so worked up he was doing a little hate-dance. I reached for my LCR. He came running up to my driver's window and started yelling. Finally something intelligible came out that sounded like "Are you all right?" His English was not very good, I still expected trouble.

I signalled I was okay and started getting out. I'm big and the Caddy sits low to the ground. It takes me a while to unwind. By then, the passenger of the SUV was out. It was probably his son, about 12. My guess was they were running late getting to school.

I examined my car. There was nothing but a white stripe of paint along the wheel well to show where we'd hit. That had been a really good thump. I was mightily surprised. The other driver was still really agitated, but it was becoming clear he was not making trouble.

"I am a painter." he said. "I fix. I fix." He ran to the SUV and brought out a spray bottle of Resolve and terry rag. With a few swipes, he had the Caddy looking as good as new. That's when I realized a miracle had happened. Our eyes met.

"I think the Good Lord meant for us to meet this morning," I said. You could see the look of realization hit his face too. One good Christian to another, we hugged vigorously and then parted. It was electric. He made a gesture pointing towards heaven. My guess was he was thanking God. I went on to work still feeling like God had rung my bells.

You are probably right. It is hard not to be angry at these people and this situation, especially after three days of hell in my house. And frankly I am very far from being what some outsiders would call a fine example of a Christian. I am by my own nature someone who is quick tempered and occasionally violent. That is a beast I struggle to control. Right now that beast is pulling on its chain pretty hard.

And she did have her cell phone, in her purse inside the car where she couldn't get to it. Since her injury in 2007 she has lost a good bit of her use of her shoulders. She fell deep into depression and was diagnosed with bipolar 2. She has put on a good bit of weight, now at 210 pounds. Crawling she cannot do.

Thank you for your honest answer.
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Hey, you and she both have it rough right now. This too shall pass and sure hope things go better for her and you, soon.

Another near miss story concerning my elderly Aunt, country girl but in failing heath, hard headed. Uncle told her time and again to the point of anger to not go outside by herself without her cell phone, they live rural. He left to go to town to get something, remembered he'd forgotten his wallet, turned around and went back to get it. When he turned in to his driveway he saw her arms up in the air, she had fallen in a little swale drainage and on top of two red ant nests. She's been there for ~ 10 minutes and was covered in ants. She stayed in the hospital fighting off infection and death for 4 weeks. Right now, there ain't a man here that could take her phone away from her, no way.
Lessons learned the hard way and none of us gets too old for that.