"I haven't listened to Bruce lately," I thought. Over the last two years I've mostly listened to KJIL and I couldn't remember the last time I pushed a disc in the slot.
I made my Bruce selection, the 1975-85 live collection, and took it upstairs to sit with my purse until the next morning.
The following morning I was up early. Our Satanta Indian boys basketball team was preparing for the State tourney. The excitement was interrupting my sleep at the time! After getting around, I sat down for some quiet time and a cup of coffee before work.
A Facebook post from December entered my mind. I had invited friends to the following: "The first five people who comment on this status with 'I'm in' will randomly receive a surprise from me at some point in 2015--anything from a book, a ticket, something homemade, a postcard, absolutely any surprise! There will be no warning and it will happen when the mood comes over me and I find something that I believe would suit you and make you happy."
One the friends who had "opted in" is also a Springsteen fan. I did a little searching for some Bruce merchandise hoping for a good deal on something autographed. Although I didn't find anything, I realized that this was the second time that this special performer had come up in my life in a short period of time.
For most people, this small coincidence wouldn't make them blink an eye. But it's different for me. Bruce, after all, has been used by God throughout my call to ministry to confirm important decisions or upcoming critical events. I was put on alert.
I shut my computer and went on to work.
At lunch I ended up with some strange plans. A couple of my youth group boys needed haircuts before the state tourney and I knew they wouldn't have time to get this done after school. I got permission to sign them out and ran them to the barber.
When we got out of the vehicle on Main Street in Garden City, guess who was being piped through the speakers on main street.
Yep. There was Bruce singing a song I have never heard on the radio before. In fact, I had to look it up. "Dust and Devils". As with much of his music, this one includes a Biblical thread. In fact, one line says, "Find the love that God wills and the faith that He commands."
I froze...pointing up.
The boys turned and looked at me.
"Bruce!" I said.
They looked at me with curiosity. "What are you talking about?"
"It's Bruce! Boys, I don't know what it is, but something important is happening today." Laughing, we went inside.
And when I got back to work, I sat with Megan and told her the story. As I told it, she had music playing on her computer quietly, as usual. On this day, it was country music. She had searched for a little known band that she enjoys on Pandora and the channel included lots of music from other little known country bands.
As we worked together, one of those bands started singing about Bruce. We both look up at each other. "What is that song? Who is the band?" I asked. Neither of us had heard of either before that moment.
Four times now.
After work I went home and completely changed my lesson for PS101 Youth Group that night. I needed to tell the kids my call story. When it was time to go, I grabbed the magazine and headed to the church. (If you know the story of my call, this makes sense. If not, that's a whole other blog.)
After sharing my story with the kids that night, I told them that I knew that day was a very important day in my life. However, I also told them that I did not yet know why. It was about 8:00 when we got back home that night.
The call came after 9:00 pm. "Gina, the United Methodist Church has an appointment for you." After talking to my UMC District Superintendent for a while, it was revealed that I was being called to the First United Methodist Church of Syracuse, Kansas.
There was no way I could say no. God had been preparing me for this call all day long.
Several days later, I would find out that Don (my Superintendent) had resigned himself to waiting until the next day to call me. It had been a long day...and it was late. He NEVER called anyone after 9:00. But he felt compelled to call that night only to hear me say on the other end, "I knew you were going to call!"
Just the weekend before, he thought he needed to call me and tell me that there would not be an appointment for me this year. In fact, he considered calling several times. When it was discerned by the Bishop and Cabinet that I should be appointed to Syracuse, he confessed to Todd and I that he was deeply humbled.
Todd, the kids, and I sat down and discussed the situation. Each one of them looked at me and said, "This is what you need to do." They are all excited...and yet scared.
How will we make this work? Where will the kids go to school? What about selling our house?
So many questions for those of us with little faith.
This past Friday, before our house ever went on the market, we agreed on a contract for its sale.
God is faithful!
We are excited for the adventure of serving Him in this way. And...we have confidence that God has all the details well under control.
One the friends who had "opted in" is also a Springsteen fan. I did a little searching for some Bruce merchandise hoping for a good deal on something autographed. Although I didn't find anything, I realized that this was the second time that this special performer had come up in my life in a short period of time.
For most people, this small coincidence wouldn't make them blink an eye. But it's different for me. Bruce, after all, has been used by God throughout my call to ministry to confirm important decisions or upcoming critical events. I was put on alert.
I shut my computer and went on to work.
At lunch I ended up with some strange plans. A couple of my youth group boys needed haircuts before the state tourney and I knew they wouldn't have time to get this done after school. I got permission to sign them out and ran them to the barber.
When we got out of the vehicle on Main Street in Garden City, guess who was being piped through the speakers on main street.
Yep. There was Bruce singing a song I have never heard on the radio before. In fact, I had to look it up. "Dust and Devils". As with much of his music, this one includes a Biblical thread. In fact, one line says, "Find the love that God wills and the faith that He commands."
I froze...pointing up.
The boys turned and looked at me.
"Bruce!" I said.
They looked at me with curiosity. "What are you talking about?"
"It's Bruce! Boys, I don't know what it is, but something important is happening today." Laughing, we went inside.
And when I got back to work, I sat with Megan and told her the story. As I told it, she had music playing on her computer quietly, as usual. On this day, it was country music. She had searched for a little known band that she enjoys on Pandora and the channel included lots of music from other little known country bands.
As we worked together, one of those bands started singing about Bruce. We both look up at each other. "What is that song? Who is the band?" I asked. Neither of us had heard of either before that moment.
Four times now.
After work I went home and completely changed my lesson for PS101 Youth Group that night. I needed to tell the kids my call story. When it was time to go, I grabbed the magazine and headed to the church. (If you know the story of my call, this makes sense. If not, that's a whole other blog.)
The call came after 9:00 pm. "Gina, the United Methodist Church has an appointment for you." After talking to my UMC District Superintendent for a while, it was revealed that I was being called to the First United Methodist Church of Syracuse, Kansas.
There was no way I could say no. God had been preparing me for this call all day long.
Several days later, I would find out that Don (my Superintendent) had resigned himself to waiting until the next day to call me. It had been a long day...and it was late. He NEVER called anyone after 9:00. But he felt compelled to call that night only to hear me say on the other end, "I knew you were going to call!"
Just the weekend before, he thought he needed to call me and tell me that there would not be an appointment for me this year. In fact, he considered calling several times. When it was discerned by the Bishop and Cabinet that I should be appointed to Syracuse, he confessed to Todd and I that he was deeply humbled.
Todd, the kids, and I sat down and discussed the situation. Each one of them looked at me and said, "This is what you need to do." They are all excited...and yet scared.
How will we make this work? Where will the kids go to school? What about selling our house?
So many questions for those of us with little faith.
This past Friday, before our house ever went on the market, we agreed on a contract for its sale.
God is faithful!
We are excited for the adventure of serving Him in this way. And...we have confidence that God has all the details well under control.
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