Strange coincidence or Ordered steps?

[pastorables]

An interesting thing took place today. A couple came through our store and brought up a minister, Bill Clark, that I hadn't seen in many years. I shared with them how that years ago he unexpectedly called me out (tag team preaching) in one of his Revival services to complete his sermon, etc. It was a wonderful memory.

After we closed today, we drove around 20 miles in the opposite direction to eat at a restaurant that we only get to visit maybe once every two months. Guess what? As we are being seated, I notice an extremely familiar face. It turns out to be none other than Bill Clark. Strange? It gets better. He invites me to sit down with his table, and he begins to rehearse the exact same account that I had shared earlier in the day about the tag team preaching. Wild.

Before today, I hadn't seen Bill Clark in many years. I don't know what to make of it.

Why do these kind of strange life events take place?

Edit* - I just looked at the business card that Brother Clark gave me and he was at least 40 miles from his hometown as well.

pa

[Gerald Creasy]

Even Stranger.

During a lull in the conversation on our 9 hour trip from FLA to TN Wednesday, Scooter began to hum the opening rift from Seals & Crofts
Summer Breeze from 1972.

Immediately he turned the radio on and punched Seek.

Wanna guess what the first song it landed on was?

10 miles outta Chattsworth and he's pulling in 37 year old songs out of the ether.


I think it's a SIGN. The Next Seals & Crofts Album I see at a yard sale I'm gonna get it and run the Bible Code on the Lyrics.

[Ilovebigcats]

Even Stranger.

During a lull in the conversation on our 9 hour trip from FLA to TN Wednesday, Scooter began to hum the opening rift from Seals & Crofts
Summer Breeze from 1972.

Immediately he turned the radio on and punched Seek.

Wanna guess what the first song it landed on was?

10 miles outta Chattsworth and he's pulling in 37 year old songs out of the ether.


I think it's a SIGN. The Next Seals & Crofts Album I see at a yard sale I'm gonna get it and run the Bible Code on the Lyrics.

#1 I LOVE that song!
#2 You CRACK me up!

[Tracy]

There's no such thing as chance or coincidence. That I am absolutely sure of.

Gerald, you are so funny.

[Full Quiver]

Ecclesiast. 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

[Tracy]

Ecclesiast. 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

From my research I have learned that evidently most commentators think that 'chance' in this verse actually has the sense of 'opportunity' rather than an inanimate, self-determining, mathmatical probability capable of directing what belongs to Providence and Providence alone.

And this would make sense--time and opportunity happen to everyone. Everyone has some time and opportunity, and the Hebrew word here can carry this idea of 'occurence.'

Chance is a term describing mathematical probability. A term that describes a mathematical probability cannot cause or effect anything. It is a no-thing. James is clear that it is the Lord's will that governs everything a man does. Imagine a mathematical probability co-running the universe with God!

[Tracy]

I love this quote from Spurgeon:

I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes—that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit as well as the sun in the heavens—that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphis over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence—the fall of sere leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche. He that believes in a God must believe this truth. There is no standing-point between this and atheism. There is no half way between a mighty God that worketh all things by the sovereign counsel of his will and no God at all. A God that cannot do as he pleases—a God whose will is frustrated, is not a God, and cannot be a God. I could not believe in such a God as that.

[dolfan]

Love that quote, Tracy.

I wouldn't know what to make of the run-ins. I have had them, too. Amazing conversations not too long ago with a former pastor. Mean anything? I don't think it will ever produce anything, if that's what "meaning" means. Was it a nice connection? Oh, sure. What to make of that sort of thing? I have no idea.

Now, about Summer Breeze. Just this week, I was sitting with the cashier as she counted down for the night at the store. Our gas pumper is standing there, a kid really (19), and I brought up Michael Jackson and the Thriller video. He'd never seen it, so I YouTubed it. Four days later, MJ is dead. What does that mean? It means that I remembered Thriller very well and this scrawny kid from Chicago who now lives in Lawrence County, Alabama isn't old enough to know his eye from a hole in the ground. It means that life begins at 40.

[Full Quiver]

So God has a purpose for everything that happens (by designing every aspect, nook and cranny, time and opportunity) in our lives or He uses the things that happen in our lives for HIS Purpose by then speaking His will into our circumstances?

[Tracy]

So God has a purpose for everything that happens (by designing every aspect, nook and cranny, time and opportunity) in our lives or He uses the things that happen in our lives for HIS Purpose by then speaking His will into our circumstances?

Design. Always design.

I have heard John Piper descibe it like this: It is the difference between an emergency room doctor who comes on the scene after the fact and tries to do what he can to make good out of something that 'happened', and the skilled surgeon who designs both the wound and the healing for good purposes.

It's glorious.

[MacUser]

Design. Always design.

Being a designer.. I understand this completely. When your eyes are opened... you will stand in constant awe.

The dude is good.

[RamboPreacher]

yes, design is as design does. though for me omniscience does not equate omni-causality.

[Tracy]

yes, design is as design does. though for me omniscience does not equate omni-causality.

Nor does it for me. They are two different things.

[Jennifer Smith]

Pa,

When something like that happens to me, I ask God, or look around at other things He is showing me at the same time. Is it possible the Lord wanted to bring to your remembrance something that was said or that happened on that occasion, or something pertaining? Do you feel the Lord is trying to renew an acquaintance with someone who you have to gain from? Or vice versa. I am always so excited and amazed about what God is doing and putting together..His plans are great and good and we have to wonder and be amazed when we catch a glimpse of anything God does.

[Full Quiver]

Design? Every aspect designed?

Job 1 and 2 shows us a scenario where a meeting of the sons of God took place and Satan was asked if he had considered Job the servant of God. We know the story. Did God design before the foundations of the world for this to happen? If so why the meeting that day?


Did God design for Cain to murder Abel? Way to take one for the team Abel.

Did God design for two thugs to shoot a Metro Nashville Police Officer in the gut 4 times last week or can and will God use the situation for His purposes?

It's a tough pill to swallow for many instances especially when you speak of murder and atrocities. I suppose God designed the Sept. 11th attacks. Way to go God! Quit complaining folks because God wanted it to happen (that's what your are teaching).

An architect designs a building but construction workers actually build it to the best of their ability, hopefully, and within reason it turns out the way the architect designed it BUT NEVER is everything the way the architect envisioned it. There are far too many other factors involved especially FREE WILL!