Do you believe mostly in "coincidences?" or mostly in "signs" or "confirmations?

[Butterbean]

When you're struggling with a decision and you are praying for God's direction and right at that moment you receive a "coincidence" or "sign" pertaining to your thoughts?

Coincidence or sign?

And aquaintance had been asked to do prison ministry where she would be "in prison" (only leaving at night to sleep in a hotel) for 3 days.

She was apprehensive and afraid and her initial thought was "no way" but she told the asker that she would pray about it.

One day shortly after, she was praying in her car asking God if this was something He wanted her to do.  She pulled into a convenient store parking lot and parked in a spot.  She had not yet exited her car and a van full of people pulled up blaring loud gospel music.  She looked over and the sign painted on the van read "_________ Prison Ministries."

She did the weekend and several since.


I have others.....how about you guys?

[ToxicAvenger]

kinda unrelated but i once had a dream (1999..right before i went back to paki for my one and only visit) that my uncle and my 3rd couzin (who had been shot long ago) were sitting in a garden drinking tea and my 3rd couzin ws saying to my uncle "you should visit sometimes, you always say you r gonna come but ya never do" to which my uncle replied " i promise this time i shall make it"


my uncle died when i ws in paki in a mysterious car accident...

[Colossus_500]

When you're struggling with a decision and you are praying for God's direction and right at that moment you receive a "coincidence" or "sign" pertaining to your thoughts?

Coincidence or sign?

And aquaintance had been asked to do prison ministry where she would be "in prison" (only leaving at night to sleep in a hotel) for 3 days.

She was apprehensive and afraid and her initial thought was "no way" but she told the asker that she would pray about it.

One day shortly after, she was praying in her car asking God if this was something He wanted her to do.  She pulled into a convenient store parking lot and parked in a spot.  She had not yet exited her car and a van full of people pulled up blaring loud gospel music.  She looked over and the sign painted on the van read "_________ Prison Ministries."

She did the weekend and several since.


I have others.....how about you guys?

I have countless experiences like that.  The older I get and the more I attempt to understand how God works in my life, I come away feeling as if there is no such thing as coincidence.

[Dos Equis]

Same here.  Too many to count. 

[Butterbean]

Would you like to share one or two?

[Colossus_500]

I remember a few years ago when my company was going under and I got layed off.  My wife and I had just bought a house, and our first-born was only 6 months.  I remember driving home and asking God for the strength to be able to tell my wife what happened, and for the wisdom to know what to do as far as finding another job.  The job market was extremely tight at that time.  Something told me to get right on the computer when I got home and post my resume for a position.  I remember saying, "God, let this be the one?"  As soon as I had logged off of the internet, the phone range!!!!  It was a recruiter responding to my resume just being posted!      I had an interview with the recruiter the next day.  Though I was nowhere near as qualified as some of the others who had been layed off.  Yet, I was hired.     To this day, I'm still amazed when I think of praying, logging off the computer, and the phone rings.  Amazing!  God is so AWESOME! 

[knny187]

When I was 10......


I asked God for a brand new bicycle because mine was stolen.


I never got one so I went out & stole one instead.


God works in mysterious ways   

[Dos Equis]

I remember a few years ago when my company was going under and I got layed off.  My wife and I had just bought a house, and our first-born was only 6 months.  I remember driving home and asking God for the strength to be able to tell my wife what happened, and for the wisdom to know what to do as far as finding another job.  The job market was extremely tight at that time.  Something told me to get right on the computer when I got home and post my resume for a position.  I remember saying, "God, let this be the one?"  As soon as I had logged off of the internet, the phone range!!!!  It was a recruiter responding to my resume just being posted!      I had an interview with the recruiter the next day.  Though I was nowhere near as qualified as some of the others who had been layed off.  Yet, I was hired.     To this day, I'm still amazed when I think of praying, logging off the computer, and the phone rings.  Amazing!  God is so AWESOME! 

Great story Colossus.  

I have a million.  Just a couple related to our housing.  We live in one of the most expensive places in the country.  After our first child, my wife made a decision to stay home, which I completely supported.  This meant we couldn't buy a house right away, particularly with our kids (ultimately four of them) all going to private school.  We needed a rental house and wrote up a list of what we needed and what we wanted.  We were driving through our "ideal" neighborhood after making the list and my wife sees a vacant house and approaches a neighbor.  The house wasn't on the rental market, but the owners had just moved out to live with their mother and weren't sure what they were going to do with property.  We wound up renting the house for about seven years.  It had everything on our list except a garage (had a carport).  Landlord didn't raise the rent for the entire seven-year period (unheard of), which resulted in us paying nearly two thousand dollars a month in below market rent.

During this period, we came up with another list of the house we wanted to buy.  The list stayed on our refrigerator for about 4 or 5 years.  At one point, my oldest said "why is that list even up there.  It's obvious God isn't going to answer our prayer."  The paper was turning colors and was pretty worn.  I told her the answer is either "no" or "wait."  Turned out the answer was "wait."  We were able to purchase our home last year.  It had everything on our list except for, again, the garage (a carport instead), and was in the next town over, about 5 miles away (which we actually like much better).  We just had an appraisal done and our house appreciated $176,000 in value in just over a year.  We couldn't afford to buy it today.  God is good.    

[24KT]

{giggle}  By all means, feel free to view http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=66136.msg1195158#msg1195158

While you're at it...scroll down a bit and also check out 'Reply #53' 

...but don't worry, when you're ready to understand it, ...you will. 

Feelin' like a brat, 

[Colossus_500]

Feelin' like a brat, 

So noted. 

[Colossus_500]

Great story Colossus.  

I have a million.  Just a couple related to our housing.  We live in one of the most expensive places in the country.  After our first child, my wife made a decision to stay home, which I completely supported.  This meant we couldn't buy a house right away, particularly with our kids (ultimately four of them) all going to private school.  We needed a rental house and wrote up a list of what we needed and what we wanted.  We were driving through our "ideal" neighborhood after making the list and my wife sees a vacant house and approaches a neighbor.  The house wasn't on the rental market, but the owners had just moved out to live with their mother and weren't sure what they were going to do with property.  We wound up renting the house for about seven years.  It had everything on our list except a garage (had a carport).  Landlord didn't raise the rent for the entire seven-year period (unheard of), which resulted in us paying nearly two thousand dollars a month in below market rent.

During this period, we came up with another list of the house we wanted to buy.  The list stayed on our refrigerator for about 4 or 5 years.  At one point, my oldest said "why is that list even up there.  It's obvious God isn't going to answer our prayer."  The paper was turning colors and was pretty worn.  I told her the answer is either "no" or "wait."  Turned out the answer was "wait."  We were able to purchase our home last year.  It had everything on our list except for, again, the garage (a carport instead), and was in the next town over, about 5 miles away (which we actually like much better).  We just had an appraisal done and our house appreciated $176,000 in value in just over a year.  We couldn't afford to buy it today.  God is good.    

That was great!  

[Dos Equis]

{giggle}  By all means, feel free to view http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=66136.msg1195158#msg1195158

While you're at it...scroll down a bit and also check out 'Reply #53' 

...but don't worry, when you're ready to understand it, ...you will. 

Feelin' like a brat, 

A continual dripping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.

Proverbs 27:15

[OzmO]

A continual dripping on a very rainy day and a contentioius woman are alike.

Proverbs 27:15

Are they talking about nagging?   

[OzmO]

When i was 18 i worked at liquor store.  Great Job if you know what i mean  .  One night my friends and i got a hold of some sh-rooms (Magic Mushrooms) and i took  3 and 1/2 times the reccomended dose of 1 gram.  Man i was tripping!  My  other friends and i decided to go for a ride to the "Caboose".  About 5 miles outside of town on the side of a huge (750 ft) hill was a Caboose in the middle of nowhere.  Some guy who owned the land bought it for his bride to be who loved trains and they were going to build a house around it.  Well the marriage never happened and he was left with a 20 acre piece of land and a old caboose.  So we took a case of beer (from the store) and sat up there during the clear summer night ans just tripped out.  If you've ever tripped on acid or sh-rooms, you know can potentially have a "bad" trip especially if you take too much.  Anyways we were getting pretty rowdy and then i started to have a "bad" trip.  So i sat on the top of the Caboose and looked up at the stars and contemplated why i should even be alive for about an hour.    Why not end it all, what's the point...etc...  I honestly couldn't find a reason to go on living...There wasn't a point to it that i could see.  (good "just say no" commercial here)

Then the sheriff shows up.  Finds the Beer.  An starts to consider arresting us for trespassing.  For some reason he lets us go because during our acid trip we had only drunk a beer a piece.  So we drove back into town and found a construction site where they were building new houses and started messing around there.  My "bad" trip had subsided so i was enjoying my self.  Then the local police showed up.  By then we had drank more beer and he made me open my trunk which had a bottle of  unopened jack Daniels.  My registration on my car was over due, my license was mutilated, we were trespassing, we were in possession of alcohol, and as he start to bitch me out with the flash light in my face i started seeing some weird stuff.  My friends stood behind him and keep making faces as he talked to me. 

He ended up letting me and my friends go.  I don't know why.  Maybe it was sign from God.  probably not.

What was a sign from God i believe, was Sue who parlayed some money she saved from a divorce and the next year bought the property where the caboose was located and her and her new husband built a beautiful house where the Caboose was. (they got rid of the caboose) A year or so later i met Sue's daughter and we were married on the very spot where the caboose was the following year and we had 2 children who have given me many reasons to live and never give up through all the very hard times we all face as parents and as people.

[Dos Equis]

When i was 18 i worked at liquor store.  Great Job if you know what i mean  .  One night my friends and i got a hold of some sh-rooms (Magic Mushrooms) and i took  3 and 1/2 times the reccomended dose of 1 gram.  Man i was tripping!  My  other friends and i decided to go for a ride to the "Caboose".  About 5 miles outside of town on the side of a huge (750 ft) hill was a Caboose in the middle of nowhere.  Some guy who owned the land bought it for his bride to be who loved trains and they were going to build a house around it.  Well the marriage never happened and he was left with a 20 acre piece of land and a old caboose.  So we took a case of beer (from the store) and sat up there during the clear summer night ans just tripped out.  If you've ever tripped on acid or sh-rooms, you know can potentially have a "bad" trip especially if you take too much.  Anyways we were getting pretty rowdy and then i started to have a "bad" trip.  So i sat on the top of the Caboose and looked up at the stars and contemplated why i should even be alive for about an hour.    Why not end it all, what's the point...etc...  I honestly couldn't find a reason to go on living...There wasn't a point to it that i could see.  (good "just say no" commercial here)

Then the sheriff shows up.  Finds the Beer.  An starts to consider arresting us for trespassing.  For some reason he lets us go because during our acid trip we had only drunk a beer a piece.  So we drove back into town and found a construction site where they were building new houses and started messing around there.  My "bad" trip had subsided so i was enjoying my self.  Then the local police showed up.  By then we had drank more beer and he made me open my trunk which had a bottle of  unopened jack Daniels.  My registration on my car was over due, my license was mutilated, we were trespassing, we were in possession of alcohol, and as he start to bitch me out with the flash light in my face i started seeing some weird stuff.  My friends stood behind him and keep making faces as he talked to me. 

He ended up letting me and my friends go.  I don't know why.  Maybe it was sign from God.  probably not.

What was a sign from God i believe, was Sue who parlayed some money she saved from a divorce and the next year bought the property where the caboose was located and her and her new husband built a beautiful house where the Caboose was. (they got rid of the caboose) A year or so later i met Sue's daughter and we were married on the very spot where the caboose was the following year and we had 2 children who have given me many reasons to live and never give up through all the very hard times we all face as parents and as people.

Definitely not an accident IMO.  Love that story.

[Butterbean]

When i was 18 i worked at liquor store.  Great Job if you know what i mean  .  One night my friends and i got a hold of some sh-rooms (Magic Mushrooms) and i took  3 and 1/2 times the reccomended dose of 1 gram.  Man i was tripping!  My  other friends and i decided to go for a ride to the "Caboose".  About 5 miles outside of town on the side of a huge (750 ft) hill was a Caboose in the middle of nowhere.  Some guy who owned the land bought it for his bride to be who loved trains and they were going to build a house around it.  Well the marriage never happened and he was left with a 20 acre piece of land and a old caboose.  So we took a case of beer (from the store) and sat up there during the clear summer night ans just tripped out.  If you've ever tripped on acid or sh-rooms, you know can potentially have a "bad" trip especially if you take too much.  Anyways we were getting pretty rowdy and then i started to have a "bad" trip.  So i sat on the top of the Caboose and looked up at the stars and contemplated why i should even be alive for about an hour.    Why not end it all, what's the point...etc...  I honestly couldn't find a reason to go on living...There wasn't a point to it that i could see.  (good "just say no" commercial here)

Then the sheriff shows up.  Finds the Beer.  An starts to consider arresting us for trespassing.  For some reason he lets us go because during our acid trip we had only drunk a beer a piece.  So we drove back into town and found a construction site where they were building new houses and started messing around there.  My "bad" trip had subsided so i was enjoying my self.  Then the local police showed up.  By then we had drank more beer and he made me open my trunk which had a bottle of  unopened jack Daniels.  My registration on my car was over due, my license was mutilated, we were trespassing, we were in possession of alcohol, and as he start to bitch me out with the flash light in my face i started seeing some weird stuff.  My friends stood behind him and keep making faces as he talked to me. 

He ended up letting me and my friends go.  I don't know why.  Maybe it was sign from God.  probably not.

What was a sign from God i believe, was Sue who parlayed some money she saved from a divorce and the next year bought the property where the caboose was located and her and her new husband built a beautiful house where the Caboose was. (they got rid of the caboose) A year or so later i met Sue's daughter and we were married on the very spot where the caboose was the following year and we had 2 children who have given me many reasons to live and never give up through all the very hard times we all face as parents and as people.

Ozmo I laughed several times reading this.  Great story.

Great stories everyone

[24KT]

Fabulous story STella! 

[Colossus_500]

When i was 18 i worked at liquor store.  Great Job if you know what i mean  .  One night my friends and i got a hold of some sh-rooms (Magic Mushrooms) and i took  3 and 1/2 times the reccomended dose of 1 gram.  Man i was tripping!  My  other friends and i decided to go for a ride to the "Caboose".  About 5 miles outside of town on the side of a huge (750 ft) hill was a Caboose in the middle of nowhere.  Some guy who owned the land bought it for his bride to be who loved trains and they were going to build a house around it.  Well the marriage never happened and he was left with a 20 acre piece of land and a old caboose.  So we took a case of beer (from the store) and sat up there during the clear summer night ans just tripped out.  If you've ever tripped on acid or sh-rooms, you know can potentially have a "bad" trip especially if you take too much.  Anyways we were getting pretty rowdy and then i started to have a "bad" trip.  So i sat on the top of the Caboose and looked up at the stars and contemplated why i should even be alive for about an hour.    Why not end it all, what's the point...etc...  I honestly couldn't find a reason to go on living...There wasn't a point to it that i could see.  (good "just say no" commercial here)

Then the sheriff shows up.  Finds the Beer.  An starts to consider arresting us for trespassing.  For some reason he lets us go because during our acid trip we had only drunk a beer a piece.  So we drove back into town and found a construction site where they were building new houses and started messing around there.  My "bad" trip had subsided so i was enjoying my self.  Then the local police showed up.  By then we had drank more beer and he made me open my trunk which had a bottle of  unopened jack Daniels.  My registration on my car was over due, my license was mutilated, we were trespassing, we were in possession of alcohol, and as he start to bitch me out with the flash light in my face i started seeing some weird stuff.  My friends stood behind him and keep making faces as he talked to me. 

He ended up letting me and my friends go.  I don't know why.  Maybe it was sign from God.  probably not.

What was a sign from God i believe, was Sue who parlayed some money she saved from a divorce and the next year bought the property where the caboose was located and her and her new husband built a beautiful house where the Caboose was. (they got rid of the caboose) A year or so later i met Sue's daughter and we were married on the very spot where the caboose was the following year and we had 2 children who have given me many reasons to live and never give up through all the very hard times we all face as parents and as people.

Great story, OzmO.     I enjoyed reading that.