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Posts Tagged faith

Being in the right place at the right time

Jul 6

Posted by tdomf_3594f in connection | No Comments

The Right Place at The Right Time or is Called Fate

by Shannon Streno on Friday, July 1, 2011 at 6:24am

I have a very interesting story of my life to tell you about, I am a collector of books I collect every book I can find about the Bible. I go to yard sales the Good Will and New and used book stores, well one day I was miles away from my home working and out of the corner of my eye I saw this tiny little used book store so I stopped in and I search the store and found this really old worn out book from the 1950′s it was a red soft covered little book the tiltle read The Gospel of John. I thought neat I will buy this, so I bought the book and as years went on I would carry this book to work with me and read it often ,

Years and years later I open the very front of the book and I found a place were a person could right their name on a line and put in the Date on the very Day that That person Became a Believer in Jesus Christ .

Well when I read the hand written Name that was written in 1953 I hit the floor it was my Grand Mother Ruth She wrote her name in it. At the time I read this it was the year 2001 , so 47 years later I have a book that was lost and it belong to my Grand Mother at one point in time .

Ok heres the Kicker My grand mother Ruth has been dead for 20 years and I found the little book of John’s Gospel three towns away in a hard to find Little used book store Amazing !!

Wait it gets better. I have been reading this book for years and never open the cover I never really fully possessed the book I never really owned it because I did not read it cover to cover if you know what I mean.

My entire family never new that My Grand Mother Ruth was a Christian we have always wondered and now we know my whole family rejoiced when they found out that when we get to Heaven we will be with Grandma Ruth. Even though she was in Heaven the seed she planted many years earlier even after her death was still being watered from a little Red worn out book that she took the time to write her testimony in and proclaim she Believed In Jesus . Praise Jesus !! No one knows how many other people read the book and put their Faith in Jesus.

So you never know when you might be in the right place at the right time. I would say that it was the Lords will that led me to that little used book store at that very day to buy My Grandmothers book.

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Confirmation: Story of Faith

Mar 2

Posted by Staff in redemption | 1 Comment

Confirmation is a Catholic Sacrament to confirm one’s faith, usually as a teenager. It is by choice unlike baptism which is usually done when you are a baby. When I was in the 8/9th grade we had just moved to Fountain, CO, and I decided to be Confirmed because I knew it’s what I should do and what my parents would like me to do. Before getting Confirmed, my fellow church school classmates and I had to attend a retreat…away from parents..in another city.

Sadly though, we were the only school whose teacher did not stay with us. Feeling neglected, we did the best we could to interact with the other people there. Then, few hours into the retreat, we were notified we had to evacuate the premises because there was a nearby fire spreading quickly. So, the other kids left quickly with their chaperones and our class was left to fend for ourselves. THANKFULLY, a priest was there… he was not supposed to be there but voluntarily dropped by… and had exactly enough seats in his car to take the stragglers..myself included. So we made the drive back to our church where our parents were waiting. They picked me up and as we drove off, my parents looked at the priest and said he looked familiar.

My mom remembered him from over twenty years ago…. When she and my dad lived in Colorado before I was born. They had given him a ride to church in Colorado Springs…he was walking in the rain and they picked him up. He thanked them…. And twenty years later, he unknowingly returned the favor.

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Fate and Destiny

Feb 9

Posted by Staff in life + death | No Comments

It started like this. We were running our own construction/land development firm in Colorado. The economy went into the toilet just about the time we expanded from 7 lots a year to 26. We got caught holding the back. We lost our home, a car and everything we invested in the company. We were forced to leave Colorado for Florida. Penniless, no jobs, no insurance….just one car. We ended up with my Mother.

My wife persisted and became a realtor but that died too. But she used to sit on a hard wooden chair scouring the Internet for real estate information 24/7. It drove me nuts specially when I thought we should focus on other businesses. We moved one year ago. Six months ago my youngest son really messed his knee up badly and went to the emergency room. Because of our financial situaution Medicaid kicked in to cover him and it did. Automatically, Medicaid covered my wife and both my other kids, but not me. Fine and no problem as I’m healthy and dont smoke or drink. Then one month later my wife got pain in her stomach, intestine etc….and it went on diagnosed as IBS or severe collitis. One month after not sleeping at all from the pain she checked into the hospital for further testing. I’m talking about a wife for 15 years who never took a day off. Never. She’s as tough and as clean as they come. No drugs, no alcohol, no smoke, no craziness period. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 locally advanced rectal cancer. The coincidence is my son’s knee, without that injury, she would never have been covered. Which is a death sentence with cancer. Talk about all the bad luck at once. Also it is pure coincidence that we ended up in the best Colorectal Surgery Unit nationwide?? Just because they are down the street and she didn’t want to go far for Emergency treatment.

There is more to this story such as the innocent bystanders around us who all have a mission now. Saving my wife. At a time where we felt lost and abandoned, we have never felt so supported or surrounded by people who truly care. It is a turning point in both our lives. Also, I have always been involved with THC Foundation in Colorado, that grows medical marijuana free for cancer patients. I never would have guessed that experience to be of use in my own life. Too many coincidences. And I was a true Aetheist until recently. I feel like I begged for help and I am seeing signs of it every day. I am getting the help I begged for. There is much more to this story. More details about people who appeared for no reason. But now I know the reason.

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The Elizabeth Arden Bag

Nov 30

Posted by Staff in luck, synchronicity | No Comments

All the roads had closed. I walked home in a murky twilight, head down. Next day I awoke the happiest I had ever been–and not a sou in the house. Nada. I put The Pretenders on and lay in bed just there–not a single thought. (That alone is strange.) Phone rang. Hello, I sang. “Hi remember the make up artist at the commercial shoot? I’m at the bank and have $100 for you.” Okay. (Years later I asked her what induced her to do that. And she said–with no recollection today–”You know those red dot ticker tape things over the teller windows? They spelled out “Susan needs money’.”) Minutes later I am dancing to Crissy and I have five twenties in my hand. Phone rings. “Hi. Remember Darrell? He’s looking for five people to staff his monthly travel magazine. (I had moved to New York to continue serious writing.) I put stuff in a shopping bag (no purse and it was red like the dress I put on–for an interview? Strange again.) I rounded the corner into Darrell’s office. (The best mag editor in NYC also.) And he looks and says, “Anyone who comes to the interview with an Elizabeth Arden bag gets the job.” Ha!

Two weeks later I was in Paris, all expenses paid and town car on the other end interviewing the Minister of Tourism in Paris, getting to write long and learning from a master. As my mother said, the one thing she wished she could leave her children (I said, “A yacht?”) was more faith. Faith IS it. Not karma, not any of it–plain wonderful faith–it’s what I was showed and how my future was already there–I had to be calm to receive it. What if I had left my apt that morning and run around trying to find all of this? (That job, by the way, lasted over 15 years and paid the rent happily for many moons.)

Sincerely, Susan Moriarty–Still Learning

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“Doing It Alone??”

Sep 15

Posted by Staff in life + death, turning points | No Comments

Faith in “The Word” has always been a given for me. From being able to stay with my Granny and Papa during the summers to marring at fifteen and converting to my religion and its teachings.

Being a nurse was always my goal in life and practicing for many years was extremely satisfying. I loved each and every one of my patients. However, being as careful as possible, is not always enough. While working the morning shift, I was helping a gentleman to the restroom. Unaware of a leaking toilet and already in mid stride, my thoughts were, ” Lord, please help me!” It happened so fast, I helped my patient in a chair and I hit the floor. There I was in the middle of the floor, soaking wet, a sharp pain pulsating through my back and with an ” End Stage Downs” patient.

My shift supervisor sent me home. Driving was miserable, I had to go to the emergency room for x-rays. The nursing was over with.

I spent years in pain, physical therapies, loosing feeling from my mid section down, but the most horrible
part was,,,,asking “God” why.

Desperation and a deep depression came flooding in on me. One surgery would come and then another. Then my neurosurgeon told me he could not do any thing further and recommended an experiental procedure, I jumped on the chance.

Needless to say, during the years and multiple surgeries, I thought my strong (or stubborn) will to survive, my, “I’ll do it alone,” would see me through. It was while I lay on the operating table feeling them cut me open, probe my back and saying “just a few more minutes, try to be very, very still that I knew, I can not do this
by myself.

“Oh, God, Lord, My Holy Savior, please give me strength. I know I have doubted you, please forgive me.”

Those thoughts and prayers guided me and I have known more, each day that we are foolish to ever think, “we can do it alone.” Our God and Savior is out there, have faith and seek him.

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