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.

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.

Migrated to the US at 3 yrs old. Raised  with wise guys but kept my Latino roots. Joined the USMC at 17 Travel the world. I love Latin music and it became part of my survival. I have been fortunate to have met and performed with legendary musician. Dealt with drug abuse and betrayal. Honored my mother and love my children but the system took my life away due to my divorce. Now I begin life again and many doors open on my way to a Grammy! I thank God Everyday and Believe!

It is also common for the followers of a spiritual leader to veer from his or her intent, after his or her departure, then split into factions.  Such is the case, in my opinion, with some “disciples” of a famous guru who arrived in America from India, in 1920.  While his own writings are quite theistic and therefore mention God, frequently, the writings of these “disciples” either ignore God, depersonalize God, or echo the currently-fashionable: “We’re all God!” and, especially, “We can become God!” piffle.  (None of which is acceptable to me:  as I’ve experienced genuine, Biblical-style miracles my whole life, and therefore have a fairly traditional view of our Creator! ) This also saddened me:  as their guru’s own writings were exceptionally “on target”, in my esteem, and I’d looked forward to visiting, and perhaps abiding, with them.

But was shaving one morning, while ruminating on this, when a voice “came to me”, saying:  “You cannot become God, but God can become you.”  Which brought me great comfort and was compatible with my experience:  that we may live in a manner God more likely chooses to act THROUGH us!  (But that’s as close to “Being God” as we’ll get!  IMHO. )

Then, about a month later, I decided to call a prominent teacher in this guru’s movement;  to inquire regarding this apparent deviation.  After a long pause, he replied:  “Master said:  ‘You can not become God, but God can become you.’”

This is God’s story that I will write for you.
I pray it brings God glory; He made my life brand new.

Sometimes I hear folks say “God told me this” or “God told me that”. What on earth are they talking about? God never told me anything. Why doesn’t God talk to me? Hmm, why doesn’t God talk to MEEEEE?!!! These were my thoughts over 5 years ago.

By the age of 32 my memory of Him had faded and at that point I was deaf and blind to God’s voice and ways. In my search for Him, I asked a woman about hearing from God. She told me that God had spoken with her; I wanted to know how she could have heard God’s voice. This dear woman said “You have to be very quiet inside”. Truly I didn’t know what she meant.

In the dark, when all hope is obscured, a person finds out that they know nothing. That’s what I knew at the beginning of June 2001. I couldn’t tell you where I was going to live nor could I tell you where I was going to sleep or how long I would be in that state of homelessness. As the month of June progressed, it became clear to me that the seeds of discontentment and lust and rebellion had become a mature and fully developed tree of despair. There was no way to overlook this massive growth that now had center stage in my life. Branches of disappointment, anger and bitterness hung over my head. I couldn’t see them but I could sure feel them because as I repeatedly tried to stand and reposition myself, I would get caught in the low hanging branches. The thorns of confusion would dig into my flesh the more I tried to get free and leave that place of despair.

On June 10th, 2001, I was camped in my truck near the Denny’s parking lot in Duarte, CA. Deep within my soul, rose a cry for help. I cried out to God saying, “Why do you talk to everyone but you never talk to me?” I still remember the tears filling my eyes and the anger and sadness that saturated my soul. Groaning within and without, I picked up my bible and opened it. As I looked down, I saw Job 33:14 “For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.”
:15 In a dream, in a vision of the night when deep sleep falleth upon men, in sluberings upon the bed.
:16 Then he openeth the ears of man and sealeth their instruction.
:17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man.
:18 He keepeth back his sould from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

Well my next thought was, “God, are you mad at me now? Well, you’ve got to do something to fix this mess or else I am going to kill myself”