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Platypus Observant Part II

My wife and I have been reading through J. P. Moreland's "Kingdom Triangle" over the past month. As a spiritual discipline, Moreland suggests writing down and recording answers to prayers, as well as asking God for signs to demonstrate His presence in our lives. (Note: these are spiritual disciplines that are meant to go along with an active life of the mind, participation in Christian duties, etc. We are not meant to be "sign-chasers," or "those who put God to the test.) So I thought while reading these things yesterday, ok Lord, let's give it a try.

Response I:

I don't typically pray with my wife for short car trips in town. On setting out to run a few errands yesterday afternoon I was stuck by a sensation that we really needed to pray on this trip. I suggested it to Sharon, and we did. Five minutes later, we barely escaped a nasty accident that we could have done nothing to prevent or escape from. We staid to help the people in the two cars involved, and thanked the driver who had been able to maintain control of his vehicle long enough after the collision that destroyed the entire back half of the other car to swerve and miss us as he passed us from behind.

Response II:

After registering that we were witnesses with the police, we went on with our errands. We needed an extra set of drapes to cover our sliding glass door. The problem was that the drapes we had bought were discontinued. An initial inquiry at the store came back saying that there were no more left at that location or their sister location. However, on a hunch, the sails clerk checked a completely different section of the store and found a heavily marked down set!

So, in gratitude, and as a spiritual discipline I am writing this blog post. Praise God!

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