Monday 13 June 2011

Missing The Obvious

By Revd. Raymond Nolan

I enjoy walking with God, and each day I look forward to the many life experiences He makes available for me. However, in searching for the holy, I'll admit that I have been known to occasionally miss the obvious. It isn't something I plan to do intentionally; it's just something that seems to happen on a fairly regular basis.

My favorite time of the week is after Sunday worship when some of the congregation stays a few minutes following church services to visit with each other. This short time of fellowship always brings a smile to my face. It's a simple reminder that there is more to the church experience than prayers and a message.

After services one Sunday morning, Brian, a member of our congregation, asked me a hypothetical question. He said, "Pastor Ray, if you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one book, any book in the world, which book would it be, and why?"

As a minister, I thought the answer to his inquiry was very apparent. I said, "Brian, if I could only have one book I would want the Bible because it would help give me spiritual strength in getting through the challenge of being stranded on a desert island." I believed that my answer had a great deal of merit. Especially since it was Sunday morning and we had just completed church services.

Expecting him to reinforce my answer, I asked Brian the same question; "If you were stranded on that island, which book would you want?"

With a smile on his face his answer was immediate. He said, "If it were me, I would want a book titled, 'How to Build a Boat.'"

Once again Brian had pulled another fast one over on me. I usually fall for his jokes because I can seldom tell what kind of mood he is in because his facial expressions never seem to change. He can ask a serious question and tell a humorous story using the same mannerisms.

But his question did serve a purpose and bring home an important lesson. I was looking for the spiritually right answer because we were in church when the question was asked. Brian was looking for the obvious answer.

Occasionally, in our efforts to do or say what we think is right, we can miss the obvious. In answering prayer, God needs our cooperation in making events happen. If God had sent me a book on how to build a boat I would have been disappointed because I was praying for a Bible. God often sends us what we need, not what we want. Sometimes we have to look beyond the holy and search for the obvious.

3 comments:

Sonia Rumzi said...

I love that Dora! what a great little conversation with big results! Love it! Thank you!

Corinne Rodrigues said...

Dora - This has loads to teach us. It's true that often our spirituality is not based on real life and that is the challenge for every individual and for organized religion too.

Judith Briles said...

Well, that struck me since my the first answer in my mind before knowing Brian's answer was the Bible too considering the setting of the story. It is often truthful that not everything holy is what God wants us to have. often, He sees more than what we truly wants. He sees what we really need.

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Books Sold - 6 Nov 2011 to 31 May 2012

Some of you have asked me for my total number of books sold to evaluate KDP Select so here it is. Bear in mind, that results will vary based on genre and author. Good luck and remember, Keep Moving Forward.

Total - 120,836

1. Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out
Amazon Kindle - 42,559
Paperback -
Smashwords -

2. Frequent Traveller
Amazon Kindle - 35277
Paperback -
Smashwords -

3. Dora's Essentials - Books, Blogs & Smiles 1
Amazon Kindle - 462
Smashwords -

4. Mirror Me Martha (Short Story)
Amazon Kindle - 281
Smashwords -

5. Drive On Hope (Short Story)
Amazon Kindle - 190
Smashwords -

6. Blog-A-Licious Directory 2012
Amazon Kindle - 1
Smashwords -

7. Pandora's Reading Room 1
Amazon Kindle -
Paperback - N/A

8. The Cat That Barked (Short Story)
Amazon Kindle -

9. Dora's Essentials - Examining Anxiety
Amazon Kindle -

10. Dora's Essentials - Books, Blogs & Smiles 2
Amazon Kindle -

11. Elevenses from Around the World
Amazon Kindle -

12. Genetically Modified Foods vs. Sustainability
Amazon Kindle -

Blog-A-Licius - Sherbet Blossom

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Blog-A-Licious - The Few, The Proud, The Wife

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My Soul Slippers

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Pretty All True

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tbaoo

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Rediscovering Domesticity

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Blog-A-Licious - Great Fun

Greatfun4kids

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