200 roses confirmed my decision

In May 2008, I was granted an interview at the IHM Motherhouse in Southeastern Michigan (Editor’s note: A community of Catholic nuns; IHM stands for “Immaculate Heart of Mary”), for a position as the Administrative Assistant to the President of the Community, Sister Mary Fran Gilleran.  The interview went well.

Let me pause here and mention a bit about my prayer background.  I am Catholic, and I have a favorite saint, Therese of Lisieux, “The Little Flower”.  When people pray to Therese for an intervention, a common way that she sends confirmation of having heard the prayer is that a rose appears. The rose often appears in an unmistakably coincidental place or time that adds to the feeling of the design of the moment.  When a rose confirms that my prayer has been heard, I have a peacefulness within my spirit, so to speak.  I feel OK.  It releases that element of doubt that I had.  It gives me that light at the end of the tunnel.  It makes me feel good that it’s an answer.

Now back to the story of the job.

The 200 roses that appeared on one day in Ann's yard in May 2008, confirming her job choice

I was called back for a second interview, and after that,

(Read the rest of this story at WTNESS.ORG)

- Ann from Monroe, Michigan

Godly Coincidence reinforces Jim's belief

(this blog has grown up and is now a full website.  Please go instead to www.wtness.org.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My friend Jim Deahl-Coy of Ferndale, Michigan was driving to meet me to car pool last week, early in the morning.  It was just about sunrise.  He told me that he was driving north on Woodward towards 11 Mile Road, and was saying out loud to Jesus, "Lord, thank you so much for this amazingly beautiful sunrise that you painted for us, to start our day!  It is wonderful!"  Just at that moment, Jim drove past a church that had a large custom-message sign out front (you've seen them).  The sign was an electronic sign that rotated between four messages.  At the exact moment Jim looked at it, the message changed to say, "You are welcome!"

It sent shivers up and down Jim's back because of the coincidence in timing, he said, and the perfectly appropriate double-meaning, and made him believe even more deeply in the reality of Jesus living today and caring about even the little things in our lives.

(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

"Ask Daniel to Pray for the Fire"

About 4-5 years ago, my son Daniel and I were planning on spending a weekend together at home . . . the girls were going out of town.  Our plans were modest; one of the most anticipated events was cooking up some hobo pies (sandwiches made in cast-iron skillets) over a backyard campfire, and watching late night movies under 'blanket tents' in the family room.  So, all week we were looking forward to hanging out, and I saw the anticipation building in his eyes as the weekend approached.  Simple plans, safe expectations, quality time.  

On Saturday night, we went back to our fire pit and starting gathering wood and kindling.  I'm a bit of a pyromaniac at heart, so with bonfire in my eyes, we crafted a beautifully ventilated tee-pee structure that would cook up those hobo pies in no time flat.  We stepped back to survey our work, and satisfied that this was the stuff of legend, I struck a match and dropped it in the center of our pile.  The first raindrop fell.  I looked up, not realizing the storm clouds that had gathered overhead.  The drizzle began before I had a chance to get the thing started.  It may sound childish, but inside me I began to feel a wild disappointment starting to swell.  After a few minutes of failed attempts, I was planning alternatives to salvage the evening and share it in a way that sounded equally exciting.  At that moment, I had the distinct impression to ask Daniel to pray for the fire.  Doctrine took over, and I dismissed it as wishful thinking . . . but the thought sharpened and poked me again instead of floating away.  Again, I resisted as the drizzle turn into a steady rain.  As I got up to leave, the words burst from my lips somehow - a request for him to pray for the fire.  He gave me a confused look, glanced up at the sky then down at the fire, and back to me.  He bowed his head and prayed a simple prayer for God to let us have a fire for our hobo pies.

My heart raced as I opened my eyes and stared at the pit.

(Read the rest at WTNESS.ORG)



mO Thomas
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan

Editor's note:  See this other submission by Mo Thomas.
"In his first encounter with any church, Michigan teen has back and legs healed"

Too-accurate coincidence of timing prompts willingness to donate

A few years ago, Joe Van Hagen of Royal Oak, Michigan opened some mail from a charity that he and his wife were donating to at that time.  The letter mentioned that the charity was fundraising for some new buses, since the old ones were wearing out badly.  The letter said that if everyone who received this letter donated $100, they would be able to replace all their buses.  Joe didn’t have the money at that time, so he decided not to contribute.  The next letter he opened was a completely unexpected $1000 check from

(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

(Submitted by Joe Van Hagen)

Coincidental Roses for a Jailbird

Joan Wyss of Royal Oak, Michigan brings flowers every week to the jail ministry at the Oakland County Jail.  Often she brings daisies or carnations. This week she was in the florist’s shop and let herself be led by the Holy Spirit, as she likes to do.  She felt led to buy roses this time.  She brought them to the jail for the worship service for incarcerated women.  After the service, one of the prisoners talked to Joan.  She said she had just today completed a nine-day novena (editor’s note: A novena, in the Roman Catholic Church, is a form of devotion consisting of special prayers or services on nine successive days.  The Latin word for Nine is Novem.)  She said the novena in the name of the Little Flower (the nickname of Saint Therese of Lisieux)... 

(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

Thanks to Joe Van Hagen of Royal Oak, Michigan for bringing this story to our attention.  Joe is also a member of the Oakland County Jail Ministry with Joan. 

What God’s Voice Sounds Like – (reported experience #7)

(this blog has grown up and is now a full website.  Please go instead to www.wtness.org.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

God spoke to me one day.  Loud and clear…  "You are going to move somewhere far away."

 

My job was a nightmare.  Actually, my boss was a nightmare.  He seemed to want me fired, and to be trying very hard to set me up for it.  Things were a mess.

I'd actually had a string of bosses who'd been difficult to work for, but this one took the cake.  It didn't start out that way, in fact it started out quite differently.  When I'd first arrived for my assignment in Memphis, my boss and I got along fantastically... in fact, all the bosses in the region were great.  Everyone focused on working together as a team, and doing our jobs, rather than the petty little things people sometimes spend their time focusing on instead of their jobs.  I remember telling my co-workers if I hit the lottery I would keep working because I enjoyed my job so much.  

That all changed virtually overnight.

First one boss, then another, then my own boss were transferred to different positions.  Almost overnight, I had a whole new set of bosses and suddenly I felt as if I went from "can't do wrong" to "can't do right."  I wondered how the same person, doing the same work, could suddenly find himself disrespected vs. respected, criticized vs. praised.  How could this happen to me?

Now I had been languishing now for several years, still not able to figure out what went wrong.  I struggled with boss after boss until I just couldn't see any hope for the future with this company.  I'd never been in this position before and I didn't see it changing for the better anytime soon.  In fact, I was convinced my best option was to take a company buyout as those were rumored to be on the horizon.

But God had a different plan for me.  First of all, He saved me.  He had been working on me all along, but I had been resisting.  I'd called myself a Christian all of my life, but had never actually given my life to Christ.  I just lived the way I wanted to live, while still claiming Christ as my Savior... going to church, yet judging others, claiming I was a good person and trying to be "good" on my own, my own way.  I had claimed Him as Savior, but I hadn't accepted Him as Lord, and I was living like I was my own god.  Then my life fell apart due to the way I had been living and He showed me just who I am, a sinner... and the seriousness of my sin.

When I realized how I had sinned against a holy God and Him alone, I knew I deserved punishment, I expected punishment.  However, what I found was grace, amazing grace... and the sound was so sweet,...

(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

 Steve, Southfield, Michigan

Turned to just the right hymn

Not long after the posting of Oct. 23, in which I felt led to “Take [more] care of the needs of others”, I was attending church at St. Columban in Birmingham, Michigan.  Our church music director Bob asked us to turn to page 628 in our Gather hymnal.  I grabbed the book and opened to a random page, and was surprised to find that it was page 628.  When something that unlikely happens, especially in church, I tend to pay attention.  I feel that the Holy Spirit may be trying to get me to notice something. 

Micheal Joncas

The hymn was “No Greater Love” by Michael Joncas.  The lyrics start with these words:

There is no greater love says the Lord

Than to lay down your life for a friend

It seemed to me that it was a reinforcement of the message I reported here on Oct. 23:  Set my own needs aside, and look out for others more than I currently do.

(Read the rest of the story on Wtness.org)

Scientist convinced God heard his prayers

-- Didn't find God through Scientific Evidence --

In 1999, I had just gone through a divorce, and knew I would not be able to take care of my son while working a night job.  I had worked in the inpatient psychiatry wing at Providence Hospital for 30 years.  So I quit the job in April and started to look full time for a job as a teacher.  I had interviewed in a number of parochial schools.  Shrine, St. Benedict, some others.  After two months without a bite, I panicked.  I applied for a summer camp teaching job at Roeper School for the Gifted in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and got it.  Science teacher (my specialty).  At the end of the summer camp, on its last day, a friend asked me where I was working in the fall and I said, “Nowhere”.  It was unnerving to say so.

I called home and found a message on the answering machine from Eton Academy in Birmingham, and I called them back from Roeper’s campus.  Evidently they had remembered me from one of the gratis science presentations I had put on in my spare time for them... 


(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

Jim Kaczor, Birmingham, Michigan

God helped without being asked. Gave caregiver energy to continue after the point of exhaustion.

She was stressed out from caregiving, but God helped

I once felt "led" to stop at a yard sale -- I walked around aimlessly but picked up two record albums and bought them for $1 each. One was a children’s record that was for physical education / dance instructors, the other was a Gaither Trio children’s record from 1980.

Later, I felt led to give them to a drama instructor at Lindenwood Christian Church who I didn't know very well. Feeling stupid I brought them to church not really knowing what to do, but had my opportunity, and oddly nervous I told him that I really didn't know why but I felt God wanted me to give him these two records.

He was really wowed and shocked and thought he was dreaming. They were HIS records that disappeared from a church office in 1989, and he was trying to get duplicates on eBay to no avail. He even showed me where he had attempted to write his name on one of them as a child. He had prayed that God would help him find these records on the internet.

Rarely are miracles this obvious. Just a chance meeting in the street or meeting the right person in an unlikely place, or an unlikely/impossible chain of events that others don't believe, are examples.

A Grace of God… is something that could not have happened without God's intervention.

(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

Opened to Just the Right Hymn

On July 22, 2012, I was attending church with my family.  The music director, Bob Mervak, asked us to open our songbook to page 700 to sing "The Summons".  I was quite surprised that when I opened it at random, I had opened to page 700.  There were no bookmarks or bent pages to lead my fingers there.  Because it was at church, and because I had already spent 15 minutes in a prayerful way, opening myself to the holy spirit and His message to me, I took it as meaningful.  I felt as if the meaning was, "I'm here.  Pay attention to this hymn."...   



(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

Unusual coincidence inspires young lady to produce a play by the former Pope

Danielle and Co-Star Daniel Hennessey

A few months ago, Danielle Center, 25, an administrative assistant in the Detroit Archdiocesan Office of Digital Media, was considering doing a production of the play “The Jeweler’s Shop”, a play written in 1960 by Karol Wojtyla, the Polish priest who would later become Pope John Paul II.  She was still undecided when she went to a Lenten retreat in Chicago, which includes the opportunity to go to Confession.

“So, there I was, waiting for my turn to confess, examination of conscience in hand. For some reason, the fellow next to me began chatting about his life in Toronto, and we discovered we both enjoyed theatre. I posed the question, ‘If you were to perform any play with your friends, what play would it be?’

“In the next breath, he turned and said, ‘Without a doubt, “The Jeweler’s Shop.”’ And then I laughed and told him I was taking this conversation as a sign...


(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

This story posted with permission from Danielle Center.

Find Jesus in the Lasagna

No, this is not another tacky silly story about how somebody found a silhouette of the Lord on a burnt piece of toast.   No pictures in the lasagna.  Rather, two people I love thought of lasagna at the same well-timed moment, and it made us all think we were receiving ‘help from above’.

In the previous blog post,  I mentioned that I’d write two stories about real-life coincidences that indicate to me the love of Jesus in the days before my Mom's death, because someone was provided exactly what they needed in a surprise way.  This is one of those stories. 

Background:  at the time of this story, my mother was declining in health rapidly due to breast cancer.  My brother-in-law was in the hospital in a touch-and-go situation requiring daily attention from my wife and her sisters.  And my middle daughter Monica was getting less attention than she normally gets when she comes home from college for a several-day break.

So my wife Mary, stressed to the hilt but still mindful of the needs of her children, said to Monica, “Sweetheart; I haven’t given you much attention recently.  I’d like to do something nice for you. 

...


(Read the rest at Wtness.org)