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April 10, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Collecting the Fingerprints of God, by Ron Rose
Preparation
There were twenty strangers standing around, coffee in hand, scanning
the crowd for familiar faces. We were all waiting for the training
program to begin. "They call me 'Buzzard,' the guy next to me blurted
out, "not sure how it all got started but over the years I've grown
used to it ... my mother even calls me Buzzard now." He looked like a
normal guy, but I wasn't sure I wanted to continue a conversation.
As soon as I shared my name, he hit me with ... "So, what do you
collect?" I know a lot of conversation starters and ice breaking
questions, but this one seemed to be more than a little "off the wall."
"Wall Clocks," I responded.
Then he proceeded to regale me with the glories of his spider
collection.
Lyn and I have dedicated one wall in our family room to a rather
pitiful collection of 24 wall clocks, but neither of us would be called
collectors. My Dad was a collector; when he died his garage was a
museum of junk.
Through the years I have gotten to know people with various kinds of
collections: Ken collects native American art, Bud -- pocketknives,
Joyce -- antique glass, Blake -- writing instruments, Teresa -- shoes,
Gene -- police badges, and Robert built-on a 20x20 room over his garage
to display his Bobbie hats.
Ask a person about what they collect and you are asking them to share
something revealing and personal. You are stepping into their private
world. Not such a strange crowd breaker question after all. "So, what
do you collect?"
Try this answer. "I collect the fingerprints of God. I look for his
touches in my life and the lives of others; and when I find them I
write about them, and I report them. Not long back ..." (Tell about a
time when you saw or felt God in action in your world.)
You can talk about your faith without being religious or offensive.
Inspiration
In April of 2007, USA Today did a short story on Kevin Inciyaki, of
Sierra Madre, California. The story focused on Kevin's love for trash.
Kevin at the time was 9 years old, and fixated on garbage. He not only
likes garbage, but he also likes garbage containers and garbage trucks,
garbage books and garbage videos. His room is filled with everything
garbage.
Early photos of him in the family scrapbook show an eager youngster
inspecting trashcans at Sea World. He even has a photo collection
called "Garbage Trucks of the World" taken for him by family friends on
trips abroad.
Kevin's mother Marsha said, "It's been garbage since he was 2 years
old. You have no idea what it is like having a child who has a passion
for trash."
Why not collect something that lasts forever?
Maybe not, but God does.
Why not collect something that lasts forever and makes God proud in the
process?
Motivation
Some collections are reflections of our passions, some take us down a
dangerous path, some are nothing more than a diversion, or innocent
dabbling, and others become obsessions. What are you collecting?
Join with me in the pioneering venture of building a network of
believers who have become collectors of holy fingerprints.
Keep your eyes and ears open. As you travel, work, walk your
neighborhood, share meals together, and attend social gatherings, look
and listen for the fingerprints of God. He's working everywhere,
sometimes in ways that may appear to be strange and bizarre, but he is
still touching lives and healing hearts. When you hear an account of
his touch ... write it down, save it, share it, and celebrate it.
Click here to submit a story from your collection.
Click here to tell me you are accepting the challenge to become a
collector of holy fingerprints.
---------
(c) 2008 FaithFitness and Ron Rose <ron@faithfitness.net>.
RELATED LINKS:
* Go For the Simple
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200101/20010110_simple.html
* The Fingerprints of God
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200609/20060903_fingerpints.html
* The God Who Sees
http://www.heartlight.org/justforwomen/jfw_980401_godsees.html
* Faith Fitness
http://www.faithfitness.net
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200804/20080410_collecting.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
HOUSE, by Frank Peretti & Ted Dekker
Best-selling authors Peretti and Dekker join forces for an
adrenaline-laced thriller!
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?252
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