Coincidence? I don't think so (squared)
There is a phrase you might here in Christian circles: "I don't believe in coincidences - only God-incidences". Here are a couple of examples of why:
1. In one "Through Kim's eyes" article on the YWAM web site, Kim Hart, another DTS student recounts a recent experience on her course:
A few months ago, I attended a youth-work conference in Kent, where this man was the speaker. He had talked quite passionately about a few things, which really got me thinking about what I was doing in my life. He had also reccomended to me some podcasts to listen to. Since then, having heard the podcasts and thought about what he had said some more, I made the decision to start the DTS course. At the time of the conference, I didn't even know what DTS was, let alone thought that I'd be starting one this September. I still thought I'd be staying in Portsmouth for a while longer. Anyway, I waited till the man had finished his conversation, and then re-introduced myself to him, and also thanked him for his part in my future direction, just as Kim had done with the lady from Tearfund.
When I got home, I found Kim's article waiting for me to read, and everything just tied up perfectly. God had given us both an opportunity to thank people who had helped us to get to the point we were at, even though we had no other way to contact them.
Why not think about a similar time in your life, where you think God has orchestrated events in such a way, and add them to the comments section of this article?
1. In one "Through Kim's eyes" article on the YWAM web site, Kim Hart, another DTS student recounts a recent experience on her course:
Tearfund, a relief and development organization, came to do a session about poverty and justice and while they were speaking I realized I recognized one of the women teaching us. She had come to my university just over a year ago to do the same kind of session and I remembered that some of the things she had said prompted me to ask questions about my future involvement with justice issues which led to my doing the DTS with YWAM here. I was excited to speak to her but she looked horrified when I mentioned the session she did for my class. She said she had considered that day to be the biggest waste of time because she was feeling ill and was convinced she achieved absolutely nothing. I was glad to tell her that her presentation had been used by God to lead me in a brand new direction, the reason I'm currently in YWAM! It was just another reminder of what a great God we serve and how He orchestrates events to take us where He wants us to go. He takes our weakness and makes us strong, promising that when we speak His word it will never return until it has accomplished what He sent it to do.2. On the day that article was published (15th August 2008), I was listening to a podcast recorded at the Audacious Conference on the way home from work. The conference took place in Portsmouth's Guildhall, and as I could walk via the Guildhall Square on my way home from the train station, I decided to do so, just for that added bit of atmosphere for the podcast. While I was standing in the square, I heard a familiar accent. It was produced by none-other than one of the hosts of the show I was listening to at the time, but he was sitting on the Guildhall steps talking to someone else!
A few months ago, I attended a youth-work conference in Kent, where this man was the speaker. He had talked quite passionately about a few things, which really got me thinking about what I was doing in my life. He had also reccomended to me some podcasts to listen to. Since then, having heard the podcasts and thought about what he had said some more, I made the decision to start the DTS course. At the time of the conference, I didn't even know what DTS was, let alone thought that I'd be starting one this September. I still thought I'd be staying in Portsmouth for a while longer. Anyway, I waited till the man had finished his conversation, and then re-introduced myself to him, and also thanked him for his part in my future direction, just as Kim had done with the lady from Tearfund.
When I got home, I found Kim's article waiting for me to read, and everything just tied up perfectly. God had given us both an opportunity to thank people who had helped us to get to the point we were at, even though we had no other way to contact them.
Why not think about a similar time in your life, where you think God has orchestrated events in such a way, and add them to the comments section of this article?
