Cessationism

Part 3

Now, what about "odd things in life" that don't seem to be "mere coincidence"?

The next segment is in part, a collection of odd events that have happened to me.

Premonitions:

#1

We've all had these kind of things happen. The first "incident of premonition" I ever recall was when I was about 18 or so; (think I'd just come back from Europe?) and my sister's gerbil had got lost. We were down stairs and she said something about Houdini's disappearance. (Yes, she named the gerbil Houdini.) He'd gotten out of his cage….again and she couldn't find him. I sat there for a minute and out of the blue something hit me. I said: "I know where he is!". And she was like: "Where?"

She followed me upstairs and I went into our closet. In the closet was a box that contained a sewing project to make a pillow. My grandmother had given it to one of us for Christmas several years earlier; but I don't remember whose it was. Yet for some reason I just knew Houdini was in that box. She stood there behind me as I reached into the closet and grabbed the container in question. I opened it up and there he was, in the bottom scratching around, trying to find his way out.

She looked at me with big wide eyes: "How'd you know he was there?"

I said: "I don't know? I just had a hunch." (And that's exactly what it was - a hunch.)

She put her gerbil back in his cage; (a little more tightly now). And just kind of stared at me while I went back down stairs.

That was the only time in my life I'd ever found a lost rodent like that.

Well, it wasn't but a couple of days later that Houdini escaped again; although I wasn't the one who found him. And …. the outcome (though not intentional) wasn't quite so… positive. The "Sherlock" of the Houdini locator this time, had four legs. And once my sister had realized Bess had located Houdini. Not thinking; she started the dog and….. (gulp)….. Houdini…. went to live with Jesus!

(True story!)

#2

The second "premonition" I remember was going back home from my in-laws at Christmas time. Our son was almost a year old. It was about 9 PM; snowing and the roads were turning white. My husband was grumbling about the tractor trailer trucks that had just passed us. One was starting to fishtail a bit.

We were only, maybe a block from the next exit and I said: "Get off." He said: "What?" I said: "Get off here." He proceeded to tell me that he didn't want to get off and I said: "Just do it. Get Off!"

So after he'd nearly pulled up to the street from the exit. I said: "Let's go find a gas station and get a cup of coffee." He reluctantly grumbled as we drove around the corner to the nearest gas station; but at least he didn't argue with me about it. I asked him if he wanted to get more gas, while I got the coffee. He said no; he didn't want coffee and insisted that he had enough gas to get home. I said: "OK." took "squeaky" into the gas station for a diaper change and got a cup of coffee.

When I walked in. The attendant had a police radio on. I heard the beeping and a call came in. I stood there and listened while 911 dispatched police and ambulances to an accident involving 3 tractor trailer trucks, that happened just on "such and so exit of such and so street off of route blah blah blah". I'd asked the attendant if she knew where that was. She said: "Yeah it's about two blocks from here." and pointed in the direction we'd come. As I recall, leaving the station after having just gotten out of the bathroom; there was at least one fatality.

When I got back out to the car and told my husband what had happened; he didn't believe me, until he got back toward the exit and had to deal with the police redirecting traffic because the highway was now closed. He rolled down the window and asked the cop what happened. Once he'd heard the same thing I'd just told him. Needless to say; he was absolutely silent the rest of the way home!

#3

This next (type of) incidents weren't just "premonitions". They were closer to "a voice in my head". This type of event has happened about 3 times; though I've heard the "Voice" four times. The event not described here, is recorded in chapter 3 of My Mini Autobiography entitled "GET OFF THE BRIDGE!"

I'd encountered people that I knew something wasn't right and a nearly audible voice told me "Get Out NOW!" Now I've been around a lot of people; in big cities, small towns, foreign countries and everywhere in-between. And I don't spook easily! But there was something about these three incidences!

The first time it was someone who'd gotten off a bus In San Francisco after I had and seemed like he was following me. So I ducked into a convenience store for about 15 minutes. I told the clerk about it and she said she could call the police. (I think she might have, because I did see a patrol car.) I only lived a block or so from the convince store; so once I saw the cop drive by, I went home.

Twice after that; two other people were actually approaching; calling to me.

The first time, I think the guy was just drunk. He'd come stumbling out of someone's house and I was far enough away that I just sprinted home.

The second time; I'd stopped and got off my bicycle to go to the bathroom. My son was in a trailer on the back of the bike and when I got out of the port-a-john; I went to check on him. He was still asleep; when a guy started hurrying toward us yelling: "Are you OK? Are you OK?"

Now I'd seen this guy before. He'd fish on the Erie Canal path in this one spot and he'd been there with several other fishermen, off and on most of that summer. And it wasn't unusual for people on the path to stop and talk to the fishermen. I'd talked to them myself a few times. It wasn't odd to see fishermen in that spot; but they were usually gone before dusk.

Yet that "little voice" in my head said "Get the Hell out of Here NOW!" So I jumped on my bike and started peddling as fast as I could in his direction. If he was going to try and come after us; I was ready to take him out and I had plenty of bike tools to beat him with, if it came to that.

I yelled at him in an angry voice: "We're FINE!"

He stopped and stared at us as we passed and he said: "Why? don't you trust me?"

And I yelled again: "WHY SHOULD I?"

And he just stood there.

I was probably at least half a mile away before I looked behind me one last time. (I have bike mirrors.)

But there was a little more to this one than just mere suspicion. I watch a lot of cop shows and on one of those "Unsolved Mysteries" / "Crime Stoppers" / "America's Most Wanted" types of shows; there was a segment about a sexual predator who would attack girls on college campuses. The predator in the segment was still at large; he'd been in cities that were close enough to were I was, to raise suspicions and this fellow used the exact same line; while also matching the age range and physical description of the predator in the clips.

Didn't think to call the police when I got back to the car; but I probably should have!

Never saw him again after that!

Dream…(ish) type events:

Now these next two incidences I would not say were dreams specifically; because I was at least quasi awake.

#1

Suddenly one night I woke up out of a dead sleep with a feeling that someone was in terrible trouble. It was a rather unsettling feeling; although nothing seemed wrong in the house. It was quiet. (If anyone had broken in; the dog would be barking.) But I got up to check on my son anyways. I went down stairs. The dog was laying by the door in his usual spot. He picked up his head and looked at me. The cat was on her bed in the bathroom and my son was asleep in his game room. He was fine too.

So I went back upstairs, a bit mystified as to who was in trouble? I didn't get any sense as to who it was or why. So I sat awake in bed a bit; wrote in my journal and went back to sleep.

Two days later, the police came to my door and told me my former husband had died.

I didn't put it together until after the funeral that that's what that odd "dream" was. I don't even remember what I was dreaming about; just that I woke up with this feeling that someone was in trouble.

#2

Now this event was rather comical. It happened 2010; after the car accident, while I was in the hospital. I was in the ICU. I was heavily sedated and it was actually a couple of months later before I remembered this event.

I'd "woke up". (The nurses said I'd wake up screaming in pain.) and there were two nurses in my room at that moment; the charge nurse and the person who was assigned to me. I looked at them and said: "Where'd he go?" They looked at me kind of strangely. I said: "He was just here." They still looked at me strangely. I believe they asked me if I knew I was in a hospital. I answered yes and even answered with the name of the hospital. Then I'd acknowledged that I knew I was in a car accident.

The one nurse said: "Well, your husband is up on the 7th floor." And I kind of mumbled. "Yeah I know that." and then she said: "Your son is on the 4th floor." And that clicked too because I knew the 4th floor was pediatrics. So I said: "Oh, that must be where he went. He went to go see my son."

The one nurse said: "Who?"

I said: "Jesus."

Then the other nurse said: "Jesus who?"

And I yelled at her: "Jesus Christ! The guy who rose from the dead. It's Easter Sunday. What's the matter with you people!"

They both stood silent for several minutes.

The one nurse kind of peered at the charge nurse; who tried to discreetly whisper: "They think she has a head injury."

(Which was true. I did have a TBI from the accident.)

They called a chaplain and a chaplain did come that night. I don't remember that visit; but he came back the next morning, when I went into surgery for my leg. They had to bolt my leg back together.

He was a "run of the mill" evangelical Baptist type preacher. He talked to me for about 45 minutes before they took me to the OR. He introduced himself and asked me if I'd remembered him from the night before. I said: "No." He just kind of laughed and said that's probably a good thing. Although I'd reckoned the strong possibility that I wasn't making much sense that prior night anyways; seeing how I didn't remember anything. And he confirmed that was correct. He'd asked me if I was Roman Catholic and I said: "No." I guess some of the stuff I'd said that night before made him think that I was?

Anyhow; after that we had a rather basic, but edifying conversation about redemption, the atonement and the Bible. He said that if he was still in the hospital when I got out of surgery; he'd come and check on me. I never saw him again after that.

Later in my hospital stay; I'd asked about him. The chaplain's office said they didn't have anyone by that name, or who matched that description. Well, I thought that was interesting. And I knew I wasn't imagining it, because it was recorded in the medical record that they'd called a chaplain that night; and that someone had come. Rather mysterious that they had no record of who this person was?

#3

This last event was the closest to an actual dream; although I'm not sure when it happened and I'm not exactly sure I was asleep either. This probably happened when I was unconscious and would be closest to what people call a "near death experience".

I was conscious for most of the duration immediately after the accident. I remember being pulled out of the car and I remember being put in the helicopter. I vaguely remember being pulled off the chopper and going through a hallway to the OR (the first time) but I know I lost consciousness during the ride. I do remember the last thing I said to the Mercy Fight crew was: "I'm sorry I threw up all over your helicopter." They just kind of laughed and said: "Don't worry. It happens all the time."

By the time we got to the OR I'd already been intubated and I remember staring at the ceiling going through the hallway having this squeeze bulb breathing for me. It was a very weird feeling. I couldn't move even if I wanted to. I know I'd been given several shots of adrenaline to keep my heart beating. I think they'd done CPR on me because my chest hurt and I kind of felt like I was laying in a dying body. I remember saying several times: God, if I'm going to survive this; You're going to have to make that happen, because I can't.

By the time we got to the OR, the Mercy Flight crew told the doctors I was awake again. (Everybody was surprised.) I was in such shock at that point. I don't even think I was shivering any more? I remember them cutting my clothes off, washing me down with some sort of antiseptic (I was covered in blood.) and wrapping me in "aluminum" type medical blankets to preserve my body heat. At that point the pain in my leg was just kind of a dull throb.

My femur was cracked, my tibia was shattered and my foot was broken. In the other leg, the cartilage was torn out of my knee and I had deep laceration from the corner of my right eye, down to the end of my nose. My right eye had a globe rupture and the surgeon later told me they could see my skull on the right side of my face when I came into the OR.

I remember asking God just before they put me out; if I was going to wake up.

Somewhere in that…. how ever many hours between the chopper ride and the recovery room; I stood in a dark space staring at a white light that had punched through this chasm between light and darkness. On the other side in that white space, I could see the silhouette of a male human in a long robe.

The first thought that popped into my head was: Jesus! I guess I finally get to see what You really look like? And I started walking toward the figure. I almost got to the place where I could step over the darkness into the light, when this figure said: "No, go back. Your son needs you!"

I said:…. "OK." And I just stood there.

I had no idea what was going to happen next and though I wasn't sure I really wanted to go back, I believed this figure when he said "Your son needs you." The next moment I was someplace else. I didn't know where and I seemed lost in limbo somewhere between numbness and drowning sorrow; but I couldn't cry, I couldn't move, couldn't make a noise, couldn't do anything. So I just diverted my attention to try and go 'someplace else'.

It kind of seemed like forever before I caught up with the rest of me? (I guess is the best way to describe it?) I figured I was in a hospital somewhere. I tried to open my eyes and look around; but I couldn't get my body to cooperate. I wasn't even sure I was breathing. I didn't even think about whether or not I was breathing. And the last thing that crossed my mind before I woke up was: I'm either going to die, or I'm not.

The next sensation, was like roaring back to consciousness and I woke up screaming! I thought my back was broken and I had no idea that I could actually move. The nurse came over and rolled me on my side. She told me I didn't have any back injuries. I'd just been in one position for a long time. After she moved me around a couple of minutes; the pain went away.

I remember laying there thinking to myself I wonder if my son is alive? I figured somewhere in my soul he had to be. It didn't seem to me like he was dead.

Of course I didn't remember the "figure in the divide between the light and the darkness" until 6 months after I got out of the hospital.

Life Speaks:

Now this last event, I'm putting in here because I think the "breath of life" that runs though all living things, tells us something about how we're connected to each other.

This is about a bird that got stuck in my shower fan vent. I'm not sure how the bird got below the actual blades of the fan, but I could hear it scratching around in the ceiling and there were feathers in the shower. This had happened while the house was being resided and this bird had built a nest on the exit end of the blower tube that ran between the upstairs bathroom vent and the outside of the house.

The workmen had removed the nest (it didn't have any eggs in it); and the bird had flown away and returned between the time they'd taken the vent end off and replaced it with a new one. No one knew the bird was in there and about 6 hours later; it had made its way into my shower fan.

The bathroom light had been on all that night. (The bathroom light is usually on.) And I think the bird crawled its way to the light source thinking it could get out that way. Well, when I saw the feathers on the shower floor. I looked up and shined a flashlight into the holes in the vent and a little black eye looked down at me.

When I looked at that little black bird eye all I could hear was: Please help me. I can't get out of here myself.

So I went and got my tools and a step ladder, closed the bathroom door, took the window glass and screen out of the frame and unscrewed the vent cover. I pulled it down to the point where the bird could see the inside of the bathroom. I gave the vent cover a little shake and as soon as the bird could feel the cold air coming in from outside; it flew out the window. It didn't seem to be injured and never found its way back into my vent tubing again.

Conclusion:

So, why do I tell these stories? A lot of people have experiences like these and some interpret them to be miraculous, or something "out of the ordinary special". And though they are unique. I don't think they are actually that uncommon.

God being omnipresent; bears the ability to "communicate" certain everyday events to all life. He is active in this world and we aren't just atoms smacking into each other. There is order, there's purpose and there's a time table.

Is this kind of interaction on the same level as Scripture though? No it's not; because the point of Scripture is to communicate specifically and particularly about the redemption plan.

The heavens declare the glory of God and in the organization of how the cosmos is set up; there certainly appears to be some form of "river of communication" that runs through the fabric of all of life. Just as Scripture still speaks to us today; these sort of things are just part of the ongoing witness of creation. The cosmos still declares its testimony; that we are neither without excuse, nor have we been left without a witness!

The next chapter will be about Mark 13 and it's comparison to Matthew 24.