THINGS THAT MATTER

A couple of days ago I was looking for something to read. I looked on all the shelves on the bookcase but the bottom one. I almost didn't look because most of the books are photography books and catalogs but suddenly I found myself on my knees. My eyes fell on a book that I had forgotten about. It was recommended by a friend a couple of years ago but for some strange reason I remember looking it over and scanning a few pages. It was interesting so I placed it on the bookshelf but never thought of it again. I took the book off the shelf and again thumbed through the pages. I was tired of working on my computer, watching TV and just plain bored with life. I needed a new cause, a reason to do something productive, a new purpose, perhaps new direction but I just couldn't put my finger on it. I lay on the bed and started reading and the more I read, the more I wanted to read. The book is by Hal Urban and it's called Life's Greatest Lessons, 20 Things That Matter. After reading for about an hour I decided to get up and send the writer an email. I thought that this guy should have a podcast so I went to his website and saw how busy he was and put the thought aside. Then it hit me. I was the one to have the podcast. After all, the thought came to me so maybe I should be the one. I have lots of stories and ideas about the subject. I wrote my friend and fellow podcaster, Tom Wiles and told him about the idea. He wrote back and said the idea was great and that I should do it. So with that settled, I put it out of my mind until today. Late this afternoon I decided to go outside, sit in the shade and continue reading the book. I opened the closet door to get a pair of shoes and something caught my eye. It was another book. My wife has some books stored in the top of my closet but I never pay attention to them. This book was the Daily Guideposts 2004. I didn't even know we had such a book. It turns out that it was a gift to my wife from a church friend. I felt drawn to the book but didn't know why. I just knew I had to check it out. I took it outside with me leaving the other book inside. I pulled up a yard chair and was admiring the golden rays of the evening sun for a few minutes and at the same time, not looking, I opened the book and stuck my forefinger in it. Why, I don't know, but when I finally opened the book it was on a page about Christmas and the title of the chapter was " Advent With Things That Matter". Wow, it was an awesome moment. I just stared at those words knowing that something special and divine just happened. I read the chapter and got some ideas for the first podcast, closed the book, looked on the back cover and at the top it reads, "Welcome, Join our family of sixty writers and read about the Things That Matter in life. Things like this just don't happen everyday and when they do I've learned to listen to the still small voice inside because it just might be God telling me what to do next. In this case, I have to believe it was God. Too many things have been happening or showing up that point to what I am to do. All of this started when I made a commitment to use my time better and put some things aside that I could live without. I'd been looking for an idea for a new podcast and had given up. I wanted to do more then just play music and talk about unimportant things. I wanted to leave my listeners with something to think about. Perhaps I'll keep my other podcast and have a feature called Things That Matter but for now I'm considering making a totally new podcast and of course it will be called "Things That Matter". I'll keep you posted when it starts.
One that matters to me now is that I continue to listen to that inner voice more often.
That's all for now. Have a wonderful summer.