You know my friend Gabriel taught me a few things about life. One of the things he taught me was, no matter what kind of business it is, never accept the first offer. He was a PGA guy who lived in Palm Desert, knew everyone and sure loved The Lord. I hadn’t thought about him in a while. One of the cooolest dudes I ever met in my life. May he rest in peace.

Earlier today I went and did some volunteer work at my Church, Life 360. I helping take all the fall decorations out to storage so we could put up the Christmas decorations. While doing this I found 2 gold plastic coins. I looked at them and I held them in my hand, Ok cool. Thanks! I put them in my pocket.

While I was bagging up the trash in the bins all around the church and taking them out to put them in the garbage dumpster. I noticed this haybale walking out. The Pasters wife said that can go too! I said OK, I will come back and grab it. I went and threw the garbage in the dumpster and went to grab the haybale. I set it down outside and noticed something in it. A Blue Star!

Now, I had heard the term looking for a needle in haystack many times in my life. Which is an idiom for something that is impossible or too hard to find because of such a vast area or complexity of the system. However, I have never heard of anyone ever finding a Blue Star in a Haystack. Against all odds, there it was sitting before me.

I stood there looking at it for a moment outside. I put my hands in my pocket and felt those two-plastic gold-colored coins. I was standing there moving them two coins back and forth inside my hand in my in my pocket just looking at that Blue Star sitting in the hay. Then I heard Gabriel as if he was standing right there right next to me say to me, do not accept the first offer. I stood there for a moment longer then, I pulled them two plastic gold coins out of my pocket looked at them, said no thanks and tossed them on the ground. Then I bent down and picked up the blue star found in a haystack and put it in my wallet and said Thank you! As if to not skip a beat, Another fella helping named Michael came out grabbed the hay bail and threw it in the dumpster. He turned and smiled at me, said and that was that! Walked right past me back in the church. I laughed and ok, cool. hahahahaa I went in and finished up there with what they needed and went about my day.

Later in the evening after working out, I was driving down the road and thought about the whole thing: Two names of Arch Angels mentioned in the bible were present: Gabriel and Michael…. there I stood at the door of the Church, with a choice between 2 gold coins or a Blue Star found within a haystack. I stopped at this little store that has been around since the 1930’s to get a few things, got in my car, turned on the radio to the country station and the first song that played was not a country song at all, It was; I can only Imagin by the Christain band, MercyMe. I looked at the station to make sure I selected the country station. yep! it was the country station. The next song that played was 8 second ride by Jake Owens.

Today of course is Saint Francis Day as well as the 8th anniversary of unknowingly doing a similar in nature thing as He did. I figured I would place his wonderful and humble prayer on here for everyone to review.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen