Somewhere in Time
A short story of encouragement written by I. Weightforette
I enjoy Tap Dance so much, that I have a standing “Tap date” with one of my fellow Tappers every Monday at lunch time. However, it had been several weeks since we had been able to keep it. My co-worker and I were planning to spend our lunch hour at a local produce farm the previous Friday. It was Fall and it’s a great place to be at that time of year with the turning trees, pumpkins, squash, gourds, all things Fall. I was unable to keep the Friday date due to having dental work done, so we rescheduled to go on the following Monday, completely forgetting about my standing “Tap date”.
It was Monday the 18th of November 2013. My co-worker drove because I smoke and my car reeks! If I had driven we would have taken the “scenic route” and none of the following would have taken place. We got off the freeway and at the end of the off ramp, there stood an old man wearing a plaid shirt with a small backpack and a hand lettered sign that simply said “NEED HELP”. I normally don’t look at anyone alongside the road. Too many of them are scammers that have a Mercedes parked out of sight. This time I felt inclined to look and since my friend was driving I was able to do so.
The man and I got eye contact. Not just a fleeting glance, but our eyes actually followed one another’s. He even bent and peered in the window as if he was expecting someone or looking for someone in particular. I told my friend that I wanted to stop on our way back to work to give him some money. We were going to take the scenic route back to work but thankfully remembered to go back to see if he was still there. He was.
We pulled over and my friend handed me a candy bar to give to him. I crossed the street and was greeted with a beaming smile, as if we were old friends seeing one another after being apart for many years. I said “hey buddy”. I know I was smiling as big as he was! I didn’t ask him any questions as to what was going on in his life. I merely gave him the seven dollars I had left from lunch and the candy bar, letting him know it was from my friend, who then drove us back to work with a “warm and fuzzy”.
Since his sign said “NEED HELP”, I called my husband and asked him to go see the man to find out what kind of help he was in need of. It turned out his name is Boyd. He and his 66 year old daughter were trying to get back to Arkansas. My husband gave him money, bid him well and went on about his day with a “warm and fuzzy” of his own. If anyone has any has doubt that God is the real deal, read on because this story is written to you!
I’ve been deaf in my left ear for over 30 years. I’ve seen several doctors and undergone many tests. The prognosis is nerve damage and my only option is to take very good care of my right ear so that I don’t become totally deaf. I enjoy listening to Pastor Tony Clark as I drive in to work. On the morning of Thursday, November 21, 2013 my radio seemed to be extra loud. I turned it down and realized that traffic noise was also louder than usual. I turned the radio back up, plugged my right ear and, watch this… Pastor Tony was coming in LOUD and CLEAR!!!
It is my pleasure to share with you now the events leading up to me becoming a medical miracle.
1. My father died in his mid-forties of Melanoma. It was 1973. Our family didn’t attend church but I went to Sunday school for a number of years with the daughter of my parent’s friends. When my dad was dying, I prayed to God to spare his life. Father’s will determined otherwise. Not understanding at the time, I proclaimed myself to be an atheist.
2. April 10, 1976, I had my first date with my husband. We married six months later and were blessed with a son the following year. We divorced four years later but never strayed far from one another.
3. My mother remarried and moved away. She insisted that I move as well so that she could be closer to her grandson. My ex-husband, not wanting to live so far away from his son, asked if we could live together long enough to get jobs and he a place of his own. A side note here; we later realize that we are very happy being together again and decide to remarry. The most touching part of this is the fact that our son was deputized as a Commissioner of Civil Marriages and performed the ceremony.
4. Our son started attending church and began to share the Word at the dinner table. Another side note; he has always been surrounded by good, clean friends and never given us any trouble or been involved with any kind of debauchery. (I love that word!)
5. My step-father drank and smoked his way in to the ICU. One of his nurses was trying to draw blood and couldn’t find a vein. Out of the blue (pun intended) I was moved to pray for her. She immediately found a vein! Later that year, we were at the wedding of a friend’s daughter. As can often happen when alcohol flows, a Malay ensued. I prayed for it to end and immediately it stopped.
6. In 2004 I was lead to the television show, Shepherd’s Chapel. I watched the entire hour and was blessed with an extra half an hour to get ready for work. My routine didn’t differ at all from any other day, prior. I just seemed to have the extra time I needed to get everything done. I’ve started every work day possible with the Murray Ministry ever since.
7. I met an angel…his name is Boyd.
Since realizing that God has never left my side, I’ve prayed many times for my hearing to be restored. Normally, I include it in my daily prayers on my way to work. However, the weekend prior to my meeting Boyd, I prayed for it specifically. I asked more fervently than ever before, so much so that I was surprised at myself. It seemed to me that I was being somewhat demanding. The following verses were pointed out to me by my dear friend who gave this writing a proof read:
John 15:7 (spoken by Jesus) “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
On the morning that I was blessed with the answer to my prayer, I pulled off to the side of the road, naturally in tears, first to give thanks and second to call my husband. I’ve tried to come up with words to describe my joy and there is only one; overwhelming! I was amazed at how quickly I regained my composure and drove on to work! Another verse provided by my proof reader;
1st Peter 1:8 whom (Jesus Christ) having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
The first person I witnessed to was my supervisor. I apologized for being late and explained that I have been praying for years for my hearing to be restored, it had happened that morning and it made me a little emotional. Next, I testified to two more co-workers and then went to the third who was the one who had driven me to my meeting with Boyd. It was so difficult to contain myself that day. I wanted to go on the loud speaker to tell everyone of the miracle that had been performed in my life! Unfortunately, that would have been politically incorrect and put everyone in the mindset that I had completely lost it! When I was out for my 10 AM smoke, I was drawn to testify to another co-worker who had previously stated to me that he is very spiritual. I had taken that to mean religious. He clarified but encouraged me to tell him the story. At 10:30 AM, I felt driven to be proactive in an attempt to ease a riff brewing at work. At that particular moment, my ear was dead again. I soon came to realize that this is a signal that I’m overlooking something or missing an opportunity. I met with another co-worker at noon to discuss the nasty situation that he was in the middle of and warn him of the firestorm headed his way. After that meeting, I returned to my desk and was delighted to find that my hearing had returned! Shortly after that, I experienced a very pungent floral smell so strong it made my eyes burn. Later research determined it to be Frankincense. No one else in the room could smell it. It was like all of my senses were getting better. Sometimes my vision is actually better without my glasses now too.
Since my encounter with Boyd, our Father has not only restored my hearing but continues to shower me with blessings. The following day, I was directed, while at work to keep a “blessing log” and noted fifteen! WOW! All in a nine hour chunk of time. Add the one I received before I left the house for a total of 16! I work with a CAD computer program. (computer aided drafting) It turns out, He is an excellent tutor. On this same day, He turned me into a CAD savant. I did three day’s worth of work in one day, all while recognizing the blessings pouring in and logging them!
Please note that while I enjoy the challenge of studying from the original King James Version Bible with all it’s “thees” and “thous”, most do not. So, all quotes from the Bible have been taken from a copy of the New King James Version. We don’t want to lose anybody now!
On the morning of November 27th, the day before Thanksgiving, Pastor Dennis was teaching Psalms 105 and 106. During the course of the lecture, we were directed to 1st Timothy 4:15 and 16. Our daughter-in-law’s brother once commented that in order to understand the meaning of a verse, you need to read the twenty verses before and the twenty verses after. Since 4:16 is the last verse of the chapter, I went to 4:1. I found it very interesting that the word “thanksgiving” occurs twice in the verses prior. I was lead to look up the spiritual significance of the number two. In that moment, it was revealed to me the purpose of this writing and why I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of getting it into your hands…
The spiritual significance of the number two as explained in the Appendices of my Bible is as follows: Two denotes difference. If two different persons agree in testimony it is conclusive. Otherwise, two implies opposition, enmity and division.
If you’re a serious student of anything historical, it seems logical to start with the earliest translations/publications available. It would be so easy, while writing a translation, to drop a word, even one as critical as a main character’s name, hence the term “lost in translation”. This will be proven in the following example.
Isaiah 14:12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!”
Many translations of the Bible omit the name “Lucifer”. If you’re an accomplished reader of the Bible, you can interpret that Lucifer, not Jesus, is the one being spoken of here by the lack of capital letters. For a beginning Bible student, however, it completely changes the context of the verse as well as the verses that follow. It isn’t until verse 15 that you start to scratch your head and think “something’s not right…” If you’re determined, you may go back and read it over several times until you understand or you may give up and decide to “put it on a shelf”.
This particular verse is the perfect example of His instruction to neither “add to” nor “diminish from” the words and teachings that He intends us to hear and understand, as is clearly stated in the following verses;
Deuteronomy 4:2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
Proverbs 30:6 Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
Revelation 22:18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;
Revelation 22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city and from the things which are written in this book.
I did limited research through the use of a Bible reference website and several Bibles in our own library and was able to investigate 169 translations of the Bible. Only 15 of which include the word Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12.
Studying the Bible is a labor of love. The numbers stated above indicate there are many Bible students laboring harder than they need to. It also calls to mind the number of people struggling with “opposition, enmity and division”!
The most important blessing that’s been bestowed on me is having been given the opportunity to share this amazing and very humbling story with you, because it’s the one God needs/desires you to hear. Noting this story began November 18th, 2013 and concludes November 29th, 2013, He wants you to hear it BAD!!!
I know He’s finished because, in doing research for the “don’t mess with my stuff” portion (Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18 and 19) I was lead to Deuteronomy 12:32 Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
I keep a log of the daily teachings I receive from Shepherd’s Chapel. The log entry for the day of November 27th reads;
I was directed here to read 1st Timothy 4:15 and 16!* Time to get busy!!!
I revisited these verses to understand why “getting busy” was so important…
1st Timothy 4:15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.
1st Timothy 4:16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those that hear you.
We “got busy” and sincerely hope that reading this has strengthened your faith and increased your desire for learning.
In closing, during the writing of this piece, I was directed by our Father to include an interesting fact. Remember the sixteen blessings in one day? He lead me to look up the spiritual significance of the number sixteen. Once again, He delivered!!! This story will not end as stories typically do. Wait for it…
Sixteen (8x2) denotes resurrection, regeneration; a new beginning or commencement… AMEN
Thank you for your time,
I. Weightforette, December 25th, 2013
About the Author…
He’s God
About the scribe…
she’s a sinner…
Having said that, there may be a prequel to this story forthcoming if it’s God’s will. It will be further testimony detailing how God, through my lifetime, has positioned me, every step of the way, so that my path would lead me to Boyd.
Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
A short story of encouragement written by I. Weightforette
I enjoy Tap Dance so much, that I have a standing “Tap date” with one of my fellow Tappers every Monday at lunch time. However, it had been several weeks since we had been able to keep it. My co-worker and I were planning to spend our lunch hour at a local produce farm the previous Friday. It was Fall and it’s a great place to be at that time of year with the turning trees, pumpkins, squash, gourds, all things Fall. I was unable to keep the Friday date due to having dental work done, so we rescheduled to go on the following Monday, completely forgetting about my standing “Tap date”.
It was Monday the 18th of November 2013. My co-worker drove because I smoke and my car reeks! If I had driven we would have taken the “scenic route” and none of the following would have taken place. We got off the freeway and at the end of the off ramp, there stood an old man wearing a plaid shirt with a small backpack and a hand lettered sign that simply said “NEED HELP”. I normally don’t look at anyone alongside the road. Too many of them are scammers that have a Mercedes parked out of sight. This time I felt inclined to look and since my friend was driving I was able to do so.
The man and I got eye contact. Not just a fleeting glance, but our eyes actually followed one another’s. He even bent and peered in the window as if he was expecting someone or looking for someone in particular. I told my friend that I wanted to stop on our way back to work to give him some money. We were going to take the scenic route back to work but thankfully remembered to go back to see if he was still there. He was.
We pulled over and my friend handed me a candy bar to give to him. I crossed the street and was greeted with a beaming smile, as if we were old friends seeing one another after being apart for many years. I said “hey buddy”. I know I was smiling as big as he was! I didn’t ask him any questions as to what was going on in his life. I merely gave him the seven dollars I had left from lunch and the candy bar, letting him know it was from my friend, who then drove us back to work with a “warm and fuzzy”.
Since his sign said “NEED HELP”, I called my husband and asked him to go see the man to find out what kind of help he was in need of. It turned out his name is Boyd. He and his 66 year old daughter were trying to get back to Arkansas. My husband gave him money, bid him well and went on about his day with a “warm and fuzzy” of his own. If anyone has any has doubt that God is the real deal, read on because this story is written to you!
I’ve been deaf in my left ear for over 30 years. I’ve seen several doctors and undergone many tests. The prognosis is nerve damage and my only option is to take very good care of my right ear so that I don’t become totally deaf. I enjoy listening to Pastor Tony Clark as I drive in to work. On the morning of Thursday, November 21, 2013 my radio seemed to be extra loud. I turned it down and realized that traffic noise was also louder than usual. I turned the radio back up, plugged my right ear and, watch this… Pastor Tony was coming in LOUD and CLEAR!!!
It is my pleasure to share with you now the events leading up to me becoming a medical miracle.
1. My father died in his mid-forties of Melanoma. It was 1973. Our family didn’t attend church but I went to Sunday school for a number of years with the daughter of my parent’s friends. When my dad was dying, I prayed to God to spare his life. Father’s will determined otherwise. Not understanding at the time, I proclaimed myself to be an atheist.
2. April 10, 1976, I had my first date with my husband. We married six months later and were blessed with a son the following year. We divorced four years later but never strayed far from one another.
3. My mother remarried and moved away. She insisted that I move as well so that she could be closer to her grandson. My ex-husband, not wanting to live so far away from his son, asked if we could live together long enough to get jobs and he a place of his own. A side note here; we later realize that we are very happy being together again and decide to remarry. The most touching part of this is the fact that our son was deputized as a Commissioner of Civil Marriages and performed the ceremony.
4. Our son started attending church and began to share the Word at the dinner table. Another side note; he has always been surrounded by good, clean friends and never given us any trouble or been involved with any kind of debauchery. (I love that word!)
5. My step-father drank and smoked his way in to the ICU. One of his nurses was trying to draw blood and couldn’t find a vein. Out of the blue (pun intended) I was moved to pray for her. She immediately found a vein! Later that year, we were at the wedding of a friend’s daughter. As can often happen when alcohol flows, a Malay ensued. I prayed for it to end and immediately it stopped.
6. In 2004 I was lead to the television show, Shepherd’s Chapel. I watched the entire hour and was blessed with an extra half an hour to get ready for work. My routine didn’t differ at all from any other day, prior. I just seemed to have the extra time I needed to get everything done. I’ve started every work day possible with the Murray Ministry ever since.
7. I met an angel…his name is Boyd.
Since realizing that God has never left my side, I’ve prayed many times for my hearing to be restored. Normally, I include it in my daily prayers on my way to work. However, the weekend prior to my meeting Boyd, I prayed for it specifically. I asked more fervently than ever before, so much so that I was surprised at myself. It seemed to me that I was being somewhat demanding. The following verses were pointed out to me by my dear friend who gave this writing a proof read:
John 15:7 (spoken by Jesus) “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
On the morning that I was blessed with the answer to my prayer, I pulled off to the side of the road, naturally in tears, first to give thanks and second to call my husband. I’ve tried to come up with words to describe my joy and there is only one; overwhelming! I was amazed at how quickly I regained my composure and drove on to work! Another verse provided by my proof reader;
1st Peter 1:8 whom (Jesus Christ) having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
The first person I witnessed to was my supervisor. I apologized for being late and explained that I have been praying for years for my hearing to be restored, it had happened that morning and it made me a little emotional. Next, I testified to two more co-workers and then went to the third who was the one who had driven me to my meeting with Boyd. It was so difficult to contain myself that day. I wanted to go on the loud speaker to tell everyone of the miracle that had been performed in my life! Unfortunately, that would have been politically incorrect and put everyone in the mindset that I had completely lost it! When I was out for my 10 AM smoke, I was drawn to testify to another co-worker who had previously stated to me that he is very spiritual. I had taken that to mean religious. He clarified but encouraged me to tell him the story. At 10:30 AM, I felt driven to be proactive in an attempt to ease a riff brewing at work. At that particular moment, my ear was dead again. I soon came to realize that this is a signal that I’m overlooking something or missing an opportunity. I met with another co-worker at noon to discuss the nasty situation that he was in the middle of and warn him of the firestorm headed his way. After that meeting, I returned to my desk and was delighted to find that my hearing had returned! Shortly after that, I experienced a very pungent floral smell so strong it made my eyes burn. Later research determined it to be Frankincense. No one else in the room could smell it. It was like all of my senses were getting better. Sometimes my vision is actually better without my glasses now too.
Since my encounter with Boyd, our Father has not only restored my hearing but continues to shower me with blessings. The following day, I was directed, while at work to keep a “blessing log” and noted fifteen! WOW! All in a nine hour chunk of time. Add the one I received before I left the house for a total of 16! I work with a CAD computer program. (computer aided drafting) It turns out, He is an excellent tutor. On this same day, He turned me into a CAD savant. I did three day’s worth of work in one day, all while recognizing the blessings pouring in and logging them!
Please note that while I enjoy the challenge of studying from the original King James Version Bible with all it’s “thees” and “thous”, most do not. So, all quotes from the Bible have been taken from a copy of the New King James Version. We don’t want to lose anybody now!
On the morning of November 27th, the day before Thanksgiving, Pastor Dennis was teaching Psalms 105 and 106. During the course of the lecture, we were directed to 1st Timothy 4:15 and 16. Our daughter-in-law’s brother once commented that in order to understand the meaning of a verse, you need to read the twenty verses before and the twenty verses after. Since 4:16 is the last verse of the chapter, I went to 4:1. I found it very interesting that the word “thanksgiving” occurs twice in the verses prior. I was lead to look up the spiritual significance of the number two. In that moment, it was revealed to me the purpose of this writing and why I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of getting it into your hands…
The spiritual significance of the number two as explained in the Appendices of my Bible is as follows: Two denotes difference. If two different persons agree in testimony it is conclusive. Otherwise, two implies opposition, enmity and division.
If you’re a serious student of anything historical, it seems logical to start with the earliest translations/publications available. It would be so easy, while writing a translation, to drop a word, even one as critical as a main character’s name, hence the term “lost in translation”. This will be proven in the following example.
Isaiah 14:12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!”
Many translations of the Bible omit the name “Lucifer”. If you’re an accomplished reader of the Bible, you can interpret that Lucifer, not Jesus, is the one being spoken of here by the lack of capital letters. For a beginning Bible student, however, it completely changes the context of the verse as well as the verses that follow. It isn’t until verse 15 that you start to scratch your head and think “something’s not right…” If you’re determined, you may go back and read it over several times until you understand or you may give up and decide to “put it on a shelf”.
This particular verse is the perfect example of His instruction to neither “add to” nor “diminish from” the words and teachings that He intends us to hear and understand, as is clearly stated in the following verses;
Deuteronomy 4:2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.
Proverbs 30:6 Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
Revelation 22:18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;
Revelation 22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city and from the things which are written in this book.
I did limited research through the use of a Bible reference website and several Bibles in our own library and was able to investigate 169 translations of the Bible. Only 15 of which include the word Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12.
Studying the Bible is a labor of love. The numbers stated above indicate there are many Bible students laboring harder than they need to. It also calls to mind the number of people struggling with “opposition, enmity and division”!
The most important blessing that’s been bestowed on me is having been given the opportunity to share this amazing and very humbling story with you, because it’s the one God needs/desires you to hear. Noting this story began November 18th, 2013 and concludes November 29th, 2013, He wants you to hear it BAD!!!
I know He’s finished because, in doing research for the “don’t mess with my stuff” portion (Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18 and 19) I was lead to Deuteronomy 12:32 Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
I keep a log of the daily teachings I receive from Shepherd’s Chapel. The log entry for the day of November 27th reads;
I was directed here to read 1st Timothy 4:15 and 16!* Time to get busy!!!
I revisited these verses to understand why “getting busy” was so important…
1st Timothy 4:15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.
1st Timothy 4:16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those that hear you.
We “got busy” and sincerely hope that reading this has strengthened your faith and increased your desire for learning.
In closing, during the writing of this piece, I was directed by our Father to include an interesting fact. Remember the sixteen blessings in one day? He lead me to look up the spiritual significance of the number sixteen. Once again, He delivered!!! This story will not end as stories typically do. Wait for it…
Sixteen (8x2) denotes resurrection, regeneration; a new beginning or commencement… AMEN
Thank you for your time,
I. Weightforette, December 25th, 2013
About the Author…
He’s God
About the scribe…
she’s a sinner…
Having said that, there may be a prequel to this story forthcoming if it’s God’s will. It will be further testimony detailing how God, through my lifetime, has positioned me, every step of the way, so that my path would lead me to Boyd.
Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.