An Encounter with Jesus

Not my typical blog topic, but feel compelled to share, as it might encourage someone who could use a little encouragement.

3:19AM Wednesday March 29th 2017

I am wide awake, and a little freaked out because my mind is doing the earthly human thing of trying to analyze having just had an encounter with Jesus.  I need to get this on paper before I forget…

I can’t recall how the dream began.  I think, for some reason I was watching something on TV about Jesus (which is truly how my first encounter with Christ began, the first time I realized it was not about religion, but about a personal relationship).  Anyway, I remember floating up into the sky, on my back. The sky was a very vivid blue, it was one of those beautiful skies with warm sunshine and fluffy white clouds floating by. My right arm was stretched out over my head as I was reaching to touch the robe of Christ.  The feeling of Peace was overwhelming and so relaxing.  I said, to Jesus, “I want to be where you are.”

And poof, I was back in the living room, with the TV on. My sister-in-law was sitting in a chair and I recounted the story to her.  I told her, the dream and when I told her that “I said, to Jesus, ‘I want to be where you are’” It was like I had a jolt of realization run through me. 

“Laurie,” I said “He put me back on earth.  That means Jesus is here!”  We were both shocked at the realization.  I said, “He walks among us.”  That got me really freaked out and I knew I had to remember this encounter and tell others about it.  I paced the living room trying to figure out what to do next.  The noise from the movie about Jesus was adding to the chaos in my mind and I remember thinking that it was too much noise, fake noise about Jesus, but not actual Jesus.  So I walked over and turned the TV off.

Laurie and I started wondering if Jesus being on earth meant His second coming had happened.  We decided that couldn’t be the case, because we were both still sitting in the living room.  We determined that it must mean that Jesus is with us always, like He told us He would be in Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Then I woke up, senses fully alive, and started trying to make sense of my dream.

Did this all just really happen? I get weirded out when I have a God thing.  It’s just such a “different” feeling.  I looked around the room, afraid that I might actually see Jesus.  Why am I afraid? I don’t really know.  You wouldn’t think I would be afraid, after having just experienced such Peace in His presence, but it kinda freaked me out, and my human brain went into overtime.

I looked at the clock and noticed it was 3:19AM. Having read somewhere that evil spirits walk the earth at 3AM, I was even more freaked out.  Had Jesus been with me to protect me from evil?  I had prayed the Lord ’s Prayer before falling asleep, literally asking Him to protect “us” from evil.  I was awake, I listened carefully to be sure Jim was still breathing.  Thankfully, he is.

I lay in bed for a couple of minutes, trying to make sense of the dream, not wanting to forget the feeling of Peace I had experienced, not wanting to forget the dream.  I tentatively got out of bed, not knowing what I might see.  Hoping not to see anything I went into the bathroom.  After using the facilities, I determined I should get this out of my head and on to paper.

It’s now 3:57AM. And I’m still analyzing my dream.  What is its purpose?  What is God trying to tell me?  Have you ever made something seem more difficult than it probably is?  I think I may be doing that now.  I believe I truly had an encounter with Jesus and the message from it is so obvious that it’s simple.  Jesus is here, on earth, and I am to remind people of that.

I’m still wide awake, but think I may be able to go back to sleep having captured the details of my dream, my encounter with Jesus, on paper, so I remember it as best I can and am able to share it with others.  I’ll have to read a little first to get my mind off the dream.  I’m thankful I do not have to get up early for work today.  May God’s blessings rain down on us all.    Signing off, 4:15AM.

See Things Differently

Hello All!
This is my first blog with a dedicated blog link. 

Don't let that statement fool you.  I have been writing blogs for the past seven years.  It's just that I always post them to our website (www.newdirectionlifecoaching.com).  I'm not going to take the time to repost them all here.  I'll just say, "If you like what you read here, there are lots more on our website. Check it out!"

I post a new blog every week and share it to my social media sites on Fridays, so be on the lookout for them.

Without further ado, let's get this week's blog under way...
April is right around the corner.  Many of you know that April is Autism Awareness Month and that April 2^nd is Autism Awareness Day.  Some of you know we have a non-verbal grandson on the spectrum and that I often substitute in autism classrooms.

Last month I had the pleasure of observing children with autism experience new things and it reminded me that we need to take the time to try and figure out how they are learning, so we cannot only teach them, but enter into their world with them. 

We were outside and this one non-verbal child was running down a sidewalk.  He started in the sun, but came into a section of the walk that was shaded and stopped.  He stood for a minute or so and turned to run back up the sidewalk, into the sun, at the exact spot he had started before and run into the shade again… and stop.  This process was repeated numerous times and I was left to wonder, “What is he thinking?”  Was this child noticing the changes in light, or maybe the changes in temperature?  Perhaps he was noticing that his shadow had disappeared.

Another non-verbal child was very thoroughly examining a budding bush.  He looked at it from a foot or so away.  Then he inched closer and still closer until he actually got poked in the eye from being so close.  Then he walked completely around it, sometime on tiptoe and sometimes squatting down.  Again, I was left to wonder, “What is he thinking?”  Was this child noticing the difference between the feel of the stems and the leaves?  Perhaps he was smelling the just budding blooms.

Once inside I sat with a non-verbal child who was joyfully rustling a rough paper towel, up and down, fast and slow, sometimes tearing it.  Yet again, I was left to wonder, “What is she thinking?”  Was this child noticing the difference in the sounds of fast, slow, and tearing?  Perhaps she was feeling the breeze the waving paper towel produced, or maybe she was enjoying watching it flutter about.

I may never know what these children were thinking about, but it broadened my senses and thought process just by watching them examine something so joyfully.

Every day offers us new experiences.  If you haven’t noticed something new, you aren’t paying close enough attention.  Take a moment to see things differently and you’ll discover something you had not considered before.  Try it, you’ll see.

*Pam Horton is a Board Certified Advanced Christian Life Coach, in the Raleigh area.*