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LONG WALK 2011 Stories
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Renewal, re-dedication, and encouragement!
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I wake up, get ready, and head out to find a new notebook. I haven't been journaling as much, and I want to do this more. I'm not looking for just a notebook with lines; I want something I can draw in, too. I drive around many places, but no one has what I'm looking for. I stop at McDonald's for breakfast and listen to today's DAB.
After breakfast, I stop at another bookstore and get a notebook with blank pages. Then I head up to a park in the northwestern Cincinnati area, along the Great Miami River. The last time I was here was 5 months ago when I needed a place to pray. Different weather, different time, same great place.
I walk over to a bench, and I see a plaque that says a woman spent her last days at this spot when the park was just brand new. I can see why she liked it: the river is 800 feet away from me, and I can hear its rushing waters. Birds sing in the trees above and around me. There is some nice shade.
I open my notebook and record my thoughts thus far and sketch what I see before me. Then I walk in a different direction and begin praying. I find another bench in a quieter area and pour out my soul before my God. I'm in tears because I've really needed this time. In repentance and brokenness of heart, I reveal my need for Him. I beg Him to reveal what he wants for the next 6 months of my life.
As I walk over to another view of the river, I realize I don't know exactly what to say, but I know that the Spirit knows. I continue walking back toward the original bench, praying as I go along. I pass the bench and see a flat area along the river bank, and I climb down it.
I'm reminded of when Samuel had found a rock he called Ebenezer. I spot my souvenir rock, grab a stick and write on the sand, 1 Samuel 9:12:
"Thus far the LORD has helped us."
I realize that God has helped me so much already this year, and He's not done yet!
God bless and make it a great day!
Daniel Johnson, Jr.
Cincinnati, Ohio USA
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Daniel Johnson Jr 07/07/2011 12:41 |
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