Good Morning New Orleans!
I had a great day yesterday! First I know this bog is not about me and technically this entry is not about me. I would hope that you would understand that what I’m going to say for the next few paragraphs is in reality, praising God! Please allow me to set this up?
As a Tech Rep for Nikon one of the things I’m assigned to do is go to big shows like, Imaging USA (where I am now), Photo Plus in New York, The WPPI Show (mostly wedding photographers), CES (Consumer Electronics Show), and PMA (Photographic Marketing Association). The purpose for all these shows is to display and answer questions (marketing) about all our products, especially new ones. this is only the second show, CES was two days ago in Las Vegas, that we’ve shown the D4 to the public, it has been really busy.
At these shows you generally stand at a booth, behind a glass case, and pull out what ever camera or lens the customer want to see, handle, and ask questions about. If you took all the questions from all the shows and wrote them on a legal pad, it would end up being essentially the same ten or fifteen questions. Sometimes it can get pretty tiring. Most folks that do this for a living dread doing the shows and are so happy when the show is over and they are on the plane home. Some of my friends, o.k. most of my friends think this is all so glamourous, but it’s not, however this show has been really different.
On the way down to New Orleans, on the plane, I closed my eyes and prayed a long prayer. I prayed for Sherelene’s safety while I was gone, I prayed for my family and my grandchildren, I prayed that I would hold up physically for the show, keep my voice, feel good and do a good job. Then I asked God to give me the strength, wisdom, and concern for our customers to really reach out and help them as best I can. I also asked God if He would send some believers to me to fellowship with. I also prayed for my fellow Nikon folks.
I had a great day because God truly answered my prayer!!! Sherelene and the family are doing great, I’m feeling physically better than any show I can remember in the last four or five years. I’ve had a great group of customers with relevant questions and it has led to some very good conversations that I think have really helped them. But most of all, I’ve had a pretty good number of people walk up and tell me they read the blog!! They kindly expressed their joy with being able to come here for His word and His inspiration. A number of people have engaged me in truly wonderful spiritual conversations and a lot of joy has been raised up in me. This has been such a great show! People are excited about our new products, are primed for future ones, and I’ve really enjoyed it.
Now how can this entry not be about me????!!!! Actually, it is about His faithfulness. God wants us to be filled with His joy, and His presence. He also wants us to be ready, willing, and able to reach out to others with His love! He can make all of that possible, by giving us the strength, wisdom, knowledge, compassion, and “opportunity” to serve Him. How do we serve Him? By showing how joyful it can be to be His servant. Believe it or not, that greatly encourages people. I had more than one person or couple, say before they walked away from the counter, “Thank you so much, I not only learned what I wanted to know, but I just feel great!” Folks, that is God. Only our loving Heavenly Father can turn talking about a new camera or lens into a spiritual, uplifting, experience.
Please let me challenge you to pray, this morning, that God will give you a day filled with joyfully serving Him, and buckle your seat belt, it will be a great and exciting day! I believe that is one prayer He loves to answer!
I bet you can guess what I prayed for this morning!
In Him,
the pilgrim
This entry was posted on Monday, January 16th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
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We all were at least somewhat disappointed when you were guided to stay with Nikon a bit longer (because we knew how you looked forward to another wonderful phase of your life). But as always we were so wrong in thinking that we knew best. He is leading you toward great things in ministering to so many needful folks out through via Nikon’s world-wide reach. Today’s post is another timely example of just putting it all in His hands.
I read your blog, Bill, because it’s great to see a Christian being a Christian these days. I’m a veterinarian by trade and a trained biological scientist as such. And it seems to me that science is the main weapon being wielded against God these days and it does no good, simply to deny science. The best answer I have to rebut science based atheism is with science itself and the best man I know who’s doing this these days is the English Mathematics professor, John Lennox. I mention this because it’s great to tell people to pray to God for a joyous day but it’s also dangerous because if the day goes wrong then people conclude there is no God and give up. It’s the main drive for atheism these days, the fact that bad things happen to good people. When this happens belief in a good God becomes the stuff of fairy tales and in order not seem stupid we turn to science to find truth. It’s not only Christians who face this dilemma but all Theists.
My answer to the science vs God problem is to take a scenario where two scientists, one an atheist and one a believer are asked if there is any scientific evidence for life after death and both will answer no. The atheist draws the conclusion there is no after-life and the believer draws the conclusion that after-life exists in such a way that science can’t explain. it’s not the science that divides us but the conclusions we draw from it and these conclusions are already based on a pre existing premise, one of belief and one of unbelief. This premise has already divided us before science even enters the fray. Where belief comes from is another story. There is Joy in God and beauty and freedom. But as St. Paul says we see it now only as a dim reflection of its fullness. Believe it even in your darkest hour, not just the joyous ones.
I am constantly reminded of John Wesley’s great comment, “God has already answered your prayer! He is just waiting for you to pray it!!” And then part of the old song, “…oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry EVERYTHING to God in prayer!”
Great inspiration today! Thanks Bill!