FOI

Recently I have met several people who I can not determine why they intersected with my life, but, I am convinced it is no accident.

It happened again today more than once and it happened yesterday more than once.

About today, no wait, let me go back to yesterday.

I was at an event at Georgia Power, a Southern Company, promoting Shorter University, people coming by, getting to know them, etc.

Then a young man comes by, smiling, very approachable, a very warm person.

My spidy senses started tingling and I knew something was up. I did notice his ball cap and the initialed letters, FOI imprinted on the front.

I handed him a flyer and went through my spill. When I got to the part of “Christian University”, he smiled and I knew we were about to have a remarkable moment.

He looked up and smiled and I said, “What does FOI stand for?”, even though I had a pretty good idea already.

He laughed and said, “Fruit of Islam.”

I returned a laugh and said, “We are about to have some fun.”

In the next fifteen minutes I found out that 1} he had at one time professed to be a christian 2) he grew up in a christian home 3) his father is a pastor 4) his mother is a missionary 5) he converted to Islam a year and half ago and many other things.

It was one of the most fascinating conversations I have had in a long long time.

Interesting is an understatement.

He told me of why he converted, what pushed him from Christianity and what pulled him to Islam.

It really became interesting regarding four questions, two from him and two from me.

I will leave those questions for others to consider as I do.

His questions.

“What religion was Jesus?”

“What religion was Abraham?”

My questions.

“My redemptive connection between God and myself is Christ. What is your redemptive connection between Allah and yourself?”

“If you at one time professed to be a Christian and asked Christ to come into your life then at your point of conversion to Islam did you wash away the blood that had already covered your life?”

I am so excited to have this new person in my life who will hopefully become my friend.

I am most excited to see where God will lead me in this new found relationship.

Yesterday, I sent the following prayer out to someone by text and I’ll be dadgummed if it did not come right back to my life.

“God, help John today be where you want him to be when you want him to be there.”

JHH