I don't put much stock in fortune cookies. Wait--I take that back...Actually only one fortune cookie ever contained anything that was life altering and it was in the form of a question on a rainy, September evening in 1996 when Mark and I were eating Chinese...The fortune read, "Jennifer Kelly, will you be my wife?" Maybe not a "fortune" in the typical fortune cookie sense but it changed the course of my life nonetheless.
Last week Mark and I were enjoying a Chinese take-out feast and it came time for fortune cookies...I cracked mine and was stunned by the declaration on the little sliver of paper: "You will meet someone important who will help you advance professionally". WOW!? Really? Usually I get dumb little statements like, "You are a deep thinker" or "Life is what you make of it"...not too fortuitous...But this? And now? When I have (maybe) 11 weeks left of employment? How cool...
The next morning as I prayed I told the Lord that I didn't really believe in the randomness of me pulling that particular fortune out of the cookie...or did I? "What do I know about You...I know that You can and will use anything to get our attention..." Still...I ended up praying that if God saw fit to have me meet someone important who could help advance me professionally, I was all for it...but I wouldn't believe it was because "the power of the fortune cookie" predicted it...rather, it was His orchestration of events, timing, etc. I also agreed to be on the look out for opportunities to help make this happen.
Sunday morning I checked my email...Mom mentioned that she and some pals were going to the OC Tabernacle to hear Tony Campollo, a favorite preacher of mine. I was kinda bummed that I hadn't known about it earlier so I wished her well. As I went through the morning, I got that little "tug" I get sometimes when I'm being challenged. I'd read Mom's email around 5am...and still had enough time to do all my morning stuff and get to the Tabernacle on time...Why not go and enjoy someone I both admire and who I knew would deliver a wonderful message? "YES! WHY NOT!?" I shouted to my unspontaneous self...Thankfully I listened...I texted Mom, made plans to meet, and went about my morning looking forward to hearing him speak.
On my way there a thought occurred to me. I'd met Tony at a breakfast about 2 years ago at Urban Promise, one of his ministries in Camden (that just so happens is one block from our new drop in center). We'd chatted for a while, he was familiar with Covenant House and our work...He was the keynote speaker at the breakfast and I remember him talking about "the least of these" and his hopes to begin a prison ministry. My ears perked up and Father Steve (our pastoral minister who knows my heart) kinda kicked me under the table and gave me a knowing look. Afterwards, he urged me to get involved in Tony's ministry should it ever develop. I remember driving back to Atlantic City, no radio, buzzing with the thought, the possibilities, the opportunity...Over the last few years I randomly would check Tony's website to see if anything had developed and apparently it had not...But maybe now? Was this the "someone important" I was supposed to connect with???
I uttered a "Thy will be done"prayer when I got to the Tabernacle and went inside to wait. As I waited, I looked up and there was Tony standing just a few feet away! I smiled, he smiled back, and then rushed off. "Go!" my spirit screamed...I got up and went to pursue him...but he had vanished. Grrr! I decided that no matter what, even if only to get me out of my comfort zone (because I usually do NOT do things like this) I would aim to speak with him before I left and give him my contact information...my part=done, God's part TBD.
The service was wonderful...Steve Green was the featured singer and at one point I raised my hand during one of his songs (unashamed! Not sure if they do that kind of thing at the Tabernacle but I didn't care! God be praised!) Tony's message was heavy but thought provoking, especially in the areas of justice for the downtrodden, one of the reasons I admire him so. Afterwards, I lingered around to see if I could catch a minute or two of his time. He was greeting folks at the back of the church so I waited and tried to figure out what I would say.
When it was my turn I shook his hand and reminded him of our meeting at Urban Promise, who I was, Covenant House, etc. Of course he had no clue about us meeting but I hadn't expected, "Oh YES! Jen Williams! Of course I remember you!" I asked him about the prison ministry he'd wanted to start and he said it hadn't come to fruition. I handed him my card and said that if it ever got started--then he interrupted me and asked if we'd ever done any collaborations with Urban Promise...We had on a small scale so I said yes. He asked if I knew the new director and mentioned a woman's name who I was unfamiliar with...I said, Bruce isn't there anymore?" (in attempts to prove that at least I knew the head of the operation and I wasn't just some nut) and he assured me that Bruce was still with UP but in another capacity. He said he would forward my info to the new director and have her give me a call (for...?). I shook his hand again and went on my way.
So...fortune? Time may tell...At the very least I gained some self-satisfaction that I can change my plans spur of the moment and can make myself talk to people I barely know...whatever else may come is in God's hands...and I know that whatever it will be will be a fortune in itself...because it will have been ordered and orchestrated by a loving Father who has great plans for me.
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