Why Only God Could Help Fix A Jammed Stapler Machine

I now work in a mail room where there are a lot of machines.  One of these machines is called a saddle stitcher, it is used to staple fliers and booklets in the middle fold.  This stapler is supposed to operate over a million punches before it needs servicing.  I use it several times a week.

It jammed.  The staples were no longer going through the pages correctly but were being bent in a twisted kink instead of folding down.  Looking closely at the machine I saw a tiny shiny fragment of a staple in the black hardened metal part that cinches and folds the staple wire.  I tried to pry it loose with the smallest screwdriver that would get in the tight space, but without success.

I found tools and began to take it apart hoping to free the shard, but the part that was jammed was a solid unit, I was able to get the part out but not free the piece from the part.  There was some movement but the shard was still stuck in there.

The machine had a manual which described all the things that could go wrong and how they could be corrected, but there was no help for the piece being jammed in the way it was; apparently it is not supposed to be able to happen like that.  Feeling hopeless I put it all back together.

For the next few days whenever I looked at the machine I prayed for God to help make it work.

Later in the week I tried it repair it again and took it apart but this time I sprayed it with oil.  It didn't work.  I put it together and tried to operate it but still a bad result.  I made adjustments here and there and still it wouldn't work.  I gave up.

So I began to think it would need to be replaced and went to the internet to find out how much a saddle stitcher would cost and was shocked to find out that it would cost about three months of my wages for one.

With new motivation, I tried to fix it again.  This time I dismounted it from the stand and laid it on the table.  It was much heavier than I thought and it slipped out of my hand and dropped the last inch onto the table.  "Just great," I thought, "I bet it is worse now than before."  I fiddled with the thing here and there trying to move the parts from other directions but it was still jammed.

I asked God to show me what to do.


I thought to myself that this machine was not going to be fixed.  After remounting it I tried one last time to move the parts again.  It was still jammed.  OK, I figured it was broke and it couldn't get worse, so I put a screwdriver inside and pushed the moving part as hard as I can.  Nothing happened. I saturated the part with oil put the screwdriver in and pushed as hard as I can and this time it finally moved!  The shard was nowhere to be seen.

I gave it more oil and moved the pieces back and forth a few times then put it all back together.

I picked up some papers, put them in, and hit the button.  The stitcher made all the right sounds then punched and folded the staple through the papers.  It was a beautiful sight to see.

I am not a machine repair kind of guy, the only reason the saddle stitcher works is because God helped me fix it.

(c) Adron 2/28/15

Why I am Thankful For The First Time Sleeping Late On Saturday Morning

I am always the first to wake up in the morning or at least the first to get out of bed.

This was a hard week with a lot of physical work on my job.  I had a few late nights and a few times I had to go in early.  After work there were evenings with commitments and projects that called for my attention.

By the time I made it to bed late on Friday night I was aching in my back and shoulders.  It was one of those times when I was so tired that I cannot even go to sleep.  In the middle of the night I got up and took an aspirin and finally got to sleep.  It was one of those deep sleeps where you are all wrapped up in your own dream world and don't want to get up. For me this is rare.

Most Saturdays we have places to go with our kids or things that have to be done around the house; but this Saturday there was no errands demanding I get up early like the weekdays. That knowledge must have been in my sub-conscience mind and gave me more reason to get out of bed.

This morning others in my house got up before me and the coffee was already made. I was able to go downstairs and not fumble around in the kitchen trying to make coffee, it was ready to pour.

Not having the pressure to do something was strange, I felt like I had to experiment with how to relax.  I took my Bible and a cup of coffee to the couch and sat down for a time of reading and reflection on God.

It was a little thing but somehow I feel that God was putting it together so I could take time to get back to him a little and renew my sense of being centered in him.  A busy life is what He gave me but he also gives me little quiet times and I am thankful that my Loving Father in Heaven is in control.

(c) Adron 2/7/15

Thankful For An Honest Mechanic

My car, which is an old Volkswagen Passat, suddenly started to make a loud noise and it seemed the muffler had gone bad. The car ran fine so I put off dealing with the noisy muffler until it was convenient to have someone fix it; and I didn't look forward to spending a thousand dollars on a car repair since the muffler alone would cost about $600.00, and that is just part of the exhaust system.

There was no opportunity to have it looked at until a holiday weekend. I thought most auto shops would be opened since the holiday wasn't one of the big ones like Christmas; I was wrong, my first choice was a national muffler repair chain but they were closed. I drove all over town trying to find an auto repair shop. At last Merchant's Tire and Auto was open. I was not keen on using them because I thought it would be better to have the muffler replaced by a muffler specialist who had experience and parts on hand, but they were open and the job needed to be done.

After the mechanic had the car up on the lift he called me out to look at it. "It doesn't need a muffler," He said, "See here," and he pointed to a rusty cracked metal thing that was wrapped around the pipe leading to the muffler, "This coupling has gone bad and has come away. I have one that we can use."

"Great that will be cheaper," I said.

He laughed, "Yes a lot!"

I waited a little while and he came for me. "It worked perfectly," he said.

The bill was only two hundred dollars.  If he had not been honest he could have just put in a new muffler and exhaust system and charged me over a thousand dollars.

I am grateful God worked out the circumstances for me to find an honest mechanic.

(c) Adron 9/2/14

Thankful that God Provided Extra Work On My Job

Yesterday I was scheduled to work only four hours at my grocery store job. I had been aware of this since the schedule was posted a few days before. I was discouraged to see the reduced hours since times are tough and cashier's wages are slim to begin with. I asked if more hours were available but the answer was vague, it seems everybody in the store has been given fewer hours.

In the morning the ground had over an inch of fluffy white snow. Since there was no need to pack a lunch for a four-hour shift I used the extra minutes to get an early start. Good thing too, the roads were slushy and mixed with icy slippery patches.

I arrived at work a minute or two early and began my shift. A few minutes later the phone rang at the customer service counter, moments later it rang again, and then a third time. The customer service manager was becoming more upset with each call. It seems that some of the other cashiers had phoned to say they were not able to come to work because of the snow or illness.

I went to the service counter to look at the schedule. The person who was supposed to take over my register at the end of my shift was crossed off.

"I can work that shift if it helps out," I said.

"That would be great!" The manager exclaimed, "In fact, I'll buy lunch for you!"

The combined shifts were an hour and a half more than I would have normally gotten, and a free lunch besides made it a good day.

God had plans all along.

(c)Adron Dozat 3/4/14

Thankful For A Break In The Rain.

We have had a very rainy October. I ride a bike to work, and I do not like to ride a bicycle in the rain. I do not like the cold, the wet, or the feeling of danger.

On several occasions, I have looked at the hourly weather report to see rain forecast. With resolution and a prayer for God's mercy I set out, only to encounter a mist or light drizzle. Then once at work, I listened to the downpour as oceans of water danced on the roof and flooded the gullies.

After work, I was set to go out in the deluge and find myself only under cloudy skies with a few raindrops here and there.

I feel God on these occasions was watching and protecting me. Sometimes he blesses us with deliverance and this week held several of those times.

There was only one day that I was caught in the heavy rain; God gave his grace to endure and protection on the road. The heavy rain was at the end of my ride and I was able to change to dry clothes.

I am thankful for all those circumstances; some may say there was good and bad but I feel God was in them all and watching over with grace in all.

(c)Adron Dozat

Thankful For Being Unhurt In An Accident.

I am a very safe driver but not everyone else is, so I always watch out for the other guy. I was doing just that- looking to the right merge lane at an intercession with a very limited merge lane when a driver coming on the left slammed into my car.

Even though there are many complications to the situation I am thankful for many others.
     * No one was hurt.
     * The emergency services were on the scene within minutes.
     * There was no traffic on the road to interrupt or add extra danger.
     * I was able to drive away.
     * It was on my way home from work not on my way to work.
     * It was only three blocks from my house.

I am thankful that the Lord was watching over me. I believe I began that day like many others with a prayer asking His protection and guidance. I wonder if I had not asked God that morning for protection if the collision would have been worse and involve serious injury. I believe in God, I believe He watches over us and I believe He answers prayer. So all my gratitude is directed to the Almighty.

There are complications with insurance and repairs and transportation for me and my family but I believe that God has blessings in store as we stay faithful to him through these issues.

Why I Am Thankful When The Car Broke Down

The kids needed my car and my wife was using the family van, so for the last week I have been driving a car on loan from my wife's sister. It is an old car and she hasn't driven it for a while. She was not sure what to do with the car and it has a history of breaking down.

I was on my way to work in the borrowed car going over a little rise in the narrow road when the dash lights came on and the engine went off. I coasted to the little bike lane and sat.  The thing would not start up.

It was a quart low on oil and I wondered if it had some sensor that caused the engine to shut down to protect it from damage due to the low oil. There was a market about four blocks back so I walked to the market and bought some oil.

While returning to the car I heard someone call my name. It was an acquaintance I knew who shopped at the grocery store I worked at. He was driving by and spotted me. He stopped to help.

After adding the oil the car still refused to start.  We both thought it sounded like it was out of gas, but it had been filled up only a couple of days ago, and still had three quarters of a tank.

"Can I give you a ride somewhere?" He asked. I told him where I lived and that I would like to get my son and come back with the other car and arrange for the tow truck. We actually had a nice ride and a nice talk about family, town and local history. I couldn't thank him enough when we got to my home.

My son and I returned to the car about thirty minutes later. I was afraid I would see it as the cause of a wreck since it was a narrow lane where I left it but God must have set an angelic guard to deflect cars.

We tried again to start the car but it wouldn't start. A call to the auto club had a tow truck on the spot in ten minutes.  While the tow truck driver was attaching the car to the truck a van pulled up and inside it was a woman waiving at me. At first I thought she was with the tow truck, like a supervisor or something. I walked up to her and she turned out to be another acquaintance; she said, "I know you, you work at the grocery store. Is everything all right? Are you OK?"

"Yes" I replied, "The tow truck will take the car and my son is here with my other car."

"You don't need anything? I saw you and came back in case."

"No, I am fine. Thank you." I felt glad for the lady to stop and check on me.

The auto club allows free towing for the first four miles. My mechanic was five miles and it turned out that last mile cost four dollars. I happened to have eight dollars in my wallet- this is unusual since I rarely carry cash. I was able to pay the driver and give him extra for his good service. I felt grateful to have a little for a tip.

Later at home I thought about all the ways the Lord was watching over me.
     * The car was safe even though it was in a narrow busy road.
     * I felt touched that two people in the same morning stopped in their day to kindly offer help.
     * The Tow truck was only ten minutes away.
     * I happened to have the money to give the tow truck guy and a little extra for a tip.
I believe the Lord watches over us in our problems and he has ready solutions. Sometimes the solution is endurance to go through it or sometimes it is deliverance like today.

The auto repair shop called and advised the problem was fuel sensor.

Why I Am Thankful For Good Health

While visiting with a friend from a faith community we once attended I was told about her husband's cancer surgery and follow up radiation treatments. The poor man, who is a minister and is much younger than I am, has had some complications. He is dedicated to the Lord's service and continues to minister from home where he is confined because of the current complications.

I have some health issues too, but nothing which compares to what my friend is going through. I know the Lord has His purposes for allowing the hardships we face. I know the Almighty is both loving and wise.

I do not know if I have what it takes to go through the test my friend is going through. I am grateful that God has blessed me with good health; I am able to go to work, do chores, spend time with my family and enjoy much of the blessings He has given.

I feel inspired by my friend, though he is going through a life threatening experience that could tip one way or the other yet he still loves Jesus his Savor without reproach and is committed to serve him. I feel honored and blessed to know him.

Without diminishing or belittling what he and others like him are going through I am thankful that I have not faced this test. I pray when my time comes I can endure it with the same nobility and grace that my friend has.

Thankful for The Kindness of a Stranger

I daily have blessings but don't find time to share them. Once in a while one is so overwhelming that I must share it.

My daughter is a talented musician and plays in several bands in and out of school. She even auditioned to be in a local professional marching band and of course she got in. We are glad to see her enjoy her talent and share her gift.

The band was to play at the stadium before the preseason football game. We scraped together some cash and got two tickets for the game so we could see our daughter marching and playing music on the field. These stadiums are huge and hold tens of thousands of people. Our seats were high up less than half way- not bad but they did not afford the best view.

When my daughter's marching band came out my wife left her seat and rushed down over the steps through the crowd to the railing where she hoped to take some photos of the performance. "She went to take pictures of our daughter." I boasted to the people sitting next to me. "Oh?" They replied. "My daughter is in the marching band. I think she is way over there." Way over there was a long way off; the performers were small and hard to tell apart in their uniforms. I leaned forward straining my eyes when I felt a tap on my arm. The woman sitting next to me offered her binoculars which they brought to watch the game.

Looking through the binoculars I clearly saw my little girl over a hundred yards away standing in formation and doing her part. I saw her excitement, her occasional misstep and her pride. With pride and joy I watched her every moment and followed her as she marched. I would not have been able to confidently pick her out among the others were it not for the binoculars proffered by the woman sitting next to me.

I wished they could have stayed on the field longer but the pregame show ended and I gave the binoculars back. "Thank you, Thank you for your kindness, I could see her clearly, Thank you."

We want to live our lives as blessings to others but sometimes we are privileged to receive a blessing. I am grateful for the kindness of these strangers. May the Lord bless them in return.

Why Thankful For Church Friends

I work at a grocery store. I feel it is honest and reliable work. The days are hard sometimes, especially as I deal with the public. In this metropolitan area many are impatient and in a hurry, so I have to work quickly and still have a friendly and courteous manner no matter how hard things get.

When a church friend came in and greeted me it was like a breath of fresh cool air in the desert. We had a few words about God and his Word. We discussed briefly what the Lord is doing in our lives. To say it was a blessing would not do justice to the fellowship we enjoyed.

A few hours later another friend came in who was from a similar church than mine and we shared what God was doing in our churches and what he was showing us in his word. We discussed how the world needed the Savior and wondered how people manage to get through the day without his Loving Holy Spirit to comfort and guide them.

A few hours later a young couple from my church came and even though we had only the briefest exchange it was as sweet as the others who I had Christian fellowship with.

Many days on my job I am encouraged and comforted by those who I may call Brother and Sister in the faith. I am always thankful for these moments of blessing in my day. I feel our paths cross with divine intent as our Heavenly Father weaves our day in Love so we may encourage each other. Sometimes it is the lift that gets me over the dark chasm of negative things that I experience in my workplace.

Thankful for the Rugby Game

I am not into sports since I was always small in school and was never picked for the teams during recess. I am more of the thoughtful contemplative type.

I have a friend who I see at work that is a referee for a local rugby league. He is a great guy and fun to talk to, and he can always talk about rugby. He invited me to come see a game he was refereeing on Saturday. I got off work just before the game and it was on my way home so I stopped by. I thought I would pay a polite nod to my friend and after a few minutes leave.

I had a great time! It is a wild game, very fast and fun to watch. The local boys were getting slaughtered by the out of town team but it was very entertaining. I sat on the grass on a little knoll and enjoyed the sunshine and the cloud filled blue sky. Just watching the game I felt energized. If I wasn't twice as old as the kids playing and so out of shape I would try out for the league.

My friend came over during the quarter breaks and filled me in on the rules and strategies of the game. We had fun talking together.

It was a break. I work hard on my two jobs, volunteer at church, and come home to more work, so it was nice to have fun. I thought about it later on and realized God who knows all things was trying to get me to slow down and enjoy some of the blessing he has given us called life.

I will make it a point to attend other games.

Why I Am Thankful For Mondays

Most people wake up on Monday morning and think, "Oh, too bad, the weekend is over and now the hard week begins again."

Sometimes I feel that way too. I feel that the weekend is a time of more quality or worth when I can pursue fun or recreation. Now Monday is here and I have to be a worker who labors at job, home life and community service- it is no fun.

WHOSE WEEK IS IT?
God has given me work as a blessing which many do not have. The blessing is not just to earn money but to know the one who gives the blessing better, in a sense God is in the blessing.

A week of work may present me with a lot of hard tasks but God will be there for each one. We think that we can't call on God for the little things but wait for some crisis before we cry out to him, but every little task of my workday is an opportunity for fellowship with the Creator. Each task offers me a test to partner with God in doing well at work and service.

RESOLVE
I am the same person no matter if it is Monday, Sunday or Wednesday. I have the same blessings no matter what day of the week it is. If I am living unto God each day the day does not change who I am.

I must remember to be thankful for Mondays; it is a commitment to do so because of a conviction that God wants me to be a thankful person.

I must remember each day is a gift no matter what day of the week it is. It is a gift prepared by God and a gift full of his purposes. If I embrace that gift I am embracing God's plan for me for that day.

 (c)Adron Dozat 7/1/13

Thankful for God's Protection.

We have a flat roof. It is a high roof so it is hard to get to. Because it is flat it has drainage problems. There is a drain at each end and the roof has a slight slope to them, but they get clogged up so the water stands on the roof and causes lot of problems.

SO
I borrow a very long ladder and climb on the roof two or three times a year and clean out the drains. This is a dangerous difficult climb.

UP
It took three of us to set up the ladder. The ladder was coming apart at the locks and the pulley rope keeps coming off the pulley and getting jammed. After about fifteen minutes we got it up.

SLOWLY
With a broom in one hand I reached up with the other and climbed the ladder. On each step I felt the ladder sway, and I was afraid it would fold and drop me. I prayed for God to protect me over and over as I climbed up. I made sure I had a good grip on each step before reaching up to the next. It took about two minutes to climb and I prayed the whole time. Finally at the top I could reach the edge and climb over.

JOB
The work needed to be done. I found the drain on one end totally clogged and the drain on the other half caked with leaves and dirt to cement like consistency.

DOWN
With more prayer I climbed down with the same fearful caution making sure of each step and hand hold. I looked down praying that the ladder would not collapse, and with great relief stepped off the bottom rung.

THANKFUL
I am thankful that The Lord was watching over me and protecting me from a potential accident. It is one thing when you are aware of a danger,then you are focused on God and asking for his care then. How often do we go along not aware of dangers? I am thankful that God has watched over me through them all.

Thankful for Strawberries

A couple of years ago we bought a box of six strawberry plants which we planted in a container. They struggled to mature and produced little sour berries the first year. We tried to encourage them to produce better by transplanting them into what we hoped would be a happier place in the ground behind the deck. The next year they gave little berries but not so sour.

ALMOST GAVE UP
I kind of gave up on the strawberries and let them go a little wild this year and almost forgot about them. Then the other day my wife brought in a bowl of big delicious strawberries. She said that there had been more but she tasted one and it was so good that she just couldn't stop eating them.

HARVEST SEASON
Every day since I have gone into the yard with my bowl and harvested a little crop of strawberries. They taste so much better than the ones in the store! They are so sweet and juicy.  The plants have set out runners and there is a second generation of berries that are of the small tart kind but they will mature next year and we will have even more berries.

PATIENCE

• I am glad that we didn't do anything rash like pull them all up when they were sour. 
• I am thankful that we have the fun of going out and discovering delicious little red treasures under the leaves. 
• I am thankful that picking and enjoying them are a little something we as a family can do.
• And I am thankful that God made strawberries. 

Thankful To God For Extra Money On Time

I work at a grocery store. It is a blue collar job where I do ordinary cashier duties. The store pays a little better than most grocery stores. I have other income like teaching art and selling art occasionally- I should say rarely.  I think I work hard but money is tight and the bills are like an unending tug of war in our household.

We are trying to get ahead and pay down the bills; we have sought counsel, taken a class on family finance, and have a plan. But the universal law that if something can go wrong it will seems to constantly apply, and now the family van needs new brakes.

The grocery store has a profit sharing program where twice a year we get a bonus check. It is a percentage of our earnings for the last six months. The checks were issued last week and I received my on Saturday. I was expecting a low sum since the economy has hurt our store and sales have been down. When I opened the check I was surprised to see the sum was almost twice what I expected. It will be a great help toward fixing the brakes on the van, and we will not need to go into deeper debt to do so.

I feel the Lord has blessed our efforts to obey the Bible's teaching to stay free of debt, and God was preparing in advance to meet our need.

God's will for us is to work, (man was put in the garden to till the soil- Genesis 2:15), and he blesses us when we work.

• I am grateful that God blessed our honest hard work with the finical resources to meet our own needs
• I am thankful we will not be borrowing on credit cards. 
• I am thankful for the bonus check and that we can fix the brakes. 
• I am thankful for my job at the grocery store.

Thankful For God's Watchful Care.

God watches over us and so often we stumble through our days and lives thinking that we have just narrowly missed disaster by luck or our own abilities, but the truth is God in his sovereign power has held back destruction.

A day or so ago I was to leave and teach an art class at 9 am. As my wife left for her job she told me to turn off the stove when I left since she was simmering a large kettle of beans to have them ready for dinner in the afternoon. There were about two inches of beans in the kettle and they were covered with water and the flame was low. Before going out I had a lot of things to do to get ready for the day and for the class, so of course I forgot.

After the class was over I got into the car and was at the first stop light when I remembered that I forgot to turn off the flame under the kettle. It had been simmering for about three hours. As I waited for the light to change I envisioned the house being burned down, or the kitchen gutted by fire. I hurried home imagining fire trucks with hoses spewing water through broken windows. I thought of my son who was at home who might have been injured or worse. I hopped he had seen the danger and turned off the stove. The best I could have hoped for was a blackened kettle filled with charred remains of the beans.

As I turned onto my street I strained my eyes to see if there was smoke rising over the roofs. When I got to the court I live on I was relieved that no fire engines were blocking the way. When I parked I looked to see no smoke in the windows.

I opened the door carefully remembering movies where the sudden gush of fresh air initiated a fireball. There was no smoke and no nasty stink of burned beans. The stove was still white and a short blue flame glowed under the kettle. I flipped the knob off and gingerly lifted the lid. Inside were beans with a little scalding water. Most of the water was gone but the beans did not appear to be beyond use.

If I had been gone much longer the water would have boiled away and fire erupted. I believe God had reminded me about the beans; and that if he didn't I might have delayed arriving at home and the beans, the kitchen and maybe the house would have been burned.

It was not luck- it was God who always watches over me. I am thankful for his care. It might be that next time the disaster will come and the dinner burned or the house but God will be there too, watching over that situation.

Why I Am Thankful for Moments With My Son

I am thankful that I was able to spend a few minutes with my youngest son yesterday. I love him dearly and always felt we did not spend enough time together. I feel he was lost in the shuffle of other kids in our house. I always enjoyed being with him and love his sense of humor. I think his point of view on social things is near genius and his talent as an artist makes me green with envy.

I always wanted to spend more time with him but was always somehow too busy. So when he was home for the weekend I invited him to join me on an errand. I am glad I did since he was very helpful and I felt I would have struggled without his help. Just being with him was nice and though he is quiet I felt every word he said was golden. I wish I could have spent more time with him. 

He is a gift to us. I pray for him every day and find I am often worried about him.

I am thankful for him in hundreds of ways. I am thankful...

     * that he is doing well in college. 

     * that he has a good relationship with his brothers and sister. 

     * for his talent.

     * that he is a hard worker. 

     * for his laugh. 

     * that he is a thoughtful person. 

     * that he is going to do more and better than I ever will. 

     * for every memory I have of him.

     * to God for giving him to our family.

     * that he is about one of the smartest people I know.

     * for all the ways he has made me proud. 

     * I could go on, and on, and on. 

If I have any regrets it is that other fathers have not have so fine and wonderful son as I have. 

Thanks for Friday November 9

Friday is a good day to be thankful. For many it is the end of the week and the beginning of a few days off from jobs. It is a good time to look back on the week and think of what blessings God has given.

This week:
     * I was able to accomplish some writing which I enjoy and feel thankful for.
     * I was able to teach a few students some art lessons and they seemed to enjoy.
     * I was able to volunteer at church and teach kids for which I felt blessed.
     * My wife cooked some great dinners, she always does and I am always thankful.
     * I received a biannual bonus check at the grocery store where I work part time.
     * I was able to celebrate the accomplishments of students at the home school community where I teach part time.
     * My times of prayer and meditation on God's Word seems to have been truly blessed.
     * I was able to do a few important things around the house.
     * I experienced answered prayer when I sought God's help on several occasions.
     * There were no disasters or losses in our home. So I am thankful that God has watched over us.
     * I made a little extra money which I put in the bank hopefully to cover bills.

Looking over the short list above is not outstanding: it seems to have been a regular and ordinary week.  It is reflecting on the little things and seeing God's hand in them that they become great and the week in retrospect is extraordinary.