James 24:7

So where was I?  Oh...somewhere between thinking about our ever-secularizing culture, magical thinking, technique, and the God who weaves....

I made my weekly trek to Barnes and Noble last Monday.  I had intended to pick up Joan Didion's book, The Year of Magical Thinking.  The book was a little hard for me to read as I felt some slight anxiety reading about how easily, naturally and ordinarily her husband died at the dinner table. 

I walked over to the biography shelves and located the "D" section.  However, as my eyes scanned the shelves I saw a book entitled Magical Thinking.  I had read a bit of the author before but found his writing to be graceless and vulgar.  However, I was curious about the title of that book so I picked it up. 

I started to turn to my left and walk into the Starbucks.  But then I thought, "Go over to the stuffed chairs."

I walked over to the only vacant chair among the four stuffed chairs and sat down.  The chairs were arranged so that two chairs face two chairs across table.

I opened the front pages of the book and looked for the table of contents.  I hoped to find an essay called "Magical Thinking".  (Often books of essays are given the name of one of the essays.)  I found the essay and began to read about how the author once had a rude boss and how he often wished that a horrible fate would befall her.  One day a horrible fate did befall her and he gloated in it. 

Magical thinking.

I flipped back to the front of the book and there, on a page, all by itself was a definition of magical thinking as the act of assuming that we have more influence over events than we actually do.  (If you have ever watched a bowler squirm and twist as the ball he has released rolls toward the pins, you've see an example of magical thinking.  Or, if you have watched that new game show "Deal or No Deal", you will hear people give reasons for why they select certain numbers.  If they find those reasons lead to favorable "consequence" they will often stick with that reasoning.)

I decided to copy the definition from the book.  So I took out my notebook and wrote it down.  Now...I'm being literal here...I had no sooner put the period at the end of the sentence than the woman to my right looked up from her book and turned to the woman who sat directly in front of me and said...

 "I just love this book. It's teaching me that I can attract whatever I want into my life through my thoughts.  It says we give off a vibration that either attracts or repels what we want."

She held up the book.  It was entitled, "Ask and It is Given."  (I wrote that down.)

The woman to whom she spoke gave her a "that's nice" smile and turned to the book she was reading.

The attractor woman then said, "Oh, I've got to get back to work.  I just come in here and read so I won't have to buy the book."

(I have days when I find the irony crushing...)

The woman across from me went back to reading.

I wanted to pull a Tom Cruise and jump up on the chair and shout, "Did you see what just happened?  I just copied this definition...had just written it down and she said..."  (Thankfully I restrained myself not because I am a person of restraint but because I, in no way, want to be identified with Tom Cruise.)

My mind raced.  "What is the deal with all these coincidences?" I thought.  (Believe me...I have a catalog of them!)

One of my favorite Bible stories flashed across my mind.  The Spirit spoke to Philip and pointed out the Ethiopian eunuch who studied a scroll and scratched his head.  The Spirit told Philip, "Go stand next to that chariot."

I looked at the woman to whom the woman had spoken those words.  She had a stack of books at her feet with titles having to do with the origins of Christian faith and what Christianity is about.

The voice in my head grew louder and louder, "Go stand next to that chariot."

Everything in me resisted.  "I don't make conversation with strangers.  I don't want to intrude on her.  She'll think I'm some kind of freak.  Maybe I am some kind of freak...all of these weird coincidences keep occurring.  You better say something.  No, you better not."

Finally I blurted out, "Can I tell you something?"

More later.