Signposts Along the Way: Signpost 10 – Part 2 of 3: Inspect or Accept

Throughout the service, my dad took it all in and didn’t say a word or move an inch. That was until the woman seated next to him fell over and practically landed across his feet! The crazy thing was that no one seemed to be surprised – except for us!

Sensing our concern, the people around us explained what was happening. They told us that she was “Resting in the Spirit.” This meant that the physical body rests as the Holy Spirit (God’s power on earth) ministers to the needs of that person.

Not knowing what to make of this, Dad finally spoke up. “This is crazy!” he contested. “There has to be some angle here. This guy can’t be for real. These people have to be planted to make it look like he is actually performing these miracles.”

With that, he got out of his seat, carefully stepped over the still “resting” body of his chair neighbor, and walked straight up to the front of the cathedral. Not knowing what to expect, we could do nothing but watch him.

As he walked down the aisle, He was greeted by several ushers. I could see them talking with him and moments later he was redirected towards one of the side exits of the cathedral. As Dad walked towards the exit, I could see him searching for something else. His eyes were set on the altar area where Father Diorio was conducting prayer and healing requests. Just before reaching the exit he paused. Then, like he had some unfinished business to take care of, brazenly walked up and disappeared behind the altar area.

I looked at my mother and sister in shock. None of us could speak as we were frozen with disbelief. Here was our dad, who up until five minutes ago hadn’t uttered a single word throughout the entire service, now stealthy acting like a secret agent in charge of infiltrating some foreign government interest. I just knew that any second we were going to be swarmed by church security and escorted out some back alleyway with a friendly, but stern, “God loves you, but please, NEVER COME BACK!”

When Dad finally surfaced, I could see him walking behind the altar area not twenty feet from Father DiOrio. I couldn’t breath. There he was carefully examining and studying every inch of the pulpit and altar looking for guide wires, hidden doors or anything that would establish this “Man With A Gift” as a bona fide con artist.

Related Posts:

• Signposts Along The Way – How It All Began
• Signpost 1 – “Expect A Miracle!”
• Signpost 2 – Grandma’s Blessing
• Signpost 3 – Arnie’s Hat
• Signpost 4 – The End of an Era: Part 1 of 2
• Signpost 4 – The End of an Era: Part 2 of 2
• Signpost 5 – Jim, Dad & The Boss: Part 1 of 3
• Signpost 5 – Jim, Dad & The Boss: Part 2 of 3
• Signpost 5 – Jim, Dad & The Boss: Part 3 of 3
• Signpost 6 – Part 1 of 5: The Stone Wall
• Signpost 6 – Part 2 of 5: The Stage Is Set
• Signpost 6 – Part 3 of 5: “I HAVE To Go To Church!”
• Signpost 6 – Part 4 of 5: He’s Alive!
• Signpost 6 – Part 5 of 5: Forgave & Forgotten!
• Signpost 7 – A Divine Appointment
• Signpost 8 – Part 1 of 4: Hope From the Past
• Signpost 8 – Part 2 of 4: A Beautiful Surprise
• Signpost 8 – Part 3 of 4: A Prayer Answered
• Signpost 8 – Part 4 of 4: The Invitation
• Signpost 9 – Part 1 of 4: The Event
• Signpost 9 – Part 2 of 4: Birthday Presence
• Signpost 9 – Part 3 of 4: Man With A Gift
• Signpost 9 – Part 4 of 4: My NEW Birthday
• Signpost 10 – Part 1 of 3: He Was There All Of The Time
• Signpost 10 – Part 2 of 3: Inspect or Accept
• Signpost 10 – Part 3 of 3: Seeing What Can’t Be Seen
• Signpost 11 – Part 1 of 3: The Lord At Work
• Signpost 11 – Part 2 of 3: Witnessing The Lord
• Signpost 11 – Part 3 of 3: A Fisher Of Men
• Signposts Along The Way: The Epilogue