Destiny Path Of Life – Sample Chapter
Table Of Contents
Acknowledgments – – – vii
Introduction – – – xi
“I Wish” Poem – – – xiii
1 Bill and Mr. Wisdom Meet – – – 3
2 Mr. Wisdom’s Encounter With Mr. Crossroads – 17
3 A Life Changing Experience – – – 29
4 At The Crossroads, Two Paths – – – 39
5 Mark Wisdom Meets Mr. Success – – – 53
6 Mark Sees A New Way – – – 71
7 Mark Meets Mr. Witness – – – 79
8 A Good Night’s Rest – – – 87
9 A Brand New Day – – – 93
Author’s Comments – – – 105
Appendix – – – 111
About The Author – – – 113
Destiny Path Of Life: The Journey Begins!
Sample Chapter
Chapter 1
Bill and Mr. Wisdom Meet
Bill awakened with the sound of a lawn mower roaring to life in one of his neighbor’s yards. He shook off the sleep as he raised his head up to look at his alarm clock. It was 7:30 and he was still in bed. He couldn’t believe it. He was going to be late to the office. He had taken the whole weekend to go over his business plan and put together a strategy to get his company headed in a new direction and now he was going to get a late start. He quickly took a shower and grabbed a slice of toast as he put his jacket on and headed out the door. As he walked out of the gate of his front yard, he realized that he had forgotten to power off his entertainment system, so he hurried back inside to turn it off. He took a few minutes to check over everything before leaving again. As he closed the gate behind himself, he turned to walk down the sidewalk to his office just a few blocks down the street. He hoped that this was the last thing that would delay his long awaited plans. He was so eager to meet with his staff to show them the new direction he wanted to pursue.
As Bill was walking down the sidewalk, he greeted each of his neighbors by name. There was Sally tending to her flowers and Tom was across the street painting his front porch.
Bill continued on the next street and as he was approaching one of his favorite houses, he noticed that Mr. Wisdom was out on his front porch. He had not seen him in quite a while and was very excited to see him this morning. “Hello, Mr. Wisdom, how are you doing this morning? I haven’t seen you in quite a while. It is so good to see you this morning.” Bill exclaimed as he was walking so fast that he was almost running down the sidewalk.
Mr. Wisdom replied as he looked up from the newspaper he was reading while he was swinging on his porch swing, “Hello Bill, I am doing just fine. It is really good to see you too. We just got back yesterday from a trip overseas. It is a beautiful sunny day today, isn’t it? We have a new flock of ducks on the lake this morning and the birds have been singing their cheerful songs. It is so good to be back home. Where are you off to so fast this morning? It looks like you are going to a fire or something. Anything I need to know about?” He joked.
Stopping in his tracks and turning around, Bill decided he would take a little time out for a short chat. He was really eager to get to the office, but he had been meaning to stop and talk to Mr. Wisdom if the chance ever arose. He seemed to be a very intriguing man and Bill was really wanting to know more about him. Everyone in town loved and respected him and now the door was opening for him to get to talk to him. “Oh, I have all these appointments and schedules to make and it seems like there is never enough time to just relax. I just came up with a new business plan this weekend and I am eager to put it to the test. Busy, busy, busy! I don’t know where the time goes. It seems like the days just keep getting shorter and shorter. I really didn’t take the time to notice that the sun was shining today or for that matter, even to notice the beautiful songs of the birds. Tell me, Mr. Wisdom, how have you managed to achieve such success, and at the same time maintain so much peace and be so at ease about everything? I have watched you from a distance and you always seem to be at peace. It is like nothing ever stresses you out.”
Mr. Wisdom had been hoping and praying for this moment to talk to Bill, so he put down his newspaper and walked over to the front gate of his yard. He was such a fine young man, but he was always on the run. He hoped that he would be able to spend some time with him to find out a little more about him. “Well son, I learned a long time ago that there were certain principles to follow and also that there was someone who knew more than I did. I used to be as busy as you until one day like this, when someone came along and the words he spoke to me caused me to stop and think for a moment. It radically changed my life.”
“Can you tell me about it,” asked Bill? He tried to hide the eagerness inside, but was sure that Mr. Wisdom saw through it all. He had learned a lot of knowledge in school, but Mr. Wisdom’s life seemed to contradict a lot of the things he had been taught. He would gladly give up the time it would take to get a glimpse of this mysterious man.
Mr. Wisdom looked curiously at Bill and said, “Well Bill, it may take a while and since you have such a busy schedule and all, maybe this isn’t the most opportune moment. Why don’t you take a moment and figure out when we might be able to get together? I’d hate to interrupt your schedule and all.”
Bill thought for a moment, considered all the plans he had so carefully laid out, and then replied, “Yes, maybe you are right, but this moment is here now, and I have been waiting for it for a long time and if I don’t take it now, another one may never come along. My schedule and plans can wait for today because I really want to hear what it is that changed your life. I have seen other successful people too, but somehow you are different. You don’t do things the way other successful people do. If you don’t mind taking the time for me, I would sure like to hear your story. I can call my office and let Sherry know that I won’t be in until later. They have enough to do to keep themselves busy anyway.”
“Okay Bill,” said Mr. Wisdom, “come with me out back so we can take in a view of the beautiful snow-capped mountains, the lake, and enjoy the fresh air while we talk. I so enjoy God’s creation. I have even added a stone water fall next to the deck before we left so we can listen to the sound of trickling water while we talk. There is nothing like the sound of moving water. It seems to bring a peace to my soul.”
Behind Mr. Wisdom’s huge two-story, stone house was a mountain range of over 14,000 feet in elevation. The tops of the mountains had a glistening effect to them as the sun shone across their snow-covered peaks. Beyond the trees in the valley below, was a huge lake with hundreds of ducks swimming around. There were even some deer drinking at the water’s edge. Spring was now in full bloom and the birds were fluttering about singing their wonderful songs. Here and there were flowers beginning to show their beauty and they were releasing fragrant perfumes into the air.
At the magnificent sight, Bill exclaimed, “This is a wonderful view! It is very majestic! You know something, Mr. Wisdom, I have been all around these mountains and the lake, but I have never really stopped to notice the beauty, nor have I seen it like I do today. It is like living in another world. Everything in my world is so stressful, noisy and busy. We are always trying to outdo someone else and the deadlines seem to arrive quicker with each project we begin. Thank you for setting aside some of your valuable time for me today. I really appreciate this. It is like a breath of fresh air. I really, really need this. I didn’t know how much until just now.” Bill was thinking that he could get used to just relaxing in this atmosphere. There was so much peace and quiet. He noticed that the noise that had been inside of his head was gone too. Everything was quiet. He could actually relax for a moment. This could become contagious.
Mr. Wisdom replied, “Well, you are welcome, son. There was a time about twenty years ago, when I didn’t notice much of the beautiful things around me either. I was leaving my home town and heading for the big city to make a name for myself. I was not going to listen to anyone who told me no or to wait. I had made up my mind and no one was going to change it. Now, keep in mind that we didn’t have all the gadgets we have now to keep me busy, but my mind was kept busy all the time, thinking only about success. I had this dream from an early age and I had made up my mind that when I was old enough I would pursue it with everything within me. I wanted to soar and live. I did not want to end up just working in a factory, doing the same old thing day after day for the rest of my life. I wanted something more. I wanted an adventure.
Bill turned around and sat down as he reached for the cup of coffee Mr. Wisdom had poured for him. Bill looked right into Mr. Wisdom’s eyes as he asked, “What changed your life, because that is where I am now and if there is a better way, I would sure like to see it. I really don’t like pain and discouragement and if there is any way to avoid it, I am all ears.” ‘Wow, this is the story I have been waiting for and here it is without my even having to ask for it,’ Bill thought to himself.
Mr. Wisdom took a sip of his coffee and then hesitated for a moment. He wanted to make sure that the words he chose would be the right ones and then went on, “Well, it was similar to the way we met, I suppose, at least for the fact that I was in a hurry too. I was driving through this town one day, heading for the big city, when I decided to stop at this cafe and get some breakfast and coffee for the journey ahead. I had been up most of the night driving so I needed some fuel in my car as well as in my stomach. I also needed something to help me stay awake. I went in and sat down at a small table over by the window and I noticed this older, distinguished-looking man looking at me. He really seemed genuinely interested in me eventhough I could not figure out why. By his appearance, it looked like he had a lot of money. As I looked around the cafe, I noticed that this was not a normal cafe. There was a lot of peace inside and everyone seemed at rest. Even the employees were speaking softly to each other. I marveled at what I saw and I was curious about what might be going on. It was later on that I learned that this was his cafe and he always mingled among his guests. Most of them knew each other on a first name basis so it was easy to distinguish the locals from those like me, who were just passing through.”
“The town was down in a valley, so I was able to see it as I approached from a distance. It didn’t look like there was really much to it, so I was grateful to find the cafe about midway through. It looked like one of those small country communities where everyone knows each other’s business. There were only several gas stations, a firehouse, a small sheriff’s office and a few other stores. There was a restaurant across the road, but there was something about this place that caught my attention. I decided I would check this place out first and if it didn’t work out, I could always get back in my car and go across the street.”
“The waitress was really pretty and she had a beautiful soft voice. They had a large variety of items on the menu, so it took a while for me to decide. I was actually somewhat embarrassed because it took so long for me to decide. She actually came over to my table twice before I made up my mind. I can remember to this day what I ordered though. They had a chicken fried steak that was the best I had ever eaten. It was so tender and full of flavor. It was like they saved the best for me. I also had two eggs, some hash browns and a few slices of a tomato.”
“Right before I had finished eating, the older gentleman got up from his chair, came over to my table and introduced himself to me. His name was Mr. Crossroads. He asked if he could join me, and I immediately said yes. I was really curious as to why he seemed so interested in me. I was also curious about this town and the people here. Who were they? It was so different from what I was accustomed to being around.”