Johnson - 4 ~ A Divine Appointment
A divine appointment – 2Kings 6:19 "...Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.”
Inside the lobby sat a lady with an aire of “kind, but in charge” about her, who asked if she could help me. I told her I was moving to Fort Worth to go to seminary (it was a Southern Baptist place, maybe that will help me find a job!) and I was looking for a position to work.
“I don’t know if you know anything about us or not” she said
“I didn’t know you all existed until about 5 minutes ago when I drove by”
“Well, we are in the middle of a re-organization and merger” she said “and we are laying about 30 people off in this facility right now, so I don’t think this would be a good time for you to apply” she explained.
“I understand” I said, and was about to turn around to leave but then I opened my mouth and I couldn’t believe what came out next.
“Is there anyone by chance that works here who is named ‘Johnson’” I said.
She had a real puzzled look on her face ‘Johnson?’ she said.
“Johnson” I said.
“Well, the only person I know who works here named ‘Johnson’ is Jack Johnson, he is the president of this agency, is that who you are talking about?
“I don’t know” I said, “but, could I get 10 minutes of his time? I promise I wont take much of his time, but I would just like to see him”.
“Well, Mr. Johnson has been out of town for the last 2 weeks working on this re-organizaton, today is his first day in the office, I don’t know if he has time to see you but I will call his secretary, what is your name?”
She called and I stood around in the lobby thinking “what am I doing? What am I going to say? God sent me?”
In a few minutes, Jack Johnson came down the stairs to greet me. He seemed like a nice man in his 60’s and he invited me up to his office. As we headed back up the stairs half way up he stopped, turned to me and said “Jerry Conner, have we ever met before? Your name seems very familiar to me!”
“no, so far as I know we have never met”
We get into his big office and as we visit I tell him a little about me, and hand him my resume. I don’t say anything about what God has told me.
He tells me about how there is this re-organization going on and how he is moving to Georgia as a part of it, but, they need someone like me there right now.
I am thinking to myself “you don’t even know me, but you need me, here?”
Mr. Johnson tells me that there is another man coming to take his place named David Clark, and he would be making any hiring decisions, and that I should contact him.
After about 10 minutes of visiting with Mr. Johnson, I leave. I get in my truck and as I drive away, I see the building I was originally looking for. I go in to fill out an application, but I honestly don’t remember much of it, my mind was spinning. As soon as I leave I think “I need to sit down and think”, so I find a coffee shop and I call my friend Harold Bullock.
I had had dinner with Harold a couple of nights before, but I didn’t tell him what I thought God had told me, but over the phone I told him my whole story of what God had said before I came, and what had just happened.
“I know Jack Johnson” he said, “I know what they are going through and they do need someone like you there right now, did you tell him about what you have done at Boeing”
“No, he really didn’t seem all that interested” I said.
“Well, you need to get some more time with him, call him and see if you can see him again”
Great, I think to myself, what am I going to say now, but I call him back at his office. His secretary tells me that Mr. Johnson is getting ready for a Board of Trustees meeting and can’t see me, but wants to encourage me again to contact Dr. Clark.
Clearly, that seems like the next step.
The rest of the week seemed like a blur, I had a few interviews that went ‘fine’ but nothing that seemed like a fit and I went home to Wichita early, the whole way a little dumb-founded thinking “what is happening here”
When I get home, I tell Diana & Jim, and others about all that had happened. It was a cool story, an amazing adventure, but no job in the hand. Still, I did the next step, I sent a resume and letter to Dr. Clark, and I waited, and waited.
to find out what happens next - check out "Johnson 5 - The Faith Wait"
Inside the lobby sat a lady with an aire of “kind, but in charge” about her, who asked if she could help me. I told her I was moving to Fort Worth to go to seminary (it was a Southern Baptist place, maybe that will help me find a job!) and I was looking for a position to work.
“I don’t know if you know anything about us or not” she said
“I didn’t know you all existed until about 5 minutes ago when I drove by”
“Well, we are in the middle of a re-organization and merger” she said “and we are laying about 30 people off in this facility right now, so I don’t think this would be a good time for you to apply” she explained.
“I understand” I said, and was about to turn around to leave but then I opened my mouth and I couldn’t believe what came out next.
“Is there anyone by chance that works here who is named ‘Johnson’” I said.
She had a real puzzled look on her face ‘Johnson?’ she said.
“Johnson” I said.
“Well, the only person I know who works here named ‘Johnson’ is Jack Johnson, he is the president of this agency, is that who you are talking about?
“I don’t know” I said, “but, could I get 10 minutes of his time? I promise I wont take much of his time, but I would just like to see him”.
“Well, Mr. Johnson has been out of town for the last 2 weeks working on this re-organizaton, today is his first day in the office, I don’t know if he has time to see you but I will call his secretary, what is your name?”
She called and I stood around in the lobby thinking “what am I doing? What am I going to say? God sent me?”
In a few minutes, Jack Johnson came down the stairs to greet me. He seemed like a nice man in his 60’s and he invited me up to his office. As we headed back up the stairs half way up he stopped, turned to me and said “Jerry Conner, have we ever met before? Your name seems very familiar to me!”
“no, so far as I know we have never met”
We get into his big office and as we visit I tell him a little about me, and hand him my resume. I don’t say anything about what God has told me.
He tells me about how there is this re-organization going on and how he is moving to Georgia as a part of it, but, they need someone like me there right now.
I am thinking to myself “you don’t even know me, but you need me, here?”
Mr. Johnson tells me that there is another man coming to take his place named David Clark, and he would be making any hiring decisions, and that I should contact him.
After about 10 minutes of visiting with Mr. Johnson, I leave. I get in my truck and as I drive away, I see the building I was originally looking for. I go in to fill out an application, but I honestly don’t remember much of it, my mind was spinning. As soon as I leave I think “I need to sit down and think”, so I find a coffee shop and I call my friend Harold Bullock.
I had had dinner with Harold a couple of nights before, but I didn’t tell him what I thought God had told me, but over the phone I told him my whole story of what God had said before I came, and what had just happened.
“I know Jack Johnson” he said, “I know what they are going through and they do need someone like you there right now, did you tell him about what you have done at Boeing”
“No, he really didn’t seem all that interested” I said.
“Well, you need to get some more time with him, call him and see if you can see him again”
Great, I think to myself, what am I going to say now, but I call him back at his office. His secretary tells me that Mr. Johnson is getting ready for a Board of Trustees meeting and can’t see me, but wants to encourage me again to contact Dr. Clark.
Clearly, that seems like the next step.
The rest of the week seemed like a blur, I had a few interviews that went ‘fine’ but nothing that seemed like a fit and I went home to Wichita early, the whole way a little dumb-founded thinking “what is happening here”
When I get home, I tell Diana & Jim, and others about all that had happened. It was a cool story, an amazing adventure, but no job in the hand. Still, I did the next step, I sent a resume and letter to Dr. Clark, and I waited, and waited.
to find out what happens next - check out "Johnson 5 - The Faith Wait"
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