God Wink

God wink - An event or personal experience, often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention, especially when perceived as the answer to a prayer. 

Have you ever had one of these moments? I hope you have, or maybe now you’ll notice them when they happen. 

This year, Danos GIVES gave $210,000 to deserving organizations who went through a very intentional selection process which narrowed 70 applicants down to 8 recipients. This year’s recipients are Second Harvest Food Bank ($25,000), The Dulac Community Center ($10,000), The Houston Furniture Bank ($20,000), Permian Basin Mission Center ($20,000), Catholic Charities of Odessa ($40,000), Refuge Services ($30,000), The Life of a Single Mom ($50,000), and Beverly’s Birthdays ($15,000). 

During the grant selection process, the scoring committee kept our guiding principals and this bible verse from Matthew in mind:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.  The king will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25: 36-36, 40 

For each applicant, we asked ourselves, how is this organization living this verse? After the selection process was complete, the Foundation committee members embarked on a road show to present the “big” checks. At each presentation, someone had a tear in their eye. Sometimes it was a committee member, sometimes it was someone from the organization receiving the funds. Most of the time it was everyone in the room.

A particular God wink that has stuck with me was when we stepped foot into the Permian Basin Mission Center. They were so welcoming to us. They gave us a wonderful tour of their facility and explained how they care for others. Then, we saw this written on their wall. 

Coincidence? I think not.