Mary wanted to go back to her home in Pascagoula in order to get something to eat. However, we had to go in the opposite direction due to the traffic pattern. I suggested that we find a road to turn around on in order to get a traffic light with a left-turn signal. We turned right at the first traffic light. Instead of a road, we drove into a parking lot. Across from the parking lot was a Books-a-Million store.
Despite our hunger, I love to read. I left Mary in the sweltering car and went inside. I didn't find anything I wanted to buy and walked to a nearby store in the mall. I came back through Books-a-Million and G-d told me to take a second look. I saw a copy of Alfred Edersheim's "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah." I was familiar with Edersheim's work, but did not have that particular book. Edersheim was a 19th century Jewish convert to Christianity and is considered one of the most reliable authorities on Judaism during the time of Jesus. The book was $20. I explained to G-d that I could find a cheaper copy online. He pressed me to buy the book and I decided not to challenge the G-d who created the universe.
I knew the bookstore was the furthest west I had ever been. I looked up the exact distance between my home in Weaverville and the Books-a-Million store in Biloxi. It was 613 miles, the farthest I had ever been away from home. 613 is also the total number of commandments in the Torah, the part of the Bible written by Moses. At the end of 613 mile journey, I found a book about Jesus written by a Jewish guy during the feast of Unleavened Bread commanded by G-d in the Torah which contains 613 commandments.
I thought it was an awesome miracle, but the biggest miracle was yet to come.
My story will concluded in Part 4 next week.