God Talk

God is always talking to us because he has spoken. The other night I was out hunting in the cold and rain. As the wind blew and the clouds zipped past I was reminded that I was quite small. I was wonderfully awakened to the reality that there is little I can do to even survive if things go bad with mother nature. This is one way God speaks to us. He talks through nature.

But we avoid this "God talk" by lining in climate controlled homes and transporting ourselves in climate controlled vehicles. We Americans live in a world that is separated from "God talk" 101. If we could just go out in the cold some night and watch the stars, we would feel much less sure of ourselves and much more assured of God's ability to hole all things together.

Bird watching is also another biblical method of hearing the Lord. Poor birds, out there is the wind and rain. What is it with God that going through a little hardship that might lead to death is, "not that big of a deal". I guess if you are going to live forever, not living is not big!

I think that if you want to hear from God you need to be aware of your limits. It seems like to start to learn "God talk" you need to be aware that He does not speak English, but talks in nature, storms, plant and animal behaviour and fire. This is probably scary to those who sit in easy chairs and read all about God in books. Yet to the poor, the needy, the oppressed in this world love God talking to them in real life language. For when you are tired, hungry, suffering; nothing quite lifts the spirit as beholding the one who holds the stars in His hand, who is the cause of the winds and the waves and who is aware of that little bird, shivering in the branches.

We all must choose to either keep on loving the God we make up in our minds or to love the one who is. Loving the God who is requires much more humility that loving the God of our own perception, but in the long run, the real is always better than the imaginary.

Evan Almighty

It is exciting times when the movies offer as much revelation as the church meeting. How wonderful is it that people pay top dollar to go to Sunday school at the local theater. The super-sized plus is that you get great popcorn, are not required to be still (but most of the time you want to), and you can have fun.

I am excited that Hollywood has a mysterious God and not some being who is reduced down to sever predictable points that we can all manipulate by demanding His obedience to some written code book. God is a God of intrigue and that aspect of Him often causes us to pout and whine. "If He loved me he would do what I want", "If He knew what I was going through he would help me out".

Those who practice the contemplative life enjoy the portrayal of God when humanity seeks to control and argue. "And poof, he is gone". I love/hate it when God acts out in his Godliness and refuses to sink to my level. It reminds we that his very presence is a statement of his unending love and I need to get beyond by self-love and enjoy him.

Oct. 1, 2007

What a morning. Crisp air, cool breeze, prayer room filled with God. This morning was the first day in the GBF for Oct. It would have been a great day to hunt, but seeking the Lord was better in so many ways.

Yet the more we get the heart of the Lord, the more we are messed up for this world. The Kingdom life is not the life this world values, but so what. There is not value on earth compared to even the littlest drop of heaven. And we were made for heaven, Him and things eternal.

Thank You Lord for this day and life.