Lent Day 18: Who's talking?

Are you listening?

Last night I met with other writers for the monthly meeting of the Northwest Christian Writers Association. I highly recommend the organization for aspiring and published authors.

The opening devotional spotlighted grace:

• G - everyone is gifted. (Those in the room are gifted with writing, among other things.)
• R - we're redeemed. Rescued. Given a testimony to share.
• A - we're anointed to minister (writers: through writing); God's authority goes with us.
• C - we need commitment and courage. (Writers are criticized and scrutinized.)
• E - we need endurance. (The path to publication or any other worthy goal is often long ... lined with rejection and failure before recognition.)

I was ready to go home at that point. Full of things to think about.

What do you hear?

Even before our word-crafting session, an exercise to stimulate writing creativity. We were asked to choose one scripture from several on a handout. Then we wrote for 5 minutes "without editing your writing."

I chose Isaiah 55:8-9, 11 for my writing meditation. God tells the prophet (also a writer):

So shall My word be that goes forth
from My mouth;

it shall not return to Me void

but it shall accomplish what I please.

And it shall prosper in the thing
for which I sent it.

This tells me God's Word is:

1. Purposeful. God is intentional in sending out His word.
2. Proper. It comes from His mouth with intentionality, force, and character.
3. Prosperous. It is effective and accomplishes what God sets out to do.
4. Pleasureful. God is pleased when His word does its work.

The Word spoke worlds into existence. His words fill all of creation with movement, breathing among us -- the power of God-with-us.

What does the Word speak to you?

Who's talking to you today?

Do you schedule time to listen to and hear the Word -- through scripture, prayers, the church, and other believers?

• If so, what does He say to you? 
• If not, why not? You are missing out on the Grand Conversation, the mystery of a God who created us for relationship with Him.

The rest of the story

When's the last time you heard the whole Story? Has your pastor preached through the biblical narrative lately. Please take my quick anonymous survey: I'm doing some research and would love your help. (Please click here to take the VERY short survey.)

Since the advent of Children's Church and the end of Sunday School, many children don't learn the Bible stories I grew up with. Oh, there's a Veggie Tale video and great crafts. But do they learn the story? Nope.

In one Christian university, a faculty member told me she orders Bible story books for students taking Old Testament survey. Most freshmen have very vague ideas about biblical characters. The students knew David and Goliath (as the little guy wins over a giant). They heard the names of Abraham and Moses, but knew little about their lives and spiritual legacy.

I'm plowing through scriptures like a starving person. My husband began reading great chunks of the Bible last spring. And my mom's on her fourth read-through this year. WHAT A STORY!!!

God with us. This Christmas we celebrate the coming of God among us. He clothed himself in the person of an unknown household. God chose a mom who would obey God's wishes and think deeply about raising her son. Chose a faithful husband who would provide for his family. Chose to be born in a village that overlooked a major trading route. To devoutly religious Jews.

The mystery of Good News fascinates me! God with us. Read all about it in your Bible!
*

God speaks. Can you hear him?

Need a God-phone?

Do you ever wonder if God still talks to people? Would he talk to you? If so, how can you tune in to listen? I'm sharing a few ideas about conversing with God today. Remember that a conversation involves talking AND listening:

1. The most reliable source for God-talk is the Bible. Find direct quotes or "God said" to eavesdrop on a God-to-humanity conversation.
2. Join a good church. Don't look for fads or trendy gatherings. The best companions are found among people on the journey of faith together. Here are a few churches I can recommend in looking for such groups around Seattle: Creekside in Shoreline; Neighborhood in Bellevue; New Life in Maple Valley or Renton; and Calvary in the UW district. (Add your recommendations in comments below.)
3. Take time to hear God speak and to talk to God. That might include setting regular "let's talk!" appointments of meditation or prayer.
4. Listen to the conversations of others. Seek out friends who have a relationship with God and talk to them about their stories.
5. Watch for God at work in your workplace or community, as you meet the needs of others, and as people share life with you. He's personal and loves to interact with us. Become intentionally aware of God's presence during the day or night.
6. Take a walk in nature or a neighborhood to observe God's beauty, his sense of order and renewal, and his care for the planet and its inhabitants.

Seems like a lot of people are inventing "designer gods" to suit themselves. They set up altars of nature or "important stuff" and worship god-in-their-image. They pursue greed or asceticism, seek nirvana (the winking out of the light of life), and cover the bases (doing good or being better than the next guy).

What an unsatisfying way to live: such human-made gods can never be bigger than we are. Life devolves into a continual DIY project and self-help. Co-creators of "god-likenesses" often infringe on others' rights and expectations, too.

The apostle Paul notes that the one true God reveals himself in nature so that everyone is without excuse: God already reaches out to each person (Romans 1:20).

No matter how wonderful or weird your life has been to date, God is waiting to chat with you, to introduce himself, and be found by you. Tune in today!

Read more:

*Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes and does not keep silence. Psalm 50:2-3 

*Please, LORD, please save us. Please, LORD, please give us success. Psalm 118:25

*“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me."  Isaiah 43:10   NIV

*And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-11

Moravian Prayer: Lord God, you shine forth your word and call us to express ourselves in worship to you. Cleanse us and bless us as we offer our lives in dedication to you. We love you Lord and are grateful for your unconditional love. We lift our voices to you and sing your wondrous grace. Your word amazes us, verse after verse baptizing us into your truth. With a thankful heart, we pray. Amen. 

Hearing truth in a new way

I like listening to the Bible read aloud. At STAG (St. Andrew the Great in Cambridge UK), W and I looked forward to the weekly scripture readings. The readers practiced the OT and NT readings for each Sunday morning rather than just showing up and fumbling through the passages. Bright, cheerful students articulated words and shaped sentences with those beauuuutiful Cambridge accents... they read entire chapters that informed the morning sermon and our weeks. Much of the scripture memory that drifts through my mind comes from those readings.

Knowing another language makes it easy to find variations in translations and readings. I don't know who was reading the German text, but last night his voice drifted through the hours. I listened to Galatians over and over, one chapter at a time. His clear speech and modern German differs from the readings of the Luther Bible of my childhood churches, bringing fresh focus to Paul's letter to the ancient church in Galatia. Old truths, read in a new way...

Seems like not much has changed. Listening to Paul's exasperation with the Galatian believers, I've thought about the rules and regulations that we force on each other in the Church. My studies of early Pentecostal women proves how we let history and our worldviews impose themselves on God's gifts. Instead of embracing the liberty of the gospel and the life of the Spirit, we press freedom into cultural boxes to impress our neighbors and restrict the behavior of fellow Christians to "acceptable" plainness, trying to prove to God our ardor in following him. When he lived among us, Jesus berated those who added rules and restrictions to God's law.

I love the grin of Prince Harry as his grandmother Queen Elizabeth walked by, reviewing his troop in 2006. Her visit required pomp, procedure, and protocol but Harry couldn't keep from smiling, "I know her! She knows me! Hi Grandma!"

God-beyond-our-understanding is so holy and beautiful that we couldn't survive an unshielded look at his face. Sometimes I can only gasp in wonder during prayer. Haven't we all fallen on our faces when God's presence comes near?

Thankfully, he is not just "mystery." His standards of right living align us with his perfect nature and protect us personally and in society. What good person could argue with respect for God and authority, honesty, faithfulness to marriage and family, and protecting the property of others (the 10 Commandments)?

Yet, if you're like me, you constantly go your own way, trample down side trips along the path to life, and have to come back again and again to ask forgiveness. When my emotions betray a lack of trust, he embraces me and welcomes me back into balance.

My Christmas gift to myself is immersion in scripture. I want to hear and listen as He speaks Word and words. And follow closely after him.

When my life ends and God does his review of the ranks of footsoldiers, I want to hear him say, "Well done, Rosemarie. You've been a good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord." That will surely bring a big smile to my face, too. Are you looking forward to that day?

Read more: (Thanks, Moravians.)
*Psalm 141:1-4 Obadiah 1; Jonah 1,2; Revelation 11:1-14

I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting
covenant with them. Ezekiel 37:26

God has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant.
2 Corinthians 3:6

Prayer: Merciful God, your covenant is remembered and renewed in us. Our Lamb
has conquered, let us follow him. Amen.