The God Who Speaks - Feb. 2008

My most excellent God-lovers,

I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but I thought I'd bring you up to speed from this end. Today, just three quick things, hopefully all helpful.

1. Listening Prayer Hints of the Day: Of late, I've been struggling with a sense of dread which seems linked to my feelings of inadequacy in meeting the demands of life. Hmm. First hint: consider getting a spiritual director! Feeling the dread, inadequacy and demands quite strongly, I was so blessed to have a spiritual director who would listen with me.

Now I know this, but he reminded me that I'm to be living in response to God's calling and leading, not in reaction to the ever-present demands that come up at home, at work or at church. Today, after meeting with a friend about this, I pictured all those things that have been "put on my plate." I imagined sitting at a table, sort of slumping over this food that I apparently had to force-feed myself. Then I looked over the plate, across the table at Jesus. He didn't seem much appetized by it either. He invited me to push it across to him and to my delight, he discarded it. Then I asked him, "Well, what do YOU have for me?"

I'm trying to be a little kinder to myself... letting God choose my menu, even if it includes some hard things to swallow. But this notion of "demand"... you know, that doesn't seem to be a fruit of the Spirit or a sign of God's voice. We might well be a little more aggressive about testing if those "demands" are from Him at all. We might be in for a lighter meal!

2. News: Apparently I'm appearing both today and tomorrow on "It's a New Day" with Willard Thiessen to discuss the meaning of the Cross of Jesus. Sorry, we already started yesterday. If you get the show, you might want to tune in. Personally, I'm not up to watching myself on TV, but I'm excited about sharing how God's love and mercy trump wrath and judgement in our lives.

3. Resource: For anyone interested in a new kids book, Fresh Wind Press has just released "Little Bird's Song" by Emilie Isaacson and illustrator, Ken Save. It really helps children to walk through issues of bullying and abuse in a powerful way. It's available at http://listeningprayer.ca/. You can also see sample pages by clicking on the book cover at that site.

Well, that's it for now. Take hope in this message from Jason Upton: "Maybe God is whispering because He's just a step away!"

Blessings,

Brad Jersak