The God Who Speaks - Nov. 2008

To those who have ears, grace and peace!

Just a brief newsletter this month. As always, I'm the gadfly who doesn't hesitate to remind you to keep listening!

At Fresh Wind, it's been an interesting month of transition. In case you missed it, I now call my pastor 'honey.' I.e. My wife, Eden, with the wonderful support of our leadership team and congregation, is getting the hang of being the 'team leader.' She is taking hold of her calling while I'm learning to let go of the pastoral thing. Currently, I'm working on some book projects for others and travelling a little more ... my way of resting, believe it or not.

In the midst of these changes, it came clear to us that at any given moment God is calling us to 'take hold' of something and to 'let go' of something. For example, we take hold of God's promises in prayer, while at the same time, letting go of control of how the forthcoming answers need to look. This absolutely requires that we are listening carefully, because in the flesh, we will take hold of the wrong things (e.g. we strive, we manipulate, we dictate) and we will let go of the wrong things (e.g. our faith, our hope, our love). When that happens, we end up disappointed and disillusioned, even with prayer itself.

So here's the simple exercise to keep us on track. We ask God these questions:

1. Lord, is there something specific right now that I'm meant to be taking hold of in prayer or in life -- an area where I'm meant to hang in there and keep knocking on heaven's door?

2. Lord, is there something specific right now that I'm meant to be letting go of in prayer or in life -- an area where I'm meant to leave it in your hands and simply release the burden to you?

Both are real acts of faith based on this premise: God is good and what He says is good. As usual, test what you're hearing with the Scriptures, the Church and the Holy Spirit.

Meanwhile, for those interested in the prophetic swirl around the American elections, you may want to have a peak at the last two submissions to www.clarionjournal.typepad.com. Each has a youtube clip that I think are worth seeing in terms of content and tone (regardless of your political affiliations).

Finally, book of the month -- Pilgrim's Process: Essays from the Journey by Brian West (one of my mentors). There's a description of it here: http://www.bradjersak.com/pilgrimfeature.html

Til next time, shalom!

Brad