Speaking of authentic conversations...

 When is the last time you had an authentic conversation with God?  Has it been a while?

 

You know, the terrific thing about God (besides the fact that He IS God) is that it doesn’t matter how long it’s been, He is actively pursuing you and wants to talk with you. And, even if it's been a while God wants you to come.

 

Another important thing you might want to know is that talking to God involves speaking, listening, and silence.  Silence?  Yes, silence. Sitting with God in silence and just spending time with God helps you understand His character. Think of it as sitting on papa's lap feeling totally safe and protected. 

 

Silence also helps you to have quality time to “take in” God’s love for you.  I am convinced that the most important thing God wants you to know is that He loves you deeply and wants to spend time with you. 

 

Brennan Manning, author of Abba’s Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging, says, “Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.” 

Often the self we embrace is an illusion built on how we have identified ourselves by the world's standards.  We discover our true self as we spend time with God, sitting, listening and taking in how radically and deeply God loves us. 

 

Today, as you wait define yourself as a valuable person that God loves. Tell God you love Him.  After you’ve listened and sat with God for a bit, take some time telling Him your deepest longing, or your deepest burden.  Then stay with that for a while.  See what God says, or what you feel in return.  God speaks to everyone completely differently and will utilize your strengths.  I am a visual person and so God often speaks to me in pictures.  Yours might be a picture, a feeling, a word, or a deep knowing.  It can also be a combination of all ways of communication. God is creative and will speak to you in a unique way that is fits your mind and heart. 

 

Most of all, most important, BE LOVED.  Accept what God has FOR you…

 

 

 

Feel free to share the miracle of what God does, or post a comment. I set it up so you can post anonymously or if you want, you can sign your name.  

Authentic Conversations

I am writing a book entitled, Talk to God, and the title pretty much gives a big clue about the content of the book.  When people find out I am writing a book and they hear the title, they ask if it’s about prayer.  Well, yes and no.  It IS about talking to God, but it is NOT about prayer as in the traditional sense.  It is about different ways we can talk to God, but it’s also about how to really communicate with God. In other words, it’s about authentic conversation with God.

I love authentic conversations with God and with people.  I don’t mean just talking with someone.  Authentic conversation involves sharing your soul with another person, and speaking heart to heart.  It’s the kind of conversation that only happens once in a while.  It also usually happens when you least expect it. 

I unexpectedly had an authentic conversation with someone today.  Right in the middle of a busy day, I had a great conversation with someone and we really connected.  There is a saying, “Life isn't about the breaths we take, it's about the moments that take our breath away.”  Today I was reminded authentic conversations are where real life happens. So, have you had any unexpected authentic moments lately?

Faith, Groanings, and Laughter

I woke this morning thinking how God has given me faith to get me through a really difficult season.  It  has been an excruciatingly difficult.  It’s hard to describe how hard I’ve worked and how much anxiety I’ve had.  There were days I used every drop of energy I had to “skim” the surface to get by.  Others who are in the same situation have suffered major health problems and been overridden with stress.  Almost everyone has broken down at one point or another and cried.  To make matters worse, we had to go on without letting anyone we are helping know we are struggling.  Looking back over the last 6 months, I realized God helped me to survive by giving me faith and laughter.  In the midst of all the anxiety, there were times when we stopped long enough to laugh about some silly thing that happened.  

I also realized this morning that August and September were “peak” months. Every day when I got up to go back I knew God would get me through it. I was so buried under I’m not sure I was even thinking clearly.  For at least ten to eleven hours every day for the last seven months I experienced panic because I knew I couldn’t possibly get everything done I needed to do.  I was surviving because I had a pattern set and I stayed in the groove of that pattern.  I believe Jesus was “carrying me” through each day. I’m not sure I realized it at the time, but looking back I can see it. The silly laughter helped. 

This week I finally started to “dig out” and I felt like I made headway.  

Yesterday was the first day in months that I was able relax and think clearly.

This advent season I’m grateful, really grateful that God carries us through even when we don’t ask or know He is there.  Romans 8:26 says, “…the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” 

Especially during the peak months I remember sitting with God and saying, “help me” but I didn’t vocalize specific requests.  Clearly, the Spirit did that for me.  Clearly God brought the laughter.

Thank-you, God for giving faith; thank-you, Spirit for helping us IN our weakness; thank-you for praying FOR us, thank-you for laughter, Jesus…Amen

Laughter

Have you ever thought about what God laughs at, or if God laughs? 

Considering the character of Jesus, we have some clues about how God feels about relationships and caring for each other.  We are told to "rejoice" IN the Lord. We are also told our bodies are a holy temple (where God resides) and we are to care for it, and it IS a medical fact that laughter is healthy. 

I think God has a great sense of humor and He created us to enjoy laughter in his own image.

I also think heaven is going to be one big really long party.  Since heaven is now, but not yet (more to come) we need to start enjoying ourselves now. 

Enjoy the season.  Laugh often.

Viscosity

                               

Scientifically speaking, viscosity is the fluidity, or “runniness” of a liquid.  If a liquid has a high amount of viscosity it will be thicker, as in blood.  If a fluid has less viscosity it will be runnier, as in water.  Viscosity is the amount of resistance in the fluid.  

 

 

 

 

 

God created viscosity for a purpose.  In a non-scientific context, viscosity comes from the Latin word “viscious”.  All of us during our day encounter situations where we encounter a high amount of viscosity or resistance as we interact with others.  

 

 

We may also encounter internal resistance as we deal with issues that re-surface from the past.  Often, we don’t recognize those in ourselves (although we seem to be able to readily spot them in others) because we are so accustomed to our issues that they seem like an old friend.  

 

 

Talking to God is essential when we encounter external or internal viscosity.  Unfortunately, often we tend to either ignore them or run from the source of resistance.  

 

 

By talking to God, the Spirit will help us to face the resistance. 

Only by facing it, can we conquer it.  

 

 

Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life wrote, “Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.”

 

 

You are not alone in the dark.  God stands with you.  Talk to God, and listen for the answer.  Therein lies your hope.  

 

 

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

                                                                                      Proverbs 23:18

 

Talk to God

Talking to God about your needs is not only acceptable, Jesus encouraged us to talk to God about whatever we need.

We are also encouraged to talk to God about others.  We are told in I Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing.  As we talk to God about others our hearts are bound to them through the Spirit.

Please pray for:

A man who needs healing and rest

A woman who is in pain

A woman who needs a job

A family who has financial needs

A child who is having health problems


One thing I've learned about prayer is that you will be blessed for praying.  If you have requests, you can email them to:  talkingtogodtransforms@gmail.com