Trying to Listen...

As a Christ-Follower, I've heard the words "Devotions" or "Quiet Time" used for years. They conju up some monastic images of four AM awakenins, where, the devotee mystically melds with the mind of the Divine, receiving revelation of life changing events. They rise to face the day, a face brighter than the sunrise itself. All who encounter them cannot stand before their powerful radiance.

Sorry, I think, I'm recalling a Sunday School poster I saw somewhere, ... years ago, ... about 1956. But such were the "personal time with God" impressions I inheritted from older people growing up in my religious background.

MY reality ... I spend more time talking AT God the Deity than listening to Daddy-God, the Father.

In his book, Walking With God, John Eldredge said, "I assume that an intimate, conversational walk with God is available, and is meant to be normal." To make matters worse he continues, "I'll push that a step further. I assume that if you don't find that kind of relationship with God, your spiritual life will be stunted. And that will handicap the rest of your life." [Walking With God, (pg 7) John Eldredge, ©2008 Thomas Nelson]

So, as a knee-jerk reaction, what do I do?

Get a tape series on prayer?

Attend a conference on how to pray?

Get up an hour earlier, put on a pot of coffee, and determine to pray for the whole hour?

Buy a new book from Charles Swindoll, Max Lucado, or John Eldredge on prayer?

None of these suggestions are bad, but somehow intimacy is being missed by something we,…I…was never taught by spiritual mentors.

... HOW to LISTEN!

In the Old Testament book of I Samuel, a young boy is wakened in the middle of the night by a voice calling his name. Supposing it to be his mentor, Samuel goes to the aged Eli, who,..the second time it happens, realizes it's God rousing his student. When Samuel says, "Speak, God, I'm ready to listen,"…God announces He is getting ready to rock the nation and get their attention.

The problem with listening?

It requires silence...

... And silence is LOUD!

Several years ago, as an Audio and Radio Production Instructor, I required my class to shut their eyes, for a period of 20 to 40 seconds silence, then have them guess how much time had passed. On average...unless they had previous broadcast experience...most would over-guess the silence.

Our society is manic to keep us from having to experiencing silence. Our phones no longer only make phone calls; they surf the net, text and function as MP3 players so we NEVER have to think. If a child ISN'T A.D.D. or A.D.H.D, his peers can train him to be with the right phone or IPOD.

The Christian community is a close second. Christian radio 24 hours a day. (and I am an ex-radio and Christian TV worker) Christian TV Networks. The newest Christian self-help tape series. IPOD download sermons series. All keep us busy thinking…but not LISTENING.

Here's where I'm going to get in hot water from a lot of traditional teachers.

TRADITION teaches: God Speaks only...

1) Through His Word: The Scripture --"Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." (Message Bible)

That's it. Revelation done! All the ears that could hear from the Divine have written it down. Case closed.

2) Through Godly People: They have an impression or feeling how God is moving today.

3) Through Circumstances: This appears or seems to be how God is working. A bit of a guessing game.

Unfortunately, most TRADITIONAL believiers seem to reverse the order...they look to circumstances first to guide them, then spiritual wisdom, finally Scriptural direction. It's as if they fear the Book will be a Divine Kill-Joy to their plans when they open it first.

However, the older I get, the less intimidated I am by silence. The man I find there is someone I am learning to be comfortable with. And I am learning Tradition's TEACHINGS may not always square with Scripture.

If I base my decisions on circumstances and the council of people, I may have missed the wisdom of Scriptures like:

2 Chronicles 15:2
"God will stick with you as long as you stick with him. If you look for him he will let himself be found;" (The Message)
James 4:8 "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (NKJ)
"Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time." (The Message)

The "drawing near" intimates a movement on my part, rather than His part. He is the constant…I am the one in flux. He is the Rock; I'm the one driven by the life's of cacophony sound. He is the Lighthouse; I am the ship tossed by the tyranny of the urgent. And yet, there are times, I must stop. "…He'll be there in no time."

1 Kings 19:11-12 tells about the climactic end of an emotional draining experience the prophet Elijah had after finding himself on the run, his face on Wanted Posters, a price on his head. After letting him have a first-class pity party, Daddy-God gave Elijah (and all of us) an insight on how to listen for His voice in the midst of turmoil. "...but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice."

Those are the times for short prayers.

No lists.

No requests.

Just silence.

As your spirit waits… … for that still … small … Voice.

The Voice that fills your spirit with peace.

With several words.

Or one word.

Spoken just for you.

Of direction … correction … confirmation … information … revelation.

No secret formula.

Just practice.

Every Parent's Nightmare

Bobbie was young and beautiful and full of promise. From all appearances, she was the last child who would bring her parents grief.

She was active in her church in O'Donnell, Texas.

At 14, she could claim a long list of social and scholastic achievements: Bobbie was involved in Cheerleading, Band, UIL (University Interscholastic League) Science Fair, One Act Play, and Girl Scouts.

The future seem to be promising and smooth sailing…if she could just navigate the pitfalls of her adolescent years.

But Bobbie had a secret. Perhaps it was the first time,…or the last of many times…but at fourteen she was getting and consuming alcohol from some adult.

Teen drinking is not only illegal, but for Bobbie it would be lethal and she would be responsible for the death of a fourteen-year-old friend, as well as seriously injuring seven others all under the age of 18.

In what can best be described as every parent's worst nightmare,… one boy of unknown age,.. one girl of 13,.. two girls age 14,.. one boy age 15,.. one girl 15,.. one boy 17,.. and one boy age 18 where joy riding in the 2008 Toyota pickup 14 year-old Bobbie was driving Saturday night at 2:30 in the morning. According to Department of Public Safety officials (Texas State Troopers), Bobbie had been drinking prior to driving at a high rate of speed on a road north of O'Donnell. The vehicle hit a ditch, went into a slide, then rolled three and a quarter times, coming to a rest on the passenger side door. Most of the teenagers were riding in the bed of the pickup, none wearing seatbelts or restrains.

As a Texas parent, it would be easy to finger point and blame;

Why were you allowing your 13, 14, 15 year-old age kids out at that time of night?

Why was an under-aged driver at the wheel of that vehicle?

Who gave those minors the alcohol?

Was there no parent who was curious enough to know what their children were doing that late at night?

At the same time, I am the parent of a 17 year old who will do ANYTHING to declare his independence. The "Truth" at our house is often a cat and mouse game between parent and child with God providing evidence and conviction when his mother and I can't be there.

Except for God's grace, my son could have been in the back of that pickup. Some of his friends have been involved in similar stupidity!

I never met Bobbie or any of her companions from that accident. I doubt her family will ever read these words. But as a life spectator and fellow parent, I share their anguish having lost a brother years ago in a roll-over accident before he could graduate high school.

I encourage parents...you are first a parent to your child,...secondly a friend. Don't let their begging wear you down. Want to know where they are going, who they are with, and to call when they change places and plans. That's why you provide them with that cell phone…..NOT FOR TEXT THEIR FRIENDS.

This incident strengthens my resolve to be involved. I will not be put off by the "invasion of my privacy" or "none of your business" argument. Love and parenting makes it my business.

Second, providing alcohol to minors is no joke,.. it is NOT a rite-of-passage we should wink at just because we may have done it. Alcohol and gasoline doesn't mix… especially when combined with raging hormones.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving are an excellent organization, but they haven't done enough. Several years ago, there was legal precedent set in England where pub owners and severs were libel for accidents and crimes their clients committed when intoxicated. If only that kind of legislation were passed in this country. But alas, how many local, state and federal legislators have the backbone for such a stance against the alcohol industry lobby. Most seem afraid their favorite bartenders and saloon owners would go to prison on their behest.

If the person who provided Bobbi with the alcohol was charged and convicted with involuntary manslaughter for this horrific tragedy, it might not bring back Bobby or the 14-year-old girl who died with her, but it would send a powerful message to those cavalier for sharing or selling alcohol to minors.

For the families of those eight youth involved accident north of O'Donnell, Texas, the "whys" and "what did we wrong" are too late.

Two families are mourning. Two crosses will be erected in the roadside ditch to remind others of this tragic accident.

Six young people will carry physical and mental scars of how a night of "just hangin' out" went wrong.

Too Busy To Hear

Working in a Starbucks coffee shop, I get to watch the busiest people in the world. The drive-thru for those who don't want to get out of their cars. They don't have to be distracted by human interaction as they scurry off to their offices and appointments.

If the drive-thu line is too long, some customers come in the store confessing to each other how busy they are, how exhausted they are, and how much they intend packing into the day before they have to do it all over again tomorrow.

Thomas Kelly, in A Testament of Devotion, observed of this generation with its Blue Tooth technology, PDA's, and Instant Messaging, . . .

"Many of the things we are doing seem so important to us. We haven't been able to say No to them, because they seem so important. But if we center down, as the old phrase goes, and live in that holy Silence which is deeper than life, and take our life program into the silent places of the heart, with complete openness, ready to do, ready to renounce according to His (Christ's) leading, then many of the things we are doing lose their vitality for us."

As a fellow obsessive-compulsive activity addict, Kelly's words bring a ring of terror. For more than 50 years I've derived my sense of self-esteem from what I have accomplished or am striving to excel in.

This is why I have long misunderstood the story of "Busy Martha and Lazy Mary" in the Bible. Jesus' biographer Luke tells of domestic conflict when Jesus and the boys dropped in, unannounced for supper. Martha, Mary and their bro Lazarus were good friends with the young Rabbi, but there is a hint of long-held resentment between sisters.

While I have no proof of this, I suspect Martha was the oldest sister. Having grown up the oldest of six children, I frequently experienced resentment of my younger siblings. Much of the daily responsibilities in our household fell to the older children while the younger ones "slacked off."

We read in Luke 10, after Martha welcomed the unexpected guests and made them feel at home, she headed to the kitchen. Fully expecting her sister to take up the slack in feeding the additional thirteen hungry men, she looks into the family room to find Mary lounging at the feet of Jesus. Martha begins a slow burn as expectation turns to disappointment to irritation to tears. All the pots are boiling, meat is about done, at least Mary could get the good china and set the table!

Rather than confronting her sister directly, Martha vents her frustration on the guest of honor. If Jesus is the friend he claims to be, he should know how hard she is working with NO HELP! . . . Mary has burn-out. "Don't you care that Mary has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand."

Been there, done this. "Now, God. Don't You know I dedicated my life to You. You gave me this minister/job/opportunity. I've been doing my best but I feel so alone. Can't You fix it so it's not so hard."

Jesus' response has long confused me. He seems to be minimizing what Martha was doing FOR HIM and the disciples. . . "Martha, dear Martha," he gently rebukes, "you're fussing too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing." He then reminds her the reason for his interruption of her daily schedule was not to have her fix them a meal. In fact, HE was providing the meal . . . The meal from his heart. For Jesus it was his intention to share His heart in the time he had left before his betrayal and execution.

For we Marthas of Christianity, . . activity driven people who find validation in our faith by being the "doers of the Word and not hearers only," . . . perhaps this is why interruptions come into our lives. It can be the death of a friend or family member. Maybe an vocational change. What about serious personal illness or life threatening accident? What would it take to get you "out of the kitchen" and at the feet of Jesus?

"That choice to get busy or to sit still, to work in the kitchen or to wait at Christ's feet, is essentially a decision to whether or not to submit the details of our life to His lordship. If we decide to submit them, it simplifies our life because it puts us accountable to one master instead of to a pantheon of competing ones. ~ Ken Gire, Seeing What is Sacred

I'm equally convinced there are times we will never be given the reason for divine interruption of our agenda. We may complain to One we are trying to serve, receive a rebuke, and be told to "sit at My feet" for an indeterminate time. It will only be when we pass from this life to the next we will see how God was wanting to be flesh and bone to the world in which we lived.

"Perhaps that explains, at least partially, why bad things sometimes happen to good people.

For the sake of those around them.

That they might come to Christ.

That Christ might come to them, to live in them.

So that once again a Savior came be born into the world."

~ Ken Gire, Seeing What is Sacred