Jim

Just read John's blog entry on how God spoke to him through a ketchup bottle and it reminded me of a similar incident a few years ago.  I was on my knees, praying, between two beds in a hotel room while on a layover (I'm a commercial airline pilot.)  I had been wrestling with the Holy Spirit for a while that morning concerning fasting.  I'd been struggling with the issue for several days, feeling that I was being called to a 10 day fast.  Now, for a guy like me who HATES fasting, I would have preferred to have been tossed out the emergency exit at 37,000 feet because the agony is over much more quickly.  And, I reasoned, my passengers had a right to expect a "full-up" pilot, not one hampered by the tortures of fasting.  I finally decided that I could do a 10 day fast if I could drink fruit juice during that time.  That seemed reasonable; no protein, nothing solid, just fruit juice.  And LOTS of it, I figured.  So, I was about to declare the issue settled when I heard that internal whisper, "What's that by your foot?"  I realized that my foot had been moving an object around under the adjacent bed and it hadn't struck me, until then, that it probably didn't belong there.  So, I turned around and fished it out.  It was a plastic bottle of Lipton Brisk Natural Lemon Flavor Iced Tea.  Sort of a strange thing to find under a hotel room bed.  The Spirit whispered again, "Turn it around."  I gave it about a half turn and my eyes fell on the words printed at the top of the label by the bar code..."Contains No Fruit Juice."  I had nothing but water for the next 10 days.  And an undeniable assurance that I was doing what my Lord wanted.  What an amazing God we serve that He knows what's written on every bottle ever manufactured... and everything else as well!

Sue

When I feel a distance between myself and God sometimes all it takes to reconnect is to take a walk in His creation. The touch of breeze on my face, the warmth of the sun on my skin, the cry of a bird in the air… all bring me back to relationship. You can’t deny His presence in the midst of all that he’s created.

Brian

First let me tell you how much I have enjoyed the book! Your open and honest sharing, the stories, all of it.  What I most appreciate is the practical application.  I am excited to go through this with my wife, and band of brothers.

I also find it funny how unoriginal Satan is.  Many of the stories you wrote have a similar theme to ones I have gone through or friends have gone through (assault against joy, sleep, agreements with the Get ‘er done mentality - no matter the cost.)  So, thank you.  I pray this has a great impact for The Kingdom – it already has in my life and walk with God.  Prime example – One entry was, "What should I Read?".  After reading the entry I thought I’d ‘give it a go’.  So, I set the book down and asked God, "Lord, what do you want to say to me?  What should I read?"  Immediately I hear, Colossians 3.  Now, I am sorry to say I am do not read His word nearly enough and Colossians would NEVER be the first out of my mouth – I would usually go for one of the Gospels or Psalms, but Colossians?!  Then I said OK Colossians.  Was that Colossians 2 or 3?  Colossians 2? No.  Colossians 3?  Yes, Colossians 3.  I turn to it and Whoa!  The chapter heading in my translation reads, "The Life of the New Man." Just the reminder I needed as I was on a plane headed to meet with a client for several days and away from family.  Awesome!

Craig

Our daughter is getting married this April. Lori and I are working on the "Invitation" list. There are the easy decisions about who to invite and who to shun into outer darkness. What’s rocking my internal world are those we should invite for the sake of family harmony, for history, and world order. AHHH!!! So many things surface in me. Memories of slights, profound disappointments, wounding words or actions (Howard dismissing me in a toast at my 40th birthday, my former supervisor’s betrayal and superficial annoying presence; Aunt Laura’s hot then frigidly cold and always self-centered presumptious relationship with us). I’m caught off guard by this rogue wave of anger and disappointment. Lori and argue and in my heated passion I sober up just enough to begin to feel disappointed in myself. My reactions, my emotions. Two things quickly unfold – my desire to love like Christ, relate like Christ, live like Christ whatever the circumstances, emotions or relational grief. And, simultaneously, the shame and self-contempt of not yet being the man I’d like to be… and thought I was. I’m bouncing off the walls about to disengage and withdraw from Lori and the "List" as some true part of me cries out for God to speak.

And He does…

Craig! You have a good heart. You are a good lover. Don’t focus on their disconcerting behavior. If all you see is their behavior, their false-self, they’ll anger and repulse you.

And there’s a pause for affect here, and He continues,

If you remember their story… the wounded-ness and broken-ness the lies beneath their uncaring lives you have compassion for them.

God came for me in that moment… he spoke to my cry. He almost always does. In the following moments he reminded me of Howard’s and Aunt Laura’s wounds, and of my former supervisor’s desperate and foolish response to his own pain. So much shifted in me in those moments.

Jamie

I was having one of those mornings where nothing is going well.  There was tension between my husband and I.  I was frustrated at our dog.  I was running late to work.  I had a horrible night sleep.  And so on. When I got to work and saw the piles of things that needed my attention I groaned.  Out of desperation, I offered the only prayer I thought I could muster, "Please help me, God."  I wasn’t really expecting to hear from God on a day like this, but he surprised me with an answer.  "Pray the Daily Prayer," he said (it’s a prayer found at the back of Walking With God).  Really?  I immediately thought of several excuses not to. It’s too long, I don’t have time, and my heart is just really not in it.  But with the small hope that something might come of it, I closed my office door and read the prayer out loud.  At first it just seemed like plain words being spoken out of sheer obedience.  But part way through the prayer, my heart came behind the words.  By the end of the prayer, I was centered and ready to face the day knowing that the smaller story I was living prior to the prayer had faded away and I was now walking with God through the day.