.001 An Unforgettable Invitation

Do you hear God calling to you? Singing to you? What a lovely image. Feinberg gives us many images of God. Here is a beckoning, nurturing God, and shortly after, she reminds us that God is a God who is strong enough, wise enough to answer our prayers in ways that may not be as we wish.

Feinberg's first chapter begins by questioning, "what it looks like to forage for the divine," as well as, "How do you hear from God?"

How do you find God, in your life? Is it a search on which you have embarked? And how do you hear God's voice? What advice would you give to other people just setting forth on the journey?

Being a wolf lover, I have to admit that I didn't much care for Feinberg's dream and the "solution" to her dilemma, but I do appreciate the peace she felt in God's presence! We use Jesus's name when we pray. We may use it at other times. What power do you find in his name? What comfort do you find in God's presence?

Could you relate to Feinberg's college years, as she strayed away from her closeness with God? Do you have times like that in your life? She writes, "I was away from God and miserable. I laid my face in my Bible and cried out, asking God to become the center and focus of my life again. Calm enveloped me. In the stillness of my being, the following words ran through my mind: You are my child, and I love you. You are mine; you are not your own. Come back to me."

She says, "God grabbed me by the scruff of the neck." Oh, my goodness. Wouldn't life be better if God would do that to us? Sometimes, literally?

"Come on, Tam. You screwed up, again. Come on back to the den for a bit. Let's just regroup and see if we can try things a little differently."

Feinberg continues, "I let myself dangle in God's gentle grip--and experienced new depths of peace. The faith my parents had exposed me to growing up became my own."

Bingo! The brilliant beauty of God's grace. In the asking, the releasing of oneself, peace is found. And it is as we experience these spirit-filled, sometimes surprising moments the faith of others seeps into our own being, our own hearts.

In our churches, it is our joy and our responsibility to help people find those moments. Whether people walk through the doors for the first time or they've been coming every Sunday of their lives, we want them to have those spirit-filled moments with God. Those moments in which they just know God is walking with them.

And, while we may not consider ourselves to be "evangelists," don't we want that gift for everyone? I mean, really, the people in line with you at the grocery store. The people driving next to you on the freeway. The people waiting with you in the ER. The people living in the house around the corner. Wouldn't you wish God's peace and God's blessings, an awareness of God's Spirit and the incredible miracle that that truly can be upon all of them? In some way?

I am SO not an evangelist. At least, not the kind we have so negatively branded in our brains. And I know all of you. You aren't either. You're very loving, kind people who just happen to be filled with God's love and are definitely guided by God's Spirit.

So, where does that leave us?

Feinberg tells us that she's made countless mistakes of her own. Trying too hard to convince people of their need for God. Afraid to speak up and sharing "wobbly" theology or being hypocritical.

Can we relate? I imagine so. So, how have you overcome, or CAN you overcome that problem? How can you let the REAL you emerge? How can that loving, kind, caring, beautiful person of faith and integrity shine?

I imagine that when Feinberg was praying for her sorority sisters, she was also living a life of integrity, letting God's love shine through her. Somehow, I don't think that just praying would do the trick!

What about the story Feinberg tells of Elijah? Do you feel for him, as he hides in the cave? As he rants and raves at God?

And, the whisper. Feinberg's description absolutely captures my breath. After the power and magnitude of the storm...

"Rather than manifest himself in all his brilliant glory and splendid power, God chooses to whisper."

No fiery bush. No great flood. No river of blood. Merely a whisper.

Feinberg continues, "The image of a whisper speaks to the posture of our relationship with God. Whispering is ineffective if the person we're trying to communicate with is on the other side of the room. God doesn't desire a long-distance relationship, but an intimate one."

Tiptoe closer. God just might be whispering to you. What do you hear?

(And remember the questions at the end of the book for this first chapter. Pay special attention to #'s 6, 8, 9, and 10.)

Peace,
Tam