Hearing from God
Hearing from God is both an individual and a communal practice. Gordon Smith, in his book The Voice of Jesus, makes it clear that there is danger in relying too much on ourselves or too much on the community of faith. “The community, then, while it is essential to our individual identity, is also a…
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The Still, Small Voice
I am preparing for a few days of solitude at Kingsfold Retreat Centre. How will I experience the quiet of this place? Will I hear from God? How will I know if I hear from God? Elijah, A.B. Simpson, Gordon T. Smith, and Teresa of Avila have insights. I will listen to the mighty wind,…
Continue readingThanksgiving
Give Thanks – He is Worthy (also posted at the website of Bow Valley Christian Church) Thanksgiving season is a time when we examine the gifts we have been given and remind ourselves that we are not “self-made.” Douglas Wilson writes, The issue of thanksgiving is really central to the whole debate about the existence…
Continue readingBreathing
Prayer is relationship. It is much more than asking God for something every time we come into his presence. These words flying out of my keystrokes are really just the confession of a pleading soul. I can easily fill any empty space with wishes, gentle beseeching, or all out demands for God to do my…
Continue readingGod’s Voice
In a previous post I wrote about guidance from God. This present post must be understood within the context of that broader article. In the previous article I spoke of God’s guidance coming through God’s word, God’s voice, God’s reason, God’s people, and God’s circumstances. Today I would like to write about one part of…
Continue readingBecoming Wise
Proverbs 9:10 says, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.” God is truly the source of wisdom and He speaks to us through His word in the Bible; and, we also know that we can experience knowledge and wisdom as we read other books…
Continue readingPerspective
As I was heading out to catch the train at 8:00 am on Friday morning I saw the grey skies and knew that many people would be down. We Vancouverites love to complain about the weather. But then God hit me with the sense of how I first saw Vancouver when we used to visit…
Continue readingListening to the Universe
Today I simply offer another quote from Annie Dillard: Who shushed the stars? There are a thousand million galaxies easily seen in the Palomar reflector; collisions between and among them do, of course, occur. But these collisions are very long and silent slides. Billions of stars sift among each other untouched, too distant even to…
Continue readingHearing
I was rereading The Language of God by Francis Collins for a paper on which I am presently working. I came upon a place where he quotes one of my favourite authors, Annie Dillard. She reminds us that we have banished God from the world in which we live. We have found ways to show…
Continue readingVoices
It’s 5 am and all is quiet But I hear voices in my head One says, “I should seek out comfort” Another, “Give it all away” This life is complex and confusing Not many wise enough to know But I will always keep on seeking The Voice that whispers in the Wind. It’s the Voice…
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