Real Life Reflections

Have you ever taken your cues from Gideon and come up short? Gideon was a little freaked out when God told him to lead the Israelites into battle. He didn't exactly relish the idea of going into battle without being absolutely positive that God was with him. So He gave God a couple of tests. Day one: he lay a wool fleece on his threshing floor and told God that if He really wanted him to do this thing then have the dew fall on the fleece alone. In the morning, he had to wring out the fleece because it was sodden with dew, but the ground around it was dry. Day two: he told God that if He really wanted him to do this then do the opposite the next morning - let the fleece alone be dry but the ground around it wet. It happened just as Gideon requested. God was pretty obvious in what He wanted Gideon to do. My turn: I have an idea for a project. It promises to be fairly time-consuming and likely emotionally taxing. Like Gideon, I don't relish the idea of doing this if God isn't

I watched the birth of a friendship this weekend. Whereas in past encounters the two parties merely observed each other with distant curiosity, a few days ago, one reached out to the other and bridged the gap that had existed between them. In an instant, a bond was forged. Our five-month old granddaughter stretched out her little dimpled hand as she tried (in vain) to catch the tongue of our six-year old cockapoo. In that moment, everything changed between them. Marje (the dog) interpreted this gesture as one of friendship. This creature who had been nothing more than an interloper in Marje's world, a distraction that had stolen the attention that had previously been hers alone had just indicated that she wanted to play (at least that was obviously Marje's interpretation). Marje skittered out of the room and retrieved her ball. As my granddaughter sat on my lap, we threw the ball and watched Marje chase after it time and time again. Later, long after the game of fetch was over,

by Paul Miller. Our pastor has recommended this book a number of times. I finally bought it. Now, according to my Kindle, I've read 58% of it. Over the years, I've read a number of books on prayer. This one is in my top three. As I've read, I've realized that I often ask God's advice as if God is my life-consultant rather than my God. As I talk to Him about a given situation, my brain will continue to churn through possibilities and what-if scenarios. I'm asking but I'm not listening for an answer. I think that's not really praying. It's saying words - empty words - words without any meat in them. Have you ever tried to talk to someone when they're watching TV or reading the paper? It's pretty frustrating because it's obvious that they're not listening to you. One of the associate pastors at my church once told the story of his toddler who was in exactly that situation: Daddy sat on the sofa as he read the paper. She sat next to him a