Whispers of Wisdom

So I thought I should elaborate on my "Whispers of Wisdom" idea. Like I said before, I believe that everyday God has something He wants to say to us. Now, it won't be the great booming voice as we tend to imagine as we read about God speaking to those in the Bible. It won't be through a burning bush or the presence of an Angel so bright we can hardly stand to look at him (though should these events occur I would probably take them quite seriously). This is why I call them whispers, you have to really be listening to hear them. And when you do hear them you will know that you have just heard the voice of God. Now then, these whispers come in all sorts of ways. The first time I heard one was actually through a Bible lesson and I heard God tell me to leave LCU and go somewhere He needed me to be, somewhere He could better use me. Since then I have heard Him in so many other ways. Sometimes they are ideas that just pop into my head without any sort of trigger. Other times they are picked up from conversations and discussions (some of them I am not even included in). Just yesterday I had one about the Lord's Supper, because I served on the communion table. But one way that has surprised me the most has happened a lot more often lately. Books! My faith and understanding has changed so much the past few years due to my reading of books from authors like C.S. Lewis and Frank Peretti. Even within the realm of books the whispers are different. One of my whispers is to read anything written by C.S. Lewis simply because it is written by C.S. Lewis. Another whisper may even be books that are given to me as gifts (such as The Shack, thank you Aunt Shelli). But the one that surprises me the most is the whisper to simply pick up a book off the shelf and buy it, not knowing who the author is or what might be inside. This has happened three times that I can remember.

The first time was in a Barnes and Noble bookstore in College Station, TX. The book: Not the Religious Type: Confessions of a Turncoat Atheist by Dave Schmelzer. I had never heard of this author or this book, but as soon as I picked it up, I heard that old familiar voice telling me to buy it (I think I may have even heard Him tell me to pick it up, but I'm not sure I was really listening for Him). This book was one of the biggest whispers in my coming to terms with my faith and beginning to build a better relationship with God rather than just with the church. The second time was here in Huntsville, in the Christian section of Hastings books, and sparked the desire to read a whole series. The Sons of Encouragement series by Francine Rivers. These books let me see stories from the Bible that most of us feel like we know so well with such a deeper meaning and understanding. The third happened in Wal-Mart of all places. The Book: Crazy Love: Overwhelmed By a Relentless God by Francis Chan. I didn't even make it through the first chapter before I was recommending it to every person I know . I loved this book and plan on reading it many times, and hopefully you will pick up a copy and love it too.

God is calling each and every one of us to something each and every day. It may be something as large as traveling halfway around the world to help someone with their English, or something as small as reading a book. Unfortunately, He only whispers, and in today's world there are so many other things calling so loudly that we tend to miss His call more often than not. So let me ask you this: What are you listening to?