Jeff's Journal 2010 - 2018

Jeff's Journal

How do we understand God's work in our lives?

   Some Christians credit or blame God all to easily

      for everything that happens to them.

   There are natural events which God does not

      control, such as hurricanes, tornadoes,

      earthquakes, tsunamis and such.

      Do you want to be the person to tell the

         people of West Liberty that the tornado

         was chosen by God to  wipe out their town?

Random suffering is a part of our experience.

   But our reaction to random suffering is the place

      we seek the God who equips us to cope and grow

      through even the most tragic circumstances.

How do we know God is here, listening, responding?

   I think many people have given up trying

      to listen to God. It is because the answers

      are not delivered dramatically and clearly.

We must pray that God's answers will come

   in God's own time and God's own way.

Disciplined, intensive and creative listening

   is necessary to determine what you

   sense God is trying to "say" to you.

Really, the act of seeking God, listening,

   reading scripture, asking questions

   and seeking the answers is as much

   of how God wants us to seek his presence.

We might say, as one of our choir anthems is

   titled, "The Journey is Our Home."

In this holy and sacred journey we continue

   to be spiritually fed, allowing the presence

   of the Holy Spirit to move, inspire, teach

   discipline and lead us.

I believe God speaks to us through natural events.

I believe God speaks through study and observation.

I believe God speaks through the community of believers

   who gather to be on this journey together.

I believe we ask our question, then we gather information

   and inspiration from all the above and filter it

   intellectually and spiritually through our life

   experience.

I believe this allows God to speak without us being

   lazy in the process, and simply expecting God

   to be a magician, which God  is not.

Through all of this we find the powerful, essential

   piece which is love, which is God.

Moving to the deeper places,

Jeff