In The Round B

From Jacque:
One thing that I struggle with both inside myself and
within my discussions with others in regards to God is the issue of
"what God is saying" and how we come to believe or "know" what God is
saying.

"Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so..." The creator
of this tune knew that (s)he was loved because the Bible provided such
knowledge. I, however, learned that Jesus loved me because adults at
church kept teaching this song. It never occurred to me that I should
double check in the Bible to be sure. Either way, we both come to
know that we are loved and carry that message with us to be brought
out whenever we need reminding.

I do not "know", but I do believe that these messages are the Holy
Spirit within me. And when I am needing that Holy Spirit to remind me
of important things that God wants from me/ for me I think it breaks
through some barriers and gives me a message that I might actually,
consciously recognize. I'm not so sure *that* is in the Bible, but its
a part of my faith in God's promise to me in baptism.

These things that I hear are often tied to music or sounds of nature.
Maybe because my gifts lie in the appreciation and respect for those
tools and creations in life and therefore, I am ready and able to hear
and use the important messages for the good of myself and the creation
around me. I am sure that others have custom made message delivery
systems in place to meet their needs based on their gifts and
abilities. For example, my friend is very dedicated to memorizing her
Bible verses and that skill serves her well in that she has verses
surface in her mind that apply to the situation she is in need of
addressing. I admit that I have a much harder time actually listening
to scripture, which many argue to be our link to understanding God's
desires for us. I do not know that I disagree with this sentiment,
but I am afraid that such people who stick to that gun will use it to
shoot either me or themselves in judgment or righteousness should they
discover that I am perhaps listening to a song stored in my memory or
the wind blowing through the trees.

I do not get into much of the differences between denominations, but I
have been reminded multiple times that currently the United Church of
Christ (UCC) has adopted a slogan: "God is still speaking." I love this concept (assuming that it means what I think it means), because it says to me that God didn't pass
along knowledge to prophets and apostles for a few thousand years and
then suddenly shut up and leave us to figure it all out on our own.
It excites me to think that if God wants to claim me, then God will
come and find me and tell me that I belong through whatever means
possible to seal the deal.