A Lifetime of Listening
The central focus of our faith is the belief that God has entered into conversation with us.

The challenge is to be open to what God is trying to say. That is not always easy because we are bombarded with messages from many sources.

Is it the voice of tradition or culture around us, rather than an authentic word from God? Determining that requires us to develop a stronger sense of spirituality.

The deeper we go on our own spiritual search, the easier it is to hear the divine message. This search involves a lifetime commitment.

The joy of the journey into the mind of God is that more and more we discover what God wants us to do with our lives. We are being addressed. God is waiting for our response.

by The Rev. Dr. Brooks Ramsey
from "How Can I know when it is God who is speaking to me?"

In the lives of Christians, Lent may be the time for deciding what to give up for God, but the first week of January is when we usually try adding something positive to our lives. There are plenty of options. ...

There is plenty more to new year?s resolutions than trimming your waistline and quitting smoking?as important as these things are! ...

by Jon Sweeney

We don?t always say what we mean. We don?t always speak the truth from our heart.

We say what is expected, what is polite, what is appropriate...but the words don?t resonate with the emotions swirling like tiny tornadoes within us. ...

... when we choose to speak something other than what is in our heart, it is our own heart that suffers. ...

Yet, when we risk speaking the truth that resides in that tender place within us, that truth moistens our ragged ridges like fragrant oil and mends our tears and fissures.

O God, let me say what I mean and mean what I say.

by Renee Miller
from Signposts Daily Devotions-January 2, 2006