Is Anyone Listening?

With five children in our home there is rarely a quiet moment. Noise fills our activities, but communication and understanding does not always happen. Sometimes the temptation is to just increase the volume or repetition. Maybe, if we repeat the same words over and over; and louder and louder we will finally be understood. It usually does not work. Instead it seems what is most effective is to engage, to touch, and to calm down. We find that the time when we stop to listen is the moment when we are also finally heard.

It seems to me that since we are made in the image of God we will by nature be communicative beings. It also seems that our struggle to be heard and to hear is rooted in our desire to find community with both God and man.

During the times in which God has moved in an out of the ordinary way upon the earth were times in which men were able to hear from God. Somehow in the midst of the noise of the day a message of eternal was heard. In ordinary struggles of life, God's hand was seen clearer. I doubt that God was any closer or farther from men. His nature does not change. It seems that instead we may have been better listeners.

In the New Year of 2008 we will begin a discovery in a historian named Luke's second volume called Acts. In this historical account, Luke writes about the transformation of a group of scattered and confused individuals into history's most transforming movement of all time - The Christian Church. We'll examine many items. For instance, proofs of the resurrection of Jesus, the role of the Holy Spirit, and the activities of a faith community. One area that will capture our attention will be prayer. It was the discipline that allowed the scattered and confused to become the gathered and convicted.

It is my hope that in 2008, our CCR community will in a greater way discover the power of speaking and listening to God. I trust as we do this our sensitivity to His purposes will increase and our love for one another deepen. The process will require for us to humble our levels of sophistication, and become like childhood playmates. We simply enjoy one another and do all we can to both heal one another's wounds and celebrate one another's victories.

We will get past the platitudes of religion and speak the common words of a community.

Two weeks ago, our CCR community blessed Jeff and Lisa Jackson as they temporarily left us to return to Australia. Each week in which we now corporately worship the Lord we both see and hear the fruits of the Jackson's labor in our hall. They took our hall full of echoes and transformed it into a place where our frail human ears could finally hear.

Two days ago, I received a message from the Jacksons that upon their return to Australia, Lisa was diagnosed with skin cancer on her foot. In a few days Lisa will have a minor surgery and assessment of the cancer's spread in her body. They have asked for us to keep them in our prayers. Though this situation is difficult it appears the Lord is giving us an opportunity to become in a greater measure a communicating community. Will you join me in asking the Lord to both heal Lisa and also display His glory through this situation?

Also, please feel free to share both the victories and struggles of your life with our CCR community.

Imana ikurinde,

Dave