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~ Rejecting the gods of our culture since 1998.

cultural atheist

Tag Archives: trust

A Conversation

25 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by braddahr in Discovery, Inspiration, Observations, questions, Spirituality

≈ 1 Comment

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Angels, Awe, Conversation, Faith, Fellowship, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, prayer, relationship, trust

I stumbled across this and it’s too good not to share. The reference is at the end. I did a little editing so it makes sense out of it’s original context but the meaning is intact.

Imagine that our Good, Good Father appears visibly among us this evening. How would we speak to him? Or to make it more personal, let us say that he is willing to meet us in our living room. As many of us as could, would go over there and gather around him, just as the crowds did around Jesus—Mary loved to sit there at his feet.

Now, as we walk into the room, we know that God is the all-powerful Creator of the whole vast universe. We know that the mighty angels, sinless as they are, stand overwhelmed with awe and wonder at the majesty and glory of our God. Yet, though that all be true, if we are afraid to go in, then God has failed to convince us of the truth about himself. And Jesus has failed to convince us, not just with his words, but with what he has demonstrated to be true when he was here, that God is infinitely powerful, but equally gracious, and there is no need to be afraid. How could we turn down what he has paid such a price to reveal?

God is seated there and we are gathered around him. What should we say? Should we be the first to speak? Once we have started speaking, would we talk all the time? Or would we let God speak for a while? Normally, when we pray we do all the talking, don’t we? And then we say Amen, and go about our business, or go to sleep. It would be like meeting in the room with our Heavenly Father, and talking to him incessantly for several minutes, and then saying, “Amen, thank you very much,” and then going home. It wouldn’t make sense, would it? It certainly wouldn’t be conversation as with a friend.

Supposing we should have the inestimable privilege of talking there freely with God the Father for a whole hour; would it be appropriate at the end for someone among us to arise and say, “This has been such a special occasion, don’t you think we ought to close this meeting with a word of prayer?” Or would it be correct to understand that talking, conversing, having conversation with our God as with a Friend for that whole hour actually is real prayer, and we have been praying the whole hour long?

Conversation means at least two people speaking. But how do we converse with God when we can’t see him just now, because of the present emergency? We all understand that emergency and why in mercy he does not reveal himself visibly to us at this moment. And so, the Bible is called the Word of God—God speaking to us. If we wish to hear God speak, except in most extraordinary occasions, God speaks to us through the Bible. We speak to him in prayer.

Truly, as someone has said, “We commune with God through the study of the Scriptures.” I certainly find prayer much more meaningful while reading the Bible. Have you ever had the experience of talking to God while reading certain parts of the Scriptures? Have you ever found yourself talking out loud, “That’s magnificent!”? Who are you talking to? But that’s real conversation. We read, we listen in that way. And then we talk back to God.

Graham Maxwell. Excerpt from the audio series, Conversations About God, #15, “Talking to God as a Friend” recorded May, 1984, Loma Linda, California. 

 

 

Get It For Me

08 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by braddahr in Observations, Spirituality

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belonging, Children, God, Love, trust

I delight in my grandsons. If my children read this, I delight in you too and would even more so if you paid your rent, but I digress…

My oldest grandson likes trains and he’s at the stage where just asks for stuff outright: “Tomorrow, we can go to the store and you can get it for me.”

Now we could talk about his manners and teaching him about appropriate ways to ask for things. But that’s a story for another time.

I have to confess that I like his bold demands. Why does he ask the way he does? Probably because he has me wrapped around his finger but there’s a deeper reason. I think it’s because he is so comfortable in my love and care for him he doesn’t have to do the fluffy stuff – he just asks for what he wants and trusts in me to provide.

I wonder if we could develop that same trust in God who invites us to talk with him, knowing we are his beloved children.

Let God Lead

27 Saturday Aug 2016

Posted by braddahr in Uncategorized

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Faith, Fear, God, trust

Great post! Are you letting God or your fears lead you?

 

The mountain goat feels perfectly at home on the precipice. He knows not fear. The heights are his friend, his defense against predators. There’s no need to fear heights. Abandon the lowlands, and dare to scale the heights. Don’t fear the plan and destiny God has for you. Leave behind your “security.” Since predators prowl […]

via Conquering fears — Mustard Seed Budget

Secure

05 Saturday Mar 2016

Posted by braddahr in Inspiration, Observations, Spirituality

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Faith, God, Jesus, Justified, salvation, saved, trust, works, Yeshua

Once in a while, a page I follow called, “Hebrew for Christians” is so on point, I just have to share it. This isn’t new news, just Good News very eloquently stated.

“Therefore, since we have been justified (δικαιωθέντες) by faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Yeshua the Messiah, through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Rom. 5:1-2). 

We must be careful never to think that God’s salvation is not really secure, or that we may lose our place in God’s heart because of our unfaithfulness… Thinking that our salvation depends on our faithfulness puts us back under the “curse of the law,” since we are attempting to establish our own righteousness rather than trusting in the love and power of the One who “justifies the ungodly” (Rom. 4:5). No, from beginning to end (and including the middle) we are kept by “the strength of His might” and the “surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe” (Eph. 1:19). We must always remember that “if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, how much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:10). If the death of Yeshua brings us God’s grace, his undying life sustains and secures us in that grace. 

It is the power of God that both saves and sanctifies you, and not the merit of religious observance: “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3). We do not trust in ourselves, nor in the virtue of our faith, but rather in the great faithfulness of our Savior and God, blessed be He (Psalm 40:11; 121:7; Jude 1:24; Phil 1:6).

Trust Me

28 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by braddahr in Observations

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

leader, leadership, relationships, trust, vulnerability

I am just completing a month of travelling and seminars. One thing I hear repeatedly in the seminars I attend is leaders must take time to show they are relationally trustworthy* before the team, committee, congregation, etc. will really engage with them as a leader.

It occurred to me that we don’t really talk about how the members of a team, committee, congregation, etc. also need to show they are relationally trustworthy. We talk about how leaders must be accountable (and they must be) without much emphasis on the same relational accountability for team members.

This probably sounds like a leader pity party but think about it for a minute. In the environments where we feel the most healthy – creative, appreciated and excited about what we are doing – trust is flowing BOTH ways. These are places and times when we feel safe enough to be vulnerable.

So maybe, for an organization to move towards being truly healthy, the best leader isn’t necessarily the person who has it all together and never makes mistakes thereby “proving” they can be trusted. After all, a manipulative and self-seeking person could do that. Rather, it’s the person who is willing to be vulnerable first, to be the first to step into the fray and to engage with people as a real person; even with those who haven’t demonstrated trust or worse, have demonstrated untrustworthiness.

*I am saying relationally trustworthy to distinguish it from technical competency; trusting a person to complete a task. In one of my past workplaces the office administrator could be trusted to get things done and she worked very hard to ensure customer satisfaction. At the same time, she was harshly critical and judgmental. Get it?

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