The Call

What are the different ways in which God calls us?

Before we get the call, we have to know His voice.  I am reminded of 1st Samuel 3. Samuel did not yet know the Lord, the word of the Lord not yet being revealed to Him. (vs 7) Three times the Lord called to Samuel and each time he went to Eli the priest whom he ministered to the Lord under. The first two times, Eli said he did not call him. Then Eli realized the Lord was calling Samuel and taught Samuel how to respond. Samuel had to learn how to hear the voice of the Lord.

Later in John 10:27 Jesus says that His sheep listen to His voice, He knows us and we follow Him.  I believe that as new believers we need to be discipled, taught to hear his voice and that as we lean in to Him, talk wioth Him, pray to Him, read His Word...we will begin to hear Him when He calls.

One way the Lord calls us is through prayer. I remember numerous times in our life when my wife and I spent time in prayer and the Lord spoke specifically to us, calling us to new pathds we had not thought of ourself.  One time, while living in Croatia, my wife and I were praying about taking an outreach team to Macedonia and then staying there ourselves when the team departed. I came home one day and my wife was crying. She said the Lord spoke to her some specific things in prayer about our next steps. I wanted to see the list she had made but she said if it was from God, He would speak it to me as well.  5 days later, as I was prayer planning an evening event in another town, I felt the Lord calling me to grab a pen and He clearly spoke some "next step" things to me.  When I got home a couple days later our list matched exactly.

I also believe the Lord calls us through His Word. My call to Salvation came through His Word. I saw the Scriptures and how clearly it says that I had sinned and Jesus made a way for me to be connected to the Heavenly Father via His death on the cross. I eagerly responded to that call. Later, I felt the Lord calling me to missions via the Great Commission. I spent 4 years in missions ministry as a result of that call.

Finally I belive the Lord confirms His call through the consulting of others. Two specific times in my life, in the above story of our future in Croatia and later when we prayed about a move that brought us to Canada, we consulted a pastor and another spiritual leader, asking them to pray with us and for us and to see if what we felt the Lord speaking was also witnessed in their spirit. Samuel went to Eli when he heard the call and I believe we also need to seek the wisdom of others when we feel God calling.

In summary, I believe God calls us through prayer, His Word and the wisdom of our spiritual leaders.

The Art of Storytelling

 

I love to tell a story.  Sadly, I have not always told a story well.  It took me many years to learn that there is an art to telling a good story.  I wish I had come across The Art of Storytelling by John Walsh ages ago.  This is a book that encapsulates all of the lessons I learned and many more that I never knew until now.

Walsh breaks down the art of storytelling into three sections.  The first section is on crafting a captivating story.  Here you will find everything from planning your first words and researching the facts to adding description and eliminating needless details.  I found a lot of useful information in this section of the book.

The second section is on the tools for telling a captivating story.  This area deals with facial expressions and body language.  I have always struggled with what to do with my hands when talking and this section covers it.

The final section is on BibleTelling.  This is great for anyone who wants to capture an audience of any age with the wonderful stories found in the Bible.  In fact, I finished this book as I was preparing to tell the story of David and Goliath.  After applying a few of the principles found in this book I received numerous complements on how I presented this passage of Scripture.

You don't have to be a pastor or even a public speaker to  benefit from this book.  You can use it to enhance how you tell stories to your kids or grand kids.  Students would also find great use for this book.  Do yourself a favor and learn from John Walsh The Art of Storytelling.

3-Way Calling

I have been thinking about calls lately.

Not the telephone kind.

No, I was thinking about what happens when the Lord calls us. The call might be into (or out of) ministry, to move or not to move, etc. It might be a call to move in a radical direction or a call to pull back and spend some quiet time with Him.

Whatever the call, its the response to that call that I was chewing on this week.

I did some digging and found 3 ways people responded to the call of God in the Bible.

1. Confusion
2. Eagerness
3. Flight

First up is Samuel. In 1 Samuel 3 we read of the Lord calling young Samuel in the night. Three times Samuel gets up and goes to see Eli, the Priest he was working with. Each time he asked if Eli was calling him. It was the third time around (1 Samuel 3:8) when Eli finally understood it was the Lord calling Samuel and told him how to respond. Sin led Eli to be confused and Samuel was not trained in hearing the voice of God.

In Isaiah 6:8 we see the prophet's response to the call of the Lord. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Isaiah was ready to go where God was calling Him.

Then we have Jonah. Yeah, the guy who ran... the opposite direction.

(He did repent and answer the call later.)

Obviously we need wisdom when the call of the Lord comes. James 1:25 tells us to ask for it.

I don't always seek the Lord when I feel He is nudging me to do the uncomfortable. Sometimes, like Jonah, I run.

My desire is to know Him more, to seek His face and the wisdom only He can provide. I want to move with God in eager anticipation. The next time the Lord calls, I want to answer like Isaiah.