What are you thirsty for? Is there a person, object, or idea that drives the deepest longings of your heart? There are so many things we can pursue – some noble and some less than noble, some temporal and some eternal. Does your thirst include more of God in your life?
David in Psalm 63 starts out by writing, “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” David paints an incredible picture of thirsting after God. Pastor Stan has those moments – when his soul was dry and God’s quenching water seemed far away. But he is resolved to have those moments less often and to be drenched in God’s presence more often.
On January 3, Community will begin a seven-week series called “Pursuing the Paraklete* – How to Stop, Look and Listen for God’s Guiding Presence.” There is no debate that God wants to speak into our lives far more than we are listening. He wants to show us what our eyes are too distracted to see. Do you want to change that? I do. What are you thirsty for?
Let’s be honest about the roadblocks and distractions that keep us from living out the Spirit-guided life and then choose to pursue the Paraklete, to explore and experiment with the ways God wants to be intimately involved in our lives. Our worship will be experiential and experimental. As with anything – you’ll get out of it what you put into it. Pursuing requires intentionality and practice. THIS will be a great way to start the year. THIS is essential stuff. THIS is foundational to our Christian faith. What are you thirsty for?
“O God, my soul thirsts for You.”
*o Parakletos is the name Jesus called the Holy Spirit. It means Helper or Advocate.
Series Resources
Book Recommendations
- The Remarkable Ordinary: How to Stop, Look, and Listen to Life by Frederick Buechner
- The Way to Maturity: How to Live in the Spirit and Grow to Maturity as a Child of God by John Wimber
- How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People by Pete Grieg
- The Joy of Listening to God: Hearing the Many Ways God Speaks to Us by Joyce Huggett
App Recommendations
Week One: Defining the Relationship
Before we can begin the journey into the Spirit-directed life, we must step into a growing faith that embraces who we are in Christ (identity) and that God truly wants to speak into us.
Week Two: The Word is the WORD
The Bible, God’s Word, is the greatest gift God has given us to hear His voice – and when we immersed in the Bible, the believer trains his or her heart to know and recognize God’s voice.
Week Three: Tent of Meeting Blueprints
Learning how to listen in prayer (we do a whole lot more talking than listening most often) is a huge step in our spiritual development. This week we explore ways to train our spiritual ears and eyes to hear and see God.
Week Four: Listening with Eyes Wide Open
Moving from the inward work that happens in quiet, distraction free places, God calls us, outward, to begin to listen to His Voice while we are moving about in a distracted and distracting world.
