Joeletter 11.3

The Joeletter


My second week of work, finished. My first paycheck, supposedly received (I had them direct deposit it, and I haven't been to the bank yet). I didn't realize that I have a pay stub to pick up at the temp. office, so I will be going to get it tomorrow.

Something that I had not realized was how much time an eight-hour job eats up! You don't spend just eight hours a day working. By the time it's all done and finished, you are spending more like ten hours. First you must get to work, then afterward run errands and get groceries, and then get home. It makes me really appreciate all the free time a full-time student has!

But, all in all, it's still a really good job. I'm having fun, and learning new things.



How has the Listening Prayer been going for you? I would really enjoy hearing from each of you, whether you have found time to try it or not. Something that Jesus has really been impressing on my heart this week has been that Listening Prayer is merely a tool, not the actual "thing you must do to be a real Christian." Listening Prayer is a method to help you experience Jesus actual presence with you. We've all felt like, "I just wish I could see, or feel Him here with me." Using your imagination this way, you can.

So how 'bout it? Close your eyes, and ask Jesus to help you hear His words that He is speaking to you right now.

Ask Him what about you makes Him smile? In what ways was He pleased with you today?

What things made Him sad today? Things that you did, or didn't do? Things that you saw happen today?

What things has He been doing today? Where has He been working? Where does He want you to work alongside of Him?


Remember, we do hear Him. We have just learned how to be deaf. We have learned how to reject His words with our logic. Wherever He takes your mind, to whatever part of today, look for where He was and what He was working there. What He says will always correspond with He has already said, and what He has said/is saying to others. If you're not sure, just ask! He'll always tell you.

The book that I read that sets this all out can be found at this link,

http://www.freshwindpress.com/

and is entitled "Can You Hear Me?" by Brad Jersak. If you haven't had a chance to look at the site, and/or order the book, I would highly recommend it. Any price is worth the freedom and joy in Christ. If nothing else, His example on the cross proves that. If you want to get the book, but can't afford it right now, talk to me. We'll work something out.


I am reading another book right now that has been really resonating with me, with what I've been learning and growing in. It is called "The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery," by David G. Benner. Here is a link to one of the sites that offers this slim, paperback book for under 10 dollars. You can also just search 'David G. Benner.'

David G. Benner Books - BestPrices.com's David G. Benner Book Catalog

One of the things that David writes about echoes another use of Listening Prayer that Brad Jersak describes. Just as you can look around and find Jesus with you wherever you are in the day, you can enter Biblical accounts and do the same. Pick out your favorite Bible story, find it again in the Bible, and read through it a few times.

Then sit back, preferably in a quiet place where you won't be disturbed and won't go to sleep. Use your imagination and enter the story. Look around, and find Jesus. Don't worry, He'll always be there. Even in the Old Testament He will be present. His plan to reconcile us to Himself was a first-run idea. It started on the first page of the Bible, and goes to the last. More than that, He's on every page in between. It might be a little tougher to find Him sometimes, but He's always there.

Just daydream on that story. You are a spectator, watching the events unfold before you. And, as the story progresses, focus on Jesus. Watch what He does, what He says. Watch His face. David G. Benner acknowledges that he has difficulty imagining much more than the details provided by the Bible. But he says,

"... after I get past my frustration and sense of failure, I realize that simply pondering the event - allowing myself to daydream on it - is sharing Jesus' experiences with him. I am, in fact, slowly moving into a new level of personal knowing of Jesus."

And only in sharing experiences do we build a friendship, a relationship. While going to church contributes to our walk, and springs out of our walk, it does not by itself build up our friendship with Jesus. The same goes for merely reading the Bible, not experiencing it with Him. These things are a fruit of our relationship with Him, not what cause that relationship. Spending time will always lead you right back into the Bible, and back to setting aside time with His people, His church. He will never lead us away from Himself, whether in His body or what He has already revealed.

I would really enjoy hearing from each of you, and things that are a part of your life right now. Your experiences with listening prayer, and whatever else is drawing you to Jesus right now.

Those site links again are:

"Can You Hear Me?" by Brad Jersak
http://www.freshwindpress.com/

"The Gift of Being Yourself" by David G. Benner
David G. Benner Books - BestPrices.com's David G. Benner Book Catalog

Both books are terrific, and have been a tremendous blessing in helping me know Jesus more intimately. I highly recommend them both.


Also, for those of you who haven't heard, I am planning on going to Cincinnati Christian University in the fall. I am signed up for a Bachelor of Arts, with a program in Youth Ministry. That may change, but for the moment that's what I'm signed up for.


Experience life with Him ~ There's no going back


In His Time,