Can you hear me now?

Our Faith Family had the privilege of having Tim Sullivan visit while he was here. Being next to a person who spends time with God has a profound impact. I was moved by the lack of fruit, (or the plastic kind I can generate) in my life, coupled with the Word's call for us to abide and bear real fruit. The struggle in western culture to escape materialism, stress, and chronic distraction often leaves us with a 5 minute prayer life and a passing glance at scripture. (on a good day) I have been torn up by the distance between the life Paul describes and what my life looks like.
God has been leading me to make a 30 minute appointment in the morning and evening, with an emphasis on putting myself in a quiet place in front of Him so I can actually be led by the Spirit. Then I went back to a book I read 20 years ago by Richard Foster called Celebration of Discipline. It focuses on very simple principles of meditation, prayer, and fasting, designed to put us in front of God in a focused manner. He is very clear that there is a place between idleness and human works, where the power of God can be manifested. "The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us." He explains that the people who exhibit the fruit of the spirit are not exceptional people. "God spoke to them not because they had special abilities, but because they were willing to listen."

In light of what Brooks will be teaching about, I would encourage you to read this book, and set a daily appointment to be still. Paul was human just like us, but he found a place to live that was insulated from circumstance, and heavy with the power of God. He ran the race in a way that let God's power manifest itself.