Dear One, Dear One,

"You are troubled and distracted by so many things, but only one thing is necessary." You don't need to prepare anything to come to me. You don't need to serve me. Come, sit here by me, and open the ears of your spirit, for I have much to tell you (Luke 10:38-41). Great and unsearchable secrets (Jer. 33:3), love, and encouragement ... challenges and even rebukes (Heb. 12:6-7). But the things I say will increase your faith, and your ability to love. Indeed, the things you hear from me create your faith, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ (Rom 10:17) . And that, my child, is all you need to find rest from your anxieties, distractions and fears.

Faith

Listening 

More faith 

More ability to hear

Fruit

Love

Rest 

All you need you will find here, next to me, listening to my words, and in the silence, listening to the beat of my heart with you head upon my breast.

Precious Abba,

I always thought that I was doing something for You by my quiet times and prayer and service. But You do not need anything from me. I am not doing anything more when I am serving God than when I eat a cookie! [Jeremiah 15:16] You are the One who nurtures me!

The Holy Spirit brought me back to this post today. I have begin rushing past Him again. Work and rest are so hard to keep in balance. Perhaps that's because we need to do both at the same time?

~ ~ ~

Oh precious little one – my beloved child. I am so glad to have you back with me – listening to me in the silence as of old – returning to your First Love.

I have been waiting with such longing to embrace you – but your noise, distraction, and busyness – constant motion – have drowned me out. It is impossible to hear God in the bustle of technology … the constant music – even praise music – You Tube, texting, “virtual” relationships like Facebook or even identifying with television characters (“relationships” which are only imaginary).  Too much, just too much:  too much Christian service, too much exercise, too much food, too much Bible study and reading. Too much anything.

Silence is the Voice of God – how I jealously long for my children to come to me in stillness of heart and mind, tuning out the siren calls of the multi-media world – and listen – cease striving, and know that I AM God.

The silence I truly long for is silence of the soul.

But it takes courage, for in the silence comes the hunger, woundedness, anger, and pain you are striving to stuff down or escape with the noise, the technology, the “too much.” But only in the silence can you heal.

Sink down into the present moment where I AM. Relax in me as I entice you to come away with me, away from the noise, to lie in green pastures by still waters. In the Silence and stillness I will refresh and repair your soul so that my splendor can better be displayed in your eyes, your touch, and your life.

The noise is like a dirty window, blocking my Light from shimmering and shining through you.

Listen. For the Silence has much to say.

Letter to Judas -

You lured me winsomely into your web, a black widow spider. Waiting, accumulating the ammunition of my pain to fire back at me like poison.

You saw me coming, kindness and acceptance to cover your shame, later to find out I was broken and frail (more here.)

Didn’t you know? Only the wounded can heal.

You feasted on me. Thus sated, you spit me out in my agony -- known and rejected..