Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit

   



     Recently, my sister, Treasa, mailed me a bookmark with the words of Charles F. Stanley--"Today and Every Day God Loves You Without Hesitation."  Moments before I received the bookmark in the mail, I was reading I Corinthians 13.  I sent a text to Treasa to let her know of the experience.  She wrote back, "That's how I feel that God speaks to us.  It's not just a coincidence.  It's God trying to open our eyes to something.  We just need to be sensitive to what [H]e's trying to tell us."

      Since yesterday, I felt the Holy Spirit was speaking to me through the hymn, "Come, Thou Fount" by Robert Robinson, but what was He trying to say to me.  Last night I was touched by the depiction of Robert Robinson's life shown above.  Still, I was not clear on what God was trying to say to me.  This morning, I opened a book loaned to me by Reverend Margaret Zeller for the ordination discernment process called Amazing Grace; A Vocabulary of Faith by Kathleen Norris.  On the page after the table of contents were the words, "O to grace how great a debtor..."  Robert R[obinson]--"Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing."  All sources that I have seen have the last name as Robinson as opposed to Robertson as written on the page.  In any event, I sensed that God was trying to tell me something.

     Taking Treasa's advice and being sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell me, I found that I am to have no regrets in pursuing God's call.  The regret will come if I turn to the world.  I am to seek God's Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33).  Therefore, as written in the final verse and final stanza of "Come, Thou Fount"--"Here's my heart, O take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.  Amen."

Glory and Praise be to God at the Altar!

     I am in the initial stages of discernment for ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.  The process has been on hold with the fourth Bishop of the East Tennessee Diocese retiring and the fifth Bishop, chosen on July 28th, moving to Tennessee.  Once the fifth Bishop is settled in things will move forward.
     Nearly a couple of years ago, I had shared with you the Words from Psalms 43:3 where God had led me back to the Episcopal Church.  I had previously attended the Episcopal Church some in Washington state.  In Tennessee, God has worked a miracle where Will, my spouse, and I are both attending.  This is a miracle because in time past, Will has not wanted to frequent Church since we were rejected at a nondenominational Church in Washington.  Now, Will and I both enjoy going to a Church where we are welcome.
     At the time that God had spoken to me through Psalms 43:3, He had also spoken to me through Psalms 43:4-"Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God."  The Words are all prophesy still being fulfilled.
     God has led me to St. Timothy's Episcopal Church where I shall go to the altar to praise Him on the harp.  The 'harp'  I have is a classical guitar.  It is on this musical instrument that I shall eventually praise God because I am still learning to play.  Today, I had my guitar blessed by Reverend Harry Shaefer to set it apart for glory and praise to God.  Amen!