August 12, 2016
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God… 2 Timothy 1:6
Three days before our God Speaking initiative came to a close, I spoke with a family friend whose wife died a few weeks after my husband, Danny, moved to our Father’s House. Our friend shared how difficult it was for him, after a hard day’s work, to go home to an empty house. While I know…I know… that grief is a journey we all have to travel for ourselves, I also know that God promises to walk with us. So I told him about God Speaking, suggested that he start with Day One, then forwarded the link to his phone. Two days later he texted to say what a difference listening to God’s Word had made in his evenings…and that he had shared God Speaking with his grown children so that they could all be “on the same page.”
The day before the conclusion of God Speaking, I visited a beloved friend who is suffering from a staph-infected hip replacement. She and her husband are facing multiple doctors’ appointments and life-altering decisions. So I shared God Speaking with them. Although my friend never complains, I encouraged her that instead of just lying on a bed of pain, how much better it would be to lie there and listen to God speak! She and her husband both agreed and gave me their cell phone. I pulled up the website so that they could easily access it for themselves and start listening with Day One. They were eager to begin.
Many of you also have commented how blessed you were to know that you were part of a movement of tens of thousands of people all over the world who were listening each day to what God had to say. So putting your feedback together with my two experiences related above, God has seemed to whisper to my heart… What if you and I began looking for ways to fan the flame? Pass on God Speaking to others who may have missed it for one reason or another? Why couldn’t we gather our own groups so that we can listen together with our family—immediate and extended, our Sunday school class, our Bible study, our leadership circle, our entire church, our board of deacons and elders, our ministry team, the missionaries our church supports, our office staff. The possibilities seem exciting and endless!
As the circles that we gather get broader and more numerous, could it be that God’s Word will take off in a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit? The August dates have been removed from the website, so that it will simply be an 8-day journey of listening to God’s Word. Who knows? Since it only takes a spark to get a fire going, maybe…just maybe…we will ignite the fire of revival! Let’s find out! Join me in fanning the flame!
