By April Terry (personal blog http://faithwarming.blogspot.com)

I did a message this ministry Sunday about getting back to the Garden of Eden.  It was about being in constant communication with God, even when it comes to the small things.  In a way, I got a direct illustration on what that might mean after our third service for our ministry.  On the second row at the back, there was a gentleman frozen and unmoving.  He wasn’t older like many of the seniors we meet so he probably had ALS or some other kind of disease that causes this.  He stared straight ahead without any response.  I never assume that someone doesn’t understand because I don’t know for sure if they do, so when I stepped forward to greet him after the service, I stopped directly in front of him and stooped down to look in his eyes.  I asked him how he was and not even an eyelid blinked, but he seemed to be looking at me, so I plodded forward to acknowledge him.  I told him I understood that he couldn’t communicate, but I asked him if I could pray for him.  Then, a tiny flicker of recognition and a slight move, barely perceptible, of the head told me it was okay.

I prayed out loud that God would be present with this man and that the man would feel God’s presence within his heart and mind.  I asked God to relieve his suffering and to be with him one day at time for the time that he would have left.  Finishing my prayer, I lifted my eyes and saw a tear coming out of his right eye.  I knew I hadn’t seen it before, and I knew it wasn’t a fluke.  I knew that inside that frozen body, cried out a man who wanted to be heard and listened to.  It’s not fair to be locked inside of a broken body.

In a way, today’s message of getting back to Eden was so perfect.  The message was about what it might have been like before man’s fall when God was present with Adam and Eve in the garden.  Would God have been always present, always available?  What would that feel like to live our lives in that kind of relationship with the One who created us?  I try to think of it as a way of living where God is always present in our hearts, souls, and minds.  It would be a way of living where we shared both little and big experiences with Him.    That kind of relationship could be a real blessing to a person locked inside their broken body.

Wouldn’t we act differently if each day we were aware of God’s presence and involvement in our lives?  I think so.  I think we would be kinder to others and gentler with people.  I think we would help one another and pray about every little thing.  We would pray that our garden grows better and know that the minor events of today are as important to God as the big things.  I think we’d even drive a car differently if we drove as if Jesus were sitting in the back seat.  Living that way would probably mean that we were a lot more involved in working with those in less fortunate circumstances. Ultimately, I think we would be as available to God as we expect Him to be to us.

By April Terry (personal blog http://faithwarming.blogspot.com)

A friend of mine turned me on to a web site called Letters of Note, a web site dedicated to sharing letters and notes that are sent or received from or about famous people. One of his recent links was a particularly poignant letter written by the Wilmar Union School District principal thanking Alfred Hitchcock for stopping by and visiting a group of children on his way to Bodega Bay. In the letter, he tells the story about the big difference it made to a particularly shy young man. Besides the fact that this letter was so well written and meaningful, it illustrated the importance to me of the difference that small gestures often make in the lives of others.

Read the rest of this entry »

By April Terry (personal blog http://faithwarming.blogspot.com)

One part of my day job is to train adults in the use of software applications.  As part of that job, I have been slowly learning ways to get and gain the attention of those in my classes.  Adults are often not any better at paying attention when in an instructional situation than children are, and when it comes to hand-held technology, adults are often worse.  So, it’s important to develop ways to re-engage students and keep them on task during the progress of the training.

I have a naturally loud voice.  People never have trouble hearing me at the back of a room as my voice can be as good as any amplifier, and when I am losing the attention of my students, it’s tempting for me to just get louder and louder.  One of the first things that I learned in training is that louder isn’t necessarily better and it doesn’t necessarily mean that your students will stay engaged.  So, we sometimes use little things like personal space proximity to get someone’s attention.  If I see a person playing with their cell, I simply walk forward and stand directly in front of them.   It works nearly every time.  The person will stop and put their cell phone away immediately.

The same is true when we try to engage others in conversations, especially when it comes to conversations about faith.  I think a lot of Christians try to be the loudest voice when it comes to talking about faith.  We try to have the final word and be the final authority, but that almost never retains the attention of those we engage.  In fact, it often has a detrimental effect.  During church service this Sunday, I noticed how soft-spoken the pastor was, and yet, it was a very compelling message.  Sometimes, a soft voice is actually more compelling than a loud one.

Read the rest of this entry »