(from an article in the Saturday Evening Post, July/August 2013)

When we pray with this relationship in mind, it opens up the beautifully perfect relationship that God desires with us. In “The Shack”, the person of Jesus becomes a best friend to Mack as he begins to open his heart and mind in dealing with the grief, anger, and guilt over his daughter’s abduction and murder. When we sing “Holy, Holy, Holy” we confess “God in three persons…”. Comforting and responding directly as a friend. It is important to always strive for that connection. It isn’t easy when that best friend has no visible body, face, or voice. We create the person of God – regardless of which person we are praying to – in our image, which is fine by Them. (You read right: I used the plural pronoun).

There are thoughts that pop into our heads that we know come from God. Added to that are the countless prayers and messages that are going on, some with the same concern as you. Prayer is introspective. We ask our inner conscience, which is really the Holy Spirit, “what do You think about this idea?” Then there are times when our faith loses belief or our belief loses faith, yet we stick with it just the same. It is hard in 2024, even harder for those younger than you, dear blog reader, to seek out organizations. Even Christian ones. We are less connected, wired differently. We get weary of asking “please put down your phone – listen to me. Look at me”. More Americans live alone now than ever before. To consider this in a hopeful vein, this reality can create a pathway to a more intimate relationship with God, more spiritual. Our isolation surrenders itself to Them (plural pronoun again). God will always determine a pathway to us. It is not possible that They can’t adapt to our world. God IS our best friend, in Spirit and person-hood of BOTH genders, and can relate with ANY initialed, hyphenated self-definition. Today’s agnostics and skeptics need to know, and CAN know, the unconditional love of God.

Pastor Art