My voice is gone. The interesting thing is that I didn’t teach yesterday at CATGrove! Craig did an excellent job. I could tell that I was coming down with some type of infirmity yesterday morning and by the time our Community Group arrived last night my voice was completely gone! We had some our best discussion last night. I couldn’t talk! Is there a connection?
Someone might say this is simply a coincidence, but I believe God is trying to tell me something. This is significant because there is something inside me that desperately wants to hear from God regarding several things in life. Check out this verse:
1 Kings 19:11-13 (NIV)
11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Sometimes we are waiting for God to write something in the sky or send us a message through a highway billboard, when most likely God wants us to simply slow down, get still and be quiet. We are more likely to hear God’s voice in a “gentle whisper”. His voice is most clearly heard as we read his written word, the Bible.
It is as if God is saying, “What are you doing here, Russ?”
I want to start answering him with, “Well God, I am serving you, I am planting a church to reach people, I am trying to be a godly man and leader.” I can hear God speaking back, “I simply want you to be still and quiet and hear my gentle whisper“.
Okay, I get the message God!
I will fill everyone in on what happened at CATGrove at another time. I will update you my adventure in church planting later. I will share what I am learning about leadership in a moment. I will give a glimpse of life in the Butcher household soon.
Right now I am going to get off my computer and spend some time listening to the “gentle whisper” of God’s voice.
