A Gift From God

Reflections of the Faithful:
Writings For and About The Lord

A GIFT FROM GOD

Genesis

Nearly everyone from biblical scholars to those newly initiated to scripture will be familiar with Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  This introductory statement gives those of us who have been led to the Bible a stunning preview of the awesome power of God.  We are shown His desire to create something from nothing; to set in motion the beginning of all things, and His intention to have each one of us engaged in His creation.  We are not intended to be merely spectators of the power of the Holy Spirit…oooing and ahhhing like a man first discovering a microwave.  No.  We were all created to be active participants in His continuing creation and immersed in a deeply personal and equally public relationship with Him.

“Reflections of the Faithful: Writings For and About The Lord” has its genesis (beginning) in a communication from The Lord.  The following is a brief synopsis of the events that led up to this “Mini-Stirring Ministry” project.
Strange things have been happening in church these days.  At least they appear to be strange to me.  Otherwise “normal” appearing people will be singing one minute and then speaking a language I cannot comprehend the next.  Another person in the congregation will step forward and offer an “interpretation.”  So this is what speaking in tongues is all about…very strange and foreign indeed. 
As a dedicated and inquisitive scholar I set out to learn more about this supernatural gift.  I looked at books on the subject, talked with trusted friends/pastors, and searched the information superhighway.  If you ever want to bite into something ethereal and come away crunching the information like cereal, don’t look to speaking in tongues for an example.  It’s like trying to hold onto water by grabbing a handful.  You can’t do it.  Fortunately, if you are looking for a good mental workout you have selected a fine topic.  This cognitive quest is a true exercise in frustration.

I sat back in my chair, closed my burning eyes, and relaxed my confused mind.  Images of the “religious fanatics” danced in my head.  I needed help to make sense of this strange phenomenon.  The answer to my inner question would not come from traditional sources.  My question needed to be answered by God Himself. 
My real question was not about the gift of speaking in tongues.  That was just the hook God used to entice me to search my spirit for “my question.”  Once I realized this, I asked God with full sincerity, “What is MY gift, God?”  God, affectionately and respectfully referred to (by me) as El Queso Grande (The Big Cheese), never lets me down.  He knows I am a slow learner and loves me in spite of it.  He sends me concrete, tangible messages to ensure that my professor mind does not fowl up the “interpretation.”  At the moment I asked the mental question, the phone rang.  Startled, I lift the receiver and hear the university provost’s secretary on the other end.  She says, “I have your gift!  Your new laptop computer is here!  Our work/study student will bring it right up to you.”  I don’t know which occurred first…the feeling of “shock and awe” or the neon-like sign- board message that ran across my mind…
”Write For Me and About Me,
Your Lord.” 

If any of my professor colleagues were to analyze my subjective experience he or she would find the same exercise in frustration that I had with the gift of tongues.  However, NO ONE could convince me that my experience was a flight of fantasy, a hallucination, mild psychotic break, or other psycho-babble.  This was a message from God, to me, and I needed to act on it.  But writing was NOT what I had expected!  How about doing a presentation?  Presentations I can do…scholarly writing, fine…but what could I possibly write about relative to God?  Who would be the intended audience?  Still, I had asked the question…He had answered…and now I needed to decide what I would do with the response.