Dec 04 2008
Speaking of Cherries…
Just this morning my mom and I savored Panera’s cherry pastries with a hot cup of tea. Oh so good, and definitely a must for cherry lovers. And thank you to Rahim for the recommendation of mixing cherries with almonds! Sounds wonderful!
I’m reading this book right now called “Soul Revolution,” by John Burke, and it has me thinking a lot about my daily interaction with God. I’ve been rolling with God for about 20 years now, and I can honestly say he’s my best friend, and I am aware that he is always with me. Friends like Kathryn can tell you that I love to spontaneously pray whenever and wherever it occurs to me that prayer is needed. And I have a feeling people think I’m talking to myself sometimes, which may look slightly crazy. But I know I’m not talking to myself! I know I have a real relationship with a real God who loves to hear from me and respond to me. Yeah… I said respond. 
Why am I telling you all this…? Oh yes, I remember.
John Burke’s book is about this 60-60 challenge he presented to his church congregation: Intentionally engage in conversation with God every hour of every day for two months (every 60 minutes for 60 days). It’s practicing being aware of the presence of God. Pretty cool idea, I think. It’s a challenge I want to try. In fact, I started today… and failed. I remembered probably 1/3 of the day, and kept thinking, “Oh, man! I’ve gone a whole three hours without talking to God!” Kinda funny, when you think that the average Christian ticks “5-minute quiet time” off their to-do list every day and is satisfied. The thing is, I don’t just want to check off QT like it’s on my list of chores. Relationship isn’t like that!
So I’m gonna keep trying… maybe I’ll get a timer, like the book recommends… In the meantime, it’s kinda cool to see my attitude change in just a few hours. I long to talk to God, and I miss him when I don’t.
If anyone else out there is reading this book or trying the challenge, talk to me. I’d love to know how you’re doing, and maybe what you’re learning from it, too.
