WHY

The mission of COUGARS Daily is for the encouraging of believers in living out their faith daily in a 'post modern' and sometimes 'Anti-Church' culture. It is also a platform for seekers to feel comfortable asking tough questions. Please welcome everyone as we comment and post daily about 'A Slice of Infinity' from RZIM as well as challenge each other to walk behind the Good Sheppard.

Monday, June 2, 2008

short recap of 'In Defense of Listening' by Carattini

Read 'A Slice of Infinity' each day and email Chad with your comments/experience/prayers etc. This ~5 minute recap, called 'COUGARS Daily' contains snippets from the previous day's A Slice of Infinity as well as comments from you.

- So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)
- Hear, O Israel:(A) The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)

A Slice of Infinity snippets:
"I like to listen," said Ernest Hemingway. "I have learned a great deal from listening carefully."...
And it still is. In homes where we are not put to death for owning a Bible, it is easy to forget the wonder of a God who speaks. As countless translations continue to emerge and divide us, it is easy to be distracted from the authority of words that never fade, but come into new generations and changing cultures with new influence. The words of Scripture are living and active, the Spirit leading us to the person of Christ within the pages. Read aloud or studied silently, God is speaking, crying out for ears to hear and hearts to search.

As Ezra read the words of the Law before a generation who had forgotten, the people wept in the presence of the LORD and immediately fell down in worship. When the apostle Paul's letter was read aloud to the Roman church, the words resounded similarly among the crowd: "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). The voice of God is still speaking! The kingdom is among us! Who among us will listen?

Chad's Comments: Our daughter, Kaci, has said when asked, "I can't hear God, He's too far away." I too often think of God as far away and some entity off in the clouds. However, when I am open to listening to His Voice, I feel that He speaks very clearly. Kara and I enjoy the ride home from Church as we discuss what we heard from God and learned. At service yesterday, my wife and I each heard several things (by 'things', I mean what God put in our hearts out of what the preacher was saying, not the words of the preacher himself). When we were talking on the way home, we had great confirmation that God was giving us a the same message. God had birthed something in me about a year ago. Kara developed a desire for it and in the past few weeks it had become very meaningful and she longed to participate in it. Meanwhile, I had somewhat put the event on the back burner. However, God was still giving me a desire for something that I saw as a little more abstract. On our ride home from church, Kara's concrete endeavor and my abstract idea came together. This is a wonderful affirmation of the reality of the Holy Spirit in our midst.

Lord, Help me to listen! And when I hear, to act!

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