His Clear Words

I think God can and will speak to us often, likely as often as we ask Him. But there are times when it lands different, like a meteorite just plopped down in front of you in your backyard, and you can't help but stand still, speechless and a little dumbfounded. 

One such occasion like this for me happened when I was driving, literally on the interchange between the 10 and 405 freeways in Los Angeles (an aside, but I recently saw this great video about why we put "the" in front of freeways in LA, if you're curious). I was shifting from writing screenplays to writing novels at the time, and while absent-mindedly thinking about my "career," or maybe just dreams and hopes for that endeavor, I felt like God said, "let go of that and I'll show you who you really are."

I regret to say that my first reaction was a swift "no," as writing had been quite a large part of my identity as a creative in Los Angeles; but the word was unmistakable and hit in a really deep part of my soul. And I think that is what marks these words, or impressions, different -- they sit in such a resonant chamber of our hearts that they can't be from anywhere except God. They also tend to land at times when we least expect them, but maybe catching us off-guard is just part of the fun for God!

That moment of God asking me to "let go" is what led to this song, by the way, which you can read about and listen to here:

A second moment when God spoke out of nowhere happened a couple of years later. We were living in Redondo Beach, CA and I was managing an apartment building while also staying home with our daughters. We were really aching for a house with a yard (watching Fixer Upper often, which was big at the time, certainly didn't help) and contemplating a move back to South Carolina where it was more affordable. And then, while walking down Meyer Lane as the Pacific breeze tousled the palm trees that lined our little hill, God said, "I can get you a house in California." 

Again, I rejected the notion, already set in my heart to move back to my hometown. We did end up moving a little while later and much of the process was a disaster, at least financially. I remember telling my friend Ben at my oldest daughter's two-year old birthday party that we were moving away and he asked, "So you have a peace about it?" I didn't. But we went through with it anyway. We never did get a house in Charleston (though we did live in my grandfather's old house, which was nice), and ended up moving back to Los Angeles a couple of years later, which is where we felt like we really belonged and were called to. Not too long after that, we found ourselves living in a beautiful home that we still don't deserve, again seeing God's faithfulness, even in my rejection of His clear words.

Much of that process is detailed in my book, All Roads Lead to Dockweiler, which you can purchase at the bottom of this link, or by clicking the photo below (shameless plug, but if you're reading this blog, you'll probably like reading the book too!):

A third word from God just happened about twenty minutes ago in my backyard, which prompted this blog. I've been reading a lot of books these past several years, usually juggling one Christian devotional or spiritual growth book alongside something fiction (usually a classic -- my current read). As I read these Christian books, I often find that the content is excellent, but the style and flow are lackluster. (I will say that a recent read of Tyler Staton's The Familiar Stranger has been an outlier, and is so beautifully written.) I was reading one such book sitting in the warm Southern California springtime (my favorite season out here) and, without thinking, found myself criticizing the flow and structure of the content. "You're an editor," I heard in that familiar God-voice, and it fit -- I can't stand to read words that could be organized or written more coherently, particularly from Christian authors, whose content can be so important for others.

I didn't outright reject this one (see that growth happening, one slow decade at a time?), but thought, How could I find business as a copy-editor? God seemed to say He would handle that part, and off I went dreaming about how to make this next endeavor a reality.

I like to mark these moments when God speaks or crazy things happen, which is what you're reading now. This isn't really meant to be an announcement of a new career or anything, but rather an encouragement to keep yourself open to -- your spiritual antenna tuned into -- God's promptings and wavelengths. These words hit deep, feel even life-changing, and can't be manufactured, outside of an open heart and mind (though my rejections and wrestling with these words prove otherwise, but also confirm the endless grace of our Father).