My good bloggy friend Maria (great name -- I have to say that every time) asked me to blog about "how God communicates with us." Yikes. Where do I begin? She couldn't have asked for a guacamole recipe, or a Bible verse on faith? (Just kidding, Maria. It's a great topic.)

I can honestly say that I have never heard a voice... never had a vision... never had anything spectacular or out of the ordinary happen to me. That being said, I did have a couple of strange dreams. One involved a little girl and my friend Lisa. Another occurred just the other night. I was walking around a busy city when these two gross looking women came up to me. They were toothless, homeless and scary looking. And they smelled. They pounced on me and asked me for money to help them out. Recoiling in horror, I said "Sorry, no!" And then ran off. But as I was running, my cross necklace started to burn on my chest. I stopped in my tracks... asked myself, "What am I doing???" And then headed back towards the women. I handed them each a $10 bill, and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run away. I hope this helps. I give it in Christ's name."

No, I didn't wake up with a burn mark on my chest in the shape of a cross (that would've royally freaked me out!!!). It could've been just a coincidental dream. But something inside me told me that it was more than that.

I feel strongly about things, and I wholeheartedly believe that it's the Holy Spirit within me. Randy and I were at Chili's one day about a month or so ago, and there was an older guy as our server. He wasn't very "cool" and he didn't appear to be a favorite amongst the servers. Yet he was nice enough and seemed happy enough. I've seen many older waiters and waitresses in my day. However there was something about him. Without realizing it, I blurted out to Randy, "Hey, let's leave him a $20 tip." Randy looked at me like I sprouted weeds out of my head -- our bill was only $17. "Please?" I begged him. "I'll make it up to you. I think he really needs it."

"What?" Randy said. "How do you know? I don't mind... you can leave him a $20 if you want to. But what makes you think that he needs it?" I didn't say anything for a minute. I just looked at that man as he walked around the restaurant, waiting on other tables, and I replied, "I haven't the faintest clue. But I want to do it. May I?" I grabbed the book, added a $20 bill onto the $20 that Randy had already put in there, and wrote a note on the receipt that said, "God Bless." And then I drew a little cross next to it.

I am not looking for kudos or praise or anything like that. I'm a generous tipper, but trust me... I don't do things like that all the time. We got up and walked out, never knowing what that waiter thought or felt about that big tip. I can only believe in my heart that the Holy Spirit within me was showing me someone who needed help.

I just get feelings about things. Again, I don't hear anything, I don't see anything. I do believe that there might be people out there who have visions -- the Bible tells us that this could be true. I just get nudges.

Same thing goes with the topic of Hell. For the most part, on my blog and on Yahoo Answers, I talk about God as light and pure love. I talk about my blessings, and how grateful I am for things. I talk about Heaven. But once in a while, there's a strong nudge that hints to me and makes me think, "Okay... I can't just talk about the nice stuff. It's good and fine to talk about God's love and all the rewards, but I am not doing this right if I don't talk about the wrath and punishment, too." Anyone who is familiar with the Bible knows that there are thousands of lines of Scripture that talk about wrath or plagues or Hell or sins. The Bible just isn't one big love story of all the beautiful, happy, peaceful things that God has for us. So for as much as I want people to convert to Christianity, they aren't really Christians if they only believe in bits and pieces of the Bible. It doesn't work that way. You have got to believe the whole thing. I absolutely feel the urgency sometimes to write about Hell, and warn people about the consequences of not accepting Christ as their savior. So therefore, I do. Not often, but I do. And to be honest, I have nothing to say to those Yahoo askers or those blog readers who say, "I don't believe in Hell. God wouldn't punish us if He loved us." What can I say? There isn't anything I can reply back without compromising the principals of Christianity. I'm not going to tell them, "Oh, right! Yes, you're right. Go ahead and believe in the good stuff. That should be enough." To be truthful, I honestly believe that it's not my job or responsibility to convince them. It's simply my job to tell them. There's a Proverb that says: Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble. (Proverbs 28:14) It also says: They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (Ephesians 4:18) God speaks to me in the way that I know without any doubt or skepticism that I need to talk about Hell as well as Heaven.

I also believe He is coming soon. Don't ask me how I know. It's just a gut feeling. I went almost three years without reading the newspaper. It's been longer since I've watched the news. But now I am deeply engrossed in it, paying careful attention to signs of His coming. Yes, Jesus says: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36) But Jesus also says: "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door." (Matthew 24:33-34) I think there are signs... call me crazy, but there are signs.

In addition to the "worldly" signs, I do think that God also communicates with us by giving us "personal" signs. There is a strange cardinal that sits high up in a tree across the way from us. I say strange because he chirps in a way that I have never heard a cardinal do. I have known many, many cardinals in my day, but this dude has a really bizarro song. Maybe this is common in other parts of the country, and many of you will probably say, "Oh, duh! They totally sound like that." But it's weird to me. Who knows? Maybe cardinals are supposed to sound like this and all the other ones I've always heard with just a fun, short, sing-songy call are all the weird ones. He starts off on a high note, and trails down a little at a time in perfect precision for quite a long stretch -- it reminds me of going down "stairs" or "steps." Here, take a look -- these ones were short compared to what he usually does. Maybe he just has a good set of lungs! LOL!:



Anywhoo... cardinals remind me of my ex-mom-in-law, who loved them (because her mother loved them). This cardinal has been a part of my life now for two years. I don't hear him that often, but it's bizarre. I hear him early in the morning as I wake, or later in the day. But each and every time I hear him, I am thinking about something negative. I don't know when or how I started noticing that, and it could very well be just a coincidence. Again, call me crazy (okay, don't!) but now I can't help but to smile and say, "Okay! No more whining. I'll think positively." I think that our lives are all so perfectly orchestrated. God gives us free will to make our own decisions, but since He knows our minds and thoughts, He knows what we're going to be doing ahead of time. So He throws little clues and hints along the way to help steer us in the right direction. Sometimes we see them, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we have to look hard for those signs, and other times they fall right in our lap.

I also think God communicates through us via our skills and actions. For example, I love to write. I've wanted to be a "writer" since third grade. Now I have this blog, and sometimes I am stumped on what to write. Or I want to write about a Bible verse, and don't know which one to pick. Somehow, in some way, something comes out. And (thankfully) it usually makes sense. There are times when I'll go back and re-read something I wrote and think, "Wow. I'm glad I worded it that way. I never really thought that way before, but it makes perfect sense." The words just flow. The analogies and interpretations just come out. I think this happens often with pastors. I think also with teachers and artists and musicians. I think we all have a skill or talent that we can use as a communication tool from God.

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts. How do YOU think God communicates with you? Is it via instinct? Do you have inklings, too? How about dreams? Visions? Thoughts? Don't be shy... I'm insanely curious. Do I sound crazy? I sure hope not. There isn't a cell in my body that thinks I'm delusional. Yet many atheists and even "pseudo-Christians" think I am. What do you think???