Comments on: Awakening to His Voice http://thegodjourney.com/2008/12/12/awakening-to-his-voice/ An ever expanding conversation of those thinking outside the box of organized religion. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:21:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Critter http://thegodjourney.com/2008/12/12/awakening-to-his-voice/comment-page-1/#comment-8525 Critter Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:17:48 +0000 http://thegodjourney.com/wordpress/?p=307#comment-8525 Thank you... one of the more balanced discussions I;ve heard on this topic. i appreciated the way you broke it down in your experience, and didn't fall into the religious rigidity that is so prevalent. I came from a background of "God doesn't speak today", but i didn't buy it. I also didn't buy the "flaky stuff" that you discussed so lightheartedly. I can relate to the inability to explain such things verbally. Thanks for being honest, and for explaining things with graciousness and humility. Your discussion confirmed some of the way I experience God, too. thank you. You pegged it with the "god said" performance and the way it is used to manipulate. Part of the power play, of course, is how "spiritual" the person seems as a result, and also the pride of: "God said this, and God can't be wrong, so neither can I" For me, i was just starting to break out of my shell and getting glimpses of some of this when the ones who "heard from God" and had even offered to mentor me in this area ended up kicking me in the teeth and perpetrating false accusations and becoming controlling. As a result, I reacted and pulled back from all God things for awhile, and struggle w/ "spiritual PTSD". I struggle to trust my perceptions and experiences of God, in part because of my background, in part because I don't want to turn into one of the perpetrators myself. In my head I know God is not like that, and hearing God doesn't necessitate becoming a spiritual abuser, but my gut reacts so quickly that the god encounter is over before it even begins. I know I need to "learn to live loved," but I'm not sure how to get there from here... The Shack at least started me talking to Papa occasionally again, adn hearing Paul talk so transparently about his history has given me some hope for recovery, and I'm thankful for that too. Blessings.... Thank you… one of the more balanced discussions I;ve heard on this topic. i appreciated the way you broke it down in your experience, and didn’t fall into the religious rigidity that is so prevalent.

I came from a background of “God doesn’t speak today”, but i didn’t buy it. I also didn’t buy the “flaky stuff” that you discussed so lightheartedly. I can relate to the inability to explain such things verbally. Thanks for being honest, and for explaining things with graciousness and humility. Your discussion confirmed some of the way I experience God, too. thank you.

You pegged it with the “god said” performance and the way it is used to manipulate. Part of the power play, of course, is how “spiritual” the person seems as a result, and also the pride of: “God said this, and God can’t be wrong, so neither can I”

For me, i was just starting to break out of my shell and getting glimpses of some of this when the ones who “heard from God” and had even offered to mentor me in this area ended up kicking me in the teeth and perpetrating false accusations and becoming controlling. As a result, I reacted and pulled back from all God things for awhile, and struggle w/ “spiritual PTSD”. I struggle to trust my perceptions and experiences of God, in part because of my background, in part because I don’t want to turn into one of the perpetrators myself.

In my head I know God is not like that, and hearing God doesn’t necessitate becoming a spiritual abuser, but my gut reacts so quickly that the god encounter is over before it even begins. I know I need to “learn to live loved,” but I’m not sure how to get there from here…

The Shack at least started me talking to Papa occasionally again, adn hearing Paul talk so transparently about his history has given me some hope for recovery, and I’m thankful for that too.
Blessings….

]]> By: Wayne http://thegodjourney.com/2008/12/12/awakening-to-his-voice/comment-page-1/#comment-8524 Wayne Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:18:03 +0000 http://thegodjourney.com/wordpress/?p=307#comment-8524 Kathy, i think you misunderstand. I find communing with God to be far MORE intimate than a literal conversation. As I said on the podcast, I have no problem with people characterizing it that way for themselves. What it does, however, is to make others intimidated if their own experience isn't similar. And not all are. I'm comfortable with people who talk about it like a conversation, but if it's real they know too that they are putting words to something that was far deeper and more real than a word for word conversation. God's thoughts come into ours not just with words, but with emotion, feeling, and other perceptions that transcend words. That's all. I'm sorry if I wasn't clearer. Wayne Kathy,

i think you misunderstand. I find communing with God to be far MORE intimate than a literal conversation. As I said on the podcast, I have no problem with people characterizing it that way for themselves. What it does, however, is to make others intimidated if their own experience isn’t similar. And not all are.

I’m comfortable with people who talk about it like a conversation, but if it’s real they know too that they are putting words to something that was far deeper and more real than a word for word conversation. God’s thoughts come into ours not just with words, but with emotion, feeling, and other perceptions that transcend words. That’s all.

I’m sorry if I wasn’t clearer.

Wayne

]]> By: Kathy Waters http://thegodjourney.com/2008/12/12/awakening-to-his-voice/comment-page-1/#comment-8523 Kathy Waters Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:56:58 +0000 http://thegodjourney.com/wordpress/?p=307#comment-8523 I found it interesting from people that sponsored or published "the shack" that you found it hard to believe that a relationship could be so intimate and conversations could be literal. Sometimes you sound jaded and hardened to papa's voice. I found it interesting from people that sponsored or published “the shack” that you found it hard to believe that a relationship could be so intimate and conversations could be literal. Sometimes you sound jaded and hardened to papa’s voice.

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