What I Have Heard in Silence
A Workbook for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven
by
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Story 21 - A Burning Answer
My husband Pat was finishing up school at Tennessee Temple University, getting his Master of Divinity degree in Theology. Pat is a chaplain for Hospice, and has been in Ministry for about 40 years.
It was the Spring of 1988. We lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee while he was in school, but we wanted to live in nearby Catoosa County in Georgia, a family community with a good school system. We signed our children up to play ball that Spring, and began the process of looking at houses. We looked everywhere, following leads from realtors, family, and friends. However, we soon became discouraged.
One afternoon, after looking most of the day, we decided to pull off the road to pray. We asked God if He was in favor of this move. If He wasn’t, then to please guide us in another direction. We prayed: God we need a “burning bush experience!” The “burning bush” is a scripture reference in Exodus 3:1-4, that tells about God speaking to Moses out of a burning bush. Through this remarkable event, God speaks to Moses in an undeniable way. That’s what we needed: to know that God was in our lives and in favor of this move.
We prayed and continued on the country road that we had been traveling. We then came to a house that was for sale. It looked nice, and possibly in our price range, so we took the house number down. We did not know the name of the road, and continued a mile or so to the end of it. Finally, we came to the street marker and we wrote down in amazement the name of the road…”Burning Bush”! We made an offer on the house and everything went sailing through. God was indeed in this move, and almost 30 years later we are still in this house after raising three children, attending church, teaching (I am a teacher), and ministering in this community. God has certainly guided our steps over the years in so many ways. We have had to “step out in faith” trusting the unseen, but standing on His Word and promises more than a few times. But that day will be forever etched in our memories: the day God revealed Himself to us in an undeniable way.
Grace A. Davis
Ringgold, GA.
HAPPINESS
You should be happy now because:
God:
loves you.
wants you to be happy.
sent you His only Begotten Son.
wants to spend eternity with you.
gave you life. (His choice!)
sent you a Savior, Jesus.
is with you now.
is with you every single day.
sent Mary to be His and your mother.
sends the rain, sunshine, flowers, birds, squirrels, sky, wind, seasons, day and night.
gives you parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, classmates, co-workers and pets.
gives you food, clothing, shelter, kindness, patience, smiles, tears, and sadness.
wants you to experience every emotion.
The secret to being happy is not getting everything that you want, but enjoying what you have!
Prayer: Jesus, show me the way to be happy in this life, as I travel towards eternity.
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About the Book
Every year, most of us spend hours planning a vacation that only lasts about one week. How much time do you spend on planning your “permanent vacation” in heaven? What I Have Heard in Silence: A Workbook for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven addresses a wide variety of topics that contribute to deepening one’s faith and preparing for God’s kingdom. The author, Sam V. Chiarella, has fashioned individual collections of images, passages from the Bible, short narratives, insightful reflections, and opportunities for individual responses. Each grouping focuses on a particular topic. Readers journeying through the workbook will consider themes like faith, giving, humility, love, pain, peace, sacrifice, service, temptation, and trust.
When life throws up a barrier blocking one’s progress toward the heavenly goals of a spiritual life, the reminders that What I Have Heard in Silence offers will serve as guides for devoting one’s energy and attention to living each day with one’s gaze set on the kingdom of heaven. After devoting a few minutes to each chapter’s topic, one can face the day’s routines and surprises with renewed vigor.
When you have come to the point in your spiritual journey when the hurdles of daily life feel as though they have grown and the hubbub of your waking hours begins to drown out the quiet voice of God’s encouragement, then What I Have Heard in Silence: A Workbook for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven can be your guide to getting your life back into balance and to setting your sights on the kingdom of God.
About the Author
Sam V. Chiarella holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration. During a three-decade career, he guided clients to save or defer millions in income and estate taxes. Now he speaks of God’s hope to save people. He, his wife, and their two children live in Atlanta.