Letter from Nancy

Hi Darin,

Nancy here.

You left a door open saying I could call but I'm taking the safe for me cyber chat route. I can't really say I've been lied to about God. I could say I hung out for 20+ years in a big, busy noisy religious environment with sincere religious folks who didn't know the God you are writing about. 



In the love does not boast chapter you asked a question. "Do you know that you could conceivably go your entire life without ever using those words [God told me] again?" I was encouraged and challenged by this section. I've experienced "the more harm than good" and feeling like a lesser child of God in and out of religious environments. 


Eight years ago every thing about how I know God changed in an instant. It's a long story but my journey of learning of the love of God that is in Christ Jesus began with the suicide of my 24-year old daughter. It wasn't the first time God spoke; but it was the first time I listened and responded. He didn't tell me what to do; He told me of His love. Although I sang Jesus loves me this I know; I didn't even know that. We started there with Jesus loves me this I know NOT and 8 years later I'm still learning "how to" live loved as a child of God.

I have to borrow a phrase from Wayne to describe it. I'm a love won child of God.

At the moment I can't even be sure of my own motives but how you linked "the God told me" to love never boasts is helping me sort this out a bit. My short answer to your challenge might still be no. Even though I don't use those words in my tiny sphere of influence I do carefully try to communicate what I believe. I believe Father is communicating His love to every human spirit. Not some mystical new age deal either. I'm just saying there's nothing wrong with the Spirit to human spirit connection-at least not on God's part.



I continue to find it frustrating when trying to communicate the love of God in a way that makes sense. I believe experiencing the love of God in a way that impacts every thing about "how" I know God should just be the normal experience for every child of God. Where an abundance of His love/life impacts "how" I think, believe, feel, see, hear, speak and respond. Life change would just be normal and natural and all a result of experiencing the love of God. 



Your book is validating my simple, not easy or popular little premise. We don't experience the love of God because we don't know God. Hearing "you don't know Me" 8 years ago was a bit of a shock to my little human spirit. Until I experience the love of God for myself in a meaningful, relational way nothing about God makes sense. And it gets worse. To the degree I am experiencing the love of God is the same degree I love others. My human love failed all the time. Only in the past few years am I beginning to experience loving others as I am loved. Much about my life still doesn't make sense but I do have a God that makes sense and a bible that makes sense. And that changes every thing.

Ok, I'll be finishing the book now.

I routinely talk with Father about how I need Him to please teach, train, instruct and correct my thinking and believing. Finding teaching at just the right time and place in my spiritual journey experience happens so often now I'm no longer surprised. I'm still amazed just not surprised. It will be easy to give the book to anyone who is searching for a true opinion of God. 

I'm the benefactor. Celebrating His Life with you,


nancy