Ok, I admit it. One of my all time favorite movies is Jerry McGuire. My college roommates know this best. I believe that the redemptive qualities of movies like this endear them to us because we can all see a part of ourselves in the heroes or heroines. The difference is the path we take or mechanism by which we pursue redemption.

I am three days into a new bible study by Kay Arthur called, “Lord, I Want to Know You.” Its a study on the names of God in the Bible. Already I am learning and getting alot out of the study. I am doing it on my own though, and I wish I had someone to discuss the chapter questions with. So I thought it was worth posting here, just to see if any of you are doing this study, or have done this study, and would be interested in talking through some of the chapter questions. The worst part about doing a study like this alone is that if you have questions, you have no one to talk through them with to help discover the answers.

Today the study ended like this:

“Turn the desires of your heart into a prayer. Tell your [Heavenly] Father what you need. Thank Him that He wants to be known by you in greater depth.”

Working through this exercise, I did turn my heart’s desires into a prayer. I wrote it in my journal. 5 and 1/2 pages later, I said Amen. As I look back on what I wrote, it seems somewhat like a personal mission or life statement. The desires I listed were not whimsical or extremely detailed, but they were holistic and measurable. They were personal, relational and occupational. They included my relationship with God, my husband, my family, my friends, my work associates, and myself. Looking back over the prayer, I am surprised by how it came out, and how quickly and free flowing … I had no trouble listing my heart’s desires in an intentional, well thought out, communication to the creator. It seems strange to me still, that God wants us to do that, that its OK to do that, and that He is even listening.

But He is.

And now that I’ve prayed this Jerry McGuire esque prayer/mission statement, I am almost fearful of what will happen next. One thing I know, I will not be publishing my own version of “The Things We Think and Do Not Say,” anytime soon. But I am expectantly excited to see how God moves, in me, in my circumstances, in the world around me, in response to this spiritual manifesto.

Why am I telling this on my blog? No idea. I guess it goes back to the first paragraph, I dont have a group to discuss it with! 🙂 I dont know what the point of recording it here is either. But I felt compelled to. Maybe it will encourage others to write their own prayer to God, regarding their own heart’s desires. Maybe God will move in the lives of many as we take an honest look at who/where we are and who/where we want to go. Maybe our perception of God will change once we actually learn the names of God. And what if we really believed he is who he says he is and will do what he says he will do.

So what do personal relationships, the names of God, and Jerry McGuire have to do with each other? In the ALW stream of consciousness, they all come back to discovering the personal relationship that matters the most; and through that relationship discovering the secrets to the desires of our hearts, our personal mission/life statements, and Yahweh Himself.

Since I am not quite sure how to end this note, I will close with the music and lyrics from a band who has obviously given these questions much thought as well.

YAHWEH – U2

Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit
Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean
Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I’m waiting for the dawn

Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don’t make a fist
Take this mouth
So quick to criticise
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I’m waiting for the dawn

Still waiting for the dawn, the sun is coming up
The sun is coming up on the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will
What no man can own, no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it break