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Inspiring Voices - Betsy Tacchella

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123 pages

English

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Throughout the Bible, God spoke to people, but does He still speak to us today? Through personal stories in Speak to Me, Lord, Im Listening, you will gain fresh insight into how God communicates with us. Come along and hear how God spoke to me the day a fire threatened our home and again when we endured a mudslide. Enjoy His sense of humor as He spoke in the midst of a disastrous camping trip. Be encouraged by how He provided specific Scripture in the face of important decisions and wisdom regarding a sticky relationship. Experience the amazing words of hope and counsel He gave us regarding our sons college education. Share in the unique words of comfort and support God gave me during my mothers trial with Alzheimers. Again, when my husband had a stroke, it was Gods personal direction that led to a miraculous event. Through stories, interspersed with biblical insights, you will find that our journey through life with Jesus is more than us talking to Him. It is also God speaking words of encouragement, comfort, and direction through Scripture, prayer, people, circumstances, dreams, visions, and His creation. Join me as we embark on an adventure of discovering and recognizing Gods voice. Lets listen and delight in hearing Him speak."My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27).

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Publié par	Inspiring Voices
Date de parution	10 juin 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781462409778
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0480€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Copyright © 2014 Betsy Tacchella.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.” ( www.Lockman.org )

Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

Inspiring Voices books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

Inspiring Voices
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.inspiringvoices.com
1 (866) 697-5313

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0976-1 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0977-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014909238

Inspiring Voices rev. date: 06/05/2014

Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 Listen and Hear My Voice
Chapter 2 Faith Comes From Hearing
Chapter 3 God Speaks Through Scripture
Chapter 4 God Speaks During Prayer
Chapter 5 God Speaks Through Circumstances
Chapter 6 God Speaks Through People
Chapter 7 God Speaks Through Visions and Dreams
Chapter 8 God Speaks Through His Creation
Chapter 9 How to be Sure It is God’s Voice
Chapter 10 Blessing “Under the Umbrella”
Acknowledgments

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book’” (Jer. 30:2).

Preface
Y OU MAY BE wondering where my book title came from and why there is an umbrella before each chapter. The title of my book, “Speak to Me, Lord, I’m Listening,” is taken from an encounter Samuel had with the Lord in I Samuel 3:10. Samuel, a young boy living with Eli, the priest, was asleep in bed when he was awakened by a voice speaking to him. Assuming it was Eli, he arose and went to see what he wanted. Eli said it wasn’t him who spoke and sent Samuel back to bed. The call came again, and again, Eli sent him back to bed. On the third time, Eli realized it was the Lord calling Samuel. A word from the Lord was rare in those days (I Sam. 3:1) but He had chosen at this time to speak to Samuel. Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1Sam. 3:10).
It is striking that Samuel quickly answered in such a humble fashion, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” He was ready to listen and observe whatever the Lord spoke to him. In the same way, this book is an opportunity to renew our understanding that God still speaks to people today, that He is still looking for people who will listen and respond. Thus, the title, “Speak to Me, Lord, I’m Listening,” is a call for us to also be attentive to God’s voice in our day.
You may also be wondering what an umbrella at the beginning of each chapter could possibly have to do with hearing God’s voice. Symbolically, it will play an important role but you will not realize its significance until you finish reading the book. So, enjoy the stories as they build to a culmination of insight regarding the umbrella’s significance. And thank you for reading my book. May the journey bless you.

CHAPTER 1 Listen and Hear My Voice
“Give ear and hear my voice, listen and hear my words” (Isa. 28:23).
I ONCE ASKED A friend if she had ever heard God’s voice. Without blinking, her quick reply was, “No, I don’t think I ever have, have you?” Her answer took me by surprise at first. After talking with her further, I realized the problem was not that she had never heard God’s voice but that she was not aware when He was speaking to her.
As we continued our conversation, I asked her about some situations in her life and their outcomes. We talked about how God speaks in many different ways, through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, at times through His creation, friends, books, a sermon, a dream and sometimes, through life’s lessons.
It was fun to experience with her the joy of realizing there had been many situations in her life when God had indeed spoken to her. Her eyes were opened to the possibility that hearing His voice was a significant element in her relationship with Him. I hoped she would begin to watch for these times, recognize them, and even count them as important signs that God had faith adventures in store for her. Expecting to hear God’s voice adds excitement and delight to our faith journey with Him.
Perhaps, at times, we all need this aspect of our walk with Christ polished a bit. Come along with me as I share times when I was aware God was speaking to me. As you read my experiences, I hope they will touch something in your heart and bring to your remembrance similar times when God has also spoken a personal word to you. Like me, I think you will find an increase in your joy and a sense of expectation as you anticipate gaining insight about God through hearing his voice. Proverbs 8:6 encourages us with these words, “Listen, for I will speak noble things; and the opening of my lips will reveal right things.”
This first story is one where God caught my attention in an unusual way. Sometimes, God teaches us through events He allows in our lives. Watch for the message He revealed to me. You may not have endured the same kind of incident but you probably have your own experiences of a lesson learned and truth revealed.
Tested by Fire
Our beautiful, newly built home stood nestled among the rolling hills of Northern California. Golden grasses waved in the breeze, hardy oak trees majestically dotted the landscape, and a quiet creek trickled in the ravine below. Our eyes feasted on the beauty around us. Because of designated open land behind our home, we were surrounded by acres of open space and could have walked a great distance without encountering another home.
It was moving day. While my husband, Bill, and our older daughter, Kim, ran some errands, our ten year old daughter, Laurie, and I confronted the task of unpacking. Moving from box to box in a second floor bedroom, arranging and rearranging, we enjoyed light conversation and the fun of settling into our new home. How fleeting was this tranquil moment. As Laurie walked across the room to unpack the next box, a flash of something outside caught her attention. Immediately transfixed, with a startled look on her face, she stood gazing out the bedroom window trying to make sense of what she was seeing.
“Mommy,” she cried out, her voice tight with alarm and fear, not believing what she was seeing. “The hill behind our house is on fire!”
Sure it is, I thought nonchalantly, her words not registering in my preoccupied mind. To appease her, I pulled myself up from the scattered boxes and packing paper and peered out the window myself. Immediate panic seized my heart as I stood riveted on the roaring flames. I watched as they devoured the dry, three foot high golden grasses close to our home. Stunned, I attempted to process the raging fire eating its way down the hill toward our home. Standing transfixed, for a moment I couldn’t move.
Shaken with fear, anxious thoughts began to grip me. What would happen to our beautiful, new home? What would happen to us, to our dreams? Laurie and I quickly ran down the stairs to call the fire department. Wait! We didn’t have phone service yet! (Cell phones were a decade away from being invented). Hands trembling, I grabbed my car keys. “Hurry Laurie, we have to go for help.” Literally lunging into the car, we sped to a friend’s house. Would we contact the fire department in time?
How quickly I had forgotten that the previous night we had gathered with some close friends to dedicate our new home to the Lord. We knew this house was a gift from Him. When we had looked for a lot to build on, this one surrounded by acres of rolling hills was our first choice. But a sale was pending with many others on a waiting list. It seemed there wasn’t even a remote possibility that we could have this site.
We had prayed that somehow that lot could be ours, but it didn’t look hopeful. Then one evening, as Bill and I played tennis at our community tennis courts, our realtor, whose office was across the street, dashed out of his workplace and sprinted toward us waving papers and calling out, “It’s yours if you still want it!” Through an unusual set of circumstances, our name, which had been about 80th on the list, had reached the top of the list. Now, would we lose our dream house in a fire?
Parking