Ring, ring.. Hello? God are you there?

So after a few weeks with this blog at the back of my mind I've decided what my first topic to tackle will be. It is something close to my heart and one I have a lot of opinions on and believe in 100%. I've decided to explore prayer and the ability to communicate with God. How awesome! Like I said, I believe in this with 100% of my heart, head, and spirit but the sad thing is that I can't tell you even one thing the bible says on it. Sure I know that somewhere is says you should pray but I don't know where or what, exactly, it says.

I want to share these stories with you and hopefully you will understand why this topic is important to me.
I grew up a Christian and became quite serious about my faith in high school. However, just after graduation I needed to spread my wings and rebel against the life my parents set up for me. I had a major fight with my dad and moved out. I started to run with the wrong crowd who introduced me to the life my parents tried to protect me from becoming aware. It was exciting but I quickly lost my faith and no longer thought about God. Fast forward a few years, I have a good career and get to travel lots. I am in a hotel room in some American city (long forgotten) and its 2am. I woke up in a sweat and had my dream still lingering in my mind. I realized that I saw my death but now that I'm awake I can't remember what I saw. I only know that I have this desperate need to get my knees and pray. There was no one else in the room and yet I felt like I was being physically pushed out of bed and my heart hurt. I wanted to cry but didn't really understand. I was on my knees and the words just poured from me. I knew, without any doubt, that I was being called back & that God had enough of me rebelling and decided it was time to face him. He made Himself known so that my heart heard Him, not my head or ears. But I knew and recommitted myself to Christ.
But, like the Jews in Israel, I again faltered and slowly let "life" happen without turning to God. Fast forward, another trip, another hotel, this time it was Detroit. I still remember the room and what led to my situation. The night before I had come into town and the company had given me $120 USD to get me through 2 days of meals & transportation. To get from the bus depot to my hotel took $60 - that was only my first night & I didn't even eat!! So now I only have $60 to have meals, transportation to/from office & I still had to get back to the bus depot. That morning it cost $12 to get to the office - now I'm really screwed. I called the travel coordinator and shared my predicament. Know what her response was? "Kelly, you'll have to use your own resources to get home." Can you believe that? While I was trying to figure out exactly what "resources" I was going to use to get home, I finally turned to God and let him know that I needed Him. I prayed for His guidance and told Him that I was scared. I was looking over the taxi receipt I had from the company that took me to the office. I notice the fish symbol with "Psalm 91:2" on the back. I called the company and asked how much they would charge to take me back to the bus depot - their price $40. Can you believe that? In addition, our client took me out for dinner - on them - and gave me a ride to my hotel. I didn't have to spend a dime & I had enough to get back home. When I got to the hotel I pulled out the bible they leave in the room and actually read Psalm 91:2 and let me tell you, my mouth dropped and I have been a believer in prayer ever since:
Psalm 91:2 - I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Without a deep understanding of bible theology, I understood that God communicates with us in very real ways and, in turn, we can communicate directly with Him. How Awesome Is That?? Let's explore...

The Introduction

Matt has inspired me in so many ways but nothing compares to how he challenges my christian beliefs. Not in a bad way, mind you. In a way that it actually makes me want to be a better, more real, christian. Recently he found a quote that really struck home and ultimately inspired this blog. Here's the quote:

"I have to tell you, most people and most Christians really aren’t interested in the Bible. Most Christians are concerned about passing on their faith, which is VERY basic, and about raising their kids among and amid other like-minded believers, and about having close Christian friends. That’s pretty much it. Anything amounting to serious Bible study, even on the lay level, is viewed as odd or “impractical.” Trust me; I live with that frustration every day." -Dr. Michael S. Heiser, Ph.D (Hebrew Bible & Semitic Languages)

And so, my friends, I'm going to explore my faith, my beliefs, and get to understand the bible. Not in a scholarly way. Quite frankly, that's not me. It's important though and I don't want to over simplify anything either. Let's face it, you can get that in church every Sunday.

So I'm going to give this a try. You're either with me or not reading so I have nothing to loose. I would appreciate comments and please feel free to challenge me too!