God spoke to me yesterday. She said, “Dave, you should report more of our conversations in your sermons.” In my arrogance and self-centeredness I replied, “But God, what if people see that as religious grandstanding? I’m not like Moses or Jeremiah or Paul.” She said, “Haven’t I called you to be like Moses or Jeremiah or Paul?” Then she went on to really school me. She said:
First, I’m God, so shut up and don’t argue.
Second, it’s not like preachers haven’t been doing this forever. You know how to come across.
Third, it’s a great opportunity to make your concerns into my concerns. That’s just the way I’ve chosen to bless you.
I said, “Okay, God. But what if I offend some people? What if they see this as code language for talking about someone without talking about them? What if they think it’s cowardly, or rhetorically manipulative? What if they think it’s a way to embed my own theological commitments without making them explicit? What if they think I’m insincere?”
She told me, “You’ll know how to handle it.”
Dave Barnhart 
Word. Literally.
I love this!
Sent from my iPhone
>
I have been told I was a liar for even implying that God talks to me. I’m deluded or arrogant, and that’s just the experience of a layperson who tends to shy away from conflict or teaching. I can’t imagine how it must be for you, but still I want to back God up on this one. It is so much encouragement just to read this little conversation.