It's a beautiful sunny day.  Light breeze.  Trees rustling in the wind.  Birds singing.  Two dogs, Baby and Mandy, at my feet waiting for the slightest sign of attention.  I'm sitting on the swing, in the back yard, with a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of decaf cappuccino taking it all in.  To my left are a special book and a pen.  The book is a journal where I write something that has become priceless to me - my conversations with God. 

I have been a Christian for nearly 34 years.  I have talked about a personal relationship with God and believed I have had one since Dec. 13, 1970.  The depth of my relationship with Him has deepened in the last few weeks.  I feel a little hypocritical in sharing this because the activity I am now practicing is something I have shared with others but, at the time, was not engaging it in my own life.  Barbara, my soul mate, introduced me to this prayer strategy about four years ago.  She gave me a card titled "The Magic is in the Writing" written by Jan Frichot (pronounced Fri-show` with short i), a professional singer, motivational speaker and educator.  On this card was an outline sharing how she had developed a conversational prayer life with the Lord.  I thought it was neat but didn't put it into practice, not even when, two years or so later, I ordered several of them and distributed them to residents of the Christian shelter where I was employed. 

I have always written letters to God whenever I had something intense going on in my life.  I have been writing for as long as I can remember.  I found I can express my feelings better writing than talking but what Jan was suggesting is that I write to God, ask questions, and write down His answers.  In thinking about this, I began to realize my letters and prayers were a one way communication.  I did all the talking and really didn't listen for a reply.  I looked for my answers in the Bible, in messages and in confirming circumstances.  What I was missing, although I heard it and read it many times, is that God speaks in a still, small voice (1Ki 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.).

Being an administrator, one of my gifts of the Holy Spirit, I am highly organized.  So, I went searching for an appropriate journal in which to capture God's words.  This was in spite of the fact I had about a half dozen unused notebooks at home I could use.  I felt this had to be a special book, high quality, worthy of the words.  I found what I was looking for and on March 10 I started what has become an almost daily activity. 

In the beginning I would write for a while, ask a question, and then wait for an answer.  I even wrote "I am listening now Lord".  Conversation happened but not knowing what to expect this felt like I was answering my own question.  This produced some doubt - was this really God, me, or worse yet - Satan.  It scared me a little, maybe more than a little.  He assured me it was He.  (I'm not going to share all the conversations I have experienced which confirm the reality that I now know.  Your experience may be different from mine.)  As a result the answers were concise.  The second day was about the same.  The surprise came on the third day when He responded to something I was writing before I had finished.  This was the start of our two way conversations.