This newly released book is by Dr. Isabelle Declercq, a graduate of Christian Leadership University, and a two-way journaler. It helps spread the message of spiritual intimacy and may be purchased here. ‘Within the first pages, she takes you through her lively dialogues with God, fun encounters with angels, dreams, and visions which were all God’s communication channels for the writing of this book. Life with God is never boring!!’ I, Mark Virkler, just finished reading this book and found it fascinating. You will enjoy it.

How did you acquire your faith? Was it by the instruction of family, community, and culture, or was it by encounter with me? Children are receptive  to beliefs and adopt them readily. Adults are not as easily persuaded, but are still subject to the influence of those they associate with. Once established, beliefs tend to endure, so adults will continue in the faith they learned as a child unless they revisit the issue, and most do not. But isn’t the premise of your faith that you can have a direct relationship with me?

Have you heard of the church referred to as a hospital? There are valid aspects to this comparison, for it is the sick rather than those who are whole who need a physician. Yet no one lives in a hospital, and those who go there aim to make their stay as short as possible. Is this true of a church? Perhaps you could also think of the church as a school. Students expect to attend routinely and for the long term. Good students know their education continues even after they graduate. Do you come to church with the same expectation of studying and learning that you did in school?

Were you graded on your schoolwork? Was this your primary motivation, or were you more interested in mastery of the subject matter? Did you see some students who were naturally bright and to whom learning came easily, who got good grades and seemed indifferent to the material they were learning? Were there others who struggled yet were determined to know the subject? Academic credit is a construct of this world, not the one above. Do you delight in learning? Delight also in putting your knowledge into practice, for learning information makes you responsible for it.