Have you ever heard of church being held outdoors? Some churches will have an Easter sunrise service but these are infrequent. Most church services are held indoors, in buildings constructed for that purpose. But that is the world that you made, and the world outdoors is the world that I made. Do you think of your church as the house of God. Consider my rhetorical question, where is the house that you would build for me? For the heavens are my throne and the earth is my footstool. I understand that there are valid reasons to have a structure dedicated as a meeting place for worship.

Does it ever seem to you that there are as many versions of ultimate reality as there are people? You would expect everyone in the same church to be on the same page, but even there you find variation. Do you ever get the sense that some people are making it up? Everyone takes their own journey of faith and you can’t force someone to go faster than they are able, but there is a difference between the discovery experience of seeking and finding, and making up a story. Even if people don’t agree on transcendent reality it is not fiction.

Are you a person of great strength? You see power lifters and other athletes who put great effort into developing their muscles, and they can do feats of great strength, but there are few who can perform at this level. Is there another type of strength available to everyone? How secure are you in your identity that you can resist a sales pitch that offers a false promise for a better life if you buy their product? How willing are you to stand by your convictions even when you are surrounded by those who do not agree? Are you able to live a life consistent with what you profess?

Have you read about the encounters that Moses and Jacob and other bible characters had with me and wished that you could have one of your own? You can, and this is what I want for you.  Do you assume that it has to be dramatic? Yet Elijah encountered some dramatic events in which I was not present, but I spoke to him in a still small voice. I will do the same for you. Do you assume that an encounter with me is a one-time event? Similar arguments apply. My dealings in your life have a cumulative effect. You would not be able to bear it all at once.