" 'Where does someone go to hear from God in this place?' The bookseller stared blankly back at me.
So, I revised my question: 'If I came in here troubled about what's happening, and wanted to know how to be okay with God, where would you direct me?
The clerk led me back to a corner where I found several books about living off the grid. As he left me there I realized he must have missed the God part of my question..."
So begins one author's investigation into what's available for solid answers. She takes us into her own journey from a shattering grief to a search for truth. And then, in spite of many-layered hesitations a real exposure into what the Bible has to say about these things. The words there reveal the Voice, and His voice can change your life.
Nees continues, "Have you ever wondered if the One called God were to speak or to write...and if He presumably cared to send a message into our troubled planet, what format would He use? Would He join the bazaar? Or would He hide out in a desert waiting for the hardier souls to find Him? And even if He could make sound wave echoes through time and across continents, would my ears be able to tune into His frequency?"
"I am going to start with a pretty safe assumption: you've already concluded that if He is reliable, and if He has really spoken, you might want to listen. Then, I'm going to lay all my cards on the table right here and say that He has spoken; and, what's more, He is still speaking."
This seven-chapter book, highlighted like a trail guide with Markers, will ease you into most basic, repeated themes found in the ancient texts. What is called the Old and New Testaments is a remarkable collection. It is intimidating for sure, but wise, prophetic, thorough and particular, with echoes that repeat into every culture. Through story and turn-arounds you will see how some very different individuals, in different times found their way into God's real and sustaining peace. They listened to and reckoned with what God offers for soul survival. There's hope here if you'll take it.
Jeremiah, the Hebrew prophet scanned the options in his own time and summarized it this way: "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls."
About the Author: Mary Nees is an artist and a teacher whose passion is to explore and then illustrate for others the depth of mystery, surprise and relevance found in the Bible. Mary is a visual artist who trained at Cornell University and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from East Tennessee State University where she served as an adjunct faculty member. She has won various regional and national awards for her artwork which can be viewed on her website www.marynees.com. Mary and her husband Larry also train younger Christian leaders overseas. They have four grown children and six grandchildren.
