To say I enjoy singing would be an understatement, but a few weeks back it was the song running thru my head as soon as the music stopped and I walked up to the exit that made me SO curious. I mentally noted that the lyric I had NOT heard, but was memory triggered, it was “Name above all Names”, and my head was strongly singing it from my beloved praise band days.  Curious I thought, until I stepped up to the book selling pop-up station (leftovers from a pastors conference) and my eyes IMMEDIATELY fixated to a book directly in front of me: “Name Above All Names” – OOOH… Coincidental? I think NOT!!!!

Spiritual feeding is like listening to where Jesus says to drop your nets. You will catch more fish if you LISTEN. You will catch the tune of the Holy Spirit harp strings if you go to the concert. You can be in concert with a collective who want to be called. Just Listen.

Ten bucks, oh a bargain, and I had ONLY 10 on me. Perfect.  So with patient care I waited for my turn to PAY.  A good book for summer beach reading, my time to PLAY.  Yet for always listening to the Lord thru the Spirit in my head, I will PRAY. 

And what does the book start with? An urge to HEAR Jesus. (no surprise there for the Spirit theme of this). The writers want pastors to bring Jesus to the people who want to hear His voice. The writers want us to LISTEN over LOOK. The preface says, urging biblical foundational sharing:  “Standing in various pulpits in our native land of Scotland we have often seen words visible to the preacher but hidden from the congregation: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” – this refers to what the crowd says in John 12:21

This book is about seeing and believing by LISTENING. I can tell already from the first chapter, about God and Adam and Eve, that it’s going to be a good read and great LISTEN. The book starts (AND I ONLY READ ONE PAGE SO FAR) with God segregating one tree in the Garden not because that fruitful tree was all that different, but it was the command of God for Adam and Eve to LISTEN and OBEY. The serpent tricked them for what they were seeing about the tree, but God needs us all to be LISTENING to Him – holding onto His Word – and obeying Him to judge what we are seeing. Use ALL your senses to make sense of God’s Will over our own.

As we read scripture and everything, we listen to how it touches us. An article in a newspaper may go in and out, but a Bible message is all about going in and out and in again. It’s not the physical paper, it’s the Spirit connection and the calling for us to pick up the phone.  Jesus knew that when God spoke to glorify His Name (John 12), He did so for the sake of those listening. We too must listen. The Spirit desires to be heard INSIDE of us, so feed the field of dots God wants to connect in us.

Jesus IS THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES. Oh that we would hear Him TODAY!

AMEN 

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John 12:20-32 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus. Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”