Oden I often felt confused when I saw good things like miracles, or kindness or selflessness because I couldnt tell

if it was a work of God or a work of plain old good human beings. There are plenty of people who do good without any belief in God, and plenty of dedicated Christians who do terrible things. It was frustrating to try to figure out. And how does God even speak to us? I mean some people love to talk about how God speaks to them, but I live in reality too and I know that theyve never heard an actual voice. And what about emotions? Emotions constantly betray us, misguiding decisions and confusing us. At church I feel sometimes like Im truly connected with God when I hear a powerful song, but sometimes I feel those same emotions listening to the radio. Thats just catharsis. Or what about inspiration? I get great ideas all the time but who knows if its God telling me to do it or my selfish and greedy motivations. Maybe God isnt in any of the good things, or any of the emotions or any of the ideas! I was thinking about the verses in the bible that talk about God being good and God being love awhile ago and I realized something amazing. It`s something that has really changed the way I see the world and the things in it. It`s helped me live in the moment and I`ve never been more in awe of God. I realized that God is literally good, and goodness is God. What I have known as goodness and love is simply God as I am able to perceive him with my limited intelligence and perspective. That means that the battle between good and evil isnt some far off war that occasionally tempts us to sin or tells us to do the right thing, its a battle that were obliviously in the middle of. God doesnt show up because of a church, a denomination, an institution, an organization, a pledge or any other categorization of humans. When you see good things occur, or you see love, youve seen God. And when you do good and you love others, youve experience God. Thats what the whole clich of God being in your life is all about! I dont need to wonder if good occurred as a result of God or not, because all goodness is God whether or not I accept or intend it. But I`ll get back to that. The next question for me to answer was how God speaks to us. Once I saw how integrally God is involved in our lives and how simple that really is, it wasnt hard to see how he calls us. Those emotions that come from my conscience or my intellect or my gut are all just part of Gods guidance. I mean every single thing! I always thought that I was doing well when I could stay calm and controlled, and that it was a failure to let go and loosen my grip on logic and rationality. But calm and controlled isnt the natural human state, its the trap. It`s so easy to get busy and scheduled and completely lose track of what we feel, but that`s exactly what Satan wants for us. The odd time at church when my emotions surface because of a cathartic song or an inspiring video arent failures, thats the desperate attempt of Gods guidance to break through my shell of fear-hardened, controlled feelings. Perhaps I dont think as rationally like that, but I can finally feel God, like I was always meant to. If I never let go of rationality and follow Gods voice, then what do I need faith for? That feeling I get from perceiving overwhelming beauty or seeing someone in pain IS God, and it is sacred to me now that I realize it. Its no wonder humans are naturally creative, because in creating we become a catalyst for God to speak to people. God Himself is the original artist. From space to physics and colors to cells, God packed as much beauty as He could into our world, more than we could ever even discover. He wanted us to feel emotion! Emotions arent a traitor to our rationality, they are the very voice of God Himself speaking to us in ways

that millions of words would never be able to. So how does the clich of being still and listening to God apply when He speaks through feelings and not words? We have to eliminate the muffling of reason and fear that Satan gives us, and allow the emotions to flow freely in response to the beauty, sorrow, strength, corruption, amazement and inadequacy God has given us the ability to perceive. Being in tune with those emotions is critical, and can guide us in ways we never thought possible. Now if God uses emotions to speak to us, the mechanism by which He does this must be the combination of environment and our individualized response to it. I mean, He knows our personalities, our passions, our dreams, our feelings, our emotions and our hopes, and knows exactly how those things will react with the events put in our paths. So if I get an idea, it isnt just chance. God knew I would get it whether it came from an obvious inspiration or some arbitrary event in my life. God`s voice isn`t just an isolated experience, it is spoken through every single thing around us. Every moment that anyone has lived, every molecule in the universe, every choice anyone has made, all ties into the moment you are living in at this very second. The moment I realized that was the first time I was truly in awe of God. There is nothing I can say to describe the feeling of being part of a plan so big that in involves absolutely everything I know of. But when Im inspired or have an idea, I still have selfish motivations lurking in my heart. It could be my desire for power or fame or attention. What if Im just not sure my plans are from God? They could all just be the result of my subconscious selfishness. But if they came from God, His signature will be all over them. The output of an action can always be measured and despite the corruption of my intentions, the output is what counts. Gods signature is known as the fruits of the spirit. If you see the results of your plans signed with that mark, could they be from anyone but Goodness Himself? Satan may try his best to make you think that your plans are too corrupt to go through with, but if the result is goodness, self-centered human nature is of little consequence. (Last Minutes With Oden YouTube video) I know dogs are always friendly, forgiving and affectionate, but I have to think that theres more to it than just chance. This guy experienced God. He didnt see a reflection of God, or an image. He didnt see someone acting like Jesus, or doing good works, or saying nice things. He saw God Himself, the most sacred entity in the universe, as a dog, looking Him in the eyes day after day. God is good, and goodness is all the dog knew. Of course it didnt really know, but somehow it was able to provide the unconditional love that we talk so much about. Imagine now how many times youve looked God in the eyes and not known it. Were simply too loud to notice. Hes all around us, in every smile, every time someone opens the door for you, every hug and encouraging word. Also imagine how many great churches and Christians there are around this guy, and consider the fact that the most readily available one of them was a dog. Its humbling to be out-Christianed by a dog. Christians can spend endless hours talking about what to do about other people, or what other people arent doing, or what they should do, or how badly theyre doing it. But the best Christian I have ever witnessed to this day is Oden. Interestingly enough, Oden saved a mans life without using a single word. He didnt need them. Nor did he need to be smart, or funny, or talented, or outgoing. Oden did the only thing his limited mind was able to do: love the people around him. Imagine a world where the Christians didnt have to be

politicians and powerful leaders, televangelists and speakers. Imagine a church of silence. Not a dreary silence or a silence of inaction, but a silence of meditation and contemplation - listening; one that allowed us to listen to Gods voice and be in tune with His will. Think of how powerful a church could be if we didnt need people to conform to our ideals in order to fully love them, and didnt judge them or criticize their shortcomings. If a church even treated its own members and family like that it would be revolutionary. But imagine loving as completely and simply as that dog, and how absolutely one with God we would be. Getting close to God and allowing Him into your life isnt some abstract, undefinable action. Its simply the act of promoting goodness and following the heart God gave you, His very voice. It is not a vocal silence that I`m talking about, but rather a silence of the heart. Although silent, the output of our lives would be louder than any church could ever speak. The silence does not only occur at church either. Silence is a way of life, in every aspect. Its the way we interact with people, its living in the moment, its allowing Gods voice to be heard in us and amplified through us. The voice of goodness. The life songs that arise from silence are nothing short of miraculous. When you feel a little emotional tug in response to something you experience, don`t ignore it, because thats the very voice of God Himself. And when you see something good, take a second to soak in God`s presence, because that`s Him, in the flesh. I dont know about you, but when I think about that, theres nothing I can do but be silent in respect to Gods quiet yet incredibly powerful presence.