Creekside Church Sermon of May 1, 2005 "Listening to the Call"	Mark Arnold
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Especially within the last year, I have learned more about myself and others than ever before. As most of you know, I will be graduating from High School in 26 days - not that I'm keeping track. But, the scary thing for me, is that I have 26 days to learn to say "goodbye."

I don't know about you, but personally, I am a greeter. I love meeting new people and becoming involved; I can't get enough of it. However, the hardest thing I've ever had to do, was say "goodbye" to one of my friends. So far, in my short amount of time here on earth, I've been lucky enough that I've only had to say it a few times, but those times were hard, really hard. And now, in a matter of 26 days, I will have to gain the emotional strength to say "farewell" to 313 other individuals with whom I have spent many years with. As all things are, some people will be easier to let go of than others. But, I am still keeping my eyes open for sales on Kleenex Tissues, so if you would happen to find any, let me know.

So, how will I ever be ready for this next milestone in my life? If you're waiting for me to give you the cut-and-dry answer, you'll be waiting a long time. I don't have it. Due to this inability, the feelings of being overwhelmed are consuming me. I keep asking myself, "What am I going to do?"

This I have the answer for… you ready? PRAY. Opening my heart and my mind to God, is ultimately what will keep me from having an emotional breakdown. However, it's not as simple as that. In addition to praying, the key is listening.

It's interesting to me how so many people forget this last part. Many times, preachers will get up on their pulpit and stress the importance of prayer. While I completely agree, I don't think they quite have it all. Sure, asking God for assistance, guidance, and support is needed; it's critical. But how is that supposed to help you if you don't listen for him to respond to you. God doesn't yell. He has the answers for you, he's just waiting until you are ready to listen to him.

I'm not sure about you, but when I get really frustrated, I need to vent to someone. I have to have someone to share my feelings and thoughts with. If you don't believe me, ask my parents about my cell phone bill, or the owners of several local coffee shops, I'm there with someone constantly. Most of them know what I want, before I'm even up to the counter. But even when I vent, I am also looking for some input. I want someone to tell me if they think I am in the right; to see if they agree with me. But, if as soon as I'm done talking, I get up and walk out, I don't ever have the chance to hear them tell me I'm either completely in the right, or if I'm not thinking things through clearly and am just being stubborn - which let me tell you, happens a lot. The point is, if you spend all of your time talking, when are you going to have time to listen?

With this Stewardship Campaign going on right now, the church will be asking for pledges. How are you going to be able to help the church get from point A to point B? What kind of part are you going to able to play? From the amount of money to pledge, to how else can you best give? These are questions to be seriously considered. Many people, are going to be spending these next few weeks, seriously checking their income statements and bills, to see how much can they pledge and still get by at home. To these people, I applaud them. Making a sacrificial commitment is what it's all about. But, a word of advice, make it a little easier on yourself in making that decision by praying. Pray to God, and listen to him. Listen to what he has to tell you. He won't ever steer you in the wrong direction; even if that direction seems unfeasible.

One question I am constantly asked is what direction I am going to be pursuing after graduation. For me, it's pretty cut and dry. My grades, test scores, and career goals have pushed me to attend a high-grade university in Chicago. As of date, that is the direction I see most fitting for me. But I want to tell you about a good friend of mine, whose direction was unknown, until just recently.

My best friend in the world, a person who is incredibly smart, successful, strong, and most importantly, strong in her faith, was trying to find out which path she would take after graduation. As most others, she anticipated college for four years, a job, possibly a family, and then live happily ever after. However, this plan kept being interrupted when she kept receiving letters of rejection from the colleges she applied to, even her backup schools. Being incredibly discouraged, she felt like giving up. However, she started praying about the next step of her life. A few weeks ago, she got a call from an aunt. Her aunt has a friend who lives in France, who just so happens to be looking for a nanny and English tutor for her kids. The job was offered to my friend, and after several days of prayer and talking about it with others, she hesitantly accepted the job. This new path, is so different from anything she planned for months ago. But now, she will be leaving the country for a year to spend time with and helping out another family. At the end of the phone conversation, her aunt made a comment about how that this family she would be working for, is non-Christian. As soon as my friend heard this from her aunt, all of reality dropped away and for the first time in months, she listened, and you know what? God answered. This was her path - not only to help out fellow mankind, but to show this family the beauty of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I've seen this quote inscribed in many posters, paintings, and other works of art, but to this day, it remains my favorite. "The Will of God will never lead you, where the Grace of God cannot keep you." Almost every time I read this quote, my eyes begin to start feeling that fullness we all hate, especially in public. The thought that at any moment, God can rip me from my "path" and use me for his good, not only scares me, but excites me at the same time. The only thing I have to do is listen to his calling. Following this same thought-path, I am forced to think of Jonah in the Bible. Jonah was a great guy, don't get me wrong. But he wasn't open to listening to God's call. So, he ran away and hid from God. However, there was one thing Jonah didn't count on; he didn't realize that God was a whole lot smarter than him. So, God ripped him from his path of seclusion and Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Hey, if you ever want time to just seriously think things over, you should consider sitting in the stomach of a whale, I guarantee you'll make your decision pretty quick. In all seriousness though, God is a pretty cool guy. He has some great ideas; he just needs people willing to listen to him.

In Dallas Willard's book, titled Hearing God, he addresses this concept of having a two-way street with God. In there, he says "Hearing God may be a daring idea-some would say presumptuous and even dangerous. But is it not, in fact, more presumptuous and dangerous to undertake human existence without hearing God?"

I think sometimes maybe our biggest problem, as humans, is that we aren't sure what to listen for, when wanting an answer from God. Will he always spell it out in plain audible English? No. God answers prayers through other resources. His message can come through the lyrics of a song, or from the bond of a special friendship. As long as we are willing to listen and retain an open mind, we will be okay.

So what am I asking? That you simply love God, pray with him, and most importantly listen to him. You never know what he's going to say. And you know what? As completely unpredictable as this whole thing is, it's kind of exciting. Does that mean that you won't be able to carry out your dreams because God may want you to do something else, sometimes - maybe. But in the amount of time I've known God, I've usually seen him use the situations we put ourselves into, for our benefit. Whether it comes to accomplishing his will, our goals, or simply teaching us a lesson, the good and bad things in life are a gift from God. Are you willing to listen to the difference? Just open your ears, your heart, and your mind - God has a beautiful voice, listen to it.

Ronald Reagan once said, "Trust, but verify." Well, I here to verify this thing called Faith for you. I'm here to tell you, it's ok to trust God, he's on our side.

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