Crossroads

(under the heavy influence of 60's pop music, I offer this opening set of lyrics):

I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.
Down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.
Asked the Lord above for mercy, "Save me if you please."

I went down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride.
Down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride.
Nobody seemed to know me, everybody passed me by.


It just seems like there's an amazing combination of intersections and high-speed messages these days. And usually and for the most part, they just go whizzing by. But lately, something has changed - signficantly.

I believe God is being quite visible, intentional and "loud" right now. The repetitive nature of themes and topics and perspectives has long passed the coincidence factor, and is now full-blown reality. Confluence, I tell you - the melding of multiple streams of consciousness into one massive, churning mixture of spiritual significance.

The clarity of all that is happening is surprising, the acceptance of it all equally surprising. I am thrust into situations, locations, interactions and scenarios which all seem to tie together in one or more ways. The synchronicity of the experiences are stunning; the consistency with which the messages come flowing to and through me equally stunning. Today, the situational elements continued to align, and a new serendipity resulted - an enhanced sense of "this is what it is supposed to be", and yet and a complete bewilderment by me and the others in the experience as to what it REALLY means.

For that is one of the great mysteries now on full display. While I definitely sense God's presence in my life right now, He still offers me choices, and I still make plenty of questionable decisions. While I definitely belief he is preparing me for something new and different, I have no clue which opportunities to pursue, opportunities which I believe will come my way, as well as ones which have already presented themselves in one form or another. I believe there is something in the premise that while there is great comfort knowing God will provide His choices for me, I will be challenged to pursue the right ones.

To me, my human nature is so buried in the historical traditions of security, safety, stability, saving, and other typically repetitive behaviors based on what has worked previously or been taught previously. But now, my human nature seems to frequently and often directly conflict with God's intentions and directives; the more enlightened and aware and learned and convicted I become with God's intentions, the more challenging it becomes to listen to His guidance and attempt to discern the wrong from the right from His perspective (not ours).

How do I know - how will I know? What is my calling, my talent, my gift? And to what purpose? When a business opportunity presents itself - in whatever form - what are the characteristics I should be using to determine if I should pursue it or not? When a volunteer opportunity for service presents itself - in whatever form - what are the characteristics I should be using to determine if its appropriate for me or not?

Like being at a crossroad, unsure of whether to veer left or right, or continue straight ahead. With signs that say all roads lead to where I'm going, and all indications are that every choice will be where I should be.

And all the while, I'm finding others are at the same crossroads, that are on their same journey, that are telling their story, and that they also sense the visible and loud presence of God.

And so - Crossroads is born........stay tuned......for there is much to discovered....