continuation of q&a magazine interview...

Q5. Coming to church is to come face to face with Jesus, yet church attendance universally is steadily declining. How do you think we, as Christians play a part in part?

Alicia: The following progression in our minds and hearts can reroute us slowly away from faithful-church-participation and solidly into occasional-church-attendance:

family --> voluntary association

community--> audience

sanctuary --> building

Q6. Your new book is called 'Intimate Conversations with God'. Can you tell what inspired you to write it?

Alicia: An empowering organization called MOPS went on a search for a writer for their first theme devotional book. In writing Intimate Conversations, I thought through key conversations with women I’ve mentored and collected the thoughts, principles, and teachings that they found most helpful for realizing intimacy with God in the midst of untidy, real, raw life.

Q7. What is intimacy with God?

Alicia: Abandonment: rooted in love, realized in each moment, radiant in the world.

My personal picture of intimacy is captured by two examples in Scripture:

Moses: “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” (Exodus 33.11)

Moses’ face-to-face friendship with God causes me to spiritually thirst. My almost daily prayer for intimacy is this: “God, may I know you as Moses knew you and may those I invest in never leave your tent.”

The sinful woman who anointed Jesus: “When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to set his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” (Luke 7.37-38)

Basilea Schlink said that, “Jesus and the penitent sinner belong together.” I too was a slave to sin. Jesus’ lavish forgiveness woos me to abandon all the world treasures at his feet!

Q8. Could we maybe talk you into sharing with us one of your favourite intimate conversations with God? :)

Alicia:  Some of my favorites were the most painful. Here’s one that was formative:

As a young woman, I remember sitting down after being called up onto a stage and publicly affirmed as a teacher. Instead of humble honor I felt sudden sadness: “Lord, there’s one voice that’s never said ‘well done.’ The applause of many is nice. But I ache to hear the affirmation of just one.”

In response, Father God spoke three truths over my life:

“Child, you always have my attention. What can mankind’s attention add to that?”

“Child, you already have my acceptance. What can mankind’s acceptance add to that?”

“Child, your Daddy God is proud of you.”

Q9. Why do you think so many of us are afraid of this level of spiritual intimacy?

Alicia: Perhaps some are hindered by an untruth that’s been deeply embedded in their spirit. Quietly sabotaging our personal hope for intimacy with God is this lie: “God doesn’t really want to be intimate with me. Others—yes. But not me, because….I had this past or I have this problem…I don’t have that strength and I do have this weaknesses…I failed at this and didn’t try at that…I’m used, worn, dirty, struggling…

Yes—true for us all. AND Jesus came for sinners, just like you and me. He’s wasn’t in denial about our humanity when he stretched out his arms and died.