I'm a list maker, an agenda setter, and I get way too much satisfaction when I check off my accomplishments at the end of the day. To earn those checkmarks I often hurry through the grocery, the gym or wherever, not taking time to give more than a quick "Hi!" to acquaintances nor to get to know the nameless people I see on a regular basis.

I recently attended the funeral of a former co-worker. This person had accumulated a lot of monetary wealth, untold possessions, traveled the world but had never trusted in Jesus. He was always putting it off and he kept saying, “right now I have too much life to live.”

Spelling words.  Social Studies tests.  English essays and finally ACT prep.  There was always some academic exercise on the table and always a battle to get it done. My daughter wanted to make good grades, but they didn’t come easily for her and she wasn’t willing to do what it took.

That summer the gardenias bloomed for the first time in years, I wasn't listening for God to speak. Those creamy soft, white blossoms with their enticing fragrance apparently didn't like our scorching Memphis weather.

It seems that some of the hardest times in our Christian lives are when we wait on a word from God. This unit of our study shows us that God speaks in many ways – by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.