In Return to God, Return to Joy which I posted on February 10, 2019, I realized that I badly need to change direction in my blogging. I want to write about what’s in God’s heart, not my heart. I want forgiveness to be the theme, not conflict. I want to return to love and peace. I’m sure you’d like that too.

In the original Living Room blog I see repeatedly how close I was to God. What happened to me? This morning I found myself praying, “Please, Lord, bring me back to you. I need you. This is your work I do, not mine.”

As I was reading Brennan Manning’s book, The Furious Longing of God, I was reminded of all I’ve written about how I often feel like a child. I bet many of you feel that way. Manning quotes Romans 8:15 (NASB): For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

You probably remember how the word Abba literally means : daddy, papa, my own dear father. Jesus says that we may address our almighty God with this kind of intimacy – the intimacy a child would enjoy with his father.

We all know that God loves us. But have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit on his lap as a child might? Totally his. Can you feel the love? Brennan Manning offers a description of what it would be like to be that close to God as you pray. Manning asks us:

“Is your own personal prayer life characterized by the simplicity, childlike candor, boundless trust, and easy familiarity of a little one crawling up on Daddy’s lap? An assured knowing that the daddy doesn’t care if the child falls asleep, starts playing with toys, or even starts chatting with little friends, because the daddy knows the child has essentially chosen to be with him for that moment? Is that the spirit of your interior prayer life?”

…And on we now go with more writings, returning to God and to joy.

Although I may no longer have official leadership, I would still like to post the rest of the original Living Room blog which goes to 2013. I haven’t looked ahead to see the content. It will be a surprise for you and me. I will try not to forget drawing attention to what it means to live with mental health issues: How can we learn to feel good about ourselves? How can supporters understand us and our needs better?