From the Home Place

August 15, 2026

We started this day at 4 a.m. with 51 degrees. Supposedly headed for 73 for a high with an 80% shot of some rain this afternoon. Sounds like the perfect day if it will just go according to that plan.

It was dark and quiet when I put Coffee out the door this morning. After she came back in, we both just sat in the dark and listened for the Holy Spirit to speak into my spirit, and He did. As I focused upon what the Spirit was guiding my mind toward, my smart watch alarm went off. You see, it is set so that when my heart rate drops below 40 BPM, an alarm sounds. (Just so you know, the only time the alarm sounds is during my prayer time, early in the morning.)

So now, you know why I love getting up early in the morning, way before the world around me wakes up. It is during the quiet and still time of the day that I best hear the Holy Spirit guiding my spirit toward that which He wishes to accomplish in and with my life. During those times I can completely relax and focus, thus my heart rate slows to an “alarming” rate. When that takes place, I just push a button on my watch and continue to dwell in my quiet place, listening to only one voice, the One’s voice.

Call it what you want, I believe that the Holy Spirit strongly desires to speak into our lives on a regular basis, it’s just that we are too busy, in a very loud world, to hear His “gentle, quite” voice. In my opinion, that is why we often read in the gospels that Jesus would rise early and go to a quiet place, usually in a deserted location.

I’m telling you, solitude is our friend! Yet, being alone is not the same as solitude. To find the voice of the Holy Spirit, we need to step away from the normal, to a quiet place. A place where we can sit quietly and listen.

Last evening, I spent a considerable amount of time visiting with a pastor friend whose insights I greatly value. It was a very enjoyable visit, as we bounced ideas off of each other, often challenging each other to be more intentional in our walk with God. During our conversation about our personal prayer lives, it dawned upon me that there is never a genuine, friendly conversation without “mutual” talking and listening.

You see my friend, most often we talk to God, but seldom do we visit with God. For when we visit with Him, we need to spend as much time listening as we spend talking. We have to be quiet, calmly listening to His soft voice speaking His truth into our lives. Yes, quite often God speaks into our lives through another person, and through His word, but is that because that is the only way He can get us to listen? How often do you present your Heavenly Father with your requests and then sit quietly and just listen for Him to respond???

We Americans live such “microwave” lives that we seldom “take time to be holy.” We rush from one thing to another, with our daily “quiet time” as one of the many things we need to “get done” each day. Then we spend a large portion of our time wondering why God feels so distant. I would feel distant too if all you ever did was talk at me and then run off to do something else.

For a moment, think of the very best friend you have on this ‘ol ball of dirt.

What makes that person your “best” friend? Perhaps your Heavenly Father would appreciate having that kind of “talk and listen with sincerity of heart” conversation with you as well??? Yep, sometimes the best part of the conversation is just sitting quietly and listening. For you see, a “best friend” is that person with whom no words have to be exchanged, just sitting quietly with each other speaks volumes!

Quietly listening with you, Neal