With one word, she opened the door to a fundamental shift – not only in the conversation but in our newly-formed relationship. I’ve only just met her, since this event in San Antonio is the first that we’ve worked together. Her firm is a relatively new client of mine.

She has been telling me the story of how she got her position with the firm. And to frame it up for me, she says, in a preface, “So, I am a person of faith.”

And that realigns everything. I tell her of my own faith. She smiles broadly. Realizing the common ground we now inhabit, she tells me her story without filters. It is no longer a personal narrative, but a chronicle of the amazing work of God in her life. Jesus takes center stage.

Kim quickly reveals that the Lord plays an active role in that tale. He speaks to her – giving her clear and detailed messages about what he wants her to do. And though I am incredulous at first, I can’t deny how she experiences a God who cares about her life, down to the specifics. Frankly, it’s thrilling.

“Do you want to hear God more in your life?” She asks me.

She then makes a very practical suggestion that in my time of prayer, I make a point to ask God what he wants to say to me. What truth he wants me to glean from Scripture. I should open my spiritual ears, because he wants to speak to me. That, in itself, is a message from God – a reminder of the purpose of this blog.

Just as I tell her about the blog, my phone alerts me. Pay attention, it says. It’s 8:18.

Paul wrote to the Romans that he desired that they “may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.” (1:12) Tonight, sitting in a Thai restaurant in San Antonio (a suspect choice chalked up to desperation) I am greatly uplifted by the faith of this buoyant, confident young woman. Fellowship, even stumbled across, is a powerful experience.

It’s one of the things God has wanted to say to me.

Lord, thank you that you speak to us. Through your word. Through the Spirit. And through the bond that you’ve established between your children. Thank you for the moments of connection that remind us that we can uplift each other and help each other tune more into your voice. Help us all to hear you more clearly.