GoodNewsFL.org 39 NOVEMBER 2017 ENCOURAGEMENT and that doesn't come with a caveat. He's there, whether we feel Him or not. AP – You write about the rejection that the kids you meet through the ministry of Cure In- ternational face because of twisted limbs or cleft palates or hydrocephalus. They are often considered overlooked by God or even cursed. What would you say to those of us who fear that our personality, circum- stances or lack of warm feel- ings reflect that God has overlooked or even cursed us? BH – First, I'd tell you I'm right with you. That's why I start the book the way I do: I've never really experienced the warm, close feelings with God others describe. But I'd remind you that those feelings are not what God's looking for in scripture. What He's looking for, what He's longing for, is my hum- bled, obedient self. And I can obey, whether I get warm feel- ings or not. And make no mistake, this is a very real kind of love. I ex- perience it in marriage when my wife does something kind for me, even when she's not feeling anything romantic. She does it because she loves me. For some people, this whole discussion is bother- some. I try to warn people about that before they read the book. For others – many ana- lytical types, introverts, people like me on the autism spectrum – this is fantastic news. It means we can still give God what He wants. He hasn't abandoned us at all. Feelings come and go. They're not the basis for our re- lationship with God. That's great news. The truth is the truth is the truth, whether I feel it or not. AP – I try to avoid doing things that I am not good at – like praying – but you are very insistent that there is value in a ten-second prayer. Explain some of your reasoning. BH – Most definitely. I did a little poll on twitter and asked people about prayer. "How quickly do you find your mind drifting?" I got 900 responses. The most common answer? Less than a minute. People associate – as they always have – long public prayers with righteousness. But I find it interesting that when Jesus prayed in public, he said, "Do it like this..." and he prayed a prayer that takes all of 25 seconds. That's it! So I want to pop the idea 5that everyone else is so right- eous, and that we're the only ones with our minds drifting. God is so kind, so tender, that He understands our flitting and flittering minds. Even ten seconds can do a lot: It reminds us who we are, and who God is, and plugs us back into reality. It's a gesture of humility, and God listens to us, and He can affect change. And prayer is obedience, plain and simple. Sometimes, our ten-sec- ond prayers wind up going a lit- tle longer, too. If we wait for the perfect half-hour to pray, it often just doesn't happen at all. AP – Is it possible that your book offers hope, inclusion and truth to cool, gregarious, funny, loud and popular people? I’m wondering if maybe there is a special fear and/or yearning in those who “should” be living the dream but just aren’t? BH – Nope. No hope for them. Kidding! Seriously, I think this book is going to be very, very reas- suring for anyone who wants to follow Christ but is wondering, "Why doesn't God talk out loud to me? Where is He? Where are the feelings? What's wrong with me?" I'm sure that will be some outgoing, "cool" people, too. As an Aspie (someone with As- perger's Syndrome) I don't, you know, "understand" cool peo- ple, but I can still try to love them. I think there's a deep yearning in all of us for close- ness with God, and for those who really want Him, they're going to have that. But right now, the wedding hasn't hap- pened. We're betrothed. We're waiting, and we sense something isn't com- plete yet. I think that's under- standable, and it's part of living in the meantime, before we are home with Him. Connect with your com- munity at MisfitBook.com and the BrantHansenPage on Facebook Anitra Parmele is a free- lance writer in South Florida and regular contributor to the Good News. She can be reached at
[email protected] . &RORVVLDQV ³$9´ UDWHG E\ SHHUV 0DUWLQGDOH +XEEHOO \HDUV VHUYLFH LQ 6RXWK )ORULGD 5HDO HVWDWH FRQWUDFWV FORVLQJV DQG WLWOH %XVLQHVV FRXQVHOLQJ ,QFRUSRUDWLRQV //&¶V /LPLWHG SDUWQHUVKLSV &RQWUDFW SUHSDUDWLRQ %XVLQHVV DQG FRQWUDFW GLVSXWHV 5HDO HVWDWH GLVSXWHV DQG OLWLJDWLRQ /DQGORUG 7HQDQW Brant Hansen