Last night I had a vivid dream. I was in Galilee. It was dark, at night with little moonlight. As my eyes adjusted to the low light, I saw a figure at a bit of distance walking slowly, touching various plants, rocks, etc. It was more like a loving caress.
I heard a voice saying, "This is how he did it. He knew the Divine is in all things, and you can hear Divine Wisdom everywhere, once you know how to listen. Honor each rock, each scrub, each tree, each animal, each person. Tenderly observe and touch. Be open. I am there, waiting to speak to all who would listen."
My mind went back to the 7 year old me who make friends with the first snail I had ever seen. I spent a long time observing and listening and learning. I thought about the tree that gave me relief in my grief (I wrote about that a couple of weeks ago). I thought about one of my techniques for teaching homiletics. I used to let my eye fall on anything, I mean anything - from a door knob to a trashcan. Then I'd say You have 5 minutes to put together a 5 minute sermon using the ____ as your inspiration. It always worked.
So, I affirm from my life experience that God is everywhere, and when we are teachable, of pure heart and above ego (except as you become like a little child) God speaks from every speck of creation, and astoundingly, we can hear.
The first task is emptying ourselves and finding the pure openness that has no agenda. Come to life's moment as a teachable being. Nona Brooks said that we begin with - it's all me, then it's mostly me with a little God, then its both, then it's mostly God and a little me, and finally it's all God.
As we honestly look at ourselves, we know where we are in that process. Onward...