Leading by the Holy Spirit and French Press Coffee

Last Friday I had the privilege of facilitating a session at my national Communion's annual conference. The session I was asked to facilitate was entitled "Lead by the Holy Spirit."

Before I began my session people were milling about the room on the mid-morning break. I was scurrying around setting three places at a cafe table positioned at the front of the room. Featured was a plate of pumpkin bread and brownies and a French Press coffee maker.

I asked for two volunteers to join me at the table. I began to make the coffee and explained to the group in the session that my context of leadership would be different than most of theirs, however the application would be very similar. At the end of the steeping time, we pressed the coffee and had a sip. Had my 2 volunteers note the aroma and flavor of the coffee.

Then I had them take a bite of the pumpkin bread, followed by a sip of the coffee. This was followed by another sip of coffee to "cleanse the palate," then the same steps were repeated for the brownie. I asked them if they noticed a difference in the flavor of the coffee. They both responded the coffee was subtley accented in a different way by the food which preceded the sip.

I looked at the gathering of clergy and lay people and said, "This is a life of leading by the Holy Spirit - it is rife with subtleties." When many people talk about living, and leading, by the Holy Spirit they think about mighty, blatant, and outward signs and words. The reality, which many people realize further, is, much like Elijah, found in the whisper - the still, small voice. It is, as Dr. Leonard Sweet's latest book is entitled, the "nudge."

Oh, Lord, may I be sensitive to your holy whisper, to the gentle nudgings of your Holy Spirit. Amen.