Hearing God in Conversation: How to Recognize His Voice Everywhere

by Samuel C. Williamson

"I picked it up out of curiosity and I couldn't put it down."--Eugene Peterson Christians are comfortable saying that Christianity is about a relationship with God. Yet many might also say that they sense little meaningful relationship with God in their own lives. After all, the foundation of good relationship is communication--but conversation with God often seems to go only one way. We may sing of walking and talking with God in the garden, His voice falling on our ears, but few have heard that beloved voice themselves.

Sam Williamson acknowledges the fundamental human longing to hear God's voice and offers a hopeful supposition: God is always speaking--we've just never been taught how to recognize His voice. Williamson handles this potentially heady topic with his characteristic straightforwardness and leavening humor. This book deftly bridges the gap between solid biblical theology and practical application, addressing topics such as how to truly pray without ceasing, how to brainstorm with God, how to navigate our emotions, how to answer God's questions, and how to hear God's voice for others.

"Hearing God in Conversation" offers simple, step-by-step lessons on how to hear God. Williamson begins with Scripture meditation. He then expands the practice of listening for that voice everywhere--in the checkout line, on the job, in a movie theater, and even in silence. From there, he demonstrates how to hear God's guidance when making any decision. By the end, readers' eyes and ears will be opened to the limitless methods through which God speaks.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Prayer, Spirituality, Christianity, Christian Living

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2016

About the author

I am an orthodox believer. At least I want to be.Our cultural moments cloud our beliefs, so we must continually examine our current, fashionable beliefs—which are often unquestioned—in light of scriptural truth.

Here are some data points about my life:

-My father was born in China to Pentecostal missionaries. My mother was born in a farming family in Kalispell, Montana.
-Though sympathetic to the work of the Holy Spirit, my father disagreed with aspects of AOG theology. He became a Presbyterian and was a PCA pastor until his retirement in 1995. His last church was: http://www.westpca.com/.
-I studied European Intellectual History, Philosophy, and Hebrew at the University of Michigan.
-I served in missions overseas for three years and felt God say “not now.” So I moved back to Ann Arbor, Michigan and got a job at a software company. (There weren’t many jobs in 17th Century, European Intellectual history.)
-With two partners, I bought the software company and worked there as an executive and Chief Product Manager for 25 years.
-In 2007 I heard God call me to writing and speaking. I left the business world and began Beliefs of the Heart.
-I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan with my wife Carla. We have four grown children and an ever increasing number of grandchildren.

You can contact me here: http://beliefsoftheheart.com/contact/

Reviews

[Sydney Shryock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It gives a great perspective on the “simple” ways we can hear God, and also gives a really good reframe on how we should approach and view prayer. We typically approach prayer longing to get answers, when we should just long to have a conversation and connect with our loving Father. I highly recommend it!

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

His sheep know his voice. John 10:4 tells us that; yet many of us struggle to discern God's voice in the midst of daily life. Samuel Williamson, founding director of Beliefs of the Heart, has written a helpful guide to hearing God's voice everywhere.Hearing God in Conversation: How to Recognize His Voice Everywhere helps us cultivate our curiosity and attention to the ways in which God speaks to us.


Williamson begins with a story of hearing God's voice when he was just a 9780825444241ten-year-old, newly minted atheist. When God didn't strike down his girlfriend Diane for cussing, Williamson lost his faith. So he started his own experiment with profanity and living like God wasn't there. God simply said, "Sam, I'm real, and you don't understand" (24). Williamson was brought back to faith. While this experience is unique to him, Williamson believes we all have a capacity to hear God's voice. He relates the various ways people hear God. In his second chapter Williamson argues that the point of God speaking is less about directions from on high (though He is still God) and more about conversation. God wants to connect and commune with us. Williamson uses the analogy of learning sailing from his dad and the casual conversations that would spring up organically as a result (35-36).

But Williamson is also an evangelical. He gives pride of place to the Bible. Williamson wants us to read our Bibles, but not as a maintenance manual or a rule book but as an opportunity to encounter the living God. We read to commune with the living God. So he offers scriptural meditation (focusing on the one book where God clearly spoke) as a way to train ourselves to hear God's voice, "The best way to become familar with God's voice is to meditate on his Word, just as the best way to spot a counterfeit is to spend lots of time with the real thing" (61).

Along the way Williamson has lots of practical advice for listening prayer: how to recognize God, how to hear God's voice for others, hearing God's voice in the silence, and detours of life, the place of emotions, etc. Williamson opens up about his own journey of God. He shares childhood stories of learning to hear God's voice, awkward words that God gave him for others (or about others), and his process of discerning God's call to leave a stable career with a software company to pursue full time ministry. He suggests brainstorming with God (journaling) and listening to 'God's questions' in the Bible as ways to press into a deeper relationship with God.

What distinguishes Williamson's book from some treatments of listening prayer is how down-to-earth he is. He shares stories and anecdotes with good humor (occasionally this is a bit distracting). Two appendixes address the arguments against listening prayer by some conservative evangelicals and those 'questionable and excessive practices.' There are other good books on this theme (notably, Joyce Huggett's Listening to God and Brad Jersak's Can You Hear Me?, Dallas Willard's Hearing God). Williamson own influences in writing include Oswald Chambers, C.S. Lewis, Dallas Willard and Tim Keller (22). He makes a strong and helpful contribution to the topic of hearing God. The best thing I can say about a book on prayer is that it makes me want to pray. This book certainly makes want to do that.

Five stars. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Note: I received this book from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest review

[Katherine Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

For most books I read for review, I keep paper and pencil handy so I can jot notes as I go along. Not so this time — not because the book isn’t noteworthy, but because I found it so engrossing, I couldn’t be bothered with the interruption.

Williamson’s to-the-point book is solidly grounded in Scripture, augmented by the wisdom of respected Christian leaders, both contemporary and historical, and leavened with personal anecdotes. In its pages I found encouragement as well as practical help that has equipped me to practice what Williamson preaches. Two of my favorite chapters were “Brainstorming with God” and “Cultivating a Holy Curiosity;” as a writer and a mom, I found the former particularly useful, and the latter has helped me understand how my emotions can open up new avenues for hearing God’s voice.

Like Randy Alcorn in his book Happiness, Williamson approaches a potentially controversial subject with respect, addressing issues piece by piece, layer by layer — methodically but not boringly. (His two appendices — “Answers to Arguments,” and “Questionable and Excessive Practices” — are also very helpful in addressing stray concerns.) He then builds upward on the premise that hearing God’s voice regularly, everywhere, is normal for believers who are intent on pursuing meaningful, give-and-take relationship with God.

In an effort, perhaps, to stand apart from the crowd, many contemporary writers have an over-the-top, trying-too-hard style, but I did not find that the case here. Instead, Sam Williamson’s style is engaging and authentic in a way that met me right where I am, not where I think I ought to be. As I read his book, I thought more than once how pleasant it would be to sit across from him at table and enjoy a long and far-ranging conversation about God and His people, and yes, recognizing God’s voice when it speaks.

Thanks to Kregel Publications for providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.

[L.L. Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on my blog: https://lightenough.wordpress.com/

Preamble to the review: I was gifted with this book, and when I saw what it was about, I immediately felt nervous. I’ve been personally exposed to wacky “hearing from God” individuals and movements, which turned me off of the whole thing. I even had a 3-part blog series several years ago about hearing from God, critiquing the problems. In case you are not familiar with the extremism that can go on in the name of hearing from God, please know there are legitimate concerns. And being “against” hearing from God does not mean we can’t get guidance from God – of course we can – but the question is how.

Review: This book pleasantly surprised me! The author believes that we can hear from God in a variety of ways yet maintains a balanced perspective. The author openly and clearly warns about the weaknesses and potential dangers of hearing from God. This alone gives the book tremendous credibility in my opinion. The “hear from God” folks that I have known simply would not acknowledge the weaknesses. (They heard from God, and that settled it!) Weaknesses like…

* “Too many bully others with a Word from God.” (page 90) – Yep, I encountered that. I once cancelled a social meeting with a friend because I had a clue ahead of time that they were going to bludgeon me with their word from God. I learned afterwords that I was right, and was glad that perhaps God had given me the intuition about it. (See I do believe in nudges from God!)

* I also encountered a lot of arrogance – a total lack of humility to consider that maybe, just maybe, the Word they think was from God actually was not – and was instead their own selfish motives or clouded by stress, moods, or emotions. The author encourages humility and that it is better to say “I think I heard God say…” or “I might not have this right, but I wonder if God is saying…” (page 90) – Amen! The author encourages a healthy self-suspicion. “It requires extra self-examination when we hear words from God.” (page 99)

* I encountered the perspective that God is always speaking and is never silent. There was simply no place and no empathy for individuals who go through a time where God seems distant. Again, the author counteracts this and even has a chapter on the silence of God.

* Another weakness I encountered was the idea that God will always give us a direct or specific answer, or that hearing directly from God is the primary way to know what to do. Again, the author brings balance here. Some “hear from God” folks can be guilty of wanting to walk by sight, and not by faith! Sometimes we must move forward without knowing where God is leading us. The author also emphasizes that “God rarely limits his guiding voice to a single method.” (page 172) We may come to a conclusion about what to do through…using our brains (wise reasoning), prayer, seeking advice from trusted friends, searching the Scripture, trial and error, etc.

Since I just touched on searching the Scripture, the author places much focus on the primacy of the Scripture. A chapter is about the Bible, and there are frequent reminders throughout the book that the Scripture must always be the litmus test. “The only place we have certainty that the voice we hear is from God is in Scripture.” (page 69) We need to be immersed in the Scripture. “Scripture is God’s self-revelation. The better we know the truth it reveals, the more adept we become at recognizing imposters. The best counterfeits appear to be the genuine article, so the way to spot fakes is to spend lots of time handling the real thing.” (page 83).

This book has depth, but is also written is an easy-to-read style. On occasion, the author injects dry humor, and that is my favorite humor. His passion for the topic comes through – he really wants Christians to know that they can have more personal commune with God and hear from him in more direct ways. I have not mentioned the various ways that the author says that we can hear from God – that would be everything from direct words, nudging, bringing a memory to our mind, causing us to see certain words or images, visions/dreams, everyday moments, etc.

The book also has 2 appendixes which succinctly cover common concerns and questions. The author maintains balance, and that both sides need to humbly learn from each other. “Let’s listen to each other. Those who see the dangers, help us hear God in the Scripture even more. Those who believe in hearing God directly, let’s examine ourselves for intemperate excesses.” (page 196)

I recommend this book, although I still have some reservations. If you know little about this issue and the different sides, this will introduce you. If you are leery of the dangers and excesses, the book can help you see that you lose when you throw the baby out with the bath water. If you keenly believe in hearing from God directly, this book will open your eyes to ways you may have erred and may need to incorporate some humble self-suspicion into your spiritual life.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful resource on learning to hear God's voice

Author Samuel Williamson handles an important topic in a very readable, understandable, and balanced manner. In the style of authors like Dallas Willard (but much easier to read and digest), the author does a very good job of demonstrating that God is extremely relational in His very being ( He is a Trinity of Persons in constant relationship, after all) and that God desires an intimate relationship with His children. Williamson describes numerous ways ( more than a dozen ) that God communicates to us. In appendices at the end, theological positions that say God only speaks through Scripture are handled in a gracious yet thorough manner of dispute. And another appendix is devoted to addressing all of the controversies and inappropriate behaviors that come with the conviction that God is speaking to us frequently.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Note: This book was provided by Kregel Book Tours in exchange for an honest book review.]

Having previously read a book by the author [1], and finding it, somewhat ironically, to be a bit moralistic, I was not prepared for how good this book was going to be. In reading this book, it became increasingly obvious, in the best way, that this was an author who had, like me, read far too many books where people are attempting to promote Eastern transcendental meditation [2], and he decided to write a book promoting a biblical view of meditation, and it manages to be a stellar book on Christian mysticism, a recognition that we must remain humble about the communication we think we receive from God and check it against the clear and unambiguous divine revelation. Here is a book that manages the trick of encouraging people to listen to and be sensitive to the gentle nudge of God without going hog wild about supposed private revelations that contradict what the Bible says. It is remarkable there are not more books like this one about the subject of spiritual communication, but part of what makes this book so good is that its principles about communicating for God work also address matters of communication with other people.

There are eighteen chapters and two appendices to this book, which takes up about two-hundred pages. The author moves in a systematic fashion from the origins of his faith in his family background, the first time he heard God's voice, the importance of conversation with God [3], how to recognize the voice of God, the purpose of scriptures, Christian meditation, speaking to listen, brainstorming with God, hearing God's voice for others, hijacking conversations, asking questions as a way of connecting with God, cultivating a holy curiosity, knowing how to be sure one is listening to God's voice, developing a friendship with God, understanding the emotions and experiences of God, seeing how God speaks in the detours of our life, hearing God in the ordinary aspects of life, looking at how God shouts in silence, and appreciating the God who guides. The appendices deal with answers to arguments over whether we can expect direct communication with God in our contemporary age, and a sober look at questionable and excessive practices in contemporary Christian mysticism, a thoughtful place to look for those who have concerns about there being any role for God speaking to us here and now.

Although the author is a remarkably tough-minded person, who feels free to criticize certain aspects of contemporary culture, particularly the excesses of Pentecostal worship and the way that some people seem to get a high out of experiences without finding appreciation of God's ways in more settled aspects of life. What is a revelation about this book is the way that the author is able to discuss his own spiritual life, and the way that he sought the counsel of others in discerning God's voice rather than seeing spiritual communication as a way to go it alone, and how he sought to deal with what he perceived to be divine hints and nudges and gentle pokes in a spirit of humility, viewing it as a way of providing gracious comfort and encouragement to other people. This book is a deeply encouraging one for those who wish to read how to better communicate with God, and see how communication with God can lead us to be more sensitive and understanding with the people around us, which is a great part of the goal of any spiritual improvement in our lives.

[1] See, for example:

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[2] See, for example:

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[3] See, for example:

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[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Samuel C Williamson offers his own experiences and those of others to ground his book, Hearing God In Conversation, in the real and the everyday of human life. We won’t all hear voices, he says. We won’t all see visions of glory. But we can all learn to listen better and to hear the message of God, spoken, whispered, resonating in circumstance, nudging our thoughts and actions, bringing wisely inspiring memories to mind just when we need them, and gently guiding. We don’t need to be “spiritual giants” to do this. But we do need to believe God really cares.

The author starts with the art of communication—of conversation—with a God who can truly speak all our languages (body language, love language, everything). Highlighted tidbits offer immediate takeaways, breaking up the page and drawing the reader in. Short sections keep the text flowing smoothly and inject their message as quickly and clearly to casual reader as to careful annotator. Meanwhile familiar metaphors are shown wanting—the Bible as “owners’ manual” for example—when they speak of a God who really wants to know us.

Paraphrase, prayer and meditation are offered as guides. Scripture, tradition and famous speakers of the past join the conversation. Care and concern for spiritual truth keeps the reader grounded, protecting against spiritual excess while promoting invaluable practice in listening and praying. Readers will learn to recognize the biases that hold them back, drop pretensions, and cultivate holy curiosity, all in conversation with a God who loves to answer. As the author points out, we don't need to hide anything from God; we need emotion as well as knowledge—it’s the way we’re made. We need the past as well as the present if we’re to move to the future. Then, one day, the everyday might seem so much more when it’s shared with the creator.

Hearing God In Conversation is a very practical book, enjoyably written, easy to read, Biblically honest, and spiritually uplifting. I really enjoyed it.

Disclosure: A group at church is learning from this book, but I couldn’t join in, so I bought a copy for myself.

[Dottie Parish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samuel Williamson in his book Hearing God in Conversation affirms the primary importance of hearing from God via Scripture but goes on to encourage believers to cultivate an ear for hearing from God and having conversations with God in a variety of ways. His parents taught him how to hear God and he assumed everyone expected to hear from God directly.

This is an excellent book, true to the Word and also citing the fact that God wants a personal relationship with us. This means we can converse with him daily; we can dialog with God, not just share our thoughts but “hear” (in our minds) from him as well. The author’s convincing unfolding of this idea is inspiring. He weaves his own life stories thorough out as well as citing many biblical examples.

Chapter titles include: The First Time I Heard God’s Voice, Conversation is the Point, How to Recognize the Voice of God, What are Scriptures for?, Brainstorming with God, God Speaks in Our Detours, Hearing God in the Ordinary, God Shouts in His Silence and The God Who Guides and more. He also includes two excellent appendixes Answers to the Arguments and Questionable and Excessive Practices.

Williamson says that sometimes God will nudge us to make a phone call, sometimes we’ll hear a verbal message and sometimes we see a picture. He tells of his grandfather in 1915 seeing red capital letters which spelled the name of a province in China. He prayed and felt called to be a missionary. He lived in that very province for two decades and planted four China inland churches. (Pg 31)

Williamson notes that God guides us with his voice in conversation but he also carefully orchestrates our lives. There is much good information in this book that can teach us how to hear God in conversation and recognize and better know our mighty God.

[Davyd Gosselin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hearing God in Conversation (Kregel Publications, 2016) by Samuel C. Williamson features tips on how to hear God. Everyone wants input on major life decisions from the Big Guy, Williamson offers a primer on how to go about it and dispels some of the more dubious practices on the way. The author of Is Sunday School Destroying our Kids? faces head on a potentially dangerous gift in churches today.



The author's parents steeped him in "God Listening" from an early age which raised his awareness. At a young age he experienced a St. Paul-like moment that convinced him he had a gift. Subsequent to the revelation, he exercised the gift gradually in overt and covert ways with more or less success. He shared words intended for specific people. Some received it well others looked at him with unease, confused why God would share something with him and not with them.



Which leads us to one of the main difficulties with hearing God: If we have personal relationship with God as Evangelicals say, why wouldn't he speak to all of us, not just those with a spiritual gift? Williamson claims God does speak to all of us, but we don't or can't listen, so God gives some the gift to hear better. Furthermore, the "still, small voice of God" doesn't take good hearing, but understanding of who God is, discernible through studying the "Word" (Scripture). However, let's be clear, even the laziest Christian knows the prophet Isaiah (chapter 55) maintains no one can understand God's ways.



Who knows the difference between divining the future and God's input on future events? A slippery subject the author deflects by stating we must be able to discern four voices: God's, the world's, the devil's and ours. Tough skating for even the most contemplative of monks. On the other hand, thankfully, Williamson points out God speaks through bushes, donkeys, books, movies, coincidence, random remarks, etc. We will not hear the voice of Morgan Freeman like in "Bruce Almighty", but rather a quickening of the pulse or tingling chest sensations.


Overall, the book raises many salient points with clear, logical insight, avoiding anecdotal and sensationalist nonsense endemic to the subject.

[Debs Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession: I found it in a thrift store and was compelled by the title. But, the combination between the unfamiliar author and the strange cover art would have caused me to put it down if not for Eugene Peterson's endorsement, so I bought it. I got home and was pleasantly surprised it was also endorsed by my old boss Geo. Verwer. So, I read it and I can't say enough good things about it & I have no doubt I will read it again. If we want to be in conversation with God all of the time then we are going to have to consider many forms of hearing from God, after all, I don't read my Bible when walking through Hobby Lobby but God has spoken to me there. This book is so jam-packed with good information that I would often put it down simply because I wanted to absorb what I read before moving onto the next thing. I wish I could say that I have conversation with God mastered after reading this, but it's still a process and I am still learning and will keep on that path until I die and not only will I re-read this in the course of that process but I will also use it as a reference.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not at all what I was expecting, but definitely much better than my expectations. Learned not just about prayer, but life in general. Validated some of my own thoughts and feelings and encouraged me to deeper my relationship with Christ. While I didn’t always agree with everything he said or I needed to spend more time developing my own opinion on certain matters, this book was definitely worth reading.

Also as a counselor, it offered a lot of truths relevant to the counseling field that I will take with me.

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only books I give 5 stars are books I will read again and can unconditionally recommend to others. This book fits both requirements easily.
Sam does a great job breaking down the different ways we hear God and makes it accessible for people new to listening to His voice.
The focus of my daily prayer times are now more centered on my relationship with God and I hear Him speaking more to me during prayer and through the day.

[Kevin Megill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on hearing God's voice in our lives. Balanced, practical, rich with wisdom. Good theological framework for understanding the many different ways the Holy Spirit speaks to us.

Theologically location: He assumes that sometimes God regularly speaks to Christians in both charismatic and non-charismatic traditions, so "strong cessationists" ("We should never say God speaks to us except when we mean through the exegesis of the Scriptures.") would probably just be bugged by the book.

[Mr R J Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear narrative on hearing God

This book is well written and easy to follow. The author writes about the subject with passion and experiential knowledge. I was looking for more Biblical and relational understanding of the subject and the title caught my eye and delivered the necessary revelation on this subject. I highly recommend this book both in his it's written and the way the subject is dealt with.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I didn't really learn anything new, and the author talks a lot about his accomplishments in life, which was annoying and not endearing. Also, anyone who mentions Ann Voskamp (the one who wrote about "making love to God"-oh my-so wrong and offensive) as someone who inspires him is not someone I will ever be able to fully relate to.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samuel Williamson's book aids each reader in growing closer to God by hearing Him through meditation, questions, conversations, brainstorming and the still, small voice. And sometimes through His silence. Excellent insights, helpful illustrations/examples.

[Carrie Whelpley · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the writer's voice is not my favorite, I did not pick up this book to savor delicious prose but to gather stories on how others feel they recognize the voice of God. For this, I got what I came for: personal stories of both success and failure, general guidelines held with a fairly open hand, and references to some trusted older voices.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best I have read on the topic. I will be starting again at the beginning to glean any nuggets I may have left behind.

[Patrick Ede · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outside of the Bible, this book has had the most impact in my life. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

[Hannah Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love. Ignore the strange looking cover and read this book! 😁

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very grateful for the concrete and practical nature of this book. It not only helped me understand how to hear God, but made me want to!

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should Christians be hearing from God today? Williamson's answer is a resounding, “Yes.” Hearing God is meant to be an ordinary experience for Christians. “God saved us to have a conversational relationship with him.” (16)

Williamson writes about what he has learned and practiced. He doesn't write about visions and dreams but rather hearing God in ordinary life. He emphasizes that we must first be able to recognize God's voice and that means being in Scripture. We are then prepared to hear that same voice as God speaks through friends and others. He also helps us recognize the possibility of God's leading through events and circumstances.

Some parts of this book are nothing new. Williamson makes sure we understand the important role of Scripture in our lives, reminding us it is the best way to hear God. Being in the Word is also essential to becoming familiar with God's voice, still and quiet yet with a glorious nature. His section on meditation is excellent.

Some parts of his book were surprising to me. I had never thought of brainstorming with God. I never understood the role of curiosity in hearing God. I really like his section on what hearing God means to those in church leadership. He helped clarify living with ambiguity, not knowing for sure if we have heard God. I really liked his distinguishing between formative and summative tests. God uses the former.

Perhaps you're like me, desiring to hear God's voice yet still hesitant. We've experienced the misuse of “God told me...” Maybe you've been taught that God speaks only through His written Word now. Williamson has included two Appendixes dealing with these issues.

We are told that we can have a personal relationship with Christ but are never taught how to have that relationship. This book is a great one for pursuing a conversational relationship with Christ. It is a journey. Williamson shares many of his experiences, even ones where he missed it. He reminds us that growth in hearing God will come from practice and obedience.

I highly recommend this book to those who desire to hear from God. You'll get great teaching on how that might happen in the ordinary living of life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

[Michelle]

`Hearing God in Conversation` is a Christian Living/Spiritual Growth book written by Samuel C. Williamson. The tagline reads, `How To Recognize His Voice Everywhere`. This book has been dedicated to the author's father who taught the author how to hear God's voice.

Author Sam C. Williamson is the founding director of the Heart and author of `Is Sunday School Destroying Our Kids`? The author's purpose for writing `Hearing God in Conversation` is to inform. Hearing God in Conversation brings together the Word and the Holy Spirit, which in the Christian's life is interdependent to one another.

I find it interesting that Budda's last words were, `strive without ceasing`, and Christ's last words were, `It Is Finished`. Not only did Christ say `It Is Finished`, He invited us to walk with Him relationaly.

The author's thesis is to share in this book what he has learned about conversing with God. The author has also included an Appendix that summarizes the common arguments against and the common arguments for the belief that God speaks directly today. The references as to where the author received this information are at the back of the book under, `Notes`.

Samuel C. Williamson points out many different situations in which God speaks, but as page 33 say, `He also speaks to us when we meditate on scripture, watch a movie, counsel with friends, and driving a car, etc...

I like the style of this book, very informative without being too preachy. God guides us through conviction, insight, revelation, and daily guidance. I like the quote on page 35, `continual lectures sink relationships; conversations buoy them up.

The author shares a couple of helpful resources:

TACTS (for scriptural meditation) T= Truth A= Adoration
C= Confession T= Thanksgiving S= Supplication

Resources for meditating on God's Word (Bibles):
American Standard version
International Standard version
King James version
New International version
New Living Translation
The Message

Disclaimer: I received this book from Kregel Publishers for my honest opinion.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a book I would normally pick up. I don't read nearly enough non-fiction, and when I do it is an author I have read before, or something I am interested in. Hearing God in conversation isn't a book that would normally grab my attention. However, the author ran onto me in a Facebook group for Christian bloggers and asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing his book. I read the description and figured it was worth reading, so I said yes.

I have come to realize the ways God speaks to me are varied and numerous. Some are obvious, and others are not. Sam tackles this subject of methods God may use to speak to us, and how better to hear His voice in every day things and events. He gives no magic formulas, but does give some excellent advice on how to listen for God's voice and how to distinguish it from our own desires and the words of others.

I found the book very interesting, easy to read, and very helpful. Some of the material wasn't new to me, but Sam covered a lot that was new to me, or helped me to see something in a different way than I previously had. One area he covered that I have always been uncomfortable, is the idea of God giving someone a "word" for another person. Although the idea is still not something I am comfortable with, Sam did present it in a way that I don't find it far out as I used to.

The book ends with a section titled "Answering the arguments", which deals with the arguments from people who don't believe God speaks outside of His Word. I admit I skimmed that part, as I believe God does speak outside of His Word, but it does seem helpful to those questioning that.

I would recommend this book, it covers something that would do us all good to explore and learn more about.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one of those divinely perfect timed books! Like the cover said, at first I picked it up out of curiosity, and then it grasped me by the wrist, and said come along and read! I was surprised by how much this book reached me in so many different ways; good ways that I am extremely grateful to the author who took the time to put the words to paper for all of us. I only rated it 4 stars because at the very end of the book, the author mentions yoga, Eastern Beliefs etc...While it is his belief on those things, I think it could've been left for another book to be honest. Thanks for allowing me to be a Goodreads winner! Will definitely be passing on this book to those who, like me, were struggling to hear God.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me take the the step in in having everyday normal conversations with God. Thanks Sam.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the random tangent Williamson tacked onto the the end of the book about yoga being sinful, I really enjoyed this book. I learned so much about conversing with God. It has so impacted my life that I will overlook the weird ending in my rating.