Message from the stream: Go with the Flow
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As the water flowed by it was as if it looked at me as I looked at it. Captivated by the stream’s voice, I listened as it began to speak to me. There seemed to be a dialogue going on that could only be heard in my spirit. Was I transformed into the stream or was it transformed into me? I wondered. In my spirit, it appeared that this stream knew of my life struggles. Yet, it repeatedly said to me, “Go with the flow.” As I kept my eyes on this flowing stream, I saw debris and obstacles in its way—a dirty rag, stones and broken branches. Yet, it kept on flowing over and around these unavoidable barriers. I saw where other smaller streams joined the larger stream and my mind saw them as a source of strength in the flow. A stream of water with its history of providing calm and peace became a source of power as it dealt with the debris.
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About the Book
Ruby Radford, in her book, Message from the Stream—“Go with the Flow,” takes the reader on a spiritual journey by way of her encounter with a stream at a spiritual retreat. Her book is filled with inspiration and motivation for Christians who may become stalled on their spiritual journey. Using her gift as a poet, she interjects poetry and short stories to help tell her story. In the introduction she asks the reader to “trust in the Creator of streams of life,” as a prerequisite for the faith journey that unfolds in the book.
As a student in a spiritual direction class while in seminary, the class, along with the professor, traveled to a retreat site in Pennsylvania “to practice the presence of God.” Following the instructions of the professor, the students stood on a hillside in silence overlooking a stream of water. While looking at the stream, Ruby engages in a dialogue with the stream. Obedient to the voice from the stream to, “go with the flow,” she relaxed and spiritually flowed with the stream. During the flow, situations and circumstances that had caused a leak in her faith became plugged with the knowledge that God knows and is with her. In other words, she was not walking alone. The voice from the stream encouraged her to stay on the path that she was traveling and made it clear that the Holy Spirit would help navigate her through the debris and obstacles that sought to interrupt her flow. She comes away from the stream with a better understanding of her call to ordain ministry in light of the physical, mental, and spiritual interrupters that sought to alter her walk. She comes out of the experience advocating for spiritual direction teaching as a means to aid Christians in establishing a closer relationship with God. She comes away from the retreat with her own personal definition of faith, “Faith is not just a statement that one makes but is the life that one lives in concert with the Holy Spirit.”
As the book comes to an end, Ruby offers spiritual disciplines suggestions of retreat (alone time with God), and praying (talk to God about everything, all the time), as necessary practice to draw closer to God. Adding these disciplines to those of reading the Bible and meditation, the reader has a good starter kit for spiritual direction practice. Practice is at the core of spiritual direction. Practice does not make perfect but it does make closer our relationship with God.
About the Author
Ruby Radford is the owner of RLR Enterprises Training and Development and an Ordained Minister. She is the author of, “Teaching…But Nobody is Learning: Create A Teachable Moment,” a tool for teachers and “Remember Me…I Am the Customer,” a human resource tool. She is also a poet and has produced a CD, “Don’t Just Exist— Live.” As a motivational/inspirational speaker, she has inspired many audiences and congregations. She holds the following degrees, a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies: Human Relations and Business; a Master of Education and a Master of Arts in Family Ministry. She is a graduate of Winebrenner Theological Seminary in Findlay, Ohio.
With a passion for teaching and a background in instructional design, Ruby customizes and facilitates workshops on a variety of subjects. She resides in Toledo, Ohio. Visit her website: rubyradford.com. Email: rubyradford@sbcglobal.net .