Jonathan, it's the Holy Spirit on Line 1

One fundamental construct of most denominations of Christianity that I have always had difficulty wrapping my brain around is the Holy Trinity, the idea that God is one and is three in one: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I thought "if the Holy Spirit is God, why doesn't the Father just talk to me and smack me in the head instead?" "If Jesus is God, who was he praying to in the garden at Gethsemane?"

At one point someone attempted to explain that the Trinity is like an apple. There is the core, the flesh, and the skin, each are apple but none are completely the apple and in and of themselves are the whole of the apple. Where the metaphor loses me is that the core, flesh, and skin are parts of the apple and not the whole apple whereas it has been explained to me that the Father, Son, and Spirit are wholly and completely God, not simply parts.

It's not additive, Father (1) + Son (1) + Spirit (1) = 3 but rather multiplicative: Father (1) x Son (1) x Spirit (1) = 1. Then I read an explanation which provided a lot more clarity. Even if it's a stretch, heck, it worked for me. Picture water. It exists in the natural world in three different states dependent on temperature, gas vapor, liquid water, and solid ice. Each are completely and totally water in one form of another; it's just that each have unique properties with unique and critical functions.

God, the Father, Creator, the Alpha and the Omega, the Almighty, the Great Judge, Abba, The Most High who created the heavens and earth and all that dwell in them. Lord of Lords

God, the Son, Jesus, Wonderful, Counselor, the holy Messiah who redeemed the people of God's sins by sacrificing of himself, bringing God's people out of the darkness, uniting them once again with the Father and reserving their place before the throne in Heaven.

God, the Spirit, who is God dwelling within us, giving conviction of sin, comforting us, growing us in Christ, and speaking to us, giving love, peace, understanding, and inspiration.

The latter has been moving in me a little more often than I had previously felt (or more likely, than I had previously noticed). And it probably helps that my understanding of the Spirit has grown as well. Previously I thought that God was speaking to me through the Spirit only if I was holding snakes, speaking in Mandarin, or flailing my arms like I was seizing.

But it's not always that way. Sometimes it is just the "gut feeling". Sometimes it is a voice of reason in your head that won't go away. Sometimes it is the chills that move over you when singing during worship. The clarity of thought when reading Scripture. Or the sense that you should, no, must do something.

It has moved me to help with our church youth, to reach out, to volunteer hours when I was "tired", to juice fast with my wife in support when I was "hungry", to give when I thought I couldn't. And the experience has blown me away.

Want my advice on a way to feel a better and closer connection to God? A way to know the love and compassion the Father had when he sent His Son? To know Jesus, His love, His mercy, and His sacrifice? Let the Great Communicator tell you all about it. God has put His moral compass inside of you. It is one of His greatest gifts. Listen to your gut. God's in there, waiting to be heard.

Time to listen. Pick up on line 1.