Eva was a devout Christian, very into the Bible and could quote appropriate Scripture (chapter and verse) for just about any occasion. I, however, had come from a New Age (or self-sufficiency belief system) and had not read much of the Bible, but I did love Jesus Christ. I just didn't know the Word and therefore, didn't fully know enough about Him.

My wife had a job at a local label printing facility and went off to work each day. I, however, had a retirement income and stayed home, took care of the domestic jobs, and was there when my daughter came home from school. I found, after I got my jobs done, that I had time on my hands. What was I to do?

I began to pray to God on a regular basis, every day. I truly wanted to do His will, not mine. I wanted to be able to hear Him and I even prayed often, "Lord, is it possible to hear you…even in this world? I know the Bible is packed with your advice for me to hear, but if You reside in me, as the Holy Spirit, can I hear You personally?" As I prayed from the bottom of my heart, often the tears rolled down my cheeks.

One day, I was reading the Bible and I came upon some verses in 1st Chronicles about casting lots. I wondered if God could still give us information today, in that way. I had been praying about something and I took a coin out of my pocket, closed my eyes in a deep and humble prayer, and flipped the coin. I knew that, for me, heads would mean Yes, and tails, No. I felt God's Presence with me and realized, if God truly wants us to know His will, He, the inventor of the world, gravity, the hand that made the coin, my thumb, and all other aspects that make up the process of flipping a coin, then He can surely use it to convey His will to me.

Quietly, at first, I began using it to make personal decisions that I didn't have an investment in. In other words, if I didn't care which way it went, but still wanted to do God's will, I would prayerfully relinquish to Him the manipulation of my coin flip, knowing I would go with whatever He said to me in this manner. I knew I was committing to God a trust and showing Him, by my actions, that I desired to hear Him with all my heart. In other words, even if there was nothing to the idea that we can flip a coin and know God's will, at least He would know I was sincere in wanting to know His will. Over time, I began to trust God's ability to use this method more and more. Eventually the Holy Spirit softened my heart, loosening my grip on the carnal, and encouraged me to ask about important things I DID have an investment in. What I mean by "having an investment in" is this: If something is embedded in the framework of your life that could be considered carnal in nature and you are totally unwilling to give it up, then you have an investment in it. I was beginning, at the beckoning of the Holy Spirit, to even ask about some of my investments in this world.

Much later, when I got more certain of what I was doing, I invited Eva into my confidence and she began talking to God in this way. It was always after a humble prayer and a complete relinquishment of our own will, desiring only to serve under our almighty and sovereign God, that we asked Him things in this way. I began journaling the significant answers we were getting, as well as insights into the nature of God because, if it is really Him speaking to us, as the fruit of our experiences bear out, then one can truly come to know His will (which is always verifiable in the Bible).

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