Face to face: It’s the meaning of life if you’d care to experience it.

God, I’d like to hear more of what you think, talk one on one with you more, just sort of be with you more.

I know you would, and that means a lot to me.

Truly?

You know that. Relax. I like being with you, and of course I always am, but the desire to be with me more means a lot to me and it will count for a lot in the millennia to come where you get to be with me face to face.

I’m sorry, God, but this traditional idea of heaven, the one where we stand with millions of others singing at you, I’m sorry, but it sounds boring.

After this talking back and forth with you, face to face, all that praise and worship stuff is, well it’s nice I guess, but it’s not talking with you is it? It’s like being at a rock concert with the woman you love as opposed to just walking and talking with her on your own.

I know exactly what you mean.

You do?

Of course I do, I put that desire in you, I built you that way.

Me?

Everyone. The desire for face to face is in everyone if they’ll just reach down inside themselves, past the fun of group worship, to the need for the depth of one on one.

Good, because I want to be walking with you, talking with you, I want to pick your brains, God, on so many things…

I want to pick yours too.

Aye?

I want to know what you think, about all sorts of things, I want to ask your advice.

Good grief, God, if anyone ever read that I think you want to pick my brains… they’d think I was arrogant beyond measure, even the super-church pastors, the ‘Mr Bigs’ of Christianity, wouldn’t pretend in public that you wanted their advice.

That’s unfortunate, I want everyone’s advice.

No, no, no, God, this can’t be you. No way! 

Well, be that as it may, it’s me. I want your advice.

But you know what I think, you know what everyone thinks.

Yes, I do, but I want to hear it in conversation, to ponder it.

Why though? I don’t get it.

Think of it this way, you know, roughly, what your wife thinks — what she think about all the things that are most important to you? Go on, admit it, you’ve spoken of those things together so often.

What’s your point, God?

You know what she thinks, but you want to hear it from her, again. It’s like that James Taylor song, I want to hear you speak, to hear how your words sound, just you and me, one on one.

Really?

Yes, really. When you’re with the one you love, hearing the words that you already know are coming; that’s the most beautiful thing. I want to hear you speak, just you and me, one on one. And that, more than any imagined ‘spiritual holiness’ is why you hunger for one on one with me.

Yes, sure, singing at me can be a moving experience; emotive and moving like a rock concert, but talking, face to face, you and me… aaah, there is the meaning of life.