Hi Kristin,

As always, I enjoyed and am challenged by your writing.  This time especially referring to "The Problem with letting people speak for God."  I appreciated very much the two steps of personal growth that you shared near the end.  Three comments:

(1)  As one of those "professionals" referred to in several of the responses, let me assure everyone that we are not more "holy" than others.  I know many sisters and brothers with simpler, more direct, and more loving faithfulness than I have ever been able to muster even with God's help -- even though , I really care about continuing to grow.  So, I would say, please never be intimidated by a "God professional," there is no such person.  Like experts in all other fields, even the most expert biblical language scholar, counselor, church administrator, meditation technicques guru, or media communicator is only an expert in that specific area, not in faithfulness to the living God.  Never let any religious leader try to tell you differently.  I have known many, and they have all been, like me, at best seekers for more of God, and at worst arrogant spokespersons for that which is not really God.
(2)  There is a great Rabbinic story that emphasizes your point about growing by learning to be more who you were meant to be yourself.  A young Rabbi kept beating himself up because he couldn't be more like Moses, until the wise old Rabbi said to him, "Eli, when you stand before God, God won't ask you why you didn't live more like Moses, God will ask you why you didn't live more like Eli."
(3)  I agree about not letting "experts" overwhelm us and intimidate us about what God is saying to us.  But, we do have to live in a polarity that is dynamic and risky.  We cannot let others speak for God as though they were God, and yet at the same time most of what God speaks to us comes through "incarnation" -- ie., through people past and present including both other people and ourselves.  God's chosen method of communicating is through people.  People are God's method, means, and purpose.  That is why it is so important that we push one another to both hear and speak in terms of the big picture of God who loves us enough to love us as we are, and also loves us enough to push us to keep being more the wonderful person we are made to be.

Again, thanks Kristin for pushing all the right buttons.  You often do!

Ron