Exploring Intimate Theology

Beliefs of the Heart invests in Intimate Theology, drawing each of us into meeting God in every area of our lives.

Latest Articles

Read our articles with the idea of connecting with God, an intimacy with the eternal.

We Are All Addicts

May 24, 2023 by Sam Williamson

Cynthia Heimel was a writer who lived in New York in the 70’s. She knew actors and artists before they became famous, while they were still bussing …

What Do We Urgently Need Most?

May 10, 2023 by Sam Williamson

Six or seven years ago, an acquaintance of mine embezzled ten thousand dollars. He had uncovered a billing mistake in a major project, and the …

What Can Westboro Baptist Teach Us about Grace?

April 19, 2023 by Sam Williamson

Have you heard of Westboro Baptist? They picket military funerals to protest gays. Their website is, “god hates fags dot com”. (I can’t bring myself …

Are We Teaching Selfishness?

April 12, 2023 by Sam Williamson

When I was nine years old, I hit my sister. (I’m sure she deserved it). My parents were not happy. They sat me on the sofa. They told me that my …

Click here for more articles

Cornerstone Content

The following articles represent key categories of my expressions of Intimate Theology: Hearing God, Grace and Morality, Nurturing the Life of God in Us, understanding Cultural Creep, and Christian Leadership.

Hearing God: Conversation Is the Point

August 25, 2021 by Sam Williamson

When I was growing up, my dad taught me to sail our small Sunfish sailboat. We took month-long summer vacations. We always camped on lakes, so we …

I Wonder If Sunday School Is Destroying Our Kids

July 23, 2013 by Sam Williamson

Several years ago I met with a woman distraught by her son’s rejection of Christianity. She said, “I did everything I could to raise him right. I …

The Secret of Connecting With Another Soul

July 28, 2021 by Sam Williamson

Early in my career, a client asked me to meet with her president for an hour-long lunch. Her president was an industry innovator, but, she told me, he …

I Wonder if Our Agendas Crucify the Life of God Within Us

October 18, 2016 by Sam Williamson

Seven years ago I met a mother in anguish because her smart, capable son was living in an abandoned house, playing reggae music on the streets, and …

When Obedience Doesn’t Make Sense

May 17, 2016 by Sam Williamson

When my family moved to Detroit, the summer between my first and second grade, Tommy was the first friend I made. He too was the son of a pastor—so we …

The Starving Lion

November 1, 2016 by Sam Williamson

A business owner I barely knew once phoned to see if we could meet. He was an aggressive entrepreneur, a roaring lion among his peers. Yet on the …

Hearing God in Conversation

Learn More about Hearing God

Almost everyone I meet longs to hear more from God. Sometimes it’s for direction and sometimes simply to know his presence. But we have concerns (How do I know it’s really God’s voice?) or we just don’t know how to recognize his voice.

Begin the engagement!

Buy Now

Learn More

What people have said about, Hearing God in Conversation:

Eugene Peterson

Pastor and Author

I picked up your book out of curiosity and I couldn’t put it down–and I read it straight through. (It made me late for dinner.)

Gary Wilkerson

President World Challenge

This is a remarkable book. It’s filled with humor, insight, and sound theology. I highly recommend Hearing God in Conversation.

Wayne Jacobsen

Pastor and Author

If you want to grow in your ability to recognize how God makes himself known to you, I can’t recommend a better guide than Sam’s Hearing God in Conversation.

Learn about: Is Sunday School Destroying Our Kids?

Don’t worry, I don’t think it is. But it can. God is calling us into an child-like intimacy with the Father which we need to continually soak in. We need an Abba and we need the Father.

What is the difference between Christianity and mere morality?

The world needs morality. Oppression thrives when consciences are abandoned. But we need more than morality. We need the gospel of grace.

How do we grow in grow in grace without abandoning morality; how can we be moral without becoming moralistic, and how do we grow in morality through a grace-fueled life?

Join thousand of readers who have delighted in this story-filled, thought-provoking book on grace, and who have grown closer to their Father.

What are people saying?

This is the best book I’ve read in a long time (and I read a lot of books). — LH

This is the most brilliant book I have read recently. I feel like I highlighted almost everything, because everything was wonderfully insightful and thought provoking … Thank you very, very much for this substantial book. — Jolene

Will be reading and re-reading this great book all throughout my life. – Jinwoo

This book is a must-read for every Christian, whether they are a new convert or a seasoned saint! — Michelle