enjoy the presence of God

As I sat in the vehicle early one morning I pondered the sights and sounds of the day. It was a beautiful day. The colors of the season are pretty and bright. The temperature was kind and comfortable, but wasn’t comfortable was the distraction draws my attention pretty often.

People share all kinds of things with their pastor. It is not always easy to hear or understand. Pastor’s also have insight or learn about difficult situations that tear a part the lives of people we care so much about.

Literally we have seen the affects of sin and poor choices wreck lives, families and situations. Still sitting in the vehicle with music playing I am overwhelmed with the grace of God. He accepts me and others. He forgives sin and offers grace. There is no end to the stories and how those stories grab my heart. They speak of second chances, strong finishes and renewed vision but begin with failure, pain are struggles.

It is time to turn to God. Hear His voice. Seek His face. Enjoy His presence.

Psalm 15 NLT

Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.

Did you catch that last line? These people will stand firm forever. Those people who seek the Lord, those who accept His grace and those who point others to Him will be standing strong.

The points of this chapter remind us of His righteousness and how it transforms our lives. Left to ourselves and our own ways we will hurt ourselves and others. As we see our shortcomings and acknowledge our need for God we will receive His grace.

Being blameless is always right. Seeing that our thoughts and words and example are turning constantly toward God.

Think of it this way: we are welcome in the presence of God. Not only are we welcome there, but God is inviting us to enjoy time with Him. Time with God changes our lives and those around us. May that be the case.

May our time with God help us stand firm and proclaim His unending grace!

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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