Spring 2016 The Power of Now: Aha Moment #12 On Being Present

God said I am that I am. No time here just presence

What does it mean to be present? God is present. He always is. It's not that he was and will be but He is the God who is.

I was raised in a church who acted like God was a has been.  His new job  was waiting in heaven to come back to earth and send everyone to hell because they did not belong to this church that was started in the nineteenth century.  The way I grew up going to church was to check mark off acts of worship so we could get our gold stars for attending church and not going to hell...this week. God’s presence was never mentioned.  Growing up,  I never once thought about The concept of the present God.

How can you worship when you aren't even aware of acknowledge the presence of God?  What exactly are you even worshipping?

When I got away from that  and joined up with the charismatics, they would speak of God’s presence in worship service. Charismatic worship is totally different from what I was used to and what I’m more comfortable with. I do have my challenges with it as well because sometimes there can be too much emotionalism, but I do love that the presence of God was acknowledged.

But are we present?

How can you worship God when YOU’RE not even present? For most the ritual of church is autopilot activity.  We aren't present. God isn't present. The holy spirit isn't present either.. The loud music may be present. The light show may be present. The coffee bar may be present.. God, the spirit, and the people aren't present. This could be why most churches have turned into graveyards

Since I've quit church, I find myself thinking about God a lot more. I find myself not listening to as many podcasts by my favorite evangelists or relying on others to tell me what to think about God. I'm involved in a bible study now about not quitting and that's great. I've been following the book and finding my own aha moments in the study. I’m fully present on my own journey. Every moment I am uncovering more layers to my story and immersing myself in them instead of trying to race ahead.

Eckhart Tolle says we must not become dependent on groups, teachers, or masters for presence. He says we shouldn't become dependent on teachers and masters except during the transitional period of learning the meaning and practice of presence.

I've been fortunate to listen to some life changing teachers and I'm so thankful for their enlightened teachings but I know I can not rely on them and their words to anesthetize my journey.

Can I be real? The past few weeks have reaffirmed my belief that I expect God to do something.  its reaffirmed my belief that my job is to keep being faithful in these seemingly “little” tasks that I've been called to do. What's going on at the bottom of the mountain is not my concern yet I'm convinced something is happening

If I were not present in this moment I would have missed it. I would still be complaining and frustrated about everything because I would be ready to get to the future where it was already unraveled.  By accepting presence I've decided don't want to miss seeing how it unravels because that's going to be the story. I've said all along I want a story that I could not have manipulated or made happen. I want people to be like HOW did that happen? This is unbelievable.

Didn't I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believed???

If I were focused on the future and trying to manipulate what I thought the story should be then I would be focused on trying to make it happen but I'm not in that business anymore .  I'm  focused on what God has called me to in this moment because this moment contains all moments

There was a song that used to get me every time in church over at Shiloh church and it encapsulates this strong belief that I have right now. The Great I am is here! The Great I am is here NOW. I've surrendered and let him do his thing. I expect God to do something  His presence must be all over the something. I feel his presence so strongly in my life right now saying: just keep going. Don't worry about the details.Just stay faithful. When I move everything will change and you won't ever be the same. You will see my glory if you believe!

You are here

You are here now

Have your way

As we bow down

Take control here and now!