Day 38

This week I talked with a friend who has followed Jesus faithfully for decades. He has been chronically ill for the past several months. The constant physical pain has at times taken a toll on his emotional and spiritual reserves. Any of you who have experienced chronic pain for a long time would identify with him.

He said recently the pain was so intense and the illness so unrelenting that he had periods of time when he wondered if God had forsaken him. When those doubts came he drew upon what he had learned was true about God from the years he had spent cultivating the Lord's daily presence. His years of intentionally walking with God enables him to remember that God continues to love him and be with him even when his painful experiences seem to contradict those truths.

As we continue to practice the Lord's presence every day we are not only able to experience a revolution in our souls now, but we will be preparing our hearts for the day when the pain of life may threaten to blind us from what we know is true about God. The Psalmist tells us that the person who walks closely with God is blessed and that "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." (Psalm 112:7)

Pastor Bill

Day 37

The Lord has been speaking to me about my heart lately. It's very humbling to know that there are things that need to be changed in your heart, because that means that it is at the very center (or HEART) of who you are. But God has been showing me things there that need to change. A couple of verses that have gotten stuck in my mind are:

Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
-Psalm 51:10 (NLT)

-AND-

May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in Your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
-Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

There is also this song that has been working on my soul, as well. It is by Mike Crawford and it's called Center My Heart. You can listen to it over on his myspace site if you'd like, but here are some of the lyrics:

center my heart upon You, Lord
center my heart upon You

it's so easy to fall asleep in life
and let the night erase the day
the comfort of not thinking calls my name

it's so easy to sink this ship
I'm sailing on instead of digging in
and rowing through the storms of life with You, with You

center my heart center my soul
center my strength upon You, Lord
center my mind center my life
center my heart upon You

it's so easy to be the person who
will take the path and suffer less
any time there's trouble I turn back

it's so easy to bless the people who
reach out to me the harder thing
is loving those my instincts say "reject, reject"

So how is God working on you?

Day 36

Did you see it? Tuesday morning approximately 7:05am in the eastern sky. The most incredible "sailor's warning" I've ever seen. The sky wasn't just pink, it was a fluorescent mixture of red's, purple's & pinks ominously coloring the low lying cirrus clouds, that filled the entire view out my kitchen window. Wow! What an artist! "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature -have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

I was beginning to "leak." I was certain I wasn't whining or complaining, but I started noticing myself mentioning to people, just matter of fact-ly, that I hadn't been getting to service on a regular basis. In case you don't know, I love getting to service, but my position on staff requires a "buck stops here" commitment to the KIDS on Sunday morning. I believe I didn't even talk to God about it. But He knew! Last Saturday we went to a Workshop in Albany that included two 45 minute "sermons", that fit right into our 60/60 connect with God, specifically His Holy Spirit, of which I'm a big fan. Two take aways I'd like to share: (1) How many of us would Die for Jesus if "terrorists" gave us a choice. He was preaching to the choir, all hands went up. How often do we say "No" to Jesus in the little things in life, like passing by someone in need, for our own agenda. (2) How many "souvenirs from hell" do we carry around with us. Things like secular music with ungodly words & ideas but we sing because we like the melody or the beat moves us. Ouch! A challenge to go deeper! We had a great worship time led by the youth of their Church. I was being filled.
Then Sunday morning everything was totally covered during 2nd service downstairs and I could attend the adult service, albeit late. Pastor Steve did his usual awesome job connecting Truth to our real world. The best take away for me was -The World equates success with EFFORT; God's formula is SURRENDER. This blended so well with the deeper leaning on the Holy Spirit messages of the day before. To my pleasant surprise worship was at the end, I wasn't going to miss it! Tammy's leading was moving, so easy to honor our Creator.
Last night, at the Leadership Community meeting, Joshua again led us into God's presence and Pastor Steve led us in a foot washing experience that took us beyond the usual take away of servant leadership, to being willing to be open and vulnerable to letting people lay heavy, personal issues before us.
I feel like I've been to 4 Sunday Services this week. My cup is full! And I didn't even ask. Or did I? "...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Matthew 6:8 peter

Day 35

Meditate On These Things

In Psalm 19:14 David wrote, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord."

During Soul Revolution I have begun to fill my mind with Scripture and focus on the Lord's commands and promises and goodness.

This week I am focusing on His goodness while meditating on Psalm 86:
He saves.
He is merciful.
He is kind and forgiving and has great love for those who call upon Him.
He is there for me in times of trouble.
There is no one like our God ~ no works like His.
He is great and He does miracles.
He has great love for me, great love for you.
He is slow to anger.
He is full of love and faithfulness.
He is our comforter.

I need the reminders/comfort/challenges/renewal/focus/rest that meditating on His Word bring me. I am connecting to God by meditating on His goodness and thanking Him for His love. My bible study brought this quote to me this week while choosing to meditate; "To become more like Christ, mediate on who He is."

Alongside,

Lynn

Day 34

Soul Care
People are very concerned about caring for their bodies. We regularly hear all about what to feed our bodies, how to clean our bodies, how to enhance our bodies, how to exercise our bodies, and on and on. Body care is important to us.

This past Saturday, I attended a Group Life Conference in the area. One of the speakers talked about the importance of a healthy soul—Soul Care. Just as we can neglect our body care, we can also neglect our soul care. I think many of us do that.

How much time do we give to feeding our souls? Is it a Sunday thing? A few minutes a day thing? How do I receive from God? Is it enough to keep my soul alive and well or is my soul starving? These questions are from the Conference session.

In considering these questions, I was feeling very thankful for the Soul Revolution. My Soul Care is looking much better than it used to. Whew! I know connecting with God more throughout the day is feeding my soul. A lot of what I read about in my Soul Revolution book is about soul care. This week we read about how the “things” we keep hidden can effect or even cause our unhealthy behaviors and sin patterns. We are challenged to bring these things out into God’s light by doing a “Full Spiritual Inventory”. (details on page 163). I admit it is intimidating and definitely challenging. My first reaction was resistance, but I did it. It wasn’t as hard as I thought. As I began, one thought brought up another and another. As I considered the given categories (resentments, fears, moral behaviors, pride and selfishness and relational/emotional struggles) my page was filling up. I didn’t know I had so many things hidden and needing to be brought to God. And I’m sure there’s more, but it’s a starting place. I have never done this before, and I can see the benefits already. I think my soul is better groomed than it was before. Praise God! Thank you, God, for the opportunity to take better care of my soul through Soul Revolution. I’m looking forward to learning more about Soul Care in the remaining weeks. I hope you are too.
Joan

Day 32 (Posted day 33)

I was able to put my socks on without back pain today! Three weeks ago I was desperate to get out from under the pain I was feeling. If an exercise would have relieved it I would gladly have done it - anything to be able to move in normal ways without feeling like a metal band was being tightened around my lower back. During that time I was diligent to; sit correctly, ice my back in the evenings, take anti-inflammatorys and stretch multiple times during the day. Now that the pain is lessening so is my diligent attention to stretching and correct posture.

In a similar fashion there have been times where I have been desperate for God. I knew that without Him I could not go on. I was willing to do anything - confess my sin, pray late into the night, wrestle with Him over an issue - to know His presence. But when the pain that reminds me of my need for God is gone I fall back in to a pattern of doing much of life in my own strength. How shortsighted.

Today as my watch beeps my simple prayer is, "Father, I need you right now as much as at any time in my life. Thank you for being near."

Pastor Steve

Day 33

I thoroughly enjoyed our corporate worship experience last Sunday morning! There is such a great excitement when hundreds of people come together to bring an offering of worship to God through giving of their time, treasures, and talents. This week, on day 32 of the Soul Revolution I wanted to share a brief excerpt from one of my favorite books that will help you continue your worship experience for the rest of the week. Check this out:

"The revelation of God is the fuel for the fire of our worship. And there is always more fuel for the fire. When we open the eyes of our hearts, God's revelation comes flying at us from so many angles. He has revealed Himself to us in creation, throughout the history of His people and overwhelmingly at the cross. And to this day, every breath we breathe is a reminder of our maker, and every hour holds the possibility of living in His presence. We simply need to keep putting ourselves in a place where we are likely to receive this revelation."

-The Unquenchable Worshipper

-Matt Redman

Rather than sharing personal experiences, revealing passages of Scripture or just plain preaching I wanted to give you a few thoughts to consider:

1. What was the last thing that God revealed to you? Where were you when it happened? What was your emotional and spiritual response to that revelation?

2. Describe a place or an activity that seems to inspire you to pray, worship, or stop to thing about God.

3. Think of your favorite worship song and ask yourself why you like it so much. What sort of revelation does it bring? What is your response that revelation?

May you see Him in the little things, experience Him in the big things and be ever mindful of the many ways in which He reveals Himself as you continue your lifestyle of worship this week!

-Joshua

Day 31

This week God is reminding me about the importance of living all of my ordinary life with Him in mind. He doesn't expect me to do great, spectacular feats for Him. Those are not His measure of how effectively I am following Him. He is more interested in my willingness to approach the ordinary tasks of daily living, the routine matters that make up my actual life, in the manner that Jesus would approach them.

I've visited Colossians 3:17 several times recently: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

I need to keep learning that my life in Christ is not only a matter of what I do, but of how I do it. Whatever I do (and most of what I do is the routine of life) I am to do in the manner of Jesus. That helps me understand that any soul revolution that takes place in me is one that encompasses my everyday life -not only my church life or religious life. It also frees me from falsely thinking that I am of little use to God unless I am performing great and spectacular feats for Him.

I have the following quote from Oswald Chambers taped to the front of my computer:
"The thing that tells in the long run for God and men is the steady persevering work in the unseen. It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things. It does require the supernatural grace of God to live an ordinary, unobserved, ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus."

Have an exceptional ordinary revolution day!

Pastor Bill

Day 30

So today is a big perspective check for me - for us all really, and there is not really any way around it. Today you are bound to be thinking one of two types of thoughts...

(1) Wow! We are halfway through the 60 days. I wonder what the next 60 days will hold...
(2) What? We still have 30 days left! There's no way that I can keep this up...

Okay - so It might not sound exactly like that in your head, but I'm sure that as you read "Day 30", you must have had a thought similar to one of these. Today would be a great day to evaluate this experiment in your own life. Here are some questions to consider...

(1) Have I been fully committed to this experiment over the past 30 days?
(2) What has been helpful in aiding my connection/conversation with God?
(3) What has been hindered my connection/conversation with God?
(4) What has God done in my life over the past 30 days?
(5) Am I willing to be fully committed to this experiment for the next 30 days?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these questions. May you sense and follow God more as you seek Him each day!

Day 29

CONNECTING WITH GOD- I connect with God most easily in nature. After last weeks cold I couldn't wait to spend a few hours outside this week. I took a look at my hobby garden and felt disappointed. Once again my earnestness to keep after the weeds in early Summer gave way to busyness with Camp Discovery and preparation for the Fall Ministry Season and now the evidence of neglect was way too apparent. Overwhelming the corn stalks, strawberry plants and the few small blueberry bushes were weeds, weeds, weeds...everywhere. My thoughts turned to Adam & Eve...thanks for the weeds folks. Then I had the clear impression that these weeds, whose origin was hatched by sin, represented what sin does in our lives. These choking weeks were probably the reason for the very poor corn production this year. I was determined to restore my garden to health. After a few hours of pulling up the dead corn stalks, pulling out the biggest weeds by hand, cutting the smaller ones close to the ground, raking off the carnage and roto-tilling the soil, my garden was restored to Spring like condition. I saw a picture of spiritual life restored by repentance. The following day I had very itchy marks on my wrist. Acquired from hand pulling the weeds, I'm not sure if they were a reaction to a plant or perhaps spider bites from disturbing their homes, but again the impression presented itself that even though the sin is no longer a current issue in my garden, their often remains a consequence.
CONFLICT-Motivated by the 60/60 experiment a church family member came to me to communicate a conflict they had with me. When I study these best practices my thoughts only turn to how I will implement them. I never saw it coming that others would approach ME, trying to clear the air. Now two weeks in a row! I can't wait until we start talking about BLESSINGS! Do we talk about blessings?
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY- Today is the 32 wedding anniversary for me and my wonderful wife Connie! I would like to say something "Profound" about her and the incredibly positive impact she has on my life, but my proficiency with words couldn't possibly do justice to what is going on in my heart. The best compliment that comes to my mind is that I think "Our Marriage" is what God had in HIS mind when he invented the institution. Connie, you know what you mean to me!
peter
P.S.- I do not believe that there is currently anybody in my dog house, God won't let me. If you find yourself there, it is a self imposed sentence. Walk out. The door is not locked.

Day 28

Listening.

It's difficult to be still in the presence of God and listen ... for me that is true. I am usually talking to Him rather than listening to Him.

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 116:1-2. "I love the Lord, for He head my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live." I do call on the Lord. I pray daily, I listen occasionally.

My prayer life is more talking than listening and I sense that He is calling me to listen. Because He knows I need confirmation of what I sense Him telling me I usually hear from Him in a few ways regarding the same thing - I've shared that before. Well just to confirm what I am sensing in my spirit one of my devotions this week shined the spotlight on listening to God; "The cry of the human soul is never unheard. It is never that God does not hear the cry, but that man fails to hear the response. Like parts of a machine, made to fit each into the other, and to work in perfect harmony, so is the human cry and the God-response." My realization is that if I slow down, stop and listen the response that was waiting to be heard now has the chance.

For me - half way through the 60/60 I am called to be still and listen to God.

What about you? What is God saying to you half way through?

Blessings,

Lynn

Day 27

Be Encouraged

At just about the time we were into 3 weeks of the 60-60,, I found I was getting a little “stale” in my connects with God. It seemed like I was a little like the “broken record”, saying the same things each time. That bothered me. But at about that same time, God refreshed me, as only he can. Several things happened.

First at Ladies Bible Fellowship Study the devotional was on that very thing. I was given a list of scripture verses and a suggestion was made to meditate on one of them if/when we felt a little stale. That has helped a lot.

Then we paid a brief visit to Chicago where we had lived for 6 years. I found myself talking with an old friend about the Soul Revolution and the 60-60. It turns out that she already has the book, but had not read it. She was also about to start a new small group and they were looking for material to study. Through our conversation, she was excited about Soul Revolution and planned to talk to her group about it. That was so affirming.

Then during the week I had a clear leading from God. It didn’t come to me exactly as I was connecting with Him, but as people came across my path. The encouraging part is that I recognized that it was from God. I recognized that he wants me to reach out to these two people. It's very clear to me. And that’s exciting!

God’s timing in all of that was so obvious. God met me where I was. He helped me with an answer I needed, he affirmed me by using me in someone else’s life, and he gave me a “mission” going forward. Being more conscious of God’s presence has allowed me to be more aware or his activity in my life. I could easily have missed it, if I wasn’t trying so hard to tune in through the 60-60. Yes, I have to try hard. It does take effort. But I’m encouraged by the past week. May you be encouraged too.

Praying for you,
Joan

Day 25 (posted day 27)

Doing the 60/60 Experiment has me thinking about motivation. There's no question about the importance of motivation. A motivated team practices and plays at a different level than an unmotivated one. And motivation goes beyond the sports arena, it makes the difference for the student and the parent, the employee and the employer. So, I'm thinking about motivation. What is motivating me to do this experiment as a way of forming a stronger relationship with God?

The answer is: there are a number of motivators for me, all of them powerful yet some that I would call "lesser".

Here are my lesser motivations.

Guilt - Guilt is this sense of having done something wrong. This sense of failure that lingers. Sometimes I'm trying to connect to God on the hour so that at the end of the day I don't feel the weight of guilt.

Pain - Why is it that we seek God most desperately when we're in pain? Trying to understand pain and then have it go away pushes us toward God but when the pain goes away, all too often, our pursuit of God vanishes with it.

Pleasure - I enjoy so many things about the process of connecting to God. Often it happens in quietness - at this time of my life stillness is precious to me. When I connect to God my mind has the freedom to consider thoughts that go deeper than, "What is it that I need to finish before the day is over?" I treasure the chances I have to reflect. When a connection with God has taken place I experience His peace. It's better than coffee or ravioli - and that's saying something.

These are the lesser motivations of my heart. They "work". In other words, they cause me to do the thing (meet with God) that I want to do. But even as they "work", they do damage. When I act out of guilt I reinforce a distorted picture of God. When I meet with God to alleviate my pain or enhance my pleasure it's still about ME. I'm not going to discount the times I move toward God out of guilt or pain or pleasure - God, in his grace, meets me there and moves me to a better place. This better place is the place of love.

I'm convinced that love is the Highest Motivation. So as I continue in the 60/60 Experiment my goal for the next 30 days is to connect with God more and more often because I love Him.

Next week I'll write a bit about what Loving God looks like in real life. But before then I'd love to hear what motivates you and how you live out your love for God.

Pastor Steve

Day 24

There's nothing new under the sun. Our journey of connecting with God in daily life through the Soul Revolution is as old as the Scriptures themselves.

It has also been the experience and endeavor of many followers of Jesus through the centuries. Brother Lawrence was an unknown Lay brother among the Carmelites in Paris in the late 1600's. Following his conversion to Christ as a teenager he made it his goal to maintain an ongoing constant connection with God so as "to walk as in His presence."

Following are a few excerpts from letters that he sent to a friend as he described his habit of constant communion with the Lord. The language is a bit archaic but still meaningful.

"In order to form a habit of conversing with God continually, and referring all we do to Him, we must first apply to Him with some diligence; but after a little care we should find His love inwardly excites us to it without any difficulty."

"We need only to recognize God intimately present to us, to address ourselves to Him every moment, that we may beg His assistance for knowing his will in things doubltful, and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us, offering them to Him before we do them, and giving Him thanks when we have done them."

Pastor Bill

Day 23

There has been much written on this blog about what to do, and why to do, and what happened, and it has all been great. I have really enjoyed reading it all. For today, though, I thought that we could all just look, worship and give thanks. I recently came across some great worship art by a guy named Adam Howie. For me, art can really point me to some truths that are hard to express in words. May that be true for you today.

Day 22

Someone accused me of something that was both hurtful and untrue. I determined to put them into my dog house...forever! Fortunately this person was also a God follower and we both, it turns out, talked to God about this situation. Within 48 hours our relationship was completely restored. I'm not saying I just intellectually agreed to forgive them. I'm saying my head, my heart, my emotions towards this person returned to pre-event position. My desire to wallow in self pity wanted to lock the dog house and throw away the key. I could not. Desire to dwell on this even one more moment left.
This week's study is on "Conflict". This would have been a great story to dredge up from the past to prove the point. But it happened this week. Wow, what a "coincidence." peter

Day 21 - 3 weeks

Recently we had a house guest, okay - a family member, ... alright - my mother in law. She arrived Aug. 3 and was to depart on Oct. 3 but actually left on Oct. 10. That's 9 weeks. My heart's desire was and is to bless her. She is 83 years old and not had an easy life. I was blessed to pray with her to accept Christ 3 years ago after sharing His love for her at the end of her visit with us that particular year.

I'll cut to the chase; I did really well the first 5 weeks of her visit with us this year...but then "evil Lynn" (the red one with horns that sometimes sits on one of my shoulders) started whispering things into my ear/mind/heart. (Actully I am sure some of my self focused abilities helped in this as well.) I began to get annoyed at the smallest things and downright put out by other things. Talk about inner tension as I am involved in the Soul Revolution.

Question 2 on Page 100 then asked: "How am I treating those around me?" It went on to say: "... be aware of your relationships in relation to God's will." Conviction - Holy Spirit conviction. I can choose to examine my motivations, ask God to give me what I lack as I love others, pray for a heart's desire to move beyond what is happening to me and reach out to others. I am still learning - choosing to lean into God. How about you? How is the revolution within your soul going?

Love one another deeply, from the heart. 1 Peter 1:22

Alongside,

Lynn

DAY 20

A Bonus!
The Soul Revolution is making a difference in my life One of the places I am seeing it is in my relationship with my husband. I can’t say if it’s reading the book, connecting with God more intentionally, Community Group discussions or a combination of all the above. I just know there’s a difference, a willingness to change, a willingness to look at some issues.

The lesson for our Community Group meeting last night included talking about conflict. That promised to be challenging, because I’m not very good at conflict. One of the things we were asked to discuss was a situation where we had handled conflict well with the end result that a relationship was restored. Let’s see—can I think of even one situation where I did it right? As Dave and I were preparing to lead that lesson, we were both having the same problem, because we usually don’t do it right, and we knew it. But a wonderful thing happened. In an objective way, we were able to talk about the way we handle conflict, especially between the two of us. We were able to say some hard things to each other, and we were able to hear them. A door that had been blocked with hurt feelings or denial or defensiveness was open to truth. Like never before, we were able to see the other’s perspective and none of those bad feelings came up. That felt like a soul revolution! And I know it’s because of the Soul Revolution.

I rejoice over that small step along the way to handling conflict God’s way. We even thought of an acceptable way to remind each other when we’re heading into our old patterns over a conflict, in order to recognize what’s happening. That’s another small step. And that’s the way God grows us—one step at a time. I am so encouraged by this particular couple of steps. It wasn’t a time when we were looking for a solution. I think it was a bonus. I think God has some surprises for us when we’re open.

I pray that you too are experiencing a willingness to be open to God and some bonuses as you are reading Soul Revolution and experiencing the 60-60.

Day 19

Pizza & the Experiment

When my family and I first moved to South Glens Falls we started a new "thing." Rather than ordering pizza on occasion, we decided that we would start making it. So every Monday night the kids and I get all the stuff together and make some home-made pizza. It was pretty burdensome at first, but now it's becoming second nature. It's understood that Monday is pizza night and that everyone is going to need to help make it. As silly as it sounds, pizza night has become part of the family dynamic, a sort of rhythm of our life. So how does this relate to our Soul Revolution? I really hope that the 60/60 experiment is becoming a rhythm of life rather than a burden. It is beginning to become that for me. I find myself (without a beep) more aware of what God is doing in me, through me, and around me. Though I am not perfect in connecting every hour, I can see that it's working. My challenge for you is today is to take a moment to consider what God is doing in you, through you and around you. Let us rejoice together God's great faithfulness. Blessings... -Joshua

Day 18 (posted day 19)

Yesterday I spoke with a friend about her sister-in-law who has been diagnosed with cancer. Initially the cancer was thought to be Stage 3 but, after the pathology reports were completed, the cancer was evaluated as Stage 1. Certainly serious but much more hopeful.

It struck me, as we talked, living One Day at a Time is really difficult. It’s our nature to plan into the future. We want to have an idea of what to expect out of the coming months or years. We want to “know” what’s going to happen before it happens. We want life to go according to our script. Maybe it’s something like this – Happy marriage, healthy kids, stable job, good health, growing economy, satisfying retirement, enduring legacy. Pretty good script, wouldn’t you agree? But life doesn’t unfold according to a script.

And that’s where learning to live moment by moment with a sense of God’s presence comes in. When life takes a left turn when we wanted to go right, it is important to be reminded that God hasn’t abandoned us. When we can’t see the future because of the fog, it’s crucial to know that God is willing to light our path. And when our energy is focused forward onto Tomorrow or Someday or on That Day – it’s then we most need to hear God say, “Today I’m near. Meet with me Now – Today.”

“God, teach me to trust you with all of my yesterdays and tomorrows so I can enjoy Your presence Today.”

In His grip,

Pastor Steve

DAY 17

Since we started the 60-60 experiment I think I've become more open to the Holy Spirit's leading in my schedule. Like many of you I usually have a plan for the day. For the past few weeks I've been better able to view "interruptions" to that plan as Divine detours, if you will. Not every little thing qualifies as a Divine prompting. I'm not always sure how to respond. But I'm more willing to consider that unplanned events may be part of God's plan for me for that day even though I don't have them on my daytimer. More importantly, I feel myself being less resentful and bothered when those things happen.

For instance, today I had planned various small activities. I was looking forward to them. But yesterday I was talking with someone whom I am uniquely positioned to help. He told about something occurring today that is very difficult for him. He didn't ask me for my help, but after thinking about his situation I believe that the Spirit of God wants me to put aside my plans and be with him today instead. So, last night I called him and we plan to spend time together today.

I think about Acts 16 where Paul and his companions apparently planned to preach in the province of Asia. But we read that the Holy Spirit kept them from preaching there. They ended up preaching in Macedonia instead after God came to Paul in a vision. I also remember God's instruction to us in Galatians 5 to "keep in step with the Spirit." I know that verse is in the context of displaying the fruit of the Spirit. But certainly to "keep in step with the Spirit" has implications for our sensitivity to the Lord's Spirit in responding to the events of everyday.

I'd be interested to know if God has been working with you in this area of being open to the Lord's leadingas we stay connected to Him. Enjoy the revolution!

Pastor Bill

Day 16

Day 15

Greetings,
Fresh off the spiritual high which was our community group last night, let me tell you how impressed I am with the testimonies the people gave in our group regarding their diligence with the experiment and the positive effect it is having on their relationship with God. Even though we are only two weeks into this it would hard not to call this a "success!" It's exciting to wonder what the impact will be several weeks down the road. I encourage myself not to get complacent with the results and settle for a plateau, but strive for ALL God might have for me in this adventure. We accented our study last night with Rob Bell's Nooma Video Devotional titled "Breathe", #14 in his series. It went along great, I believe, with last night's breathing exercise. If any group or individual would like to borrow it, just ask, it's in my office at church. I highly recommend it.
Personally, I found myself with a group of three other people gathered to discuss the details of an upcoming event. You might call this a "task" meeting. At one point the conversation took a turn towards a personal issue in one of our lives. I felt the Spirit say "Go There". We took a detour from our "task" gathering towards this person's personal life. Feeling I had the authority of the Spirit of God, I began to try to give my advice on how to solve this issue for this person. Suddenly again the Spirit spoke, shouting to me "NO, that's not what they need!" I refocused my thoughts and we began to show love and acceptance to this person, not advice. I don't know what effect our conversation had on this individual, but I know I felt the pleasure of God's Spirit come over me for allowing a task meeting to become a relationship meeting with Spiritual implications.
Earlier that same day I had stumbled across the classic song by Pete Townshend, "Love...Reign o'er Me", on the radio. Songs sung with passion move me spiritually, even rock & roll, ok, especially rock & roll songs. Ever sense that gathering, the song keeps coming back to me, accompanied by the feeling of the Holy Spirit's intervention in my mind. I so want the love of God, to be a regular flow out of my mouth and in my actions. Come Holy Spirit, come, I'll try to keep listening. peter

Day 14 - 2 Weeks

I am in a Ladies Bible Fellowship Study alongside participating in The Soul Revolution. In this study we are challenged by the author to "go down (to the floor) before we go up (entering His presence)"; get on our knees with our face to the floor in prayer before we open our bibles and humbly seek the Lord.

What I have noticed is that once I have my face to the floor I don't want to leave there. I am humbled before God. My thoughts are on Him, His holiness, His power, His love, His forgiveness ... Doing this alongside Soul Revolution has been an amazing same-message-in-2 venues-kind-of-experience as I long to stay in His presence. On page 65 of our Soul Rev. book the author says; "Watch what happens as you willingly put Him first.".

Yesterday I spoke with the first pastor I have ever had. He called me "out of the blue" (and we all know what that means) -we played phone tag for a few weeks...but yesterday I spoke to him. I see his call, our connection, as a perfect gift from God. In my devotions I was to journal about my place of salvation. So I wrote about the time, place, circumstances I accepted Christ as a 30 year old mom of 2 in need. I praised the Lord for rescuing me and revealing to this unchurched woman that Christ wants me, died for me, loves me. I asked Him to be my Savior. As I continued to write my thoughts I thanked the Lord for the first Body of Christ He guided me to and for the growth that began there. Seven days later my Pastor calls - haven't heard from him since 1993! He said he felt led to connect with some people who were meaningful in his life and in the life of that church. He prayed over me at the end of the phone call in a way that touched my soul ~ and I hung up in the presence of the Giver of all good things - our Lord. God has such personal blessings for us. Let's continue to seek Him first and watch what happens....

Loving Christ Alongside,
Lynn

DAY 13

Keeping On

I had an email from one of my daughters over the weekend asking my advice on how to respond to a grieving friend. She knew that I had experienced the death of a loved one (my first husband) and that I had counseled others through a grief support ministry. Still I was flattered that she would ask me.

It made me think of times when I needed advice from others on some issue in my own life. Did I always have someone to call or ask for advice? There was a time I would have drawn a blank. Or maybe it would have finally dawned on me that I could go to God. Duh! Through this 60-60 experience, I have found myself asking God’s advice frequently. Even before I answered my daughter’s email, I asked God to help me speak what was needed. God knew the situation much better than my limited knowledge. I wanted to use God’s healing words, not mine. I am so thankful to have that open avenue to God’s wisdom. What a privilege to be able to ask God’s input whenever concerning whatever. I don’t have to wait 60 minutes either. But my beeper reminds me that He wants me to come to him at least every 60 minutes.

Sometimes my grown up “kids” call me for the recipe of a favorite family dish. I have access to the One who has the recipe for my life. I don’t know everything that is needed for my life to turn out right, but He does. How much of this and how little of that? What’s the process? Of course I can’t get all the answers, but I can learn to trust the One who has them. And to hear from Him. Amazing! So I want to be connected to Him throughout the day. I am liking this 60-60 connection and wanting it to become a habit. Yes, it’s not always convenient and it can be discouraging. But I’m not about to give up! How about you? Let’s keep going. It’s already worth it, and there’s more to come.

Day 12

The Cairn

I was out scouting a new climbing spot with my wife a few days ago. This particular climbing area required a 40 minute hike on a well-traveled, marked trail. That was until you came upon a rock "cairn," on the right hand side of the trail that marked the beginning of the more obscure climbers-trail. Many of you who have spend some time hiking know what these mysterious piles of stones are, but just in case some readers may not know, this is what a "cairn," is. A cairn is an unnatural pile of rocks that are used to mark a trail or something of significance. In short, a cairn is a marker that helps you to know that you're going the right way. That afternoon when Ellen and I found the cairn that marked the way to the new climbing area, God reminded me that although I have not been perfect in my 60/60 experiment, I'm going the right way. He used that pile of rocks to encourage me to keep going, so let this post be your "cairn" today by looking back at the ways you've grown, and overcome challenges. Be sure to thank Him for taking you a little bit deeper each day, blessings!

-Joshua

Day 11 (posted on day 12)

During the past two weeks my concentration and mobility have been limited by a painful lower back. Getting out of a chair after sitting down is my most difficult movement followed closely by pulling on socks, tying shoes or just leaning over the sink to shave.

Anne Marie asks me, "When are you going to call the doctor?"

My answer, "I don't know if I am."

"Why?"

"Well - here's the deal. Remember how my back was doing almost the same thing about 5 years ago? I went to a chiropractor and in a few weeks I was feeling a lot better. Toward the end of those weeks he gave me some stretches and some exercises to do to ensure 'back health'. And I did them periodically for a while with good results. But I stopped doing them 2 or 3 years ago. So, now I'm not that fired up about going back to him and asking him to help me through a situation I've brought on myself. If I can, I'd like to get through this without calling him."

"How's it working?", Anne Marie asks.

"Not so well."

All of this has been happening during the 60/60 Experiment so there have been plenty of opportunities to talk (complain) to God. And to hear from Him.

The conversation I summarized above was about my back and medical care but it could just have easily have been about my soul and God's care.

• How many times do I put off asking God for help in a situation because I carry the shame of not putting His words into practice in my life?
• How often does my pride (I can fix this) keep me from allowing God to be my 'soul healer?'
• Would God refuse to help me if I asked for help, solely on the basis of my negligence?

In the book of Hebrews there is a picture of Jesus that challenges my perception.

Now that we know what we have - Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God - let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all - all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. Hebrews 4:14-16 (The Message)

Pausing every 60 minutes to touch base with God has allowed me to recognize some of the obstacles that keep me from getting close to Him. Obstacles like pride and shame. I know there are more that will be uncovered in the future but right now it's time to swallow my pride.

I'm going to call my chiropractor.

In God's grip,

Pastor Steve

Day 10

Has the initial excitement of the 60/60 experiment begun to wane yet? It has for me. So, I need to remind myself that the Soul Revolution is not about living on excitement and hype, but about slowly learning how to adopt a new way of daily living. Changing habits always takes time - and a certain amount of discipline. Learning the habit of intentionally relating to God hour by hour is no exception. We will have our ups and downs. So, if you are losing the initial stir that's connected with beginnning something new, it's OK. Don't let it worry you, and don't become discouraged. Regroup and keep at it. Every change is hard before it becomes easy. And remember, its worth the effort because what we are doing has the potential to revolutionize our souls. Have a good revolution day!

Blessings,
Pastor Bill

Day 9

It has been our (church staff and leadership) prayer that God would take you deeper into knowledge and relationship with Him through these 60 days of full devotion to Him. That's why when Joshua said that he'd written a song called Take Me Deeper, we knew that we had to use it alongside this adventure. We also thought that it would be great if we could get this song into the hands (and heads...and hearts) of everyone here at PK, and even beyond. So Joshua and I sat down over the past couple of weeks and recorded it.

So there it is - in the left column on this page, just for you - and anyone else who wants it. No charge, viruses, ads or spam. You can listen to it right here using the player, or (better yet) you can download it and put it on a cd or mp3 player and bring with you everywhere.

May this song serve as your cry to God in the coming days and weeks...

::verse 1::
I've got a reason to rejoice
with joy You've filled my heart
because You came and changed me
and forgave, so now we'll never be apart
so I rejoice - with gladness I resound
You are my Lord and King
and I'm so glad I've found - Jesus

::chorus::
take me deeper
bring me higher than I've ever been before
take me farther
I want to know you now more than ever before

::verse 2::
I've got this passion in my heart
I've just got to let it out
because You came and freed me
and redeemed with a love I can't live without
so I rejoice - with gladness I resound
You are my Lord and King
and I'm so glad I've found - Jesus

::bridge::
risen Lord of grace and love
take this life and make it Yours
all I am I give to You
all I say and all I do
o let Your revival fire
burn in me this one desire
to lift my hands in gratitude
declaring I belong to You

Blessings!

ps - I also added Please Whisper To Me, the song that Joshua described and posted on Day 5, to the player and to download in the side column.

Day 8

First let me update you on my new "beeping" purchase. For 1$ at Dollar tree, I am now using a kitchen timer. Very easy to set and reset. Just push button once to turn beeper off, once again to reset the hour. I don't know how long it will last for a buck, but I'm in day three with it and still working great, even surviving two drops on the floor.
At community group last night we moved into the other "Big Part" of Soul revolution. We had our first Running Partner meetings. We are divided in groups of four and spent an hour together going thru the suggested material. For some of you, gathering in a small group like this and talking about personal/spiritual things, is a normal part of life. Me and the other 3 men in our group acknowledged that this is not the norm for us and the awkwardness was to be expected. Actually I think we did real well. Being as this whole thing is about relationships, with God & His people, we dove in and learned many things about each other that we never could have gathered in such a short time period, in any other manner. I called the night a total success as the feedback I recieved from members of the other groups was all positive, at least that was the public response.
Personally, I'm very curious where this gathering will lead. I acknowledge that God ordained the four of us sitting around that table, at that time, and offered myself to let Him do whatever He wanted with me during this experience. I have not had much success in meeting personally with another man or two or three. My wife continues to be my best friend and really my only confidant. And I'm totally comfortable with it this way. But as I've learned over the years, my comfort isn't always God's will for me. So I'm trying to stay open, trying to be open in our conversations and trying to have the curiousity of a child as I will continue to sit with my Running Partners and see how this peice of the program fits into my relationship with my creator. I have no problem offering encouragement to the others, no problem welcoming them to share where they are at in their spiritual journey. No problem offering myself to let God use me in any way in their lives. But what will there be for me? peter