Review Ch 6, Read Ch 7 and 8

Hey Everyone, 

Hope all is well with you today, recovering from the Thanksgiving weekend. Well, last week's assignment in our Tozer book study, The Pursuit of God, was to read chapters 6 and 7. I must confess, I only finished chapter 6! 

So, if you're a little behind, that's ok! Let's try to catch up this week by reading chapter 7 and 8. 

One of the lines from chapter 6 that left the greatest impression on me was on p 72 (in my book) and it reads: "The tragedy is that our eternal welfare depends on our hearing and we have trained our ears not to hear." 

Over the last couple of years, one of the major lessons the Lord has been teaching me is this - He deeply desires for me to hear His Voice. He is my Father and I am His son and like any good dad, God wants to engage in conversation with me. I think of John 10:27 as it reads: 

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." 

Hearing the Lord's Voice is essential to the Christian life. It's not optional. Yet so many of us in the church today go many days, months, even years, without hearing His Voice. I pray God would cultivate in me, ears to hear! And I am praying for each of you by name today, that God would continue to increase your ability to hear His Voice! 

Assignment this week: 

Reading - Chapters 7 and 8 

Journaling - Find some time this week to spend time in God's presence. Open up your journal. At the top of the page, write down a question. Ask the Lord something. I have found its helpful for me to often ask Him what question to ask Him! But ask Him a question and be prepared to listen to His answer. More often than not, God uses scripture to speak to us. So have your Bible ready. And be prepared to turn to a passage of Scripture that He leads you to. I did this just today and it was so encouraging! I'll hope you'll give it a try. 

Prayer - John 10:27 - "Lord, help us to hear Your Voice as we follow You!" 

If there's anything I can be praying about for you, please let me know! 

Kevin

Review Ch 5 and READ Ch 6 and 7

Hey Everyone! 

Hope all is well as you prepare for Thanksgiving this week. While all the dynamics of this week can often be a bit stressful, I pray this week also serves as a time for you to reflect on and give thanks for, all that God has done for you, in you, through you! Giving thanks and praise to God is part of His will for our lives. 1 Thessalonians 5 says, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 

​I want to apologize to you all - I completely missed sending an email update last week! I hope you've had a chance to read up through chapter 5. This book continues to challenge and encourage my wife and I as we read. Here was just 1 line that really left an impression on me from Ch 5: 

"On our part, there must be surrender to the Spirit of God, for His work is to show us the Father and the Son. If we cooperate with Him in loving obedience, God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face." (Ch 5, p. 60 in my version)

​There are multiple reasons why I love this sentence. But above all, it reminded me and reflects a prayer I've prayed several times in recent months - 

 "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, 

who walk in the light of your presence, Lord."

Psalm 89:15

​Being in the presence of God is what the Christian life is all about, it's what we were created for, it is what our hearts long for and where our souls find rest, in the presence of our God!

What was one of your favorite lines from Chapter 5? 

Praying for each of you by name! 

Kevin

Assignment for this week: 

Reading - Read Chapter 6 - 7 of Tozer.

Journal - As you pray Psalm 89:15, write your prayer down. 

Prayer - Psalm 89:15 - pray it for yourself, your spouse, family, friends. 

*REMEMBER - if the journaling or prayer is helpful for you, great, if not, please don't feel obligated to it.

Read Chapter 5 this week

Hey Everyone, 

Hope you are adjusting nicely to the time changes and cold weather! We are going to keep moving forward this week with our reading of Tozer's The Pursuit of God. 

There are "consequences" for pursing the Lord. One of those "consequences" is the painful experience of heart transformation. This week I was reminded of a statement one of my friend's made to me about 2 years ago. He said, "Kevin, we are only transformed in the presence of God." I have found that to be true. As I have sought to daily dwell in the presence of God, it seems His first order of business is to purify and humble my heart! I think of Isaiah when in Isaiah 6:1 - 5, he saw the Lord "high and exalted" and Isaiah's response was "woe to me...I am unclean!" As I have an ever-increasing awareness to living in God's presence, it seems He wants to do more work in me, before He wants to do work through me. But thankfully, our Father is kind-hearted, gentle and gracious and can sympathize with our weaknesses. 

What other types of "consequences" are you experiencing as you seek to pursue the Lord in this season of life?

Assignment for this week: 

Reading - Read Chapter 5 of Tozer.

Journal - Simply list a few of the lessons you are learning about what it takes to pursue the Lord. 

Prayer - Psalm 139 - read and pray through it. Notice, that for the majority of the Psalm, David is focused on the reality that he lives in God's presence. And pay attention to how David responds in the last 2 verses. 

Praying for you by name! 

Kevin

It's a "bye" week!

Hey Everyone! 

Hope and pray all is well with you. I've prayed for each of you by name. The passage that's been prayed on your behalf is Ephesians 1:17  - "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." Interestingly enough, if you've read chapters 3 and 4 of Tozer this week then you know that's EXACTLY what Tozer is zeroing in on - knowing God! 

I don't know about you, but chapters 3 and 4 have really captured my heart's attention. So much so, I am going to make an executive decision to veer off our previously determined reading schedule. Instead of moving on to chapter 5 this week, I'd like to declare a "bye" week. Let's press pause! If you have fallen behind a bit in your reading, this week is a chance for you to catch up and read through chapter 4. If you are right on track, and you've finished chapter 4 already, I encourage you to take this week and re-read any portions or chapters that you would like to revisit. I will personally be re-reading chapters 3 and 4 again. There were so many lines that captured my spirit, but I'll highlight 3 of them - 

1) "Now He waits to show Himself in ravishing fullness to the humble of soul and pure in heart." Ch 3, p 36 (in my book) - My prayer is this - Lord, help me to have a humble soul and a pure heart, so that I might see You in ravishing fullness! 

2) "There must be a work of God in destruction before we are free. We must invite the cross to do its deadly work with us." Ch 3, p 43 (in my book) - one word, wow. 

3) "Most people... do not know God in personal experience. ...They go through life trying to love an ideal and be loyal to a mere principle." Ch 4, p 48 (in my book) - This is a statement that brought me great affirmation and yet utter humility at the same time. If this statement is true, what is my role as a pastor or our role as church leaders? This reality, to me, changes everything. 

I'll be spending the next week seeking the Lord's face and heart on these issues. Please pray for me. I'll be praying for you! 

Feel free to share your impressions from these chapters by replying to this email or posting on the blog! 

Kevin

Assignment this week: 

Reading - If you've fallen behind on your reading a bit, no problem! Take advantage of this "bye" week and catch up with us. Read through chapter 4. If you've read through chapter 4 already, take the time this week to pause and re-read any chapters or portions you would like to revisit. 

Journal & Prayer - Simply take time this week, if you haven't already, to write down a few prayers. Maybe it would be helpful for you to write down questions you have for the Lord or requests you have for the Lord. One prayer request I'll be writing in my journal is the one I mentioned above - "Lord, help me to have a humble soul and a pure heart, so that I might see You in ravishing fullness!" 

Week 2 Review and Week 3 Assignment

Hey Everyone! 

Hope you're week is going well. Have you finished reading chapter 2? 

Tricia and Leanne, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the blog! If you would like to share an impression or thought from chapter 2, you can either email all of us here or you can post it to the blog here: http://genesispursuinggod.blogspot.com

Here's the phrase that left, maybe the biggest impression on me yet: "I only wanted to remove him from the temple of your heart that I might reign unchallenged there. I wanted to correct the perversion that existed in your love." (p.26 in my book) Here Tozer was speculating on the thoughts of God toward Abraham's test with his son Isaac. If Tozer is correct in his assessment, then it gives us insight into how God works and why He may or may not be doing certain things in our life. Because ultimately, God's greatest concern, is a pure, whole-hearted love from us. Wow. As a fairly new dad of 2 little girls, this really stuck with me.

My 2 yr old Selah loves to go on walks. Anytime Page or I even mention going on a walk, she gets very excited and says, "walk, walk" with a big smile on her face. She will then immediately turn and go get her shoes to let us know she's ready to go! I've really enjoyed spending time with Selah simply walking down the street holding her hand. From time to time, holding hands as we walk, she will turn her cute little face up and look me in the eyes. Oh, those moments are the best! One day I snapped a photo with my camera phone (see attached). I showed that photo to a new friend recently and he responded by reminding me "that's the kind of relationship our Heavenly Father desires to have with us!" 

In the book of Genesis we see God walking in the garden with Adam and Eve. This was the Father's original intent. A life where we live in the presence of God, walking in close friendship with Him throughout the day, every day. This is the kind of relationship God still desires for us today! King David knew this as he wrote in Psalm 27:8, My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.

May this be the cry of our hearts at Genesis Church! May our hearts cry out, "Seek His Face!" and may we set our hearts on seeking our Father's face! 

Assignment for this week: 

Reading - Read Chapter 3 and 4 of Tozer.

Journal - After you have read chapters 3 and 4, take time to pick out 3 - 4 sentences or phrases that left an impression on you and re-write them in your journal. Ask the Lord, "Is there a reason you brought these to my attention?" Then be still and quiet for a few minutes, jotting down any thoughts that come to mind. See if you can identify the voice of the Lord and what He might be saying to you. 

Prayer - Psalm 63:1 - 5. This is the same prayer passage from last 2 weeks. Let's stay with this one. Keep reading it and praying through it for yourself. Maybe this week you could zero in on verse 2, asking the Lord to "show me your glory!" 

Praying for each of you by name! 

Kevin

Week 2 Reading Assignment

Hey Everyone, 

Hope you're week is off to a good start. And I hope you made it through Chapter 1 :) Tozer is a deep thinker and writer! Let me encourage you to keep at it, and see what God would have for you in reading this book. In our reading assignment last week, along with the Preface and Chapter 1, I included a scripture - Proverbs 2:1 - 5.

Turn there now if you have a minute... Notice the progression of pursuit, it builds from "turning your ear to wisdom" to "call out for insight" to "cry aloud for understanding" to "looking" to "searching for hidden treasure". Every time I read this passage in Proverbs the image of a search party combing through the woods looking for a lost child comes to mind. If you're a parent, and your child was lost, you would search and search and search until you found your child. You would rearrange your day, your priorities, your resources, everything in your life would be centered on searching! 

Seek hard after the Lord! When we resolve to seek hard after the Lord, it's not because He is hiding from us. Often times it is because, similar to a lost child, we have aimlessly wandered from Him. We have allowed the things of this world to capture our attention, fear and anxiety have taken captive our thoughts and self-seeking interests have seized our hearts! Read Mark 4:13-20 and Luke 8:11-15 and look at the various obstacles that Jesus says will keep us from a fruitful relationship with the Lord. 

Assignment for this week: 

Reading - Read Chapter 2 of Tozer. In addition, I encourage you to read Genesis 22:1-19 

Journal - In Chapter 2, Tozer mentions the throne of our hearts and how important that nothing reside there but God. Notice in Genesis 22:12 that Abraham does not withhold anything from The Lord! Is there anything you are withholding from the Lord? When we let go of everything, and come to God empty-handed, we are "possessing nothing" as Tozer says it, and then Jesus alone can sit on the throne of our hearts and life! 

Prayer - Psalm 63:1 - 5. This is the same prayer passage from last week. This week, I encourage you to zero in on 1 key word in verse 5,satisfied. I have this short prayer written next to verse 5 in my Bible - "May I be fully satisfied in you alone Lord." Maybe this is prayer you could pray as well?

Keep seeking the Lord. Praying for each of you by name! 

Kevin

Impressions from the Preface & Ch 1

Hey Everyone, 

Hope you're week is going well. Just wanted to touch base with you and see if you've started reading the Preface and Chapter 1 of The Pursuit of God. Have you started reading yet? 

While I found the first chapter a little tough to get through, there were several lines that really left an impression on me. Here are my 2 favorite: 

#1 - "Within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. ....They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water." (p.7)

That statement describes the journey I have been on over the last few years. In fact, it reminds me of a verse that I have often prayed - Psalm 42:2 "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can i go and meet with God?" Tozer later refers to it on p. 12. Don't you want to experience more of God? I want to learn how to daily live in the presence of God. I want to experience the presence of God in my life, my marriage and family, and in our church here at Genesis! 

#2 - "God is a person, and in the deep of His mighty nature, He thinks, wills, enjoys, feels, loves, desires and suffers as any other person may." (p.13)

The reality that Jesus is a real person and that I can relate to him, the Father and Holy Spirit, much the same way I can relate to my wife or a close friend has really changed my conversations with the Lord. In fact, a daily request I'm trying to pray more and more is this - "Lord, help me to see what you see, think what you think and feel what you feel about fill in the blank." I want to know what He thinks about my wife, how He feels about my wife. I want to know what His dreams are for our family and what His plans are for our church. Thinking of God in terms of a person has greatly impacted my relationship with Him! 

So, those are a couple of impressions I was left with. What about you? What are 2 lines in the Preface or Chapter 1 that left an impression on you? 

Praying for you! 

Kevin

The Pursuit of God, Week 1

Hey Everyone! 

I hope you had a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend. My wife Page and I took our girls for a good ol' Fall festival day on Saturday, pumpkin patch and all! Attached is a photo of our time in "the patch." If you have a recent photo of yourself or your family, and you would be willing to share, please pass it along. 

I hope you've had a chance to order The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. If you haven't gotten it yet, that's ok, go ahead and order it when you get a chance.

If you've already started reading, you may have found Chapter 1 to be a little cumbersome to read. If you haven't started reading, just a heads up, it's a little slow to get through. I had to pause several times and re-read a paragraph or sentence in order to make sure I understood what Tozer was trying to say. Don't be discouraged! The whole book is not as cumbersome as chapter 1. Below is the "assignment" for this week. Remember, if this enhances your reading, then great. If not, then read and study in a way that's best for you. 

Assignment for this week: 

Reading - Read the Preface and Chapter 1. As well as Luke 10:38 - 42 and Proverbs 2:1 - 5 

Journal - Much like a friendship or marriage, our relationship with God must be cultivated. We must fight for and pursue our relationship with Jesus. What are 1 or 2 obstacles that stand in the way of taking your relationship with Jesus to the next level? 

Prayer - Psalm 63:1. Read and speak this short verse to Jesus multiple times this week! Here's an example of how I might say this verse to the Lord: 

"Father, you are my God. I love and trust you and I want more of you God. I'm thirsty and hungry for more of you, more of your presence, your power, your love, I want more of you God. I seek you with all of my heart." 

Please feel free to shoot me or the group any questions or comments. I may check in mid-week to see how everyone is doing! 

Praying for each of you by name.

Kevin

P.S. Reminder - It would be great to have a photo of you if you've got one! 

Let's Start Pursing God

This is a copy of the initial email and info I sent out to those who were interested: 

Hey Everyone! 

Thanks so much for attending Leaders Edge last night. It was great to be with you. And thanks for showing interest in studying Tozer's book Pursuing God. There are 13 of us! It seems the Lord is stirring in Genesis Church a renewed hunger and thirst for Himself. In taking this step, you are demonstrating your hunger and thirst to personally pursue God. Over the next several weeks, I believe God can use this book as a tool to help us grow in our relationship with Him. Here are some details: 

PURCHASE THE BOOK

We will start next week. So please order the book as soon as possible. There are a few different versions. I recommend one of these two -  without the study guide: http://www.christianbook.com/the-pursuit-of-god/a-w-tozer/9781600660153/pd/60157?event=OR with the study guide: http://www.christianbook.com/pursuit-of-god-with-study-guide/a-w-tozer/9781600661068/pd/661068?event=CF (whether you choose to get the one with the study guide or not is your choice, but after further reviewing it, I don't think it's necessary) If you prefer to use a Kindle or iPad, here is the eBook version on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Pursuit-Study-Guide-ebook/dp/B004XDD1W4/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1381363140&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=AW+Tozer+Pursuing+God+eBook 

STUDY FORMAT

This is an 8 week self-guided book study. So each of us will be responsible for reading the book and personally seeking what God wants to say to us over the next 8 weeks. However, some organization, intentional guidance, and group interaction may be helpful in maximizing our personal study and prayer experience. So I will provide a weekly assignment for us. There will be 3 parts to each week's assignment - Reading, Prayer, and Journaling.  The assignments will be merely suggestions - this ain't college! So please feel free to dismiss anything that you feel is not engaging, helpful or a good fit for your study style. (You won't hurt my feelings!) 

Reading - a chapter or two from the book, as well as selected portions of scripture 

Prayer - this could be specific passages of scripture, topics or questions to pray to the Lord about

Journaling - as you read, I'll encourage you to consider writing down various thoughts, observations, and prayers

READING SCHEDULE

We will read the chapter(s) the week of the Sunday listed below. For example, we will read the Preface and Ch 1 during the week of Oct 13 - 19.  I will send the Assignment Email on Sunday afternoons. Again, this is just a suggested schedule, please feel free to read at your own pace. If you want to jump ahead or if you get behind, catch up at convenience. 

Wk 1 Oct 13 - Preface and Ch 1 

Wk 2 Oct 20 - Ch 2

Wk 3 Oct 27 - Ch 3 and Ch 4

Wk 4 Nov 3 - Ch 5 

Wk 5 Nov 10 - Ch 6 - 7 

Wk 6 Nov 17 - Ch 8 

Wk 7 Nov 24 - Ch 9  

Wk 

8

 

Dec 1 - Ch 10

I hope this is clear and helpful. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know. I am excited to see what fruit God will bear in our group over the next 8 weeks. Praying with and for you. 

Kevin

Psalm 27:8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Psalm 42:1 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?