Presence

Presence I wrote this as a comment on one of the blog entires of my friend Arturs of Latvia and felt it was something I should share with everybody. The 'presence' of Christ has always been defined in many different ways over the centuries. For me, personally, it's a feeling in my heart. When I'm planning something for New Disciples Ministry, if I don't feel God in my heart, my plans never work our right and I have to stop and wait for the Lord to show me what I should be doing at that time. Sometimes, he later shows me that what I had planned just wasn't the right topic for that point in time and that it can be used later. I can also feel a difference in Christ's presence in times when I feel that I have failed him. I try to live my life as a child of God and follower of Christ, but I am human and I do fail at times, even after becoming an ordained minister. In those times, I feel so far from God, like he's millions of miles away, but after realizing what I have done, and praying or getting myself back on track, I feel his presence in every fiber of my body. When the Lord is present in my life, I have this feeling of wholeness, completeness. When I have faltered in my walk, I feel cold, empty, and very fragile. It doesn't have to be some mortal sin to make me feel like that either. It can be just like right now, when I haven't read my Bible enough lately, haven't studied God's word like I should be, and certainly have let my prayer life slip. Right now, I know that I have let the distractions of the world derail my walk with God lately and I have today, been repenting of it. I actually feel physically ill and down when I fall in my wlk with God. That's how I define Christ's presence in my life. It's the feeling of being complete when I am living as I should be and the feeling of emptiness when I fail. As I write this, I am so glad and blessed to feel the Lord's presence within and all around me. Your brother in Christ, Pete, a.k.a. Rev. Norman Lynn Morrison. Pete 9-10-09