I am a visual thinker. I see in pictures. As I’ve been writing about bridges the last few weeks, I am envisioning a structure coming together as we go along. We started with the foundation of respect, and then last week we talked about the building blocks of togetherness. This kingdom bridge will not have much strength without the staying power of God’s presence. 

God’s presence doesn’t materialize only when we gather, or because we are gathering. His presence is experienced in the collective of his people, because we bring it with us. I don’t believe that any Christian has more or less of God’s presence than any other. But, to the degree we interact with God in our lives is the degree that we are aware of him, and thus he is more present to us. Bringing this awareness with us to a gathering of Christians, God’s presence is exponentially manifest. 

So the question is, “How can we be with God?” There is a lot to this question, and the last thing I want to do is give a formula, method, or discipline that could very well end up keeping you from God. Rather, I would like to share a perspective with you.

God is a person and can be related to just as you would relate to any one else on this earth. Respect, love, and integrity are all in order. But beyond all that, how you see God is how you will respond to him. I wanted to list all the different ways to interact with God as Father, Son, and Spirit, but the thing that matters most is that we be with him as a person. 

So, how does this being with God act as a cement in holding our bridges together? The only way to extend the kingdom of God is to bring his presence with us. If we relate to God as a person before a watching world, then it will be apparent that we are not exhibiting religion, but experiencing the truest form of personhood, the one we were created to experience. This is a bridge worthy of crossing.

Grace and peace,

Brook