When we live, when we worship, when we pray, do we really encounter God? What are God’s qualities, and what effect do they have on us? In this simple, inspiring book, pastor and author Tom Berlin introduces us to the living God and urges us to respond. Includes Scripture, helpful quotations, and space for journaling. 1. God’s Majesty and My Reverence 2. God’s Fidelity and My Trust 3. God’s Purity and My Humility 4. God’s Authority and My Obedience 5. God’s Righteousness and My Work for Justice 6. God’s Graciousness and My Love of Others Tom Berlin is Lead Pastor of Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Tom is author of Defying Gravity: Break Free from the Culture of More, 6 Decisions That Will Change Your Life, 6 Things We Should Know About God, and 6 Ways We Encounter God. He is coauthor (with Lovett Weems) of Bearing Fruit: Ministry with Real Results; Overflow: Increase Worship Attendance & Bear More Fruit; and High Yield: Seven Disciplines of the Fruitful Leader. 6 Ways We Encounter God Participant Workbook By Tom Berlin, Karen Berlin Abingdon Press Copyright © 2014 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4267-9468-1 Contents Welcome!, How to Use This Book, Week 1. God's Majesty and My Reverence, Week 2. God's Fidelity and My Trust, Week 3. God's Purity and My Humility, Week 4. God's Authority and My Obedience, Week 5. God's Righteousness and My Work for Justice, Week 6. God's Graciousness and My Love of Others, Notes, CHAPTER 1 Week One God's Majesty and My Reverence Day 1 Today's Scripture Genesis 1:1–2:3; Psalm 104 Key Verse How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24 NIV 1. Describe a time when the majesty of God's creation inspired awe and reverence in you. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. The author of Psalm 104 writes, "I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live." What inspires the psalmist to share such words of praise? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Going Deeper Psalm 104 is a poetic retelling of the Creation story, praising God for the power and creativity displayed in the creation of the world. It is a love song for our Creator, as the author points out all the things he sees in the world and what they mean to him. The psalmist is amazed at the forethought God put into the world. The Creation story isn't just a list of things God made, it also shows the careful crafting that God put into every aspect of the world, including each and every human. The other thing that's interesting about Psalm 104 is that it changes from past to present tense. The psalmist is reminding us that God didn't stop creating after that first week. God is still working in the world, caring for its creatures, cultivating its mountains and pastures, and astounding us with its beauty. God still wants us to look at creation, perhaps to see that the beauty we find there is a reflection of the nature of its Creator. We just need to stop and take the time to look. Trivia Tidbit According to Fausset's Bible Dictionary, "leviathan" is a word used to describe both mythological sea dragons representing the chaos of creation (as in Psalm 74:14) and real water creatures like crocodiles (as in Job 41:1). Going Deeper Questions 3. What parts of creation cause you to recognize God's fingerprints in our world? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. When was the last time you took time to praise God for what you see there? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. What caused you to do this? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 6. How have you felt God shaping and creating something new in your life? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ __________________