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Pursuing God’s Presence: A Practical Guide to Daily Renewal and Joy
How a Presence-Centered Life Changes Everything
Balancing Scripture and Spirit, pastor and professor Roger Helland shows pursuing God's presence isn't about seeking signs and wonders--it's about seeking God's kavod : His radiant glory, His manifest presence. Sorting through common fears and misunderstandings about God's presence, Helland offers biblical and practical teaching, to help you
· pursue God's presence and holiness in everyday life,
· live a presence-centered life at work, home and church,
· enjoy a deeper biblical fullness of the Holy Spirit and
· experience God's supernatural strength, vitality, renewal and joy.
God's kavod changes everything. When you learn to seek, experience and host His presence, it will transform you--and the world.
"Drink from the deep well of wisdom and grace as you read the pages of this book. . . . It will nourish the imaginations of the weary and saint alike." --TARA BETH LEACH, pastor, author
"Will have every reader venturing into the depths of God with fresh wonder and joy. Highly recommend." --DANIEL GROTHE, associate senior pastor, New Life Church
"Thoroughly grounded in Scripture, orthodox to the core and God breathed." --RT. REV. DR. TREVOR H. WALTERS, bishop, Anglican Network in Canada; mediator/retreat leader, Anglican Church in North America
Balancing Scripture and Spirit, pastor and professor Roger Helland shows pursuing God's presence isn't about seeking signs and wonders--it's about seeking God's kavod : His radiant glory, His manifest presence. Sorting through common fears and misunderstandings about God's presence, Helland offers biblical and practical teaching, to help you
· pursue God's presence and holiness in everyday life,
· live a presence-centered life at work, home and church,
· enjoy a deeper biblical fullness of the Holy Spirit and
· experience God's supernatural strength, vitality, renewal and joy.
God's kavod changes everything. When you learn to seek, experience and host His presence, it will transform you--and the world.
"Drink from the deep well of wisdom and grace as you read the pages of this book. . . . It will nourish the imaginations of the weary and saint alike." --TARA BETH LEACH, pastor, author
"Will have every reader venturing into the depths of God with fresh wonder and joy. Highly recommend." --DANIEL GROTHE, associate senior pastor, New Life Church
"Thoroughly grounded in Scripture, orthodox to the core and God breathed." --RT. REV. DR. TREVOR H. WALTERS, bishop, Anglican Network in Canada; mediator/retreat leader, Anglican Church in North America
240 pages, Paperback
Published May 9, 2023
12 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 24, 2023
I agree with Helland in that current spirituality among Christians does not seem to be as deep or committed as in generations past. The issue, he writes, is not having God's presence as the center of life. We live life with an inattention to God. He suggests we must be continually resetting our lives, seeking a spirituality with God at the center.
This book contains good teaching on how to pursue a spiritual life focused with God at the center. Helland writes about prayer, engaging Scripture, and pursuing holiness as the Holy Spirit transforms us. I like that he reminds us we are not to be preoccupied with the effects or manifestations of the Spirit but rather with God Himself.
I like Helland drawing our attention to the difference between formal and functional theology. We might formally say we believe a certain way but our functional theology is revealed by how we actually live. How we fill our minds reveals what we really believe about the importance of the pursuit of God as the center of our lives.
While this book is aimed at charismatic Christians, it is a good challenge to all Christians. In a world where there are so many distractions from pursuing God as the center of our lives, Helland gives practical suggestions to make it a realistic pursuit.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
This book contains good teaching on how to pursue a spiritual life focused with God at the center. Helland writes about prayer, engaging Scripture, and pursuing holiness as the Holy Spirit transforms us. I like that he reminds us we are not to be preoccupied with the effects or manifestations of the Spirit but rather with God Himself.
I like Helland drawing our attention to the difference between formal and functional theology. We might formally say we believe a certain way but our functional theology is revealed by how we actually live. How we fill our minds reveals what we really believe about the importance of the pursuit of God as the center of our lives.
While this book is aimed at charismatic Christians, it is a good challenge to all Christians. In a world where there are so many distractions from pursuing God as the center of our lives, Helland gives practical suggestions to make it a realistic pursuit.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
November 14, 2023
Some great reminders and thoughts. Roger’s Alliance-y side really shines through I think at the end, so I’m not totally on board I think with everything he says in the last chapter or two, but man 90% of this book has some really great nuggets on seeking and living into God’s presence. Love how many people he pulls quotes and words from too!
July 7, 2025
A good refresher on inviting, dwelling within, experiencing, inviting and pursuing the presence of God - The kavod.
This book would be more readily received by a charasmatic audience, but it has great truths that could be transformative to any Jesus follower/Lover of Jesus.
This book would be more readily received by a charasmatic audience, but it has great truths that could be transformative to any Jesus follower/Lover of Jesus.
June 19, 2023
In Pursuing God’s Presence, Roger Helland explored God’s Holy presence and how we can all live it out where we go. He described kavod as, being heavily honor majesty, power, presence, and glory of God. He discussed Eden and went all the way to the path of Eternity and how God’s presence can be found throughout the entire journey. He looked at Holiness and how important it is to watch what we listen to, watch, and relate with. We must also be careful into falling into sexual immorality and also avoid angry and malice against others. He explored prayer and talk to God, listen to him, and engage in distinctive varies prayer postures.
In the book, he revealed how he grew up as a pagan. His mother was a waitress and she had been divorced three times. His step-father was a realtor and he felt like he was fatherless. He grew up in a non-Christian home and he lived how he wanted to until he was about 18 years old. Everything changed when he was back home from the Army boot camp. He met his high school friend who had recently had become a Jesus Freak. His friend explained to him the meaning of Jesus Christ and led him into salvation. He was on LSD at the time. He felt this dramatic shift happening inside of him and he prayed that if Jesus is real that he wanted to believe. After that he began to read the Bible while in the Army. He shared how he was finally convicted when he was trying to witness to someone while holding up a beer. He explained how he needed to get this story straight and this woke up Roger into dealing with hypocrisy. He explained how he went to Bible college and became a pastor.
One of my favorite chapters was about creating a home-based Bethel, which means house of God. It is meant to be a holy habitation where God dwells. He explained how we are supposed to have Christ at the center of our house. We shouldn’t place our children above God or anything else. We need to model our home in a house of prayer and invite God’s presence to dwell freely in our home. He also shared how we are commanded to love our wives as Christ loved the Church. He discussed how we must be careful if we have overly sensitive children and not drive our children into discouragement by being overly disciple. He opened up about prayer and how we should pray for them daily and teach them about the power of prayer and blessing them. He looked at the topic of peace and designing a home that showcases harmony.
I would recommend this astonishing book to anyone who is ready to live in God’s holy presence and His Glory, also known as kovod. I greatly enjoyed reading about different ways in which you can have holiness in your home and creating a house where God’s presence can be seen daily. I loved the tips and how he enclosed ways in which we can have a Bethel type home. I really enjoyed the topic of blessings and how we can bless our children by using touch and using our words to shape and influence their lives for the better. I also liked the topic of basketing in the presence of God at work. We can dedicate our workplace as a sanctuary and we can seek prayer, listen to scriptures on the way to work or at work if allowed, and view our workplaces as a place to mask in God’s Holy presence. This book was very refreshing in understanding more of the Holy Spirit and living a Christ centered life.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”
In the book, he revealed how he grew up as a pagan. His mother was a waitress and she had been divorced three times. His step-father was a realtor and he felt like he was fatherless. He grew up in a non-Christian home and he lived how he wanted to until he was about 18 years old. Everything changed when he was back home from the Army boot camp. He met his high school friend who had recently had become a Jesus Freak. His friend explained to him the meaning of Jesus Christ and led him into salvation. He was on LSD at the time. He felt this dramatic shift happening inside of him and he prayed that if Jesus is real that he wanted to believe. After that he began to read the Bible while in the Army. He shared how he was finally convicted when he was trying to witness to someone while holding up a beer. He explained how he needed to get this story straight and this woke up Roger into dealing with hypocrisy. He explained how he went to Bible college and became a pastor.
One of my favorite chapters was about creating a home-based Bethel, which means house of God. It is meant to be a holy habitation where God dwells. He explained how we are supposed to have Christ at the center of our house. We shouldn’t place our children above God or anything else. We need to model our home in a house of prayer and invite God’s presence to dwell freely in our home. He also shared how we are commanded to love our wives as Christ loved the Church. He discussed how we must be careful if we have overly sensitive children and not drive our children into discouragement by being overly disciple. He opened up about prayer and how we should pray for them daily and teach them about the power of prayer and blessing them. He looked at the topic of peace and designing a home that showcases harmony.
I would recommend this astonishing book to anyone who is ready to live in God’s holy presence and His Glory, also known as kovod. I greatly enjoyed reading about different ways in which you can have holiness in your home and creating a house where God’s presence can be seen daily. I loved the tips and how he enclosed ways in which we can have a Bethel type home. I really enjoyed the topic of blessings and how we can bless our children by using touch and using our words to shape and influence their lives for the better. I also liked the topic of basketing in the presence of God at work. We can dedicate our workplace as a sanctuary and we can seek prayer, listen to scriptures on the way to work or at work if allowed, and view our workplaces as a place to mask in God’s Holy presence. This book was very refreshing in understanding more of the Holy Spirit and living a Christ centered life.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”
May 7, 2023
This book will appeal to a wide variety of readers. In it, Dr. Roger Helland gives practical advice on how to discover the presence of God (the kavod of God) and how to experience that in daily life—in our personal lives, in our churches, in our ministries, in our families and at work. Helland draws on his background and experience, which makes the book somewhat autobiographical and interesting to read, but also lends credibility to the author. He is not merely divulging theories or a suggested program, but rather, he shares from the heart and encourages his readers to follow along. It is very well balanced having a solid biblical foundation, along with historical references, examples of contemporary situations and personal experience. This book is enjoyable, heart-warming, provoking, and potentially life changing. A must read for people who want to dig deeper into their faith and to experience God in all aspects of their daily lives.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews