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His House, His Presence
His House, His Presence is about how God took a small prayer meeting above a veterinarian clinic in Dallas to a global prayer and worship movement, known today as UPPERROOM. As founder and senior leader, Michael Miller got revelation that ministry to the Lord is every believer's first and primary calling, he was pruned of his original 'more comfortable' plans to pastor a middle-class suburban church and instead yield his personal leadership gifts and desires to the Lord's perfect leadership. Jesus said, "My house will be a house of prayer" (Matt. 21:13), and UPPERROOM is now a house of prayer committed to ministering to the Lord every morning, noon and night until Jesus returns. His House, His Presence is God's original design for His church--a resting place for His presence on earth. Relevant to every Christian believer, and especially for faith leaders, Miller's revelations will ignite conviction, simplicity, a return to Jesus, our first love, and a true longing for His return.
232 pages, Paperback
Published August 22, 2023
54 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 2, 2025
This book made me cry more than once. The goodness of God‘s presence is an anomaly but Michael translates the necessity so well. The stories he tells of Upperroom moved me, and the clarity in which he speaks the gospel are refreshing.
Definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to learn to steward the Lords presence and how to make a dwelling place for His presence to manifest.
Definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to learn to steward the Lords presence and how to make a dwelling place for His presence to manifest.
October 24, 2025
"We can have everything yet miss the main thing. All we value must submit to the chief value of His presence. The value for right theology, Scriptural teaching, evangelism, gifts of the Spirit, leadership practices and excellent programs, must be unto the value for His presence."
Cool book by the lead pastor of a church I really admire. One thing that has stuck with me from this book is simply the question of "What is church?" Outside of the Church as the body of Christ, what defines church? Or more importantly, WHO defines church? I enjoyed Michael Miller's telling of how UPPERROOM came to be - how the church was not established by traditional church planting methods but rather by simply being led by a desire to make a space to host God's presence. If the church is meant to be God's house, then submitting to His leading for how to build it is the only way toward health and true Kingdom impact. There's big Davidic faith needed in being led this way and I am encouraged by Miller's exhortation to church leaders: to die to all our ideas of what church should look like and to be driven solely by a desire to be God's dwelling place.
3.5 stars.
Cool book by the lead pastor of a church I really admire. One thing that has stuck with me from this book is simply the question of "What is church?" Outside of the Church as the body of Christ, what defines church? Or more importantly, WHO defines church? I enjoyed Michael Miller's telling of how UPPERROOM came to be - how the church was not established by traditional church planting methods but rather by simply being led by a desire to make a space to host God's presence. If the church is meant to be God's house, then submitting to His leading for how to build it is the only way toward health and true Kingdom impact. There's big Davidic faith needed in being led this way and I am encouraged by Miller's exhortation to church leaders: to die to all our ideas of what church should look like and to be driven solely by a desire to be God's dwelling place.
3.5 stars.
January 24, 2026
Oof. This book impacted me more than I was ready for. God has “turned tables” in my heart.
This book is a call for the church to return to first love and pure devotion to Christ. Jesus said “my house shall be a house of prayer.” In the West we are consumed with programs, plans and things that are secondary to Him.
If you want to be challenged, convicted and changed: read this.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“To be the pure and spotless bride Jesus will return for, the church today must be stripped down to the purity of scriptural truth and power of the Holy Spirit to truly reflect the glory of our King and be light and salt to the world around us. Cultural Christianity today is being pruned and church leaders need to welcome this pruning from our good Vinedresser.” Ch 1
“But without the Holy Spirit etching onto our hearts the revelation of Jesus, we will simply grow in knowledge and not relationship. We will become more informed about Him instead of actually being in relationship with Him.” Ch 3
“We can have everything yet miss the main thing. All we value must submit to the chief value of His presence. The value for right theology, Scriptural teaching, evangelism, gifts of the Spirit, leadership practices, and excellent programs, must be unto the value for His presence.” Ch 7
“Influence in the Kingdom is not success. Kingdom influence is a fruit of intimacy. True spiritual fruit in the life of a believer is found in the secret place of intimacy we cultivate with the Lord.” Ch 7
“We must understand that we are dependent upon God to know God…. When the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us, it is as if we are learning what we have already learned for the first time. Over and over, we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into the revelation of Jesus: His love, His faithfulness, His holiness, His kindness, His goodness, His power, His nearness, His joy, His peace, and on and on. The Christian life is unto this one end: the knowledge of God through the person of Jesus.” Ch 8
“In the days ahead, the Holy Spirit will prepare the earth for the return of Jesus. Upon His arrival, a prepared, mature, and ready bride will await Him. Ephesians 5: 27 gives evidence that He is preparing her by His word to be presented gloriously. She will have no spot, wrinkle, or blemish, but will be holy and blameless.” Ch 9
This book is a call for the church to return to first love and pure devotion to Christ. Jesus said “my house shall be a house of prayer.” In the West we are consumed with programs, plans and things that are secondary to Him.
If you want to be challenged, convicted and changed: read this.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“To be the pure and spotless bride Jesus will return for, the church today must be stripped down to the purity of scriptural truth and power of the Holy Spirit to truly reflect the glory of our King and be light and salt to the world around us. Cultural Christianity today is being pruned and church leaders need to welcome this pruning from our good Vinedresser.” Ch 1
“But without the Holy Spirit etching onto our hearts the revelation of Jesus, we will simply grow in knowledge and not relationship. We will become more informed about Him instead of actually being in relationship with Him.” Ch 3
“We can have everything yet miss the main thing. All we value must submit to the chief value of His presence. The value for right theology, Scriptural teaching, evangelism, gifts of the Spirit, leadership practices, and excellent programs, must be unto the value for His presence.” Ch 7
“Influence in the Kingdom is not success. Kingdom influence is a fruit of intimacy. True spiritual fruit in the life of a believer is found in the secret place of intimacy we cultivate with the Lord.” Ch 7
“We must understand that we are dependent upon God to know God…. When the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us, it is as if we are learning what we have already learned for the first time. Over and over, we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into the revelation of Jesus: His love, His faithfulness, His holiness, His kindness, His goodness, His power, His nearness, His joy, His peace, and on and on. The Christian life is unto this one end: the knowledge of God through the person of Jesus.” Ch 8
“In the days ahead, the Holy Spirit will prepare the earth for the return of Jesus. Upon His arrival, a prepared, mature, and ready bride will await Him. Ephesians 5: 27 gives evidence that He is preparing her by His word to be presented gloriously. She will have no spot, wrinkle, or blemish, but will be holy and blameless.” Ch 9
February 13, 2024
The message is simple: can we make church about God again? A place where He can manifest Himself and rest with His people?
Miller has been pioneering for a biblical reformation/restoration of the modern church model through the founding of UPPERROOM, and this telling of that story as well as the conviction with which Miller has radically devoted Himself to nothing but the manifest presence of God is rich and I believe very needed in this hour. I highly recommend!!!
I’ve been following this movement since when I lived in Dallas and attended UPPERROOM in early 2015. Its had a profound impact on my life and I believe will have a profound impact on many believers and the church in the days ahead!
Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
Miller has been pioneering for a biblical reformation/restoration of the modern church model through the founding of UPPERROOM, and this telling of that story as well as the conviction with which Miller has radically devoted Himself to nothing but the manifest presence of God is rich and I believe very needed in this hour. I highly recommend!!!
I’ve been following this movement since when I lived in Dallas and attended UPPERROOM in early 2015. Its had a profound impact on my life and I believe will have a profound impact on many believers and the church in the days ahead!
Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
May 17, 2025
It’s simple. It always has been.
I’m convinced the next generation of priests to usher in the presence of God will be creatives. Filmmakers, musicians, writer, poets, artists. These passions (gifts) are given to us for the soul purpose of seeing and experiencing Jesus rightly.
Bring me back to the garden Lord.
I’m convinced the next generation of priests to usher in the presence of God will be creatives. Filmmakers, musicians, writer, poets, artists. These passions (gifts) are given to us for the soul purpose of seeing and experiencing Jesus rightly.
Bring me back to the garden Lord.
November 11, 2024
Book was so fire. We forget how powerful prayer is. A lot of testimonies of people’s lives getting saved by just sitting in the presence of God during prayer sets. If you wanna be a pastor you should read
December 25, 2024
this one is such a gift!! def my book of the year
December 11, 2023
Book club book 6 - Beautiful words by Miller about letting Jesus and his presence truly lead the church. It all goes back to David’s temple and constant praise, worship, and prayer. Feeling stirred for how the church can embrace these in the last days! Also great to hear how God has lead and established Upperroom.
March 29, 2024
The worship, culture and presence of Jesus is undeniable at Upperroom! I’ve got the utmost respect for their clear practice of following Jesus’ leadership instead of “human strategy.” I hope to integrate more of this book into my life! Also, every pursuit has unintended consequences. I still have questions around where the poor are left in this paradigm. The interpretation of the greatest commandment in this book seems to clash with Jesus words “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Overall I want to grow in the pursuit of the “one thing”, while also growing in the pursuit of the marginalized. Grateful for this brook!
February 10, 2024
I couldn’t stop reading this book. Word after word and page after page resonated with me; deep in my spirit. It feels like every recent conversation and prayer moment with community and family members is echoed here in Miller’s words, tying all the pieces into one cohesive picture. Maranatha. Beholding. Manifest Presence. Christ as the Head. Prayer as a relationship. Yielding. Surrender. So much packed into one book but so simple.
February 7, 2024
I’m so grateful for Michael’s “yes” to write this book. This book is such a timely word of encouragement, directing and re-directing us back to the heart and point of the church and prayer rooms…to look at, love on, lean into, and minister to Jesus. I believe every leader and believer should read this book!
March 23, 2024
Such a poignant and powerful read about the Lord’s heart for our gatherings as His bride. Can we just make the main thing the One thing and abandon the business of church we have created? The Lord is so beautiful and has laid out what He desires in His Word. Let’s just follow that in simplicity.
May 11, 2024
loved loved loved this so very much. for any leader in any church absolutely necessary. focuses on what it’s all really about in the most bold & loving way.
October 24, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed each and every page of this book. I found myself engrossed in its contents mainly at home, but I also delved into chapters 4 and 5 during my vacation in Europe with my wife. During a lengthy train ride and a 9-hour flight from Colombia's Barranquilla to Madrid, Spain, I realized that this is not just another Christian book to be placed on a shelf. It is the life story of a man who, along with his wife and family, has dedicated himself to serving the Lord above all else. This story serves as a powerful inspiration for me to continue my dedicated quest to seek the Lord with all my heart, with the goal of meeting Him face to face. Maranatha!
September 28, 2023
I read this on Kindle and as soon as I was done decided to buy the paperback because I need to underline with my own hand and be able to flip back and forth to read it again.
Miller's story, his passion and his mission for Church is spot-on. It's a worldview shift for some churches, I think. But it put a hunger in me. A hunger to be around people who are making a resting place for God, people who desire to encounter Him and minister to Him. And even more a hunger to be around God and make a resting place for Him, encounter Him and minister to Him myself.
I can't put all my thoughts into words yet. But, I feel like this is something that God is doing in the Church.
If you work in a church, read this book, PLEASE. If you don't work in a church, read this book, please! It will set a fire in your heart!
Miller's story, his passion and his mission for Church is spot-on. It's a worldview shift for some churches, I think. But it put a hunger in me. A hunger to be around people who are making a resting place for God, people who desire to encounter Him and minister to Him. And even more a hunger to be around God and make a resting place for Him, encounter Him and minister to Him myself.
I can't put all my thoughts into words yet. But, I feel like this is something that God is doing in the Church.
If you work in a church, read this book, PLEASE. If you don't work in a church, read this book, please! It will set a fire in your heart!
January 25, 2026
Great book that shows the heart of Miller and Upperroom. The only thing that holds this book back is Miller’s lack of direct references at times. Though he may have them, often he would not mention them in the argument itself, leading me to wonder if what he said was theologically accurate enough. I’d love to see a follow up on his entire style of leadership next. This acted almost like a memoir. While God’s presence doesn’t have a “how to” tutorial, I do believe insights on Miller’s practical leadership could be helpful.
December 29, 2023
I have massive respect and appreciation for Michael and Lorissa Miller and the UPPERROOM house. They carry a unique call and anointing. I’ve been so blessed by the culture they’ve stewarded here in Dallas. This book dives into the awkward and beautiful process of beginning UPPERROOM, what now appears to be an inevitable success and movement. This book captures Michael’s heart in a compelling well. I’m looking forward to the second book on the values of UPPERROOM.
4.5/5.0
4.5/5.0
December 13, 2023
There were a lot of helpful things in this book about seeking God’s presence first and shaping our churches as houses of prayer. Other parts were less clear or I didn’t agree with. My best takeaway is churches cultivating reliance on Jesus’ presence, but I just didn’t connect with the book very well.
March 25, 2024
I firmly believe every church leader should read this book.
Scratch that, every church go-er should read this book. I love the subversive thoughts….subversive to western church culture, but well in line with scripture.
This book has greatly challenged my own thought processes & has led me to a purer understanding of how to live life as a Christ follower!
Scratch that, every church go-er should read this book. I love the subversive thoughts….subversive to western church culture, but well in line with scripture.
This book has greatly challenged my own thought processes & has led me to a purer understanding of how to live life as a Christ follower!
April 14, 2025
There’s so much needed truth packed into this book idek where to start. A feeling I had many times reading this book is when you’ve forgotten the name of something and you just can’t figure it out and it finally comes to you. The light turns back on and connections are made. It all falls into place and makes sense. It really is so simple.. HIS house, HIS presence. It’s everything.
Maranatha.
Maranatha.
November 22, 2025
For a book about the presence of God, I was disappointed to not see so many references to scripture. Also, there were two quotes of scripture that were taken out of context, making it hard to trust his quotes from the Bible so I looked up each passage.
Some of his thoughts were interesting, despite this.
Some of his thoughts were interesting, despite this.
February 13, 2024
Refocusing our eyes on Jesus. If we look to him and follow his lead, there is no place we cannot go. This book really gave me freedom to truly worship Jesus and understand what it means to mi sister to him. Which I believe is going to impact the world more than doing the ministry.
February 16, 2024
Chapters 2 and 3 were fire, but then I felt like the meat of the material had been explored. The rest felt like a gradual decline - either repeating ideas, making new claims without as much support, or just random passages about the “homosexual agenda” 😅
July 12, 2024
maranatha. This book is beautiful, against the norm, and has some weird theology bits I am still working out. The point isn’t the theology, it’s God. It’s time to center the church into houses of prayer.
May 2, 2025
Right on target. There is nothing more powerful than sitting in the presence of God and letting Him transform your life. It's unexplainable, indescribable, and incomparable to any other spiritual experience. His presence fuels every part of our lives. Everything unto this one thing.
August 22, 2025
Everyone needs to read this book, especially those in church leadership! It’s calling people higher & deeper into what our roles are as His bride! It’s beautiful, honest, & convicting. Highly recommend it
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December 7, 2023Loved it!
January 19, 2024
I love upper room and loved hearing some of the backstory and heart of the pastor.
April 14, 2024
Prophetic, prolific, powerful. Wish it didn’t take me so long to read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews