group blogging project: present perfect

What does it mean to be in the presence of God? Is it something that we can experience today? If so, what does it look like? How do we get there?

Theologian, pastor, and author Greg Boyd helps us to explore these kinds of question in his recent book, Present Perfect: Finding god in the Now. What do we mean by ‘explore’? Check out the back cover of the book…

We long to be transformed. Yet our minds are filled with endless trivia and self-centered chatter. To-do lists. Worries about the past. Speculation about the future. We forget to live in the present moment … and to invite God to be with us there.

After reading classic contemplative authors Brother Lawrence, Jean-Pierre de Caussade, and Frank Laubach, theologian and pastor Gregory Boyd longed to experience the presence of God for himself. For two decades, he’s attempted to implement the ‘practice of the presence of God’ in his own life … sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing. What he’s learned as a fellow pilgrim on his spiritual journey can help you find true spiritual transformation as you begin to practice the discipline of inviting God into every moment.

I don’t know about you, but I could use some of that transformation! So I’m excited to take on this next group blogging project!

Over the next few weeks one person from this project will lead us through each chapter of the book sharing their thoughts, perspectives, and feelings. And we’ve got an exciting lineup of people who’ll be helping us work through the book together!

The schedule along with who will be sharing is as follows:

• introduction – Dan King, @bibledude (bibledude.net)

1. mere christianity – Bryant Neal (Camak Baptist Church)
2. finding home – Victoria Bierman Jenkins, @VBJenkins (Let the Son Shine)
3. chasing the sun – Crystal Rowe, @SoulMunchies (Soul Munchies)
4. single-mindedness – Josh Gillies, @WhiteFrozen (The Outpost)
5. living in love – Kyle Reed, @kylelreed (In Transition)
6. being present – Jesse Giglio, @jessegiglio (love is social)
7. the father is always working – Jennifer Dukes Lee, @dukeslee (Getting Down With Jesus)

• bonus post: he is here by amena brown
• author’s closing thoughts – Gregory A. Boyd, @greg_boyd (Christus Victor Ministries)
• project wordle

So stay tuned for some great discussion, and please feel free to jump into the comments and share your thoughts! In the meantime, here are a few things that you can do right now…

• Buy the book. It will be a much better experience for you if you follow along in your own copy of the book.
• Subscribe to updates. Get the latest posts in this series in your email inbox or favorite feed reader. This is the best way to keep up with everything!
• Tweet it up! Follow @bibledude and retweet updates from this event. If you want to share your own tweets, make sure that you use the #presentperfect hashtag.

Tags greg boyd presence of God present perfect transformation