STRANGE, BUT TRUE!

It was an advertisement in a magazine.  The picture was of a pillar of rock rising into the air.  A man was perched on top gazing at the majestic beauty and magnificence of all that his eyes were taking in.  The caption for this picture was the following:

            "YOU'VE NEVER FELT MORE INSIGNIFICANT.  YOU'VE NEVER FELT MORE ALIVE!"

Who would have thought that beholding great beauty and majesty could produce in such a "small" individual a joy of "aliveness" never known before!  That captures the essence of HisGloryOurJoy ministry.  It captures the passion of my heart. 

There is a God who invites us into His glorious presence that we might know ever-increasing, never-ending joy found only in Him.  We were made to behold Him, a God of incomparable beauty and majestic greatness!  

In fact, though we may feel a sense of insignificance as miniscule creatures within the vastness of the universe, it is in relationship with this God that we come to possess unimaginable significance and honor as He graciously and eternally grants us the privilege of being adopted into His family and becoming sharers in His riches.  What a God!

WHEN THE PASSION BEGAN

My passion was kindled over forty years ago and has been increasing with great intensity. A thirty second exhortation given by a teacher at a summer Bible institute in 1972 was the birth of this passion (I’ll save the details for the seminar) and has clearly become the defining moment in my Christian life. 

My passion centers on the greatest, most beautiful, awe-inspiring, joy-giving, worship-producing reality in existence - our supreme God and His commitment to create within us joy inexpressible!

My journey throughout my Christian life has confirmed the reality of the truth that the most important thing about you is what you conceive God to be like. The most important study I have ever done has been my pursuit in understanding how God represents Himself in the Bible. 

No study has impacted my life more than this study. No topic has stabilized my walk with the Lord more than this. Nothing has given me more joy than my pursuit and knowledge of our God. 

OUR HEART'S CRY!

The cry of every human heart and the ache in every human soul is for a vision of the beauty and worth of this incomparable God; to have a vision of His glory that leads to joy!   He has created us for Himself.  He is a gloriously worthy and beautiful God in whose presence there are intense spiritual pleasures and delights.  He desires to be, and can become, our exceeding joy!

Unfortunately, this God is unknown to many or possibly was known at one time, but the vision is now foggy and blurred.  It happens to all of us.  We need instruction and encouragement to give us a fresh perspective; maybe even a new paradigm on who God is and how He relates to us.  

Life is hard,, but God is glorious and He pursues our joy in Him.   My goal is to help you see, in either old ways that you have known but forgotten over time, or new ways you have never seen before, this enthralling and fascinating God and how He relates to us in all of our pursuits, pains and dreams.

MY PURSUIT

I have spent countless hours studying and organizing volumes of material in order to share my passion so that others might see Him for who He truly is and in seeing Him might experience fullness of joy.  

The  "mantra" in both my life and my teaching ministry has been this - HisGloryOurJoy! That is the lens through which I view reality.  This has become my personal pursuit. 

I'm not teaching this seminar as someone who has arrived, but as someone who is desperate, hungry and thirsty for a God-centered, soul-satisfying reality.   Every day I fight the good fight of faith of believing my God and finding my heart's delight only in Him.  I need to hear what I'll be teaching (I may even take notes on myself!).

With the encouragement of friends, I have developed the HisGloryOurJoy ministry and the various seminars that comprise it.

WILL YOU LET ME?

A while ago, I watched a television show in which a well-known singer was being interviewed. He was talking about his leading role in a Broadway musical.  The director shared with him something he has never forgotten. It was this: 

"The theater is a place where people come to dream in public. And you are in charge of that dream!"

As your teacher on the day of the seminar, I want to be in charge of your dream. I will do my part and my best, through the strength and gifts God has given me, to take you on a journey toward the destination for which you were designed.  

I want your heart, no matter where it might be at this time, to be freed, refreshed, restored, challenged, enlightened and encouraged, as we journey together into the passionate and glorious heart of God.  A heart committed to - HisGloryOurJoy!