barefeet

Yesterday Matt & I attended New Vision for the second Sunday since we've been here. Their new series is about having "Close Encounters with God"...wanting something more out of our experience of walking with Jesus. Having that awe inspiring moment where you feel truly consumed by our Savior. The first teaching in this series was over Exodus 3 where Moses encounters God in the burning bush. I've always known the basic idea of this Old Testament story but never gave it much thought. This was an ultimate God moment for Moses. As he was talking about this experience for Moses, Pastor Brady took off his shoes and talked about the significance of God telling Moses to take off his sandals because he was on holy ground. Not only was this a sign of respect but his shoes represented many other things in his act of surrendering to God...taking off our shoes represents leaving behind the material world where we rely on ourselves and what we provide for ourselves, taking off our shoes represents humbling ourselves...allowing vulnerability, and the act of taking off our shoes requires that we walk more deliberatly, with more care and with more thought to our steps.

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Then last night I began reading a new book that Travis gave to Matt awhile ago, i am not but i know I AM by Louie Giglio. I began reading and within the first few pages here it comes again. Exodus 3. Maybe God is trying to tell me something? Maybe God is telling me to walk slower. To walk deliberately. To pay attention. To watch for Him.

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Moses said, "What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't the bush burn up?" God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" He said, "Yes? I'm right here!" God said, "Don't come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You're standing on holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob."
Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God...... God said to Moses, "I-AM-WHO-I-AM.

-Exodus 3:3-6, 14 The Message