As a teenager, I remember riding my ten speed bike on warm summer days to the serene setting of Matson Run Creek. It was mostly quiet when I would go to that place. I would collect my thoughts and find great peace there. I was enamored by the gentle flow of the water, the smell of fresh air, the calmness of the woodlands and trees, the sight of a turtle, the flight of a bird, the salamanders crawling under the leaves, and the school of small fish navigating their way down stream. I would go there because...it felt like God was there. He was! I've since learned that cultivating awareness of God presence is a lifelong journey. On my journey to cultivating awareness of God's presence, I have come to believe there is no place where God is not. Psalm 139:7 reads: "I can never get away from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!" It is no longer necessary to go to Matson Run Creek (although I do occasionally visit), I can find God's presence and peace anywhere. 

Establishing and maintaining an unbroken awareness of God presence can be accomplished by minimizing distractions. Although distractions are different for everyone, practicing the HABIT OF THE S.P.I.R.I.T. helps neutralize any distraction you may have. The Habit of the SPIRIT is a spiritual practice where a person follows the following six steps: 1) SIT still, 2) PRAY, 3) INHALE deeply and exhale slowly, 4) READ a scripture, 5) INQUIRE of God concerning how you might apply and/or respond to the scripture, 6) THANK God for his presence. As you incorporate the "Habit of the SPIRIT" throughout the day, you will discover the power of maintaining an unbroken awareness of God's presence.

Pressing toward the mark, through the Habit of the S.P.I.R.I.T.

Pastor Donald E. Dunnigan, Sr.