Pause...And Take Notice- Going Deeper-"Pause"-Session 2

I love sports, especially football! I love the heart-pumping, non-stop action that it brings to both the players and those in attendance watching as they go to battle. Although I enjoy the competition that these games bring, what tends to draw me back week after week is the amount of strategy that goes into a football game. Most people will tell you the "hail-mary" is the most exciting play in football- not me. I love the strategy and planning that go into a play when a team decides to "go for it" on 4th down. It is rare that a defense will head back onto the field in a 4th down scenerio without first calling a time out to set their defense. Usually these fourth down plays come with only a few minutes left in the game. In essence, both teams are laying it all out on the line- this will most likely determine who wins the game. Although we as fans hate when time is postponed due to a time out being called, these time outs are often what determine who wins the game. When a team calls a time out, they are in essence saying, "We need to slow down and think about what we are doing on this next play." Time outs slow everything down in a way that allows a team to plan and initiate thier strategies, in a way that they otherwise could not have done if they simply chose to rush from play to play.

This past Sunday night, we looked at how we need to be able to call "time out" in the busyness of our lives in order to see that we are in the presence of God. We need to stop and pause long-enough to recognize the burning bushes in our lives.

We continued to look at the story of Moses and how God was calling him to do incredible things. Exodus 3:1-5 shows us that Moses, in the midst of his busy life, was able to pause long enough to see the burning bush and to hear God's voice. It was when Moses was able to finally pause that God helped him to see that he was in the presence of God- that he was standing on Holy Ground. We, like Moses, must learn to call "time out"- to pause, and to take notice that we are in the midst of God's presence- that we are standing on Holy Ground.

Over this next week, take some time to re-read Exodus 3:1-5 and Psalm 139:7-12, and answer these questions for yourself:

1. Were you able to pause this week? If so, what happened? What did you notice? If not, what do you think got in the way?

2. Have you ever had a "burning bush" experience? What happened? Where were you?

3. How does it make you feel to know that we are in God's presence?

4. Have you ever over-looked an experience that God was maybe using to speak to you? Why do you think you over-looked it?

5. Where are some everyday places where you might see God?

6. Where do you "see" God most? Nature? Friends? Your own life?...?


Take some time to read over and think about these questions. Spend some time this week pausing and meeting with God. Plan to come to the Tuhacek's this Thursday night from 7:00pm-8:30pm where we will take these ideas deeper and begin to apply them to our lives as a group.