Practicing The Present: The Neglected Art Of Living In The Now

The present is more than a place where the past comes to rest.It is more than a staging ground for the future.The present is where God shows up.We live our lives in the present, but often our minds are racing toward the future or overwhelmed by the past. We want to change the past and control the future, but usually all we really do is exhaust ourselves in the here and now. Writing especially with church leaders in mind, Dr. John Koessler, a former pastor and professor, teaches you how to evade the tyranny of past regrets and future plans and meet God right where you are, in the present. Review Praise for Practicing the Present?Dr. John Koessler puts his finger on the nerve of my spiritual life with everything he writes. This book is a cool drink of water for a thirsty soul. I don?t need to be told to do more for God, I need God?s presence to help me live fully this day, this hour. Thank you, Dr. Koessler.? -CHRIS FABRY?John Koessler?s book Practicing the Present had me thinking about my life and work from an angle I?ve almost never considered before-the present. I?m constantly casting my eyes to the next thing instead of living in the moment. This book helped me see that I?ve often missed engaging God and others in the business of the present. Pastoral work is so daily but it is difficult to make the most of that reality. As I read, I wrote down several insights that I need to work through in practice for the good of our church and for my own good as well. Like me, you probably haven?t read a book with this focus before. There?s no time like the present.?-LEE ECLOVPastor, author, professor ?It?s a mistake to live for the moment. Most of us have figured that much out. But few of us know how to live in the moment: fully awake, utterly present, right here, right now. This moment is all the time any of us ever gets, but it?s so easy to squander it brooding about the past or fretting about the future. Well, just in the nick of time comes John Koessler?s Practicing the Present. John is like the rest of us, easily distracted. But unlike many of us-okay, unlike me-he?s mastering the art of inhabiting the moment-this moment, right now-and of dwelling with the God who inhabits it, too.?-MARK BUCHANANAuthor of The Rest of God and Godspeed: Walking as Spiritual Formation?Practicing the Present fluently drew me once again into discovery of God actively working in the present regardless of what I am experiencing. Seeing God?s faithfulness in the past moves me to find God in the present alive, well, and active making my eyes to see and ears to hear Him as I live out my created purpose step-by-step in the present. It is so easy to be stuck in the past or the expectations of the future but Koessler shows from beginning to end that joy is found in the present moment. He shows how experiencing God fully in the present brings guidance in intuitive moments and brings us to our knees in worship and thanksgiving. To live in the present is to have a dynamic, transforming relationship with the one who loves us most.?-JUDY TENELSHOFDirector of Spiritual Formation at Talbot From the Back Cover The present is more than a place where the past comes to rest. It is more than a staging ground for the future. The present is where God shows up.Our lives take place in the present, but often our minds are racing toward the future or overwhelmed by the past. We want to change the past and control the future, but usually all we really do is exhaust ourselves in the here and now. Writing especially with leaders in mind, Dr. John Koessler teaches us how to evade the tyranny of past regrets and future plans and meet God right where we are, in the present. About the Author JOHN KOESSLER serves as chair of the Pastoral Studies department in the undergraduate school of the Moody Bible Institute where he has served on the faculty since 1994. Prior to joining the Moody faculty, John served as pastor