Encountering Our Wild God , livre ebook

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2018 by Kim Meeder
Published by Chosen Books
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.chosenbooks.com
Chosen Books is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2018
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1460-4
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified NKJV are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
In some of the author’s stories, the names and identifying details of certain individuals have been changed to protect their privacy.
Cover design by Darren Welch Design
Endorsements
“Our world is fallen and broken, but there is hope—hope in Christ for eternity beyond all pain and sorrow. Kim Meeder inspires us to believe and follow the God who transcends our limits and calls us to venture forward, with the confidence of knowing that He has our best interests in mind.”
Jim Daly, president, Focus on the Family
“In Encountering Our Wild God , Kim Meeder has the amazing ability to use words to create a beautiful canvas that depicts God’s love in its entirety. Every page glistens with the fresh dew of the Holy Spirit’s presence, along with Kim’s sentiment of ‘Pray, Listen and Do’ echoing from beginning to end. Be refreshed, comforted, then challenged to receive, recover and reclaim God’s amazing promises for your life.”
Lorin and Patty Carmichael, founders, Sure Foundation Church, Puna, Hawaii
“Kim’s masterful language in Encountering Our Wild God shows not only a life immersed in continual wild devotion to the Spirit, but a lifestyle that flows directly from that wildly wonderful place. Her book is a very not-boring devotional of sorts that colorfully illustrates the rich personality of our precious God, who rules the universe perfectly and yet is incredibly enjoyable to be with. This book will upgrade the color of your life from drab to brilliant by connecting you to the wildly adventurous Holy Spirit in a way that is reachable for all who immerse themselves in its pages.”
Jennifer Eivaz, executive pastor, Harvest Christian Center, Turlock, California; founder, Harvest Ministries International; author, The Intercessors Handbook and Seeing the Supernatural
“Poignantly written with a creative ease, author and horsewoman Kim Meeder becomes a life coach, a friend and a spiritual tour guide. She reveals the eternal lessons hidden within the beauty of everyday life. Encountering Our Wild God will capture your attention and hold you until you begin to see the wonder of a God who pursues us relentlessly.”
Dr. Wayne Cordeiro, president, New Hope Christian College
“Kim has written this powerful book, inviting each reader to encounter God on each page. Be ready to experience God’s presence as you join her insightful and fun writing! What an awesome encounter waits for you in this book!”
Sarah Bowling, founder, Saving Moses
“I once heard it said that God is more willing to speak to us and lead us than we are willing to listen and be led. If that is indeed accurate, then I suspect many of us are missing out on God’s glorious plan for our lives. But what is that plan, and how can we discover it? Encountering Our Wild God is a powerful and compelling new book that speaks deeply to who God truly is, what His plan and purpose is for our lives and how we can experience and revel in His magnificence. Get ready for the ride of your life. Thank you, Kim Meeder, for showing us the way to Him!”
Frank Sontag, founder, Kingdom Men’s Gathering
“The moment I read the title of Kim’s new book, I was in. I live for life-altering encounters with the Holy Spirit. Yet I was not prepared for the deep heart journey ahead of me as I dove into Encountering Our Wild God . The way Kim so effortlessly pours out her wisdom, experiences and stories pulled me in for days and opened my eyes of faith to see and understand more clearly how we have this unimaginable opportunity to intimately know our untamable Creator and partner with Him in the adventure of knowing and demonstrating His heart for humanity. We will never reach the end of His nature or His love. This will be a book I revisit over and over.”
Meredith Andrews Sooter, worship leader/songwriter
Dedication
As if in a dream, I walked with my hands stretched out into the unknown, still reaching for the more that is Him.
Like the apostle Philip, miraculously sent from a faraway land, you reached through the haze of unknown pursuit and firmly took my hand. You were abundantly clear that the message you bore was not your own—but from God the Father—to me.
In the brief mentoring season that followed, you led me step for loving step in the direction He was calling. Your singular purpose was to speak His encouragement over every purposeful advance in my developing faith. His words poured through you like pure light, fully illuminating the way, the way of absolute trust in following His Holy Spirit.
I watched in wonder as you removed the hallowed mantle placed upon your own shoulders . . . and draped it over mine.
And then, as quickly as you came, you were Spirited away to your next holy assignment from the Father.
Because of your obedience, this book is dedicated to God the Father, through Jesus the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in honor of JLB. Thank you, dear friend, for this priceless gift.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Endorsements 5
Dedication 7
Foreword by Stasi Eldredge 11
Preface 13
Acknowledgments 17
Introduction 19
Part One: Encountering His Effortlessness 25
1. Wild Simplicity 27
2. Wild Compassion 38
3. Wild Presence 48
4. Wild Patience 61
Part Two: Encountering Adoration of Him 75
5. Wild Praise 77
6. Wild Worship 87
7. Wild Giving 99
Part Three: Encountering His Restoration 111
8. Wild Faith 113
9. Wild Gentleness 124
10. Wild Love 135
Part Four: Encountering His Power 151
11. Wild Authority 153
12. Wild Goodness 169
13. Wild Perspective 182
14. Wild Provision 198
Part Five: Encountering Him 211
15. Wild Encouragement 213
16. Wild Courage 227
17. Wild God 246
About the Author 256
Back Cover 256
Foreword
I love a good story. I bet you do too. Well, you are in luck, because in these pages, you are in the presence of an eloquent storyteller. We learn from stories. And in these pages, you will learn as well. Kim speaks straight to the heart as she weaves stories of her life with the intricate detail of a master craftsman. The beauty of the truth—the infinite love of God and the astoundingly magnificent offer of the Gospel—comes shining through.
I love learning from men and women who are pursuing Jesus with all their hearts, hearts that have been captured by the sacred romance of our great God with His people. Kim’s heart has been captured, her life humbly surrendered, and she lives with an intimate communion with the Holy Spirit that is so alluring. It is an intimacy that we are meant to experience as well.
Kim follows the instruction of the Holy Spirit to “Pray, Listen, Do” in such a way that it ignites a fire in my heart to do the same. We get to hear from God? We get to follow His gentle nudges? We get to live a life of extraordinary meaning? Yes, we do.
We get to live in the Presence of God every moment of our lives! How wonderful is that? Dear one, God is present in your life. He is present in this very moment, and He is present in these pages.
Read them and be invited to the wildest adventure of all—living moment by moment in partnership with the most wonderful Person you will ever know.
Stasi Eldredge, bestselling author, Becoming Myself ; co-author (with John Eldredge), Captivating and Love and War
Preface
Recently, I took a dozen of my women staff to a remote waterfall in the Pacific Northwest. The rain did not stop us from enjoying the short serpentine hike that wound through a glorious temporal rainforest. Every shade of green was on display. Each bough, blade and branch was adorned with a dazzling array of droplets.
Without warning, the meandering trail led to an abrupt cliff. A very narrow bridge spanned a plunging chasm. The bridge—only 3 feet wide and 240 feet long—was ha nging suspended from heavy cables. It dangled precariously in midair about a hundred feet above a second adjoining river below.
Because the bridge was suspended, every step produced movement. Lots of steps equaled lots of movement. Although the bridge was intriguing, what fascinated me most was how the beauty and power of the falls could not be seen—unless you dared to walk out onto the swaying bridge.
Each of my team encountered the bridge crossing in a unique way. Some could not wait to see how much they could rock it, while others crawled across with a white-knuckled grip on the railing. No matter what she experienced, ever yone who crossed was highly aware of the vulnerability in this place and the need to trust the way. Each understood that she could never truly experience the w