“God is in All of Us!”

In Him We Live: Never Separated, Always Becoming

I want to begin with gratitude.

Thank you, Cornerstone, for welcoming me as part of this family. I truly love being here. Even when I question myself—like I did at 1:30 this morning, wide awake, replaying every thought, every word, having conversations with myself and with the Lord—I still know where I’m meant to be. I almost talked myself out of coming. Almost. But somewhere along the way, I fell back asleep and realized, there really is no other way. My heart is here.

And my heart’s desire is simple but deep: growth.

Not just for Cornerstone, but for the entire body of Christ. Growth into maturity—and maturity means accepting human beings as human beings. It means recognizing that we are all God’s children, connected to one another no matter where we are or what role we play. We are one body.

Growing Beyond Religion into Relationship

One thing I keep coming back to is this: religion can keep us stuck.

Tradition itself isn’t bad—but tradition that doesn’t allow growth will eventually separate us from life. Jesus said it clearly: your traditions have made the Word of God of no effect. That hit me differently as I got older. What once sounded uncomfortable now makes complete sense.

We were raised not to question God. But God never said that.

At some point—whether you’re 17 or 70—you have to start asking questions. Not out of rebellion, but out of relationship. Because relationship invites conversation, and conversation invites growth.

We all have access to the same God. What differs is how deeply we allow ourselves to know Him.

Be Still: Revelation Comes in the Quiet

One of my favorite verses is simple: Be still.

We don’t like stillness. But revelation comes in the stillness.

Think about Elijah—after great victory, struck by fear, hiding in a cave. God wasn’t in the wind. He wasn’t in the fire. He was in the still, small voice.

And here’s the truth we often miss: the God in you is the voice of God.

Sometimes when you think you’re talking to yourself—you are. And that’s okay. God wants to sit down and have a conversation with you. Stop pushing Him outside of yourself. He lives within you.

“In Him We Live and Move and Have Our Being”

Acts 17:28 says it plainly:

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.”

Paul spoke these words while standing among philosophers—deep thinkers—people who questioned everything. And that challenges me: how much do we really think anymore?

So much of life is automatic. We move through our days without reflection. But if we’re not being challenged, we’re not growing. And if we’re not growing, we’re not really living.

Paul noticed something powerful: people worshiping many gods, even building an altar to an unknown god—just in case they missed one.

How many of us have worshiped like that?

Hands raised. Songs sung. Still not truly knowing the God we say we serve.

Not what our parents told us. Not what our grandparents taught us. But what we have experienced.

To know God isn’t just to believe—it’s to experience.

You Have Never Been Separated from God

Here’s a revelation that changes everything: There has never been a moment when God was not in relationship with you.

Even when you thought He was distant. Even when you were doing your own thing. Even when you were silent.

You were still in Him.

“In Him” means your entire existence—your movement, your breath, your identity—has always been held in God. You cannot fall out of Him. You cannot escape His presence. You cannot surprise Him.

We’ve lived off other people’s memories long enough. Someone told us who we were, and the record kept playing. “You can’t.” “You’re not enough.” “That’s not for you.”

But stillness allows God to uproot those old recordings.

When God says you can learn—you can. When God says you can sing—sing. When God says live—live.

Rooted, Not Striving

Jesus said in John 15:

“I am the true vine.”

Notice He didn’t say try to be connected. He said you already are.

Fruit doesn’t come from striving—it comes from being rooted. God takes care of the pruning. Even when a branch isn’t flourishing, the Vinedresser doesn’t discard it—He lifts it so light and air can reach it again.

God is lifting us, not cutting us off.

And here’s the freedom: Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken.”

Not because of what you did. Not because of how hard you tried. But because He spoke.

That’s grace.

Grace Changes How We Live

Grace makes life lighter. Grace brings joy. Grace allows us to enjoy God—not fear Him.

Christ didn’t come with condemnation. He came with kindness. Titus 3 reminds us that salvation wasn’t earned by works but given by mercy—freely and abundantly.

And here’s a question worth sitting with:

If Christ died before the foundation of the world, how could we ever truly be separated from Him?

That’s grace.

Be Big Christ Wherever You Go

You may be the only Bible some people ever read.

So let your light shine—in your home, your workplace, your community. Be Christ in kindness. Be Christ in joy. Be Christ in presence.

You are blessed going in and coming out. Blessed in body, mind, and spirit. Blessed to be a blessing.

The end has already been written—and it’s good.

So, as you move forward, don’t strive. Just be.

Because in Him, you live. In Him, you move. And in Him, you already are.