Me, too. But, for much of my adult life, knowing God, knowing mind, or feeling connected to something grander than myself escaped me, eluded, even evaded me. Then, one day, something happened to me and I made a remarkable discovery. Meister Eckhart was right: “The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me.”

So, I write this blog today assuming two things: 1) That God is; and 2) she is knowable. I call God, God but, you might prefer something else as in Being, Transcendence, the Eternal, the Mind, whatever…I have long suspicioned she has many names and aliases.

I’m hardly looking for widespread agreement on these suppositions. Some of you will agree and that’s fine. Others of you won’t and…well…that’s fine, too. If you don’t share these assumptions, you’ll not likely read anything else in this post you agree with either.

What follows in bold text are a few of those things I’ve learned about knowing God or living a Divine life, or being enlightened, or awakened, or, as the Christians love to say, “being saved.”To know God is simply the deep, inner feeling of inexplicable oneness with what is, a kind of wholeness and connectedness with life itself…with God.  I love the way Eckhart Tolle puts it:  ”The word ‘enlightenment’ conjures up the idea of some superhuman accomplishment…it is really just your natural state of felt oneness with Being.”

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Knowing God is the purpose of human existence. It’s why you showed up. It took me half a lifetime of searching before I got this.  I had always thought, and had been taught, there was some “grand purpose” for which I appeared on planet earth…some job nobody else could do…would do…that I was supposed to do. So, I wasted a big chunk of my life looking for what it was.  Perhaps you’ve lived with similar expectations.  When I awakened from this illusion however, I realized there was nothing I was supposed to “do.”  The Divine had done it all. I had shown up to simply enjoy it–that is, to just be.

When you get this, you’re at peace.  The search is over.  The expectations are lifted. Life begins to be genuinely celebrated.  Then, you go on to “do” whatever you wish while enjoying who you are in the process. It is only after you stop looking for what it is that will define who you are…that one big moment or task or recognition that the ego in you craves and so deludes you into believing awaits you just around the “next” corner that you begin to live.

We show up for one reason and one reason only–to walk with God, as did Enoch of old (Gen. 5:24). This is an anthropomorphic way of describing what is the natural experience of deep connectedness with God.  If you read all of Genesis 5, you realize the writer is making the point that Enoch’s contemporaries were born, lived, begat, and died…but, they never got it.  That is, they never quite figured out the simplest, yet the most profound truth about life. It’s all about knowing the Divine, being one with oneself and with what is.

There is something else.  Knowing God takes no effort whatsoever. Effort is the stuff of religion.  Virtually all of them, too. While most religions seem to start out right – that is, with the purpose of helping people know and feel oneness with themselves…with life itself…with the Divine – it isn’t long before they turn this grant from God into some kind of loan that must be repaid with obligations, offerings, obedience, and so forth.

So, with those who’ve left religion for reasons associated with abuse (and those may number in the millions), the real reason most people have left organized religion (but have not left their spiritual longings), is because they’re frankly tired of trying to know a God their religion says requires still more sacrifices…still more duties…still more doctrines to debate over…still more rules to keep…lifestyles to conform to…and so on.

My advice is: don’t make knowing God into a problem…into a performance…into some kind of duty or ritual.  Know that you know God already.  Knowing God is nothing more than the progressive realization of Presence itself, which is why Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Lk 17:21). You could not get any closer to God than you are now. So, know that every thought of God, every impulse is grace itself…IS God.

Give your attention to the inclination you feel to know God. I love what Thomas Merton said, “As soon as people are disposed to being alone with God, they are…no matter where they are:  in the monastery, in the city, in the country…in the woods. At the moment it seems they are somewhere in the middle of their journey, they have actually arrived at the destination already.”

Give your attention to the questions you have about God, too…even the doubts. See where that takes you. Your religion might tell you that you should accept the things you’ve doubted or questioned on the basis of faith alone. But, that’s nonsense.  God does not ask you to ignore your questions or disregard your doubts. Faith does not preclude doubt.  Real faith is learning to live in ambiguity…with paradox…with questions for which there may be no answer.

Your questions might frighten the faithful. But, I assure you that your questions are welcomed by God.  She created you with a mind.  Use it.  As I say in The Enoch Factor, “Doubt is no more disbelief than questions are compromise.” The most faithful followers of any faith have been those whose minds doubted, questioned, and so contemplated the inexplicable mysteries of life.

Meditate more often than you medicate.  It is so unfortunate in our western world but, as Christiane Northup has said, “The only acceptable form of western meditation is hospitalization.” I suppose it is conceivable that life would give you whatever you need–even a hospital bed–to help you look within–which is, of course, the only place where you could ever really find yourself or experience the Divine presence. The rabbis say, “God has but one synagogue…the human heart.”

Although I am a devoted follower of Christ, I regularly practice eastern meditative disciplines.  There is much Christians could learn from the spiritual traditions of the east. Ignore those Christian leaders who warn you against meditative practices or yoga or whatever. They’re only admitting they live more from a place of fear and suspicion than they live by faith. For me, and many other practitioners of the Christian tradition, I have the highest regard for those spiritual traditions that, while different from mine in many ways, have enriched my journey nonetheless.  In fact, the more I learn from other traditions the more devoted I am to my own and the more I realize the similarities in all of them.

While Benedictine monks in the Christian tradition know this, most other Christians do not. But, Jesus himself regularly practiced meditation just as his eastern counterparts. What do you think he was doing for forty days and nights as he wandered in the wilderness? (Lk 4:1-13).  On a hunting expedition?  His temptations grew out of his inner impulses.  And, to deal with them, he had to go within in order to find his way out.

You will have to do the same.  Learn to meditate.  To meditate will mediate God’s presence faster than anything I know. Lao Tzu said, “Where there is silence, one finds the anchor to the universe.”

Know that every experience carries within it an expression of the Divine presence.  I am not suggesting that everything you might encounter in life is sent by God.  But, I am saying that everything that happens in life can be the occasion for connecting deeply with the Divine. When I experienced a profound shift in my spiritual life a few years ago, I did so with the realization that life has a way of unfolding as a series of synchronous events that, seemingly coincidental or even random, are actually conspiring together to bring you into union with the Divine. This understanding has been transforming my reaction to and interaction with every experience of life–the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Make it your daily spiritual practice to bring your awareness into the present moment.  When you are here (and not somewhere else in the mind), you will be at peace…in presence. If you haven’t discovered this already, you will likely learn that one of the greatest challenges to living with a felt sense of oneness to God is disciplining the mind and so training it to the “here and now.”

To be in union with God may take no effort but to know that union and so enjoy its blissful benefits…well…that will likely take a lifetime.  Which is why it’s important to get started now and why the sixteenth century Carmelite monk, Brother Lawrence, called this “practicing the presence of God.” Think of this in the way Ernest Hemingway said to think of yourself: “As an apprentice in a craft where you could never become a master.”

Again, don’t make a problem of this.  Just know that knowing God unfolds naturally as you train yourself to give attention to every thought, impulse, or inclination you feel to know God. Recognize the thoughts.  Acknowledge the inclinations, however faint they may be.  It is here you will find peace, enter presence, and so know God.

The ancient sages said that Enoch walked with God (Gen. 5:24).

If he did, so may you.

2.  As a matter of practice, make sure you say “Thank You” for member support at least three-times as often as you say things like, “We need your help.” Send quarterly “thank you” letters to members that are addressed to them personally (ie., “Dear Bob and Mary…”), along with their statement of giving for that quarter. Make sure the letter highlights a specific ministry/mission accomplishment for the previous quarter (ie., faith conversions, new members, a facility that just went “green” or was painted, updated, or the number of households served by the church’s food pantry, a mission team report, etc.). People give to people and to projects they deem worthy in serving the cause of Christianity. Put a “face” on these letters so that members are reminded that their generosity is making a difference in someone’s life.

3.  Make use of “generosity testimonies” throughout the year, not just a budget promotion time. Listen for those stories from members who are facing hard times but remaining faithful in their giving and finding God’s presence and provision to be adequate. Enlist them to share their story. Guide them in preparing and delivering it to the church/parish. Be sure their story is shared, not only in worship, but through church publications, the church’s website, etc. A spirit of generosity is caught more often than it is taught.

4.  Many churches report their giving totals for the previous week/month in their parish bulletin or newsletter. These churches typically report the AVN “Average Weekly Need” as well (AVN is the total annual budget need divided by 52 weeks or 12 months). As a consequence, often the weekly/monthly receipts appear to be short of the average weekly/monthly need.

In time, this reporting method creates the perception that the church is always behind in its giving. Most churches have the best quarter of giving during the final quarter of the year and will often “catch up” and close out the year at or near budget projections. However, by reporting weekly receipts against the average weekly need, the perception is nurtured that church is always behind. And perceptions, once fixed in people’s minds, are hard to change.

Here’s what to do. Church expenses are not equally distributed throughout the year. The utility bills, for example, are likely to be higher during those months of intense cold or heat than at other times of the year. Instead of reporting the average weekly receipts against the average weekly need, why not calculate the average weekly expenses based on the last five year’s expenses for that same week?

This will take a little time. Once set up, however, in an Excel spreadsheet, or some other program, it will be easy to maintain. Simply average all weekly or monthly expenses for the last five years. This will give you a weekly/monthly average of expenses that is much more realistic and accurate. Then, when you report the weekly receipts with THIS average, the receipts will more often meet or exceed the weekly average need. In time, the perceptions, as well as the congregational attitudes, will change and become more positive, accurate, and optimistic about the church’s financial health.

5.  Teach generosity, and do so regularly. Consider opening a Financial Counseling Center. Most churches have one or more lay persons who have skills and training in this area, as in bankers, accountants, investors, insurance and financial advisors, etc. Offer classes in financial planning, debt and money management, and planned giving. Invite a speaker who specializes in motivating people to live beyond fear and anxiety and more by faith and generosity. It is true that generous people are the happiest people. Teach and preach on Biblical giving. Consider a teaching series or a series of homilies/sermons designed to expose the myths about giving prevalent in virtually every church in America.  Try reading the book by that title: The Giving Myths.

6.  Ask the right questions…

Since people give to vision, or human and spiritual needs; What is your church’s vision? How well are you communicating it? If it is unclear, or cannot be stated by most members in the pew, it may be time to lead them to discover a new vision for the future, a re-defined mission and vision for the church’s future.

Is your financial support declining, or flat; Why? Do local unemployment and other economic factors explain the decline or are there other reasons for it? (ie., No vision? Low Vision? Fear? Internal conflict? Distrust, suspicion, or a lack of confidence in leadership?)

Whether real or perceived, are more of your church’s resources being spent within the church walls than on missions and mission projects beyond the church walls? According to Empty Tomb, Inc., an Illinois-based Christian research organization, most churches spend 85 percent or more of their financial resources on salaries, utilities, and brick-and-mortar maintenance. If so, this trend will likely be protested, either verbally or quietly, and a turn-around necessary if giving trends are to ever change.

What counsel, guidance, and active prayer support is your church offering to members, as well as those within the community, who are unemployed and/or under-employed? What about debt counseling or financial counseling? Has your church hosted a “Jobs Fair,” or a “Resume-Writing” Seminar? Does the church offer guidance to those completing applications for unemployment assistance? In other words, how do your members “perceive” the level of your concern as a church for the difficulties they are facing?

7.  Before undertaking a new building or expansion campaign, renovation project, or capital campaign, it is imperative to conduct a pre-campaign readiness assessment (or, feasibility study) by a third-party professional firm. This will help church leadership evaluate whether members are willing support the effort (that is, how they really feel about it beyond any church vote) and, equally as important, whether their financial support will be great enough to prevent the church from mortgaging its future with an unmanageable debt.

8.  If your church has a large debt, it would be wise to consider conducting a capital campaign for debt reduction/elimination, even if you have just completed a capital campaign for new construction. Why? Remember, people are becoming more and more debt conscious. At first, the suggestion of “another” capital campaign for debt reduction will meet with resistance from some. But, this is due mostly to campaign fatigue. Once members see that, if the church does not reduce debt, it will pay $________ (this amount can be calculated from the amortization schedule on the church loan) in interest money alone over the next three years. Merely seeing this number is generally enough to lead them to reconsider. Interest money spent on debt service is really ministry money the church is needlessly throwing away.

9.  Normally, a capital campaign for debt service will yield only about one to one-and-one-half times a church’s annual budget in three-year commitments. In other words, a church with an $800,000 annual budget will likely receive $1.2 million in revenue for debt elimination/reduction over a three-year giving period. This example assumes the church is using the services of a professional fundraising firm. Normally, those churches attempting capital campaigns for debt reduction without the assistance of a professional fundraising/stewardship firm will not do as well. They can guide you in avoiding pitfalls and in designing a successful campaign for debt reduction/elimination that will make sense – even in today’s economic climate.

9.  If your church/parish has conducted a capital campaign in recent months, when was the last time information on the status of the campaign, as well as the progress of the worthy cause, was shared with members? While many churches conduct successful annual and capital campaigns, too often what happens after the campaign concludes could be summarized in one word: Nothing. In an annual stewardship campaign, for example, some aspect of the church’s ministry accomplishments should be shared at least every six weeks.

Generally speaking, all that most churches do is post in the weekly/monthly bulletin the giving totals from the previous week (or, month). In capital campaigns, there are few churches that successfully implement a Follow-Up program that keeps members abreast of campaign/project progress. These same churches often do little to introduce and encourage new members to participate. Good communication will keep the campaign momentum and contributions going forward.

10.  In the end, make sure that the church, and its lay and professional leadership, is practicing what it preaches. Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom…and these things will be given as well” (Luke 12:32). Know that the Kingdom is not the church. Nor is it some future place or destiny. The Kingdom, as Jesus referred to it, is within you (Luke 17:21); that is, within each follower of Christ. In other words, it is that deepest place within every follower, where none other than God himself dwells. So, what does this mean when applied to the economy?

The central thought in a capitalist economy is the “principle of scarcity,” where it is assumed there are not enough resources to produce all the goods and services people need and want. The central thought in a Kingdom economy, however, is the “principle of abundance.” Where God is, there is plenty.

The problem in today’s world is not a deficit of resources but the distribution of resources. On one hand, a scarcity mentality creates fear and competition. This, in turn, fuels greed, ego-based decision-making, and a misguided, competitive bigger-is-better philosophy. This collective leadership ego has led churches to over-build, over-extend, and mortgage their future in excessive debt. A Kingdom mentality, on the other hand, creates trust. It nurtures sound, God-based not ego-based decision-making. In this leadership environment, there is confidence in the church’s leaders, joy among its members, and a spirit of generosity.

Since there is no such thing as scarcity in God’s Kingdom, members should feel the church’s decisions are not being dictated by the economy but by leaders who are wise, spiritual, in-touch with the God within, and interested only in building the “real” Kingdom—the Kingdom within each follower. Where this prevails, the church prospers.

Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” In spite of this rather clear clue as to where to look to find God, many mistake their inner feelings of discontent, restlessness, or desire for happiness and fulfillment as an indicator they need to do something.  Our culture’s answer to this inner dilemma is to find the right career. Or, to find and fall in love with the right partner.  But even these events – as meaningful as they may be – fail to grant anything more than a temporary, impermanent peace.

Now, what happens in most religions, Christianity notwithstanding, is that people go to church looking for God, thinking she might be found there.  And, the church perpetrates, as well as perpetuates, the illusion that God can be.  How so?  By suggesting to people, “We have the answer. We alone have the answer. What we believe is right or, at the least, a little more right than anyone else believes.  So, attend our church, believe as we believe, think as we think, do as we do, live as we live and, of course, give us your money, and all will be well with your soul.”

But it isn’t so. Over time, this nonsense has created in people the expectation that, if they’ll do all these things, they’ll find God.  Instead of helping to know God, however, these expectations, rules, dogmas, doctrines, and beliefs have sucked the spiritual life right out of their souls.  The church too frequently confuses beliefs for faith and, in fundamentalist churches, the beliefs are then imposed on believing and unbelieving people alike. In fact, that would be a pretty accurate definition of religious fundamentalism – the confusion of beliefs for faith and imposing those beliefs on others.  That’s what’s happening today in both Islam and in Christianity – the difference is only the degree with which the imposition occurs.

The American Religious Survey tells us that as many as 34 million Americans today have left organized reIigion.  For the majority of these, it is the Christian religion they’re leaving or, more accurately, the church’s dysfunctional version of Christianity that they are leaving.

And, that’s the point.  People can leave the church—they have, they are, and more will, as long as the dysfunction and insanity I’m describing goes on. What people cannot leave, however, is their inner feeling of discontent, emptiness, or the longing to cultivate a deep spiritual union with the Divine.  So, in recent years, as westerners have had greater exposure to eastern religions, many have turned to other religions. What many of these seekers do not know is this:  the dysfunction they met and left in the western church is the same sort of madness they will likely find in many other religions as well.

So, it is important to understand, I did not write this book as a disgruntled former minister looking to attack either Christianity or the church. I wrote this book to tell people what took me half a lifetime to figure out.  There has only ever been one place you will go to find the deepest desires of your heart fulfilled – and that is within yourself.  That’s what Jesus meant when he said, “The kingdom is within you.”   The Buddha said this, too.  Even the Jewish rabbis have a saying that goes, “God has but one synagogue – the human heart.”  I wrote this book, The Enoch Factor to show people where to look—the human heart—to find what they’re looking for.