Step One: Show Up

In the introduction to It's No Secret (page 20) I admitted my frustration at often feeling I couldn't track with the Bible. I couldn't seem to "get" whatever other people seemed to get out of reading it. I'd read it, kind of haphazardly, and run into things I just didn't understand. Anybody else out there relate?

Sometimes I felt I understood the verses well enough, but found their message wholly unsettling. In fact, there were things I read about God - especially in the Old Testament - that contradicted what I believed about Him and His ways. That'll mess with a Jesus girl's head!  This ever happened to you?

Enough times of feeling perplexed, bored, or unsettled - combined with a busy life and many great (or not so great) things calling for my attention - and I'd give up on Bible reading. For long stretches of time.  I still encountered the Word in church or in Christian books, but my own Bible gathered dust.

Finally, I decided to take God at His Word when He said that I as His disciple have been permitted to understand His teachings. I made up my mind to believe Him when He stated that His Word would not return to Him void - that it would accomplish His purposes (Isa 55:11). I bought a study Bible and gave it permanent residence on my kitchen table.

I'd read it for 5 minutes while I ate breakfast. I'd read while I sat there waiting for my then-homeschooled kids to complete a workbook page. I'd read it during my afternoon I-just-need-some-iced-tea-right-now moments. In little snippets of time here and there, I'd read it.

There are lots of Bible reading plans out there one can follow. You can read one chapter of Proverbs a day for a month. You can read through the Bible chronologically. You can do a book study. But I didn't have any grand plan for studying it other than to obediently show up and read something. However, before I would began I'd pray for God to illuminate the scriptures and to help me understand Him.

If I didn't understand something despite that prayer, I'd look in the study notes on the page. If I still didn't get it, I didn't sweat it. I chose to believe in faith that the time spent reading was not wasted time - regardless of whether or not I "got it." And to believe that anything that seemed contradictory was simply due to a temporary lack of understanding on my part. I showed up with faith the next day and read again anyway.

You do know that God honors faith, right? In fact, He says it pleases Him (Heb 11:6). I'm all about crafting a life that's pleasing to God. (You might want to look up that verse and write it in your INS notebook!)

Soon I learned to flip back and read the whole passage or the whole chapter the perplexing part was in to catch important details or story set-ups. Or even to to back all the way up to the beginning of the book, and to read the study Bible's introduction of the book for the context of who wrote it, to whom and why.

Over time I'd read enough sections that pieces started fitting together. Something I didn't understand last month suddenly made sense now that I'd read this part today. Lights would go on. Connections were made.

More and more was making sense!

Again, I didn't spend hours of time at this. I had little kids at home. Plus, I have an open floor plan in my home (translation: not a lot of quiet spots to study in.) I also had a part-time job.

I didn't use commentaries and I hadn't yet discovered the wonder of websites like biblegateway or crosswalk.  It was just me, Jesus and my study Bible at the kitchen table.

And just showing up off and on during my week days worked. Jesus showed up too, with divine salve to anoint my eyes for the task.

I've since learned to read footnotes, follow cross reference numbers, and use my concordance. But I learned all of that by myself in my kitchen over mugs of coffee with cream.  Among Cheerios and crumbs.  With Dora the Explorer playing in the back ground. (I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map ...)

Now that my children are in school I have more space and time to read and study. I have multiple Bibles and commentaries. And I meet weekly with my pastor and a few other people to talk about scripture.  But it all drives back to just learning to show up and spend some time with God in the Word.

I still have I-don't-understand-this-part moments. *In fact I'll tell you about a recent one in the next post when I give you step two.  But I've found that the very first step to becoming a woman who loves God's Word is just to SHOW UP and read it with faith that He will supply understanding.

Choose to assume that any confusion is only temporary - because God never hides truth from sincere seekers!

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Matt. 7:7 (NLT)

I trust this post will help someone out there decide to just show up and read in faith.

Being still

Anne recently asked: "The thing i need to learn and find hard to do is to sit still and listen to God. i need to figure out how to do that coz normally i pray and my mind starts thinking of all the things i have to do before work. How do i sit still??"

First thing I'd say is figure out what helps you "get your head in the game." Listening to worship music can often help with this. Reading a few passages from the Bible can too. Also, position yourself best you can to avoid distractions. I've mentioned here before that I often sit in front of a window with the rest of the room behind me so I don't see the other things that need doing (dishes, laundry, computer, to-do list).

Occasionally I get down on my knees, face-down on the floor to pray, like in "child's pose" (only thing to notice there is if the carpet needs cleaning). But there are times too that I'm totally focused with God, and I'm sitting in the middle of a coffee shop or cafe with my laptop. So don't feel like you can only be still and hear from God while all alone in an empty room.

The second thing I'd say is pray with a pen in your hand. Have some paper in front of you. When thoughts about what you need to do today or tomorrow come to your mind - and they will - jot them down to clear your mind and know you've now got a reminder for later. Don't worry that these thoughts are popping in your head - just take your pen, deal with them quickly, and move on.

I also encourage you to write down anything you feel God may be impressing on your heart. Write what you think He is saying to You as you pray or read, or what you think the Bible passage you just read means. Record whatever is bouncing around in your mind - thoughts, verses, questions, whatever. You can re-read these the next time you sit down to pray and listen, and that can be helpful too. For me, even just holding the pen to the paper helps me stay focused on what I'm doing now.

Maybe someone else will have more to suggest. What helps you "be still" and focused when praying?

I catch an early morning flight tomorrow to do a women's retreat this weekend with Cornerstone Christian Church. (prayers for the weekend welcomed.) We're headed to a resort in the Pocono mountains for some relaxation and time with God. I'm excited. I'm also secretly hoping to squeeze in a massage or a pedicure before I head home on Sunday since there's a spa at the resort. When they gave me the details and asked me last year if I'd do this retreat, I thought, Are you kidding?! You had me at the word "spa!"

Before you get all envious about that (admit it, you did!), you should know that sometimes I spend the weekend in rustic retreat centers. You know, the kind where you bring your own linens, or sleep in bunk beds, or see snakes by your cabin door, or get bitten by spiders while you sleep, or have no heat and it's late fall. That can be it's own kind of fun - especially when enduring it all with some girlfreinds in God. But, yes, I'm looking forward to this weekend, in this hotel, with these ladies. :)

But I'll be wishing all of you were there. Have a good weekend!

Teach Me to Pray - part 4

I'm so glad so many of you felt the sense of release that I did when I read Jesus' instructions in Matthew 6 to His disciples on how to pray, and I realized it didn't require a weekly all-night prayer vigil.


While I really wanted you to get that point, I feared giving you a mistaken impression that all we ever have to do is "throw up 3 sentence prayers" here and there and call ourselves intercessors with a vibrant prayer life.


A common problem I see and have experienced myself, is we’re so busy each day that we don't pause to pray - for ourselves or others. We don't stay plugged in to God ... until a crisis happens. Even then, as Judy commented, sometimes a crisis hits and we're so used to dealing with things without praying that it can take awhile for us to remember to turn this thing over to God in prayer. So developing a pray-as-I-go-through-my-day mindset is important.


Equally as important as taking God along with me through my day and my to-do list, is to set aside and spend time with Him. To commune with Him. To read scripture. To pray, and to listen for His response. To be still in His presence and worship Him. This kind of thing can't be done on the run.


And some issues we face in life, for whatever reason in the spiritual realm, cannot be solved with one or two quick prayers. We have to persist praying with faith. We may need to gather others to join us in praying, and to intercede on our behalf. Its always necessary too, to keep in mind that God may not answer in the way we expect or desire.


EM Bounds writes, "We would not have anyone think that the value of prayer is to be measured by the clock." He also asserts, however, "The short prevailing prayer cannot be prayed by one who has not prevailed with God in a mightier struggle of long continuance." I believe what the good pastor is saying is that when we find God faithful in the issues of life that have required much prayer and faith, it provides a foundation of trust, experience and relationship on which our short daily prayers can rest.


When I look at the life of Jesus and His prayer practices, I see lots of brief prayers He prayed. But I also see instances when He spent extended time praying and communing with God. For instance, in Mark 1:35 we find Jesus alone in a solitary place, very early in the morning, praying. And in Mark 6:46, after miraculously feeding 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus leaves His disciples and goes up on a mountainside to pray. Matthew adds to Mark's account that Jesus remained there alone until evening (Matthew 14:23).



So examine your prayer life for a moment. Could you benefit from learning to pray quickly during your day as needs arise? Is a set-apart time of leaning deeper into God with focus and prayer what your soul is craving? Decide to make it happen - and start with a quick prayer for God to guide you in this.



As I promised, I'll be posting some scriptures that show Jesus in prayer in my next post so you can learn from the Master.

Bible Study Women of the Bible

Hi Girls, just as I suggested in a recent post, I'd like to read some more of the women of the Bible together in the fall. In my next post, I'll post the woman's story and, after a day of thinking her story over and asking God to give us insights through it, we'll discuss it here.

But first, I want to clear something up.

Anonymous recently posted this comment:

"... about the women of the bible, I ... keep going thru your blogs looking for what I missed. I was unhappy with your response -- you started the women of the bible...then just poof you went away... yes I realize you have a busy schedule and that's what happens to us we get busy and put aside what the Lord had us to start - and most time we never come back to finish it."

Well, my anonymous friend, I am so glad that you've enjoyed our time here reading women of the Bible. I'm even happier that you are thirsting for more! But I suspect you weren't here from the beginning, earlier this Spring. You see, the way this Bible study got started was through a devotion I wrote for P31's Encouragement for Today.

The devotion was about the importance of having a personal, quiet time with God - reading the Bible and connecting with Him - on a regular basis. I offered to help women, thru my blog, get started doing that by proving some direction and accountability for six weeks. I chose women of the Bible for the subject matter and for six weeks I promised to post readings 3x a week and lead a discussion one each one. I kept that six-week promise.

Before the six weeks was near up, however, participants were asking me to keep us going longer. Pleased that everyone (including myself!) was getting so much out of it, I explained that I could not sustain that pace with all my other commitments, but that I would try to keep going at a slower pace. And we did continued on for many weeks.

It is important to note that I also wanted the group to make the transition from relying on me or this format to do a quiet time regularly, to spending time in the Word and God on their own. That was my initial goal.

Anyway, I have since signed a book contract, and that on top of my existing commitments to my family, to P31 Ministries, to the churches I speak for, and to my own church - leaves me less time to blog for awhile. But I will post some new NT women for us to read this month. So stay tuned!

PS. Lolls, thank you so much for that prayer on my last post - I truly felt it when I woke this morning! And I have prayed over each and every request posted or emailed.

Want to read the Bible "together?"

I think between the group of us P31 gals we've gotten most the questions about She Speaks answered. I realize I never typed out my whole process of how I came to be writing and speaking with P31 but it would be a very long post and maybe I will get to it one day. But honestly I'm more excited to get back to the subject of studying the Bible because I want to run something by you.

On Friday I tried unsuccessfully 3 times to post a response to your questions and comments in my "How do you study your Bible" post. Since I never was able to before I had to go on with my day, I thought about you through out the day and an idea began percolating.

So many women have expressed to me a desire to read the Bible and connect with God regularly but they just don't know how to go about it ... or they could use a little accountability in getting it done on a regular basis. Sound at all like someone you know?

I started wondering, would it help you if we could do it "together" several days a week for a month or so? We could all follow a plan I'd provide so we're all reading the same portions of scripture at the same time. I'm thinking maybe we'd move through each of the main women of the Bible. Then we could come here and check it off our to-do list by posting an "I'm done" once we've completed the day's reading.

We can even share in the comments any questions, insights, or reactions we have to the readings. That way we can also learn from one another after we've read the text and reflected on it ourselves. Along the way I would post some comments, some study helps, or some journal activities you could try.

This would be in addition to the other reading/studying I'm already doing. So I want to be clear from the outset that I would not be teaching an online bible study for us so much as hosting it by providing a plan, a forum, some direction and some accountability. I think it could be a fun experience!! I'm all about drawing women closer to the heart of God and to one another.

So what do you think, does this interest you? Would it help you to stay accountable to reading God's Word? If not, that's fine, it won't hurt my feelings. But if you are interested, jump on board and join me in March.

UPDATE: I'm so excited about all of you that have decided to do this - and its still not too late if you've visiting from my "Making Time" devotion today. In fact, any woman can join in at any time during the 6 week study. Beginning this week (March 10th) we'll be going through women of the Bible in chronological order, covering 3 women a week for about 6 weeks. *Everything you need to participate in reading the Bible with me will be posted here on my blog. So if you want to start (or just learn more), look in my side bar to the right under "Archives" and then click on "March 2008" and it will take you where you need to go.

And if you just want to check out other ideas of mine for spending time with God, you can search my blog for the words "time with God." Its my prayer that you will make it a priority to press into Him and be blessed in the process.

How do you study your Bible?

One question I get a lot is how do I study my Bible?

For a long time I didn't really - I just read Chrisitan books that had portions of scripture already digested and explained for me. Now, don't think that I'm knocking the value of Christian books ... they have been invaluable to my walk with Christ! And they continue to be. However, I also needed to get into the Bible myself and allow God to meet me and teach me there. It felt hard to get started though.

Then one of my mentors told me a very a freeing thing. She said, "Don't worry about the where or the how, just open your Bible every day and read something." "Ask God to make that time beneficial, and trust that He will do so even if you don't feel like its very effective at the moment." I started doing that - and many days I sensed that I had experienced something of God in those moments of time. Other days, well, not so much, but I didn't let that deter me.

Soon I began using pre-packaged Bible studies. I've enjoyed some by Beth Moore like Jesus the One and Only, and also Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God. I attended BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) a couple of years, and CBS (Community Bible Study) one year. These were more instensive than I was used to, but the great thing was childcare was provided which made it possible for me to go. I know how hard it is to make time for Bible study when you have little ones at home. These studies all helped me to see the value of moving beyond my just-open-and-read approach, although I still do some of that.

In more recent years I became a little more intentional about digging into the Bible myself without a book or prepackaged study to guide me. I guess I was looking for a more organic experince. I've been exploring different methods for this, and found many of them valuble. Some help me to memorize a verse easily. Others help me to follow a theme over the course of time. Others still, help me to understand the full context of a particular verse or teaching. If you search my blog for the tag "time with God" you'll find a couple posts about it. Let me know if you'd like to hear more ideas from me on this topic.

The better I undersand God's word and thinking - really encounter and understand it for myself - the easier I find it to apply and obey. If you read my devotion at P31 today, you'll realize my daughter and I are actually a lot alike!!

I'd love to hear what works for you. What tips, tools, or resources can you offer for studying the Bible on our own? What's your Bible study journey been like - where are you on the road?

Lover of My Soul

Do you think of Jesus as your groom, your fiance, the lover of your soul?

Have you ever thought about, or approached Christ in prayer, in such romantic and passionate terms? Or does that idea make you squrim and wonder if that could really be what the Bible means when it speaks of Jesus as our promised husband?

The book of Hosea is a short book in the Old Testament. Its the story of a prophet who was told by God to marry a prostitute. She is hard to handle and frequently goes off with other lovers, but God calls Hosea to continue loving and pursuing her. It serves as a metaphor, a picture of sorts, of Christ's unrelenting love for us, no matter what. And it is a passionate, even jealous, love. Check out some of these verses from the book:

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there." ~ Hosea 2:6-7

"Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them." ~ Hosea 2:6-7

"In that day," declares the Lord, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master' ..." "I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion." ~ Hosea 2:16, 19

I've been amazed at the response from Him when I've approach the Lord in prayer with this view of our relationship in mind. He is tender and loving, and will touch my soul at depths I scarely knew I had. Has anyone else experienced this?

I didn't for a long time because I never dared to think in these terms. I didn't know how to integrate the fact that I'm a married, mortal woman with the fact that Jesus is my eternal lover, and soon-to-be husband. Its astonshing when you think of all that implies.

I love this quote from the book Captivating, "You are the one who takes his breath away by your beautiful heart that, against all odds, hopes in him."

I encourage you to try this, try praying and asking Jesus if you take his breath away. Declare your love for Him and ask Him to show you this side of Himself. Ask Him to embrace you and reveal Himself to you as your passionate bridegroom. And praise Him, for when He reveals Himself to us on these terms, its probably one of the most amazing things we'll ever experience.

If you missed my devotion on this topic today, check it out here at the P31 devotion blog.

I'd love to hear your thoughts or experiences with this - and I hope this post inspires you to seek Christ's heart in a fresh way.

Spa girls giveaway

After my at-home spa day my toes are looking beautiful in a purplish shade of red by OPI called Wild Thing that I found on sale after Christmas. And its been warm enough here this week that I can walk around barefoot and enjoy them. My feeling is you gotta find the simple pleasures in life and milk them for all their worth!

So here is what I was pondering in my quiet time this morning: If I could ask God one question today, right now, what would it be?

Would I ask to understand something like why do we pray if You are all knowing?

Would I ask something about the future like how long will I live, Lord?

Would I ask is my mother in heaven with You?

Would I ask something about His will for me, like is the book topic I'm working on or the job I'm in the right one?

Would I ask something that would help all of humanity like how do you cure cancer, or even just the common cold?

I did finally settle on a single question that I would ask Him, but I'll save that for the next post. Right now I want to hear the kinds of questions you'd consider asking if you could ask God a question today and hear His response.

Now, comes the best part - anyone who posts a response telling me the kinds of questions you have for God, will automatically be entered in a drawing to win an at-home pedicure kit!

This pedicure kit is by Mary Kay, from the Private Spa collection. I believe its about a $40 value! It includes foot products in the refreshing Rosemary Mint scent such as an energizing foot masque and a soothing foot balm, along with other goodies.
Its being offered by image consultant Dawn Ward. I'll let her tell you a little about herself and you can follow the link to her blog to learn more ...

I feel called to women's ministry as well as ministry with high school-aged girls. My life experiences and God's deliverance have given me a passion for women and girls alike to know that their self-worth comes from who they are as daughters of the King and not who the world says they are.

I am a P31 She Speaks graduate (2005) and have since begun facilitating a Bible study in my neighborhood. I serve in the Women's Ministry Council at my church as well. A few months ago, in response to months of prayer, God brought Shari Braendel of Proverbs 31 into my life. I heard her speak when I attended She Speaks, and I now believe that God is calling me to Image Ministry. It is the desire of my heart for women to know that God thinks they are beautiful. Psalm 45:11 says, "the King is enthralled by your beauty."

Please visit my blog at www.godzgalzimageconsulting.blogspot.com

Be sure and post your questions for God here, along with your email address or blog address. Then you can stop by Dawn's blog and tell her thanks for offering this cool prize. The winner will be announced on Monday morning (1/14) so you have until then to post.

(We'll run a different spa giveaway next week - Dawn is being so gracious!)

Sunrise with God

The baking went well. I made two kinds of fudge, two kinds of cookies, and a pan of magic bar cookies. The party also went well yesterday. The Christmas cards, however, I never got around to. I have a million and two things to do today it seems, but chose this morning to spend an extended amount of time connecting with God and writing instead of worrying about that. I know I'll actually be more efficient this way.

Let me tell you about a new thing I've discovered that I love to have on during my morning time with God. Its a TV show called Sunrise Earth. Its one hour of the sun rising in a beautiful location in nature. There is no talking - only soothing and invigorating nature sounds from the location. Often there are wild animals in the camera shots, but there is almost never any humans, buildings or cars. I love it!

I can get it on the Animal Planet station, where unfortunately there are a few commercial breaks (TiVo could fix that). I also get it on the HDTV station, where it is absolutely stunning and commercial free.

If you can't get the program on your TV network, you can buy the DVD set here. It's a bit pricey. Or you can watch some of it for free on your computer - click here if you want to learn about doing that.

Just thought I'd pass along my latest quiet time tip as its really added to the experience for me. I wake up excited to watch the sunrise with God - from the recliner with my mug and Bible in hand. I'm the kind of gal that loves being in nature... as long as its not too cold (or too hot) ... and the mosquitoes aren't biting. OK, maybe I'm not that rugged after all. Therefore, for me, this show is ideal for spending winter mornings with God. Let me know if you try it, or if you already watch it and have a favorite "episode."

More Connecting with His Word

Several times a week I wait in line in my car to pick up my kids. Call me a little bit impatient (and you’d be right) or a little bit selfish (and you’d be right again) but it drives me crazy to just sit and wait when there is so much I want or need to get done. So I started keeping a Bible in my car to read during these times.

It didn't work to try to do a page of a Bible study curriculum since I can’t write well on the steering wheel and have to keep scooting the car forward as I make my way up the carpool line. So what I do is choose one verse. Just one. My goal is to read, contemplate, and hopefully memorize that one verse. I read that verse over and over out loud while emphasizing different words in the verse with each reading.

You can emphasize each word individually, which is great, or you can put some together in phrases to emphasize, but if you do phrases be sure to keep them short. It’s also important to do this out loud.

Let me give you an example using Psalm 139:14 from the New Living Translation:

 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it.

After going through it all several times, I simply end by praying the truth of that verse. Emphasizing different words each time you say it out loud will help to draw some of the meaning out of the verse while impressing it into your memory. Now you try it! Use Psalm 37:4, Romans 8:1 or Colossians 4:2 if you want some ideas for where to start.

Anyone try the last exercise I described on paraphrasing a verse? I hope some of these ideas will help you connect with God and His Word in your quiet times, your waiting times, or even your carpool lines!

Connecting with Him

When I'm quiet and settled enough to contemplate the possibility of it, I utterly long for a deep, abiding intimacy with God. When I'm still enough to listen for it, my soul cries out for Him. I've found the best place to look for and find Him is in the Bible.

Here is an exercise to connect us with His Word today: Pray first for God's guidance, then choose a fairly short passage of scripture. Read it several times over, then close your eyes and let the Holy Spirit settle its meaning into your mind. Then take out a pencil and write down your paraphrase of the passage. Put it into your own words, making it personal to you. I often turn it into a prayer or declaration of sorts. I'll do one here so you'll get what I mean.

"Lord God, I clear my mind and my schedule to meet with You right now, heart-to-heart and friend-to-friend. Speak to me, please Lord, through your Word. Let me encounter You there and interpret it rightly. Guide me into understanding and truth. Help me to bite off and chew a portion of your abundant life-giving Word and allow it to go deep down into my soul. For Your glory and in Jesus' Name I pray."

I selected Psalm 138, here it is in the NIV version:

1 I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. 3 When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. 4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth. 5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great. 6 Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. 8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever-- do not abandon the works of your hands.

My journaled paraphrase:

God, you are the Lord of my life and you are wonderful in all Your ways. And I will speak of You to anyone and everyone without shame or fearing what it might cost me. Though I'm a not a very good singer, I won't hesitate to sing out praises to You! I will worship you inside of church and out, because I find You not only real, but truthful, dependable, loving and just. God, You have chosen to infuse Your power into your Name and your Word - that when I pray in your Name and take in Your Word, magnificent things can happen. Thank You! I've prayed to You in the past and seen You answer me! Plus, no matter what I'm going through You give me the faith and the ability to endure until You choose to change my circumstances. God, I want everyone but particularly our leaders to acknowledge You. I want them to listen to You as they lead us, and to give You honor instead of seeking it for themselves. For I understand You don't hang out in a heart that remains proud, but will shine through the heart that remains humble. No matter what my leaders do or what trouble I may encounter, I trust that You will Shepherd me ... guiding me, protecting me, saving and nurturing me all the way through my life. I believe this because I know I am the works of Your hands, made lovingly with holy purpose, and You never abandon Your purposes. You are eternally faithful to Your people, Your purposes, and Your promises - thank you!

Its great to read a Psalm a day, but something about writing it out in my own words helps me process it, internalize it, and pray it. Which means I'm much more likely to remember it and apply it in my life. This writing exercise also brings the text down to that personal, intimate level which is right where God is with us. Give this exercise a try today - I pray that God and His Word becomes alive to you as you do.

My quiet time spot

I promised I'd post a picture of my "quiet time spot," which I talked about in the "How I spend time with God" posts. Here's my cafe table by the windows. I hope you've got a special spot somewhere that will beckon you to come and spend some time with God.

Understanding the Bible

I used to read a lot of Christian books but I rarely read the Bible other than in church. I figured this was fine because the books contained scripture. (True, but that's a little like eating only the grapes that are loose at the bottom of the bag and avoiding the ones that are still on the bunch.)

If you find it hard to understand the Bible, or feel like many sections of it aren't very applicable to your own life, then begin your quiet time by praying and asking God to give you a passion for His Word, and the wisdom to understand and apply it!

"Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

What a sweet promise from our Maker. Have you spent time with Him today?

PS - Those of you who asked about speaking blessings over your loved ones, I will address that in more detail in a post soon!

How I spend time with God - setting the stage

In my ideal world, I’d have a Starbucks’ frappachino every morning. But that requires that I go to the coffee shop and shell out $4 to buy one. That doesn’t happen often. Sometimes I buy those Starbucks drinks in the small glass bottles from the grocery store and pull one of those from the fridge. Not the same, but still yummy. More often than not, however, I’m drinking tea with God.

I’m weird about drinking hot drinks in the morning – I only like them at night unless I am freezing cold. On the coldest mornings I’ll have hot tea or hot cocoa with God. However, mostly I drink iced green tea or Diet Coke. We usually meet with friends or family over coffee, tea or food, so I figure why not with God!

Besides my liquid of choice, I like to have a scented candle lit to set the stage. It makes me settle down and feel all warm and fuzzy. Something about that flame says to me: this is special time. The lighting and later the blowing out of the candle marks the official beginning and ending of my "quiet time." Of course, I’m never really apart from God:

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height or depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39

I’m a scented candle kind of gal. That’s an understatement since from where I sit at the moment I can see 11 different candles across two rooms! But I try to use the same candle during my time with God. That way I have a visual reminder of how often I’m spending time with Him. As the wax level drains I know my spirit is filling up. If I get to the end of a week and that candle jar looks just as full as it did on Sunday, I know I’ve not been making time to connect with Him. Some people might like to check it off a to-do list, or mark an X on the calendar day to indicate they’ve spent some time with Him, but I like watching the scented candle wax disappear into the heavens like a fragrant offering.

A final way that I set the stage for spending some time with God is with music. If I’m trying to read the Bible I usually avoid playing anything with lyrics so I can concentrate. I have several instrumental Christian CDs - try hymns set to a Celtic beat for something different. I also have ambient music CDs like a running stream or birds chirping at dawn.

Occasionally, however, I just feel like "gettin' my praise on" as my worship leader girlfriend Gwen says. So I'll put on an up-beat contemporary praise and worship CD and crank it up loud. I’ve been known to dance and sing. I've also been known to lie on the floor with my eyes closed ... lost in the music and the One it is for ... letting the tears that sometimes come push their way out between my closed lids.

Music can usher us to God’s throne room! If you're trying to connect with God or the Bible and can’t seem to “get into it,” try playing some worship music, closing your eyes and contemplating the lyrics as you listen for awhile.

Other times I enjoy the weight of the silence in the room. Sometimes silence is just what the soul needs. Now, if you’re a mom with little ones I KNOW this feels like a tall order. I have two kids, and once they reached school-age I began home schooling them (in an open floor-plan home no less). So alone time and silence were very hard to come by most days. Hard to come by, but not impossible: I could get up before them, or stay up after them. Or I could adapt to the fact that other things were going on around me, and make the effort to press into God anyway. My friend Marybeth who was also home schooling her brood used to tell me she did her praying in the shower because that was the only place she could find some peace and solitude!

Tea, candles, music - none of this is necessary but it helps me transtion into a place of connection with the Lord. So set the stage in whatever ways you can to help you to come to and connect with God. Don’t set yourself up for failure, however, with expectations about how a quiet time “should” be (or used to be) that your current circumstances can’t match. Just make it a priority and press in, letting God take care of all the rest.

Have you decided yet when you’ll sit down with God tomorrow? Remember it doesn’t need to be long; it just needs to be done!

stay tuned for more to come on this topic

How I spend time with God - the place

For me personally, where I sit is important. I can't concentrate well if I'm surrounded by other projects or clutter. Clutter will make me feel too chaotic to get started, and seeing lots of other things I need to get done will make me think I'm too busy to have time for this today.

That's a lie of course, but I know that's how it makes me feel so I avoid facing my desk, which makes me think of the six deadlines I've got. I avoid facing the kitchen sink because it reminds me of the dishes I need to do, or the meals I need to plan. And I wouldn't dream of going near the laundry room because I seem to be forever behind on laundry! But if I wait for my house to be perfectly clean to sit down with God, I'll only spend time with Him maybe 10 days a year!

Instead I sit at my kitchen table which is situated in a nook with a bay window. I face out the windows with my back to the rest of the kitchen. If my kitchen table happens to be cluttered, I clear it first. Else I move to a different location since I'm so easily driven to distraction.

Spot number two is a little cafe table in my family room that is situated in a corner between two windows. I face, you guessed it, out the windows with my back to the rest of the house. I like sitting at tables because it allows me to easily write down thoughts or scriptures or prayers. My little cafe table and 2 chairs tend to stay clean and clear with little effort (unlike my kitchen table) so its almost always available.

Some days, however, the best I can do is collapse in my recliner and read some out of my Bible. Maybe I'm feeling tired, or a little under the weather, or just totally uninspired, but on these occasions I don't try to have a big Bible quiet time "session." I just crawl in the recliner with God. If you have uninspired days too, do what I do and trust in the fact that God said His Word would never return to Him void. If you have times you feel like nothing you are reading is sinking in, pray that Isaiah 55:ll will be true in your life:

"So will my word be which goes out of my mouth: it will not come back to me with nothing done, but it will give effect to my purpose, and do that for which I have sent it." -Isaiah 55:11

But that's more on par with my next post on this topic ... so stay tuned for more. And check back in the coming days and weeks if you want a little accountability on this. Oh, and feel free to leave a comment and tell me where you like to meet with God, I'd really love to hear about it!
I'll try and post a picture of my "quiet spots" tomorrow.

Making the Effort

Below is my devotion that ran on Encouragement for Today, in case you missed it. Itprompted the nextseveral posts on how I spend time with God.

“Be earnest and unwearied in prayer, being on the alert in it and in your giving of thanks.” Colossians 4:2 (WNT)

Devotion:
I was recently interviewed by a Christian radio station; following the release of our devotional book God’s Purpose for Every Woman. The interview began with a brief discussion of the nature of God’s promises and purposes for women. Next, the topic shifted to the daily discipline of spending time with God, communing with Him through the words of the Bible and prayer. Of course I said how important this was for Christian stability and growth. Then the interviewer challenged, “So bring this home. You are a wife, a mother, a university teacher, a writer, and a traveling national speaker. I’m guessing you are pretty busy. Rachel, how do you find time to have a quiet time?”

There was a day when this question would have struck me deaf and dumb because I didn’t know what the answer was. I knew people who would spend an hour alone with God each day, and I wondered what their secret was. What was it that enabled them to do that? What kept them from falling asleep sitting there alone with the Bible? How did they know what to say, read or think about during all those minutes? How did they keep from getting distracted? How did they even manage to find an hour of free time each day? I kept waiting for a season of my life to come during which a block of time would regularly present itself and my spirit would drive me to God like my sweet tooth drives me to the freezer for chocolate ice cream. I wasted a lot of time idly waiting for that to happen.

“Rachel, how do you find time to have a quiet time?” I don’t find the time,” I answered. “I have to make the time. I can’t expect to find time – that’ll never happen. There’s always going to be something needing my attention, calling my name. I have to make the time, and that means sometimes I have to let other things slide. I have to be OK with letting less important things slide,” I confessed.

I’ve come to realize it’s a matter of choice, a matter of discipline… and a matter of active investment. E.M. Bounds wrote, “The lazy man does not, will not, cannot pray, for prayer demands energy.” That is a simple but profound statement. When I don’t pray it’s because I simply don’t want to expend the energy on it. People who do not pray much probably claim to be too busy or too bored with it, but in reality are too lazy to press into God. Wow. Ouch!

We have to be earnest and unwearied in prayer as today’s verse urges. In the words of a little shoe company called Nike; we have to “just do it.” Let’s carve some time in our days to be quiet before the Lord, to read His words and pray. We can trade a small portion of our time and energy for a large portion of His grace and power.

Purpose to stick to it for several weeks until it sinks into your schedule and your soul. If you want some help being accountable on this, visit my blog listed below. I know we’ll find it is more than worth the effort.

Dear Lord, I want to make the effort and time to interact with You. I want to pray and seek your heart. I don’t want to be too lazy to connect to Your love, wisdom, power and grace. Help me in this, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application Steps:
If you are not in the habit of praying or regularly communing with God, commit to doing so. It doesn’t have to be for an hour - start with 10 minutes. Gather your Bible, some pen and paper and set the timer.