What Does My Quiet Time Look Like?

I have often wondered what others do when they spend time with the Lord. Do they kneel down to pray? Do they read the same scripture for a week? Do they work through a pre-made devotional? How do other Christians meet with God, and what are the practices they use to grow deeper in their faith? Since I have often wondered what others do, I thought I would share what one of my typical mornings spent with God looks like.


I am an avid coffee drinker and find that there is something special about having a fresh cup of coffee during my time with the Lord. Also, since I am usually just waking up and tired it helps keep me awake most mornings. So the first thing I do before sitting down with the Lord is grab my favorite coffee cup and pour myself a cup.

After I grab my coffee I usually sit in our big comfy arm chair and take a moment to pray. I thank God for the chance to meet with Him and ask that He would guide my time this morning. Then I will take 15-20 minutes to read scripture. Currently I am reading the Psalms with my church which has been a rich experience.

After spending time being challenged by scripture I will do one of two things. I will either take time to pray and listen to God, or I will journal my thoughts and prayers in one of my many journals. I love to journal because it allows me to read what God was doing in my life in the past and see how He has always been faithful even when I couldn't see it. (When I do journal I always grab my favorite fountain pen)

Outside of reading my Bible and journaling I will sometimes use other devotionals to challenge me and help me to grow. One of my favorites is The Message SOLO which provides a Lectio Divina (Latin for Divine Reading) type format. Also this week I have been guiding me journaling through the book Journaling As A Spiritual Practice. 

Well there you have it. These are some of the ways I spend my morning connecting with God. I have been challenged my mentor to strive to make meeting with God in the mornings a consistent part of my day. It can be challenging to wake up early; however, it can also be one of the most rewarding times of my day. May you find time to meet with your creator today and be filled by his presence!


God Bless,
Jason

Energy Vampires

This past Sunday Pathways @ Washpark started a new series called "Energy Vampires". Throughout the series, we are looking at what things suck life from us and from our relationship with God. Our main teaching pastor, Susie Grade, kicked off the series by talking about the regrets that we hold on to from the past, especially our guilt, grudges, and grief. At the beginning of the message they showed this Igniter Media movie that spoke to the regrets many of us have. One of the quotes from the video that resonated with me was "I Regret Consistently Missing Time With God Yet Somehow Never Missing My Show On TV." This resonated with me because there have been many times that I miss my time with the Lord; however, it is fairly rare that I miss watching the shows I follow. As I watched the video I felt convicted about how I chose to use my time and how little I give to God. Check out the video below.


Blessings,
Jason

The Need to Write

I have been thinking a lot about writing lately, and I have realized that despite my desire to write I often neglect to create space in my day to practice writing. I have had this blog for almost two years and have only published 43 post. Too often throughout my week I am reminded of my desire to blog and yet I chose to fill my time with other activities. I thoroughly enjoy writing and was reminded of this as I cleared out one of my drawers to find 6 journals that I am currently using. This doesn't even count the new journals I have waiting in boxes to be used or my journal with Amy to our much anticipated son.

Needless to say, I enjoy having the space to write down my thoughts. I enjoy being able to read a blog entry from last year or a prayer from 2007 and see both how my relationship with God has changed and how I have changed. I wish I wrote more; however, I believe that the writing requirements of grad school have made me feel as though I have nothing left to say. At times, I ponder what I could blog about and am left questioning if I have anything to offer. Tonight I am trying to remind myself of why I write. While I hope that this blog can be a place of encouragement for those who read it, the real reason I write is to record my process of growth, record what God is teaching me, and remember where I have been. I thought about taking up writing for Lent this year and committing to write daily throughout the 40 days. Despite missing the first week and a half perhaps I will still try to write more this Lenten season.