What do you think on?

I have been learning much from my sister in Christ, Ann Voskamp...  it started when my friend Jennifer started guest blogging at Ann's blog, A Holy Experience.  Jennifer introduced me to Ann's book, One Thousand Gifts, which has been an amazing journey into grace for me... 

Today, Ann has posted about her late mother-in-law's Scripture memory... it is a sweet story - but also a great challenge...  the title is "Maybe the Most Important Thing You Can Do for Your Faith".  Click the link and see what she has to say - and you can also link to several great resources.

Soul Metabolism

It doesn't take long in the diet and exercise world to hear someone mention your metabolism.  Theories abound, but the general idea is that the higher it is, the better you burn calories and the faster you lose weight. 

In my recent adventure as a "Biggest Loser", we learned many tips and ideas to rev up our metabolism.  The two main items were:
     1) Exercise to build more muscle
     2) Eat smaller, balanced meals on a more frequent basis

Recently, I was talking with a friend who has four children and lives on a farm with 4 horses, 3 dogs, 3 cats and 2 dozen or more chickens.  You may not have a full appreciation of the work involved in that scenario, but I know from experience that there is little time for rest on a farm.  And that's without four kids!

Since I hear from women on a regular basis how they just don't have time to fit in a quiet time, I asked my farm friend how she fits it in... I mean, if anyone were to have an excuse, it would be her!  Already, I'd seen the basket of books in the bathroom... devotionals with bits of wisdom and glory - but surely she was feeding on more than that!

Sure enough - like our plan to keep our metabolism moving, my farm sister practices multiple spiritual feedings in a day.  She may not have time to sit down and gorge on a feast, but a devotion in the morning; a sermon or Scripture on CD mid day; radio Bible teaching on the commute to pick up children from school; praise music on the way home; Bible reading and study before bed. 

Like our eating plan, her spiritual diet includes multiple small meals throughout the day.  Sounds like a good plan for all of us!  Would you benefit from spiritual manna throughout the day?  I know I would! 

"But how?" you might be asking?  Just as you might plan your eating for a diet, it may require some additional discipline in the beginning... planning your spiritual menu for the week, until the routine is established.

Have ideas?  How do you keep your spiritual metabolism revved up during the day?  What are sources for spiritual nourishment, and how are you strengthening your spiritual muscles? 

Spiritual Fitness tip du jour

Part of abiding in Christ is staying connected to Him through His Word...  but when you read your Bible each day - don't just breeze through the passage, with the end goal of "checking the box."  Instead, take time to look at the passage... ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and to help you understand what you are reading. 
Also, ask questions such as:

• I wonder why they did that? 
• How would that look in my life? 
• Is there a command in this passage I need to follow?
• Are there things in my life that I am doing or thinking that don't line up with what God's Word says?
• What does this passage tell me about the character of God?

Some have found it helpful to journal as they read... capturing key thoughts and answers to the questions above.  God desires relationship with us - and this process helps us to interact with God through prayer. Seek the Lord with all your heart and you will find Him!

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy With God in the Busyness of Life

This book has been on my shelf for quite a while... half read, I might add. (That is not unusual for me... I am a bigtime reader, and usually have several books going at once... sometimes a book gets set down, in favor of another, and then I forget to "resume".)

At any rate, I was recently studying the passage of Scripture where Jesus is at Martha's house - and Mary is sitting at His feet listening, and Mary is "worried and anxious about many things". But Mary has chosen the "one thing that is needed" - the "better part".

I wonder - how often are we worried and anxious about many things - rather than choosing the one thing that is needed? Beloved - focus on Christ - He is that ONE thing... He will ensure that what you need to do gets done, and if you rest in Him, your burden will be light...

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy With God in the Busyness of Life

Another Creative Quiet Time: Praise Music!

Read Ps. 100:2

Create a playlist in itunes (or "player" of choice) with your favorite praise music.  Google the lyrics to create a songbook so you can sing along.  Meditate on the words. 

Here are a few amazing songs to consider:
In Christ Alone
Indescribable
How Great Thou Art
How Great is Our God
Great is Thy Faithfulness

Another Creative Quiet Time: Geographic Prayer

Read Matthew 28:18-20

Get a map (of your city, state, country or the world).  Pick three (3) places where you know people and three (3) places where you've never been.  Pray for the people there - that they would hear and respond to the gospel.  Pray for people who who would be willing to go and share the good news in these places. 

Looking for another resource for this? Try Operation World - a "definitive prayer guide to nations, peoples and cities of the world.

Another Creative Quiet Time: Blessings

Read Ephesians 1:3-14.

Make a list of all the ways the Lord has blessed you both spiritually and physically.  Gather photos, pictures, words, etc., and create a small scrapbook to remind you of the many blessings God has given you.  Here is one of my blessings - my sweet niece, Ella. 

Another Creative Quiet Time ~ You are what you eat...

Read Psalm 34:8

Fix a meal of some of your favorite foods.  As you prepare and you eat, think about how God's glory is displayed to us through our senses and give Him thanks for smells, presentation, textures, tasts and His provision.  You can do this with family or friends too!

Another Creative Quiet Time

Read 1 Thess. 5:17.   Create a prayer calendar for the next month.  [You can print a blank page from a printable calendar page like this one, or some other resource.]  Put a different person or prayer item on each day.  (ie) you might put a family member, a country, a missionary, or some other prayer request on each day.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you fill in each block.  Keep this calendar handy and pray each day.

Another Creative Quiet Time

Read Jeremiah 29:11-13.  Use old magazines and/or photos and creat a collage of your dreams.  What are your plans for the the future?  Consider each plan and ask the Lord if it is His plan for your life.  Give your plans over to Him, and ask Him to help you trust that His plans are so much better than what you and I can dream up.   

photo courtesy of bing.com free clipart.

Another Creative Quiet Time: Meditating on the Cross

Read Matthew 16:24-28

Find a picture of a cross (or draw one!)  Use post it notes (or slips of paper and tape) and write down ways that you might deny yourself to follow Christ.  Stick each idea on the cross.  Post this somewhere that you can be reminded. 

Clip Art courstesy of http://www.cross-clipart.com/

Another creative quiet time: Clean or unclean

Read Leviticus 11

Make a list of foods - clean and unclean. Avoid all unclean foods for that day. Think about why God would forbid the foods He forbid. What was His purpose? At each meal, consider whether food can defile you.

Another Creative Quiet Time: Share the Wealth!

Read Matthew 6: 1-4

Go through your closet and find five things (or more) that you haven't worn recently and one thing that is a "favorite".  Take them to a shelter or a thrift store and give them away.  Don't get a receipt, and don't tell anyone about it. 

Journal about your experience and thank the Lord for all He has provided for you.

Another creative quiet time...

Read 1 Cor. 13:4-7

List out a person for each description of love and how you might demonstrate love to that person.

For example: love is patient ~ I wll listen to "Susie" without interrupting even when she gets long-winded.

Then go and try to do them!

Spice up Your Quiet Time...

Ever feel like you have spiritual attention deficit? You aren't alone! Here is an idea to "spice up" your time with the Lord... I'll be posting different ideas from time to time.

For this - grab your Bible and your camera and head outdoors. Read Psalm 8 out loud - then start walking around looking for examples of things God has created... it could be a beautiful sunrise or an interesting bug. Capture the pictures - and give God praise for all the creative things He has created.

Mountain top musings

Two weekends ago, I was able to get away for a personal pray retreat. I stayed at Bonclarken in Flat Rock, NC - it is a Presbyterian retreat center.... quite lovely!

The accomodations were nice, and I spent some great time in the Word and in prayer.

My last morning there - I took a hike around the Carl Sandburg estate. The scenery was beautiful - and I headed out on a trail after studying the map... the trail took me over little glassy mountain. As I hiked along the trail, my focus was on the path - because there were lots of leaves and it was slippery. At one point, I looked up and realized I was on the top of the mountain, and had almost missed it! How many times does that happen in life? We get so consumed by the path - our circumstances, the difficulties - when if we just look UP - our perspective would be so different. The trail hadn't changed - it was still hard to see and there were still slippery leaves and twisted roots to trip me up - but my perspective had changed.

As I started back down the mountain, I cam to a sign - which clearly indicated that the way back to the house was right. By this point, the map was a bit fuzzy in my mind, so against every intuition, I went right, obeying the sign. But five minutes later, I was having an argument in my mind about this not being the right way. I longed for a map to set me straight - and finally decided to turn around and go the other direction. By this point, I was feeling a little nervous - not sure if I was on the right path, running out of time to get back for check out of the retreat center, and by myself on a mountain! That's when it hit me - how much like life this is... we get up, maybe have a quiet time - and the Word makes sense at that point. We strike out into the day with our "map" in mind - but it doesn't take too long down the path, before a sign tells us to go a direction that doesn't seem right, even though it points toward where we want to go.

We mustn't forget that the enemy prowls around seeking to devour and destroy - and he disguises himself as "light" - as helpful signs - that get us off the straight and narrow path. Ps. 1:2 says Blessed is the man who's delight is in the law [instruction] of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.

Thankfully, even though I couldn't remember the map exactly, I had studied it enough to have a good sense of direction. I obeyed the promptings of the Spirit to turn around, and I made it back to the parking lot in due time. May the same be said of our daily walk with the Lord... let us be in His Word, burying it into our hearts; let us be sensitive to His leadings and promptings, and may we keep our focus upward on the joy that is set before us.