November 14, 2011 · 6:00 am

Quiet Time

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Some of you are probably a lot “holier” than I am.

I’ve never been very good a carving out a specific time and creating the habit of “quiet time” with God.

Mostly because I can’t find a time that’s quiet. My husband is a night owl and I’m an early riser, and both of our sons seem to be early risers, too. There’s rarely a moment in my day when someone or something isn’t demanding my attention.

I do read my Bible. I do my devotionals, but I’m sporadic about it. I never seem to be able to get into the groove of a daily quiet time.

Until recently.

I started reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, and I loved the book so much that I set my alarm to wake me up even earlier than the pre-dawn gray skies that greeted me already, just so that I could make sure to start my day in silence–only the word of God and that book to wake me up and direct me for the day.

It was a amazing. I literally felt my attitudes about life changing–I loved starting my day in God’s word, reveling in his presence and his promises for me.

Starting my day with Him made it easier for me to dwell in His presence all day long. My attitude was more prayerful, more thankful, and much more open to seeing just what God was doing in my life.

This lasted a couple of months.

I changed my routine again, starting my day with my workout because I wasn’t able to fit it in anywhere else, and staying healthy is important, too. I wanted to try to maintain both physical health and my spiritual health.

But then that special time I was spending with God got pushed aside by life (and my 2 sons who seem to wake before the rooster crows on a daily basis.)

Within two weeks, God brought my attention to the differences I felt in not starting my day with Him.

I was grumpier. I was more tired. It was easy for me to slide into the secular side of life, leaving God completely out. It wasn’t until I let a few “no-no” words slip out of my mouth like they were nothing that I realized that I was slipping off the firm fountation I had built by focusing my attention on God at the beginning of each day.

So, I’m starting over. Once again, I’m changing my schedule, only this time I’ll go back to starting my day with quiet time, alone in God’s presence.

I know there will be healthy benefits to that.

Share with me: Do you have a routine that involves regular, scheduled time spent in the Word? What time of the day works best for you? Do you notice a difference when you have quiet time and when you don’t?

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November 7, 2011 · 6:00 am

World Religions 101

I am fascinated by world religions. Absolutely fascinated.

You could call it a passion of study. You could call it an obsession. Yes, you could.

I was lucky enough to get to teach a Comparative Religions class at the high school where I worked, so I had an outlet for my madness.

And now I teach a class through my church called World Religions 101: Understanding Theirs So You Can Share Yours.

I think that we, as Christians, have a responsibilty to share the Gospel, and we can’t do that effectively unless we understand what others believe.

Not everyone is open to the idea of being converted, so walking up to someone of another faith and saying, “Hey, you need Jesus,” is not always going to work.

Let me break it down for you–
What separates Christianity from all of the other religions is one word–grace.
All other religions, it can be argued, are works based, while Christianity is faith based and any works performed are a result of the faith and acceptance of God’s gift of grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

I’m not trying to start a debate about the various religions in the world or break down the doctrine of Christianity, but I do want to present the basics as much as I can to as many as I can. My goal is to educate so that we can effectively witness.

I believe it’s something God has called me to; a small way in which I help reach those who need the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Of all the religious groups that fascinate me, Mormons top the list. I’m also fascinated by Hinduism, mostly because it’s such an ancient belief system full of brightly colored mythology and detailed traditions that translate into a largely secular population.

Call me a nerd (I’ll gladly answer to that), but history has always fascinated me, and I argue that history has been largely driven by religion.

Some argue that money makes the world go ’round, others argue it’s politics and power, but I think that when you peel back all historical events, past the money, past the war, past the details that seem innocuous, religion (or blatant lack thereof) can be found at the root of all history.

Brilliant. And fascinating.

So if you want to learn how to be an effective witness to the lost world, educate yourself on what others believe.


Share with me: Is there a world religion, group, or cult that you’d like to learn more about or that fascinates you? Why?

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November 4, 2011 · 5:00 am

No Laughing Matter

My son had committed another infraction. Whether it was leaning back in his chair at the dinner table, refusing to eat his food, or using his fork as an airplane, he’d done something that required scolding.

And so I began in my best “mommy-voice.” Don’t do that. Don’t do this. We expect this and that from you. Please use your manners or said infractions will cost you through the following consequences…

But I as I spoke, his eyes moved slowly toward each other until they were completely crossed, his mouth puckered, his expression…hysterical.

How am I supposed to keep a straight face against that?

And I tried. Really I did. I tried as hard as I could not to lose it, to keep my cool and maintain my “speech.”

But I looked to my husband who had his eyes on our kid and his hand over his mouth to keep from spewing mashed potatoes everywhere.

I’m sure that many of you parents have been in a similar situation–wholeheartedly delivering the “talking-to” that will change your child’s life, only to notice that your kid’s face is possessed.

I’m not gonna lie–I laughed. I had to.

It ruined the teachable moment, but I have no doubt there will be more teachable moments.

Share with me: How do you handle it when your kid makes you laugh when you are trying to discipline?

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