Have I mentioned lately how much I love my small group out here? Somehow I managed to stumble upon a group of liberal Christian women. The cool thing is that our leader, Amanda, is my age, but the other 4 women are all in their 40's and 50's, which means they are wise and there's so much to learn from them.
Three weeks ago, we challenged ourselves to set aside time each day for God. At least 15 minutes. And I'll admit, I really suck at praying. It sounds terrible, I know, and maybe I'll write more about it another time, but for now, it is what it is.
But I've really enjoyed my time each day. I have a journal where I write down three things I am thankful for each night. They range from trivial (Bears win over the Eagles, Ryan's drunk texts) to significant (meaningful conversations, connecting with students).
In addition to the journal, I've gotten back to reading my Bible every night. I'm currently struggling through Isaiah. I'm sorry, I know it's some people's favorite book of the Bible, but parts of it are SO boring. I'm really not looking forward to reading Chapter 39 tonight, which is titled "Hezekiah's Illness." I also usually read another book in addition to this. I'm currently reading "Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God" (which my friend gave me, and I'm finding myself disagreeing with a lot), "Prodigal God" (our small group book), and "The Naked Anabaptist" (trying to learn more about the Mennonites). Sometimes I listen to my favorite worship songs, too.
I really look forward to my time every evening. And tonight, Ellen (one of the super cool ladies in small group) said something that really stuck with me. When talking about the story of the prodigal son, and how the father runs out to meet his son, she thinks about God doing the same for us. She imagines God looking forward to the time they spend together each day, just like we look forward to a friend coming over. She even imagines that God would start boiling the water to make her some tea. Isn't this a great visual? We can all relate to looking forward to a friend coming over, and preparing things for them because we're so excited to see them. I had never thought about God feeling the same way about me. From now on, this is what I'll be picturing during the day... "Okay God, we're still on for tonight, right? Like around 10? I've got lots of stuff to talk to you about. I can't wait to tell you about my day..." And when I get to this part of the day, God will bust out the hot chocolate and cookies, pull up a chair, and we'll hang out together.
Three weeks ago, we challenged ourselves to set aside time each day for God. At least 15 minutes. And I'll admit, I really suck at praying. It sounds terrible, I know, and maybe I'll write more about it another time, but for now, it is what it is.
But I've really enjoyed my time each day. I have a journal where I write down three things I am thankful for each night. They range from trivial (Bears win over the Eagles, Ryan's drunk texts) to significant (meaningful conversations, connecting with students).
In addition to the journal, I've gotten back to reading my Bible every night. I'm currently struggling through Isaiah. I'm sorry, I know it's some people's favorite book of the Bible, but parts of it are SO boring. I'm really not looking forward to reading Chapter 39 tonight, which is titled "Hezekiah's Illness." I also usually read another book in addition to this. I'm currently reading "Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God" (which my friend gave me, and I'm finding myself disagreeing with a lot), "Prodigal God" (our small group book), and "The Naked Anabaptist" (trying to learn more about the Mennonites). Sometimes I listen to my favorite worship songs, too.
I really look forward to my time every evening. And tonight, Ellen (one of the super cool ladies in small group) said something that really stuck with me. When talking about the story of the prodigal son, and how the father runs out to meet his son, she thinks about God doing the same for us. She imagines God looking forward to the time they spend together each day, just like we look forward to a friend coming over. She even imagines that God would start boiling the water to make her some tea. Isn't this a great visual? We can all relate to looking forward to a friend coming over, and preparing things for them because we're so excited to see them. I had never thought about God feeling the same way about me. From now on, this is what I'll be picturing during the day... "Okay God, we're still on for tonight, right? Like around 10? I've got lots of stuff to talk to you about. I can't wait to tell you about my day..." And when I get to this part of the day, God will bust out the hot chocolate and cookies, pull up a chair, and we'll hang out together.
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