Tuesday, October 1, 2013

31 Days of Quiet



But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 
for it is light that makes everything visible. 
This is why it is said:

"Wake up , O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you." 
(Ephesians 5:13-14 NIV)






Think of the 31 Days of Quiet series as your personal pantry to spice up your devotions. Click here to see what's been stocked so far.

Do you ever get bored or stuck in your relationship with God? Even if you did, would you admit it? Sometimes, I get stuck in a spiritual rut. Nothing seems to quicken my spirit. I feel dried out and thirsty. To help me overcome my spiritual apathy, I am dusting off a favorite book of mine from Pam Farrel. In her little book, 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time, she offers thirty suggestions to add variety to your times with God.

Each day this month, I will share some tidbits from her book, practice it in my own quiet time and then report in on how it went. I would love for you to join me here. If you do, feel free to drop by the comment box and let me know how it's going.

Now, let's listen in on what Pam has to say about variety and our quiet times...

As we creatively spend time with God, God becomes more real.

. . . the task at hand [is] to make the words of the Bible so real that Jesus isn't some flannelboard God, but the intimate Savior, the indwelling Holy Spirit and the caring always-present Father.

I want to experience God with the range of emotions that he created me with. I want to see him work in a variety of settings to conform me to his image, so I want to give him lots of opportunities and lots of tools.

This book is dedicated to fellow travelers who long to respond to God, to be attentive to his voice.

These ideas are designed to counteract dryness or boredom, to provide relational connectedness if your quiet times have become academic or intellectual exercises or just to allow you to have a little fun and enjoy the presence of the One who created you. The ideas here are meant to spark your own ideas. Picture them as spiritual caffeine for your soul. Pour a big cup and drink your fill.

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com

Linking up with the 31 Dayers at The Nester.

i'm doing it!

5 comments:

  1. I concur w/ Pam. Our communication with God needn't be mundane, pedestrian, status quo. He is a God of infinite variety, and therefore, we have potential both to employ and enjoy variety in our interactions with Him. I love to think of having a date with God when I journal. And one thing I love to do is to "spice up" my dates with a number of different "techniques" (like journaling, singing, listening to music, collage journaling, etc.) and to change the location of our rendezvous (like journaling to God in a sidewalk cafe). Variety is the spice of life as the saying goes. And God spices that variety.
    Thanks for sharing, Kel.
    Lynni

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  2. Lynni- I love how you spice up your time with God...I have learned so much from you about journaling and collage. Your ministry of journaling sparked and fueled my desire to pursue journaling and collage and the birth of souldare! Thank you for displaying His glory in your life! Love-Kel

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  3. Oh this gives me chills. God bless you, Kel, for this beautiful and encouraging comment. I am so grateful. God is doing such wonderful things through your ministry!!! And I am loving working on my collage from class. As you know (at least by now!), im a plodder.....just how God made me, but it's fun, and I hope to have it all assembled and glued down by Friday.
    Love
    Lynni

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  4. I was directed to your site through my fellow PraiseMoves instructor, MaryAnn Haslett. Love it! I added it as a favorite blog on my website: www.bobbimullins.com. I'm also doing a 31-day challenge: 31 Days of Eating Gluten-Free. I wish I was more tech savvy and could figure out how to create a button and get on 31 days at the Nester, but I have no clue... even after reading the how to. I think I need to be about 30 years younger to figure it out. Wish my kids were into web design. :(
    Anyway, I'm enjoying your posts and have signed up to receive them in emails. Thanks so much!

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  5. Kel - Reading backwards this morning and I have been so blessed by all the posts in this 31 days series. Glad you took the challenge!
    Hugs,
    Kelly

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