Quiet Time Technology

Quiet time technology is my twist for this round of blogs. I love the new things technology has made available for times of intimacy and fellowship with the Lord. I am only writing about two but there is so much new technology available and more coming every day.

So. My mp3 player (no brand names please) is a constant source of praise and worship music from whatever worship service/leader/venue I desire. My trusty set of headphones (that never seem to be where I left them last) can make anywhere I am into my prayer closet. A few of my favorite spots are my patio, solitary walks in my neighborhood and my car. You do need to be prepared for what happens when you start singing along and raising your hands to music only you can hear.

There is nothing I love more than having my big fat Bible and a humongous concordance available on my smart phone (no names). I can choose from any daily reading program ever developed, have it keep track of my studies and lifetime verses AND (my favorite) it will read to me. I have chosen a version (out of the myriads available at my fingertips) that has a narrator reminiscent of the story time guy at our library when I was 7. He never gets tired of reading me the same chapter over and over, never falls asleep while reading and he pronounces all the hard names for me. How sweet is that!!

Now I love books and will never be without a Bible I can touch and smell and turn the ultra thin pages but I gotta say I love having my Bible technology  with me wherever I go and in whatever situation that is required (including translating a key verse into another language for an acquaintance from China). My bag is a lot lighter nowadays than once upon a time when even my slimline Bible took up all the room in my over sized purse.

These are just a few tech tools I use to make my quiet time "mine" which is the theme that has emerged from this series of blogs. I hope you have enjoyed hearing from our R.are leadership team and look forward, as I am, to what will be next. See you on Thursday night. Blessings. Laurinda.

The Quiet Place is a Creative Place

 Over that last several weeks we have learned that the Quiet Place is a necessity to our lives, it is something we share with our families and sometimes it is a personal and intimate place. We have read that it is anywhere you are because God is always with you, it is a unique place, a place that should not be compared. It is a place that is just about you and God. And this week I would like to share about the Quiet Place being a Creative Place.

According to dictionary.com the definition of the word creative is having the quality or power of creating; resulting from originality of thought , expression,etc... Imaginative, originative; productive. Some synonyms of creative are stimulating, innovative, productive, ingenious, inventive, visionary, inspired. That is quite a word isn't?

Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  God created man and every living beast with the power of His word. Every minute that we spend in His presence, reading His words we are filled with His spirit, the creative Spirit of God. God has given each of us gifts some of them spiritual and some of them are practical, all of them in some way speak of God's creativity in our lives.

I love the times when I can go into my room, shut the door, turn on some music, grab my journal and write. Sometimes I am just doodling and sometimes I am sharing my heart with God. There are also times that I feel like I get a download from heaven in the form of a poem or a short story. Whatever it is I am writing I know that in that quiet place I am expressing myself to the Lord in a creative way. When my sister Micah sits down at her sewing machine she often turns on music and even though she doesn't have a Bible and journal there with her she is also meeting with God in a creative way.

You can be creative without being artistic. I have friends that have the creative gift of administration. They can come in and look at a problem and figure out an orderly way to fix it. Have you ever worked in an office, that never ran out of coffee, staples, paper, and so on... It is likely that the office manager has the gift of administration and you are seeing their creativity in the work place.

Ever wonder how worship leaders write those amazing songs? I know that many of those songs have come from their quiet times. Painters find inspiration from creation and interpret what they see in their own creative ways. Each teacher has a teaching style, a way that they connect with their students, a creative way to transfer knowledge to those they are teaching.

I have used the word creative several times and I hope it hasn't become redundant, but that every time you read the word it is seeping into your spirit. I hope your hearts are encouraged to ask the Lord what your creative gift is. The Quiet Place is not only devotional but inspires creativity in us.

Don't forget R.are is this Thursday at 7pm! Come early if you want coffee before the teaching starts!

The Quiet Place is All About Me and God

One of the things that I love most about reading these blogs every week is how well they all fit together. When I asked the ladies of the R.are leadership team to write a blog about The Quiet Place, I didn't give them a list of things to write about. They have each shared from their own hearts and from their own quiet times. And it seems that the Lord is saying something specific through all of these blogs, The Quiet Place isn't about anyone else but you and the Lord. Read on to see how Denise Lee applies this in her own life.

Well, as I began to write this blog, I realized I had not yet read Lindsay’s entry. I laughed when I read it because it was EXACTLY what I was going to write about! I guess God is trying to speak something to us ladies, no? I am so thankful for the transparency with which these women share. I am in the same boat. Some days are great with the LORD; others leave much to be desired-and it’s not because of Him. I am just thankful when women are willing to be honest about their walk with the LORD.

I just spent the evening with a group of women who are about to embark on a journey of teaching their children at home. I will be tutoring some of these women’s children and was given the privilege of orienting them in the grammar program we will be using. I shared with them an important thing in teaching their children grammar and writing was not comparing themselves with one another. So often in our walk with the Lord we look at what others are doing (or not doing) and pass judgment on them, whether it be setting them high on a pedestal or judging their lack of commitment. We are all at different places in this journey with Jesus. When He looks at me He doesn’t compare me to Billy Graham or Heidi Baker. He has desires for ME. He has plans, a future and a hope for ME.

God knows my heart. He loves me in spite of it. My time with Him is not a task to be checked off on a list of things to do. It is not a good luck guarantee. It is not a way to obtain favor with Him. It is not something I do to make others think I’m a good Christian. He loves me and wants to reveal the secrets of His heart to me, to transform me into His likeness, to partner with Him in bringing His Kingdom to Earth. To be. With me. It is the highest privilege I could ever imagine.

The Quiet Place is Without Condemnation

If we learn nothing else from The Quiet Place series I hope the one thing that we are able grasp and hold on to is that there is no condemnation. We are not required to sit in a certain place and say a specific prayer. There are no requirements or rules. It is simply a time when we meet with Jesus. We share our hearts with Him and He speaks to us. Lindsay Holsinger shares how she finds a Quiet Place in many different, but very meaningful places.

As I’ve read the previous entries from the other R.are leaders, I realized how comforting it is to find ourselves in a company of people who speak so transparently and sincerely about the need to leave guilt and condemnation at the door when going into our times with the Lord. I think one thing all of us have felt is that our “quiet time” was supposed to look exactly the same. So for many of us, as mentioned previously, if we did not tell people that we got up at “5 am” to spend an hour on our faces before the Lord, we could not feel as though we adequately met with God or would be fortunate enough to receive anything from Him that day due to our embarrassing lack of commitment. I know I felt that guilt… Ironically, in the past, that guilt is the very thing that often kept me from visiting with the Lord for any other time that day! If it wasn’t first thing in the morning, if it wasn’t a solid block of undivided attention that I spent prostrate or in tears, or in a place I’d designated as a "prayer closet", than it just didn’t count and God couldn’t possibly honor it.

God DOES want all of us, He wants our hearts, He does want undivided attention! He does desire our time, and meeting Him first thing in the morning is a perfect way for US to be set up for success in our day… But, I also believe that God wants to meet us where we are… He wants us to start by simply seeking Him out, reaching out to Him, calling or crying out to Him wherever we are. I’m not the best manager of my time, and with all that I have going on in my life right now, I know that if I let the guilt of not giving Him the first two hours of my day determine my emotions or ability to reach out to Him in all the varying aspects throughout that day, I will be a wreck. Right now, me and Jesus spend a lot of time in the car together as I talk or cry out loud on the way to a meeting or when I drop off my new kindergartener! We spend a lot of time together in worship while I finally have the kids occupied and can get dinner together, or when I can sing in the shower to my iPod! I keep a constant stream of communication with Him as I make decisions on my career path each day,working with co-workers and employees. I seek Him for wisdom smack dab in the middle of a conversation with a client! My point is that I TRUST that when I reach out to Him, He will be there. He will meet me; He will bring life to my day, to my spirit. I don’t doubt it. I’ve seen His faithfulness time and time again.

BUT, when I do stop everything I’m doing, take my Bible and head outside for a dedicated time of hearing from Him… Nothing compares. Stilling our souls and minds to receive from Him is critical and cannot be replaced.

Quiet time with Jesus looks different for all of us because He created us all differently, with different purposes, different lifestyles and different ways of hearing from Him. I believe the relationship I have with Jesus is built through the running stream of communication I have with Him and the trust I put in Him as a result of the devoted, still times where I stop, listen and soak in His mercy and love! 

Don't forget this Thursday at 7pm in the Watering Hole we will start our new series Faithful, Abundant, True. You don't want to miss it. This is for women of all ages.

R.are Worship

On Friday night women of all ages gathered in the ANHOP prayer room for a sweet time of worship. It was a such a wonderful treat to be led into worship by Christina Smith and her awesome team. Even before worship began the presence of the Lord was felt strongly by all.

Psalms 134
"Oh praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, you who serve at night in the house of the LORD. Lift up holy hands in prayer, and praise the LORD. May the LORD, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem.

Laurinda Dunn, the R.are Women's Pastor, read this psalm at the beginning of worship sharing with the women that in some way each one of them serves "in the night". For some it may be taking care of their husband and children, for some it is cleaning the house or going grocery shopping, and for some it is prayer and intercession. Whatever the case may be when we serve others we are serving the Lord and that has we lift our hands in service and praise to Him, He sends His blessings to us. The goal behind these nights of worship is for women to be able to come and lay down their day to day burdens and soak up the rest of the Lord. Which is exactly what we did!

It is of course always nice to worship with men, but there is something special about the name of Jesus being lifted up by a room full of women. At one point there was such a strong breaker anointing as we all cried out the name of Jesus again and again. There is such power in His name and I believe many women left that night refreshed and set free.

As worship came to an end Laurinda shared a phrase she kept hearing during the service, the hem of His garment. She felt that as we worshipped together that we were like the woman with the issue of blood, we reached out and touched Jesus and He turned to us. It is such an amazing thing to know that you have the attention of the King.

This won't be the last R.are night of worship so if you missed this last one  don't worry! We will be coming together again Friday November 19, 2011!

The Quiet Place is a Unique Place

No two snowflakes are exactly alike, no two finger prints are identical, and no two quiet times are the same.  As unique as  snowflakes and finger prints can be, how we meet with the Lord is just as unique. It is a common misconception that there is a right or a wrong way to have a quiet time, the truth is that God made each one of us differently and therefore the way He meets with us is truly R.are! This week Gab Richardson shares about her unique Quiet Place.

I had a hard time when I was asked to write this entry for the blog.  In fact, I told Elisabeth and Laurinda that I felt I shouldn't write about having a quiet time because I don't practice what other people always talk about - you know, 5 am, Bible and notebook all laid out, quiet worship music in the background, sitting in my perfectly arrayed prayer closet with maps of the world and photos of all the elected officials in my city, county, state, and country.  This is what I picture as an "acceptable" quiet time.  I was embarrassed that my times with the Lord don't look like that.

Don't get me wrong.  I am envious of women who can be so disciplined to make time in their day for this.  However, this has never been a strength in me, and, realistically, it doesn't look like me.  When I was the mother of young children, a special time of the day for me was standing at the kitchen sink, washing dishes.  We didn't have a dish washer so this was the only way the job was going to be done.  As you know, dish washing is not a mentally stimulating activity so I was able to talk things out with Jesus.  I can picture him sitting on the counter, listening to me as I prayed for my kids and our life as a family.  Another time in the day that I looked forward to being able to pour out my heart was in the shower.  That little space of time in the day was relatively free of  the demands of others.

I think it was Susanna Wesley that would sit with her apron over her head for her quiet time.  Her children all knew what this meant and responded accordingly.  I don't mean to say that my kids were rowdy, but I would have had to tear the apron into strips and stick those in my ears to be able to not be distracted. 

As my kids got older and were all in school, I spent time in prayer as I drove them to soccer, or ballet, or wherever they needed to be on any given day.  I usually have plenty of opportunity to pray for those around me on the road as I am driving.  And you never run out of prayer needs as you drive along. 

But my very favorite time to pray is as I am going through the day and God quickens me to pray for a co-worker.  Or, I hear about someone who is having trouble, and I have a sense of eternity touching the earth because I heard Him speak and took a couple of minutes to talk to Him.  He wants to be a part of every minute of every day.  He can work miracles because we listen when he interrupts the busy work that most of our lives are made up of  from day to day.

The really important thing is to spend time communicating with Jesus every day.  If you are not doing what he wants you to do, and you are talking to him, He will tell you what He expects from you.  And you will know it was the Lord when you hear "5 am, pray for every elected official in the city, county, state, and  country..."

Don't forget this Friday is a R.are worship night. Come join us at the ANHOP 7-9 pm August 19, 2011. It is a truly special thing to worship together as sisters.

The Quiet Place: Oil for Our Lives

We are earthen vessels. We have leaks. Fortunately for us being filled up isn't a one time thing, it isn't a once a month thing and it isn't a once a week thing. It is an everyday thing. We are in constant need of refilling, and God never runs out. This week Martita shares how being in The Quiet Place is a priority that keeps her lamp filled to the brim.

I want to start with a fascinating little story I heard recently about a keeper of a lighthouse. He was given oil once a month to keep the flame of the lighthouse burning. Since he lived near the town, there was no shortage of visitors. One night, a woman needed oil to keep her family warm. Another night a father needed oil for his lamp. Another person needed to lubricate a wheel. All the requests seemed legitimate, and the keeper was trying to take care of everybody. Toward the end of the month he ran out of oil. Many ships crashed on the rocky coast because the lighthouse keeper failed to fulfill his primary duty.  He received a rebuke from his superiors: "The oil is given to you first and foremost to keep the lighthouse burning."

This spoke to my heart. As a mom, a wife, an employee, and a friend I have several roles I need to fulfill everyday. Personally, I found that the only way I can do it is by spending time with the Lord first and foremost. That is the most important thing in life. If I seek him first, everything else falls in its place. If I don’t, I run out of oil really fast and the results are often very ugly. When I don’t spend time with God, I become this person that I don’t like, nor any other person likes. I know that with all my heart. This keeps me humble and fills my heart with mercy toward others.    

The other thing I found is that, for some people, the first hours of the days are the best to have their quiet time. That was never true for me. When I was in college the night hours were the most productive. That is when my brain works and absorbs info the best. Now that I have kids, I decided to stop  feeling guilty for not being able to get up at 5 am to pray and read my Bible. I put my kids in bed and then mommy has her time with the Lord. It works for me and our God is a personal God. He knows us. That is one of the things that I love the most about our God is that He always meets us where we are. We don’t have to explain anything to him. He knows it already. I remember one time very vividly when I told God “OK, we have to talk fast, I don’t have much time today”. But I kept on feeling the Holy Spirit telling me to read Esther, the WHOLE BOOK of Esther. I said “O, no I have no time, God”. But he won, and I was very happy. Not only did I have time to supernaturally do everything I needed to do, but every part of that book ministered to me. I needed to read every verse because the was Lord preparing me for what he was bringing to our family.

So, my encouragement is to make seeking the Lord our priority, any time is better than nothing. Let’s give him our best time, our fresh hours and He will meet us right there.