In surveying several Christian women, I found that many of us are lacking in our daily devotions with God. This personal daily time is foundational to our lives! Prayer and reading God's Word are what begin to define our spiritual condition.

These women were lacking in prayer. They said it was lack of time and lack of organization. I have 2 possible solutions for this:
1) You make the time for what is important to you.
2) I share in my Prayer Journal System video a great way to organize prayer lists yet still work in the flexibility of varying amounts of time to pray.

These women were spending their daily devotions with their favorite author rather than directly with God. They said it was lack of direction in what to read in the Bible as well as not knowing how to apply God's Word.  So they turn to devotional books as the answer.  There is a better way!  A much better way!

In this video I will show you how to decide what to read in God's Word and how you can listen for the message God has for you without the use of a devotional book.

This video gives some easy to remember, simple to do tests of modesty for clothing. Use them for both yourself and your children!

The issue of modesty is certainly not a new topic. Unfortunately, though, modesty is too often addressed as a female's issue and concern. I believe that modesty is required of both men and women. The simple modesty tests that are described in this video apply to both.  

Outline of the 6 Tests:

1) Raise your Hands - Raise both hands high above your head to check for length of shirts and dresses.

2) Sit Down - To check the length and fit of shorts, dresses, and skirts, sit in a chair in various positions. For shorts, you will also want to sit on the floor in various positions.

3) Bend Over - In a standing position, bend over at the waist to check for gaps where pants/skirts meet the shirt. This will also check dress length in the back.

4) Rubber Band Test - Tug on your shirt in various places. If it snaps back at you, your shirt may be too tight. This applies to pants and skirts, as well.

5) Lean Over - Lean over to check if necklines are too large causing the "contents" underneath to be revealed. Also check the arm openings of sleeveless shirts for any gaps.

6) Full Length Mirror Test - Look the entire outfit over for one last check of anything that didn't get discovered in the above tests. Such as: Are any undergarments exposed? 

Countless times I have heard people say, “I could never handle  _____.” 

I’ve heard the blank filled in with things such as:
I could never handle...
    the death of a spouse or child
    a special needs child
    a terminal illness
    being alone
    losing everything
    divorce
    public humiliation
    
The list could go on and on. I even have my own list to fill in the blank of things I know I could never handle.

I usually hear this statement made after hearing of someone else suffering that very thing. For in instance, a conversation surrounds the topic of someone who just lost a child. Someone pipes in that they could never handle losing a child.

I totally understand that response. But when I hear it, I think, “So, God allowed that person to lose their child because he knew they could handle it? Likewise, the sufferings God allows in my life are because I can handle them when few others could?” That kind of talk and thinking will cause you and others to falter in faith.

Let us pause and consider a more helpful (and truthful!) response. 

The truth is that all of us are incapable of handling suffering, especially when it is deep or prolonged. Hardship and suffering don’t come to those who can handle it. This truth is found all throughout Scripture but let me highlight one passage that has been pressed on my heart:

God allows into our lives certain hardships and sufferings that we are incapable of handling. Why?
So that we will rely on Him who is capable. He can raise the dead! He is capable!  And we - we are incapable without Him.

        We become incapable if we forget our hope. The hope that He will deliver us, if not in this life then in eternal life to
        come. (2 Cor. 1:8-11)

        We become incapable if we fix our eyes on what is seen and temporary rather than what is unseen and eternal.
        (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

        We become incapable if we rely only on our own power (2 Cor. 4:7-12; 12:9-10 and Phil. 4:12-13).

Yes, I could never handle ___.  But neither can the person who is currently suffering that very thing. 
 
I am not a theologian but from what I read in the Scriptures, to say, “I could never handle ___,” is an incomplete sentence, an incomplete truth. 
 
I know we as Christians don’t intend harm when saying such statements. But half truth clichés are not encouraging. As Christians, let us rewrite that common phrase by reminding ourselves and our hearers of our true source of strength and
hope when faced with a crisis.

I was in the local Family Christian Bookstore recently and found that they had eliminated a huge portion of their Bible section due to lack of sales.

I believe this is evidence of the dangers of the digital age. Yes, it is convenient to have a Bible on your mobile device, but it doesn't come without a cost.  

(I share this post already realizing I am in the minority on these thoughts and concerns.)

On the "DIGITAL" side:
1)  The Bible is always accessible, but it is always nestled among the other sight and sound distractions of life which are now just a finger touch away.
2) It provides a myriad of resources, versions, and search tools within a few quick finger strokes.
3) The Scriptures can now get into the hands of more people and languages at a faster rate than ever before dreamed.
4) But consider how easy it could be for Satan to wipe out the digital Bible in a simple split second.
5) In the future, you will no longer see anyone carrying a Bible into church. 
6) No longer will people be seen reading the Scriptures in a quiet nook of the coffee shop.  
7) No longer will the leather-bound Holy Bible be perched on your coffee table quietly reminding you to spend time with
God.

On the "PRINT" side:
1) It will get increasingly more and more difficult to find a printed Bible. Family Bookstore is proof of this already. 
2) When I read from the printed Word of God, it is not unusual for me to become sidetracked by other verses I see as I am making my way to my target book, chapter, and verse.  These are exciting discoveries I miss when using a digital copy.
3) It is also much easier to glance at the context of a verse or passage when reading from a printed copy versus a digital.
4) If I am reading it in a public setting, it opens the door to opportunities to speak Jesus or encourage other believers.  Staring at a phone like everyone else negates this possibility, and, in fact, makes me unapproachable.

I am by no means anti-digital. I am excited about the advancement of the Gospel that the digital decades have ushered in. But I worry about the hidden cost that is yet to be realized.

In this digital age, God's Word may be more accessible but it will become more easily forgotten.

Christian soldiers, stay armed with the Sword!

Below is a video on how to make and use my prayer journal system.  I decided to go ahead and reveal the prayer journal system that I am in the process of publishing.

The prayer journal system can even be used by kids!  All 4 of my kids (ages 7-12) use it!


It is a lot of work to set up but once you do, you will be amazed at how easy it is to manage all your "lists" and the flexibility is provides in praying through everything.

If it's too time consuming for you to make your own prayer journal system, just sit tight until I have the work all done for you!  My target is to have it published by early 2014.

Enjoy!

Love this quote! Unfortunately, I can’t remember who said it and I don’t remember it word for word. It went something like this:

The test of whether you have the heart of a servant or not, is how you react when you are treated like one.

As Voddie Baucham would say, "If you can't say 'Amen', say 'Ouch'!"

Lamp & Quill Bible Studies
http://lampquill.org/

D6 Devotional Magazines
http://www.randallhouse.com/curriculum/devotional-magazines/

Word of Life Quiet Times
http://www.wolstore.org/c-25-quiet-time-journals.aspx

David Murray's Printable Bible Reading Plan
http://headhearthand.org/blog/2013/03/30/childrens-bible-reading-plan-111/

Also in this article series:
Part 1: Why Establish a Daily Quiet Time for Kids
Part 2: Preparation for Daily Quiet Time for Kids 

There are some important things to consider and prepare for when getting ready to establish for your children a daily habit of Quiet Time (QT).

1) Know your reasons for why you want your children to have daily QT.  Explain these reasons to your children. Several reasons were covered in Part 1.

2) You can't teach what you aren't practicing.  Hopefully, you already practice your own discipline of daily QT. If not, begin right away. If you have, are your children aware that you have been daily communing with God?  I think it's a good idea to share with your kids what your time with God looks like. Help them see that QT is not just for grown-ups.

3) Determine when your children will have their QT.  Make it a time that is easy to remain faithful. For us, it is part of everyone's morning routine. The activities of the day don't start until everyone's dressed, teeth brushed, bed made, breakfast eaten, and QT done.  We adjust our wake-up time, if need be, in order to ensure the morning routine is completed in its entirety.

We don't ever run out the door saying, "I just didn't have time to get dressed today which is why I'm still wearing my pajamas." Right?!  If it's important, we make the time. Since God ordains our day, wouldn't it be important to start our day in relationship with Him? 

4) Choose your resources and plan.  It should go without saying that God's Word is the primary resource. But children will need direction. What will they read? How will they think and consider what they read? Will a devotional tool be used? What about prayer?

5) Accountability.  Come up with a general plan on how you will keep everyone accountable. Most children won't just automatically remember or desire to maintain a daily discipline of QT, especially at first. How can you check up on them and keep them engaged and excited?


Also in this article series:
Part 1: Why a Daily Quiet Time for Kids?
Part 3: Tips & Resources for Daily Quiet Time for Kids. (via video)

Why establish for your children a daily personal quiet time with God?

From the time my kids were babies, they've been doing a daily quiet time (QT). It was a habit my parents instilled in me throughout my childhood. It seemed a natural thing to then teach my own children how to daily commune with God through the reading of His Word and prayer.

A few years back, a friend mentioned that her daughter, then 12 or 13 years old, was about ready to start regularly reading her Bible. Observing her mom having a QT with God, this young teen girl wanted to know what her mom was reading. This was my friend's indicator that her daughter might be desiring to begin her own QT with God.

This brief conversation left me questioning myself and wondering, "Am I wrong for having my kids do a daily QT rather than waiting for them to desire and inquire?".

It's a good exercise to consider the whys behind some of the things you do or don't do. Below are the whys for helping your children establish a daily QT when they are very young.

1) Deuteronomy 6:6-9  Parents, if God's Word is upon your heart, you are to be impressing it on your children. Not forcing. Impressing. Teaching.  It goes on to give a list of times that this can happen but the one thing they all have in common is that each requires that you be intentional.  For the purpose of our topic, I will point out verse 7 - "...when you get up."  That happens just about every day, doesn't it!   Verse 8-9: "Tie them...bind them...write them..."   There were specific OT customs for this but the idea certainly transcends time and culture. Make it a practice, a discipline, a habit, so that you don't forget!

2) Proverbs 22:6  "Train up a child in the way he should go..."   So much of what we teach our kids is because we know it will be of great value for them as they grow up. We teach them the necessary skills and habits that will set them up for future success. - Academics, exercise, personal hygiene, good eating and sleeping habits, etc.  We don't wait for them to have the desire to learn and practice them.  I'm not intending to reduce a relationship with the Lord to the same plane as other tasks of life.  I'm simply thinking of Paul's words of comparison in 1 Timothy 4:8 "Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things..."
.
3) Establishing a daily QT for your child to be personally fed by God is a way to nourish their hearts and minds producing the most fertile ground possible to grow an appetite of desire for God. Personal QT is one of the best times for the Holy Spirit to whisper into the tender heart of your child.

4) We live such hurried lives. Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."  A busy life easily forgets about God. Establish for your child a lifestyle of intentionally setting aside unhurried time with God. You want them to grow into adults that don't easily forget about God and to miss Him if they begin to neglect Him.

5) My own children have never viewed personal QT as being "forced" on them. It's always been a way of life. At this point in their lives, they can't imagine starting their day without time spent in His Word and prayer. Besides, dad and mom should already be modeling QT as a delightful commitment.

Next:
Part 2 - Preparation for a Daily Quiet Time
Part 3 - Tips & Resources for Daily Quiet Time for Kids

To keep prayer from becoming too routine and list oriented, I occasionally set my routine and lists aside and simply pray Scripture.  I pray one Scripture for the unbelievers that are on my heart and another Scripture for all my brothers and sisters in Christ that the Holy Spirit brings to my mind.

This morning I will be praying Psalm 16:8,11 (NIV84) for my believing friends. I will be praying it for my children, as well!

"I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Here is how I turned it into a prayer:

"May ___ always set you before him. Bless him with not being easily shaken by the upsets of life.
Make clear to ___ your path of life. May he always use your Word as a light to guide his thoughts and actions.
Give him the strength to set all his pleasures in you. Bless him with deep and satisfying joy."

Wouldn't you greatly appreciate if someone prayed these verses specifically for you?
The Scriptures are loaded with verses that make wonderful prayers. Comment below with any that have stood out to you.