You have heard us, your Grace clergy, talking about the importance of spending some time with God every day. Maybe you thought, “That’s easy for you to say! You’re priests and deacons!” So we asked some of your fellow Gracers how they do their quiet time. I think you will find, like I did, that each person’s process is unique to that person. Check out their answers below.
HOW DO YOU DO YOUR QUIET TIME?
I play solitaire and nap and read the bible and sit on my porch and watch the birds.
- Jeff Kirk
I have 3 answers for the ways I practice quiet time...
1. When I am alone in my garden, I am in continual conversation with Jesus...yes, my mind drifts from time to time...when it does, I get back on track by talking to him out loud for a bit...then I resume the quiet convo...
2. When I go for my run, I start with the beginning of the alphabet and I pray for everyone I can think of (or whoever the Holy Spirit brings to my mind) with each letter - not just family and friends but whosever name comes...sometimes a name my come after I have passed their letter ...I just add them in...oodles of peeps getting covered in prayer when I go A-Z...
3. I am a very early riser... JJ brings me my coffee and leaves it on the night table beside the bed...I sit up, prop the pillow behind me, reach for my coffee and spend the first 20-30 minutes of my day alone IN THE DARK with Jesus...and I make a point to wake early to do this if something in my day means I have to get out of the house sooner than usual...
- Leslie Jones
For me, quiet time starts at around 10pm after I am done with work/family, so I can think about me and what is to be done the next day.
I usually am in my home office laying chilling with the tv on. Yes, the tv is on during my quiet time. I start off trying to find something on that will hold my attention. After that task, I change into my pjs and start to get comfortable. The tv program ALWAYS becomes white noise as I start to relax and unplug. Later that night (1 am), I find that someone, typically Ryan because his bedroom is adjacent to my office, has turned off the tv and/or light. If that does not happen, I turn things off before going to bed.
So… what happens between getting comfortable and falling asleep? Well, that depends on what is on my mind… work, family, Journey Group readings, devotionals, etc. I end up laying on my back thinking or I am engaged with my Journey Group/devotional readings. The length of time before I fall asleep depends on how much I am “taken” by my thoughts or readings. I sometimes feel selfish about my “office time” because I just disappear to my office. Everyone knows what’s up and I honestly look forward to it. If I am really in a chill mode the t.v. is substituted with Spotify music.
My quiet time is my time to “breathe”.
- Michael Ashley
Quiet time, for me, has been spent reading and meditating on devotionals and the Stations of the Cross. For quiet time fun, I've been sculpting clay on canvas!
- Marcella Pasay
I treasure my daily quiet times. Mornings have never been my best time of day for having a quiet time, so on weekdays I have my quiet times in the late afternoon when I get home from a full day of teaching. On weekends, the times may be flexible. I begin with a time of silence and prayer, giving to God all of the things that are on my mind and asking him to open my heart to what he wants me to learn. After quieting my heart, I turn to a short time of scripture memory—reviewing verses I have already memorized and working on new ones. I then turn to my current bible reading. For my bible reading, I choose a book of the bible and read about a chapter a day. Sometimes I take a smaller chunk if it is very dense, and sometimes I will read more. I first observe what the passage says, and I may reread it several more times while I interpret and apply what it says. The notes in my study bible are helpful for this, and I almost always have a commentary or study guide on hand as well, since they can explain the cultural context of a passage and give additional insight. I finish my quiet time with a longer time in prayer, and that prayer time may include confession, adoration, thanksgiving, and supplication, as well as prayers from the Book of Common Prayer. I end my quiet time in silence, just as I began it in silence.
- Cheryl Arnold
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