A RECAP of Tools for Truth While You Travel

June 28, 2013 by Julie Leave a Comment

Thanks for coming on vacation with us this month at Do Not Depart! We’ve had a rich month of sharing practical, often printable, tools to help you weave God’s word into your travel plans. We pray these tools and ideas have nurtured the holy habits in your life’s journey. Here’s a recap of the road we’ve traveled together.

Tools for Truth While You Travel

The heart behind our team sharing Bible study tools for vacation & travel season
6 Tips for keeping your quiet time on track in the Simple Summer
7 Days of devotions for your family vacation
Memory verses for trips, with a printable
A printable Family Vacation Faith Journal
Fitness and Faith: Keeping on Track While You Travel – 7 tips that work for fitness and travel!
Traveling truths: Bible verses for safety and travel in printable memory cards for your next trip
Tips for packing scripture by Losing the Weight When You Travel

Like any great vacation, this month has been refreshing and inspiring, taking us to beautiful places. We’ve also savored words from the heart of a traveling shepherd in Psalm 23 in our Memory Verse Classics, and we’re reflecting on the richness of God’s plans for our life’s journey in Jeremiah 29:11.

Our team prays that this month has been a help to you as we aim to abide in the Word together!

Have you enjoyed a vacation or time of travel this summer? How did you experience God’s truth in your journey?

Losing the Weight When You Travel {Tips for Packing Scripture}

June 27, 2013 by Guest Post 5 Comments

I’m writing this on my way to 30,000 feet above the Rocky Mountains. When I planned this impromptu vacation a mere 24 hours ago, I took care of the essentials: a plane ticket on Priceline; a shuttle bus to the airport; a friend’s futon at my destination; a rescheduled doctor’s appointment; taking out the trash; packing a breakfast-lunch-dinner consisting of everything in the fridge that won’t be good when I get back in five days.

Most of my vacation destinations require that I take to the skies. Since traveling by air is a hassle unless you have your own plane and pilot, and since one of these days travelers will undoubtedly pay fees for every ounce they carry, I travel light – carry-on luggage only, if it can be at all managed.

When a friend and I went to South Africa for two weeks last summer, and we realized our itinerary involved nine different flights in a country famed for stolen luggage, we got creative. One of our space-saving plans was to pack “disposal clothing” – ratty underwear, holey t-shirts, and jeans that never get picked anymore. After we had worn them, we left them in hotel rooms along the way. (About a week into our trip we learned that our trash was the maid’s treasure – and we started to leave our things on the dresser with a note.)

Packing the Word

Packing light doesn’t have to mean leaving your Bible at home. Happily, it also doesn’t mean you have pack a small-print edition that your aging eyes couldn’t read if they tried. (When I pack that edition, I may just as well not have bothered.) Here are three simple ways to pack the Word when space is at a premium.

Pick one of the New Testament epistles that can be reasonably read in 15–20 minutes. Before you travel, make a photocopy of it. Read thought the entire book every day that you’re away. It packs light, and reading through the same portion of Scripture repeatedly will give you a chance to hear it differently. You will begin to notice things you never would on a single read or even in an in-depth study. You will be soaked in its language and message. Since it’s a photocopy, it packs easily and if it gets damaged, you haven’t ruined your good Bible. You could do the same with a portion of Psalms or any other passage of reasonable length.
Select one or two psalms that you want to memorize and make this the time to do it. Write the verses out on 3×5 cards that you can stuff in your purse or tuck in a book. The fewer cards, the better – remember, you’re packing light. Your devotional time could consist of reading the psalm several times, praying through it, and memorizing it verse by verse. If something about your vacation – or the situation you’ve left behind – is cause for anxiety, pick a psalm that can help fill your mind with God’s truth and refocus your thoughts. When I traveled halfway around the world by myself for a two-week teaching trip, I took Psalm 46 with me and memorized it. I often found myself anxious and fearful, and my defense was the psalm in my head. Its words of holy comfort got me through some very difficult spots.
If you really will read it, pack that Bible with small print – or a New Testament or a booklet edition of a single book – and strategically leave it behind when you travel home. Pray about where you should leave it. Maybe it will be for the hotel maid or for another hostess. Maybe God will impress upon you to leave it at the airport or in a restaurant. Let Him prompt you. He knows where His words need to go.

Flying the increasingly unfriendly skies can be a headache, and packing light usually involves a series of decisions that require psychic skills (e.g., Will it rain? Will I need a skirt?). But packing for your time with God doesn’t have to be part of the traveling dilemma, and it might be just what you need to deal with the headache.

How do you include the Word in your packing? Let us know your tips in the comments!

This guest post is written by Wendy Widder. Wendy lives in the Pacific Northwest, where her easiest get-away is the Canadian border.She loves teaching and writing about the Old Testament, and she can be found online at wendywidder.com and wendylynnwidder.wordpress.com.

Fitness and Faith: Keeping on Track While You Travel

June 20, 2013 by Caroline 5 Comments

(Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post. Please see the end of the post for details. Thanks for supporting this site!)

You’ve been walking and exercising regularly for days, weeks, or even months now. You’re feeling more fit and loving the benefits of improved focus, greater endurance, and higher energy levels. Maybe you’ve also maintained a solid bible study routine while getting your fitness routine in gear. (Maybe together with like-minded folks in a community like HelloMornings?)

Now, it’s time for a hard-earned break with your family (or spouse or friends) – a vacation!

We humans are creatures of habit. Once our go-to schedule is thrown off by a big change (like a move or a new job) or a temporary shift (a vacation), we sometimes lose focus on previous goals.

How can we keep both our fitness routines and bible study habits intact over vacations?

Staying On Track is Easier Than Regaining Lost Ground

A preface: if you’ve gotten off schedule in fitness OR in “quiet time,” do not ever feel like you can’t get back on track. Grace upon grace. We all lose focus sometimes or have extenuating circumstances that prevent us from accomplishing what we’d like and sometimes what we even need. Returning to your healthy habits is better than never trying!

Now that I’ve issued that disclaimer, if you can stay on track, it’s much easier than having to regain lost ground after a while.

Some of the same tips we use for maintaining fitness routines can help us retain bible study routines, too. (If you haven’t read some of my fitness articles elsewhere, you might not know part of my professional background is in family fitness and wellness! My tips are here to help, but always consult a doctor for individualized medical information.)

7 Tips for Maintaining Your Fitness and Devotion Time While Traveling

Get up early. Rise 30-60 minutes earlier than the rest of your household to read your Bible for at least 15 minutes and then exercise for at least 15 minutes. (Yes, even 10-15 minutes helps!)
Or, stay up late. Some of you might not be able to get up early, perhaps because of family members with special needs, odd work schedules, or otherwise. Maybe your Bible time has to come in the evenings or even after everyone else is in bed. And, that’s okay, if that’s what you need. The general recommendation for exercise is to finish exercise a few hours before bedtime because it does increase heart rate, so perhaps you can fit in higher intensity exercise earlier in the day, but include stretches and floor exercises in the evening.
Pray or memorize Scripture as you walk (or bike or swim or run). You might not be able to pull out your [amazon_link id=”1418541680″ target=”_blank” ]concordance[/amazon_link] and study Bible while you exercise, but you can review memory verses and spend time in conversation with God. (Lisa gave some great memory verse tips for traveling on this post.)
Find a friend (or family member) and read the Bible together, then exercise together. The buddy system has long been offered as a motivation solution in exercise, and the same can go for devotional time. Workout and worship together! (Matthew 18:20)
Journal your routine. Writing down what you accomplish can motivate you to keep going. Journaling also helps you chart what you’ve learned and your progress in both fitness and Bible study. (Check out Julie’s family vacation faith journal here. And, if you’re looking for help setting family goals, check out this free printable.)
Keep your expectations realistic. No, you might not take a 10-mile run while on vacation (or you might!). You might not have two hours of uninterrupted study time while also monitoring your preschooler at the vacation site. But, some portion of your normal routine is often better than none. Reframe your goals for vacation, but still work to maintain part of your routine.
Try something new. I know, we’ve been talking about keeping your normal routine, and now I say “add something new.” But, just as vacationing somewhere different than home (or participating in new activities around home if you’re “staycationing”) provides motivation, trying something new in exercise or studying in a new way can help you stay on track while out of your normal environment. A few options for exercise? Try disc golfing, horseback riding, or snorkeling. For bible study? Read in a parallel Bible (like [amazon_link id=”0195281802″ target=”_blank” ]this one[/amazon_link] or [amazon_link id=”0195281365″ target=”_blank” ]this one[/amazon_link]), look up a few of the Greek words, or listen to new praise music.

Related Resources:

Need a workout for small spaces using little to no equipment while you’re traveling? Check out this free basic workout plan here.
Check out our Bible study tools posts for several printables for prayer on the go, family study tools, and Bible notebook tips.

How do you keep up your fitness routine and/or your study routine while traveling? What strategies do you use with one area that might help in the other? Please share your tips in the comments so we all can learn!

(Disclosure: Some affiliate links are present to Amazon products above. If you click on those links and then purchase that item, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Regardless, we only suggest products we find useful. Thank you for supporting this ministry!)

Simple Summer

June 6, 2013 by Teri Lynne Underwood 7 Comments

Maybe we’re the only ones with a calendar that looks absolutely crazy this summer. But I sort of doubt it. In fact, I’d imagine that even if you are staying close to home, you’ve still got plenty of notes and “hope to dos” on your summer agenda. Let’s face it, that’s the best part of summer: easing up on the must do list and embracing the summer fun list. As I write, my girl is outside with her friend playing in the water hose. I have photos of my friends and me doing the same thing when we were their age. {a very long time ago!}

The truth is, we need this relaxing season.

Autumn will come soon enough with its school schedules and football games, dance classes and homework. For now, during this ever shortening summer break, we need to take a break from the demands of the rest of the year and embrace simple things: freshly squeezed lemonade, hand-cranked ice cream, sun-kissed days at the lake, and beach towels hanging on the fence to dry.

The downside of all this grilling, swimming, and traveling can be maintaining a consistent time of personal devotions. I know, I struggle with it every single summer. Understanding this, I thought I’d share six tips for keeping on track spiritually during the fun of summer. We’ll use the acronym SIMPLE to help remember these six suggestions.

S — Stay the course.

Yes, it’s harder during the summer to keep our daily devotions consistent. In fact, I did a survey of my friends whose kids are no longer in the home and they concurred that even after our children are grown we tend to struggle more with spiritual consistency during the summer months. Stay the course, friend! Don’t beat yourself up and don’t feel like you’re the only one who has a hard time. If you miss a day (or five), just start where you are. Trust me, there is no perfect quiet time, summer or not.

I — Involve the family.

Maybe this is a great time for you to start having family devotions or reading the Bible together before or after meals. Summer can be an opportunity to focusing a little more on helping your children mature in their spiritual habits. Sometimes the freedom from school work opens doors for wider conversations and a willingness to try new things. Embrace that! And be sure to keep reading along with this series for more suggestions about how you can involve your family in summertime spiritual growth.

M — Memorize Scripture.

Maybe summer isn’t the best season for you to do an in-depth Bible study. It isn’t for me either. But it is a great time to work on Scripture memorization. We’re hiding classics in our hearts this summer here at Do Not Depart. Join us each Monday to find out what verse we’re learning (or refreshing) each week. This week’s verse is John 3:16.

P — Press into wisdom.

Let’s face it, we all need more wisdom. And we all know the Bible is the best place to grow in true wisdom. So, what if you spent the summer pressing into wisdom. My Bible study group spent May reading Proverbs. We read a chapter each day and when we met each week we shared what we had learned. Another great book of wisdom is James. Read a chapter of one of these books each day and purpose to grow in wisdom this summer.

L — Lean on others.

I mentioned my Bible study group. They are a fabulous group of women who have become dear friends and encouragement in my life. One of the best things I gain from this group is accountability. We ask each other what we’ve read and what we’re learning. Everyone needs people like that in their lives. Invite accountability into your life this summer. I promise it will help you stay on track!

E — Expect reasonably!

This one is so important. Be generous and gracious with yourself. God isn’t displeased with you if you don’t do a major Bible study during the summer months. These months of trips to the beach and catching fireflies are opportunities to experience the freedom of lowering our self-imposed expectations. Maybe you’ll only manage to read a verse or two a day this summer . . . but if you trust God to change you through those verses, He will. And isn’t that really all any of us want? To be changed by Him? {For more on this idea, you might want to read 10 Tips for a Great Quiet Time.}

Summer is here . . . let’s purpose to enjoy it! And let’s agree that simple isn’t bad or less, in fact, simple is often just right!

Do you struggle to stay on track during the summer months? How might simplifying help you?

Bible study tools for vacation & travel season

June 4, 2013 by Julie 3 Comments

When temperatures rise, class schedules end, and daylight hours linger, most of us take time off from routines and work. Vacations call us to places of rest or adventure. The open road invites us to sigh deeply and hit our inner reset button.

If we’re honest, it can take a lot of work to get to those places of rest, but it’s worth it. Just one day of digging our feet in the sand, smelling crisp mountain air, or hearing unfettered laughter from those we love is enough to motivate us to do what it takes to go on vacation. After searching for the best deal for our budget, reserving our lodging, buying tickets or checking tires, making arrangements for the cat, stopping the mail, buying sunscreen, and more, we still hope and pray we haven’t forgotten anything. We might leave out what matters most.

If weighing luggage is part of your preparations, you carefully decide what goes and what stays. If children are part of your plans, you pack every crevice of a mini-van with tricks for every potential over the miles, and then you drive all night. With so much to think about to make a vacation all we dream it can be, all we pray it will be … it’s not hard to see why we might forget something that’s part of our routine lives, but still needs to be part of our time away. How can we keep up holy habits when we’re on the road and away from home?

Vacations are not only times for adventure, rest, and relationship. Vacations are also opportunities for a fresh infusion of truth into our tired lives.

While we probably don’t have room to take our study Bibles, prayer notebooks, concordances, and prayer partners, there’s an alternative to just leaving truth out of our time away. This month we invite you to open up your beach bag or backpack and pack some tools designed to help you make the truth a fresh and functional part of your travel plans. We’ll share some ideas for individuals and even for family. After all, Jesus beckons us to get away from our burdens and find rest … in Him.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” ~ Matthew 11:28

The Do Not Depart team looks forward to taking a deep breath, closing our eyes, and enjoying a rest from work and routines. It’s not only a great chance to catch up on sleep, read good books, eat seafood, try a paddle board, sleep on the beach (Can you tell we really want to go on vacation?), or play games late into the night. It’s also a sweet time to quench our thirst with the Living Water and enjoy Him apart from the usual things of our days.

Will you join us? It’s time to get away for a little vacation together!

Click to tweet this post and share about the June theme at Do Not Depart.

SLOW: Preparing Your Heart for Easter

March 7, 2013 by Teri Lynne Underwood 6 Comments

We live in a frantic and chaotic world. Our “to do” lists never end and the demands on our time never cease. We fight an inner battle between our need for stillness and our desire to accomplish. We know, in our hearts, how much we need to slow down, need sabbath. But the voices inside and out remind us of our obligations, our commitments, the tasks at hand.

Maybe, though, you find yourself this Lenten season in that awkward place of recognizing the need to slow but uncertain how to do it. Slowing is hard. Sabbath isn’t easy in a 24/7 world. It’s hard to be the girl in the Bible study who loses the “I’m busiest!” race. I know, I’ve been there. Over the past few weeks, I find myself learning a very important lesson: He slows me because He wants to show me. When the Lord beckons my heart to be still, to rest in His presence, to slow the pace of my life, it is because He always has something He longs to show me—something I need to know about His nature, His character, His plan for me, His love. Slowing allows us to be intentional and to learn.

I’d venture to guess that if you are reading a post with “preparing your heart for Easter,” you have an interest in doing just that. May I offer you a series of Scripture readings to be used for just that purpose?

Let’s SLOW together: Sacrifice, Linger, Own, and Wonder. Each of these four readings is designed for a time of personal meditation and prayer. I’ll be using them on Sunday mornings as I prepare for church and then reading the passages again throughout the week, keeping the words and ideas fresh on my heart.

S—SACRIFICE

As we consider the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, we must also consider the sacrifice He’s called us to make in our own lives. The laying down of all we care about and trusting He cares more. My friend Kris speaks of Lent this way, “It occurred to me that perhaps what God calls us to give up, really, is ourselves” ([amazon_link id=”1481909681″ target=”_blank” ]Holey, Wholly, Holy: A Lenten Journey of Refinement[/amazon_link]). I’ve found that Lent presses in on me in ways I’d never expected.

Meditate on these passages about sacrifice: Psalm 116 (especially verse 17) and John 12:1-8.

L—LINGER

When was the last time you lingered in the Lord’s presence? Just stayed to enjoy being wrapped up in Him? Jesus called us to “abide in Him” and even said without doing so we could accomplish nothing (John 15:5). In the Psalms we find the simple but challenging truth that we best know God when we are still in His presence (Psalm 46:10). Carve out time to linger in the Lord’s presence.

Meditate on these passages about lingering: Psalm 46 and John 15:1-9

O—OWN

Do you realize your own need for the Lord, your own part in His death? Sometimes we fail to accept ownership of the reality of our sin. We like those words like “mistake” and “messed up” over the harsher “sin” and “sinner.” But the reality is: We have to reach the point of owning our sin in order to fully recognize the price Christ paid for it. Spend time contemplating the reality of your own sin and the depth of Christ’s sacrifice paid for it.

Meditate on these passages as you consider your own sin: Psalm 22 and John 18:15-18, 25-27; 21:15-19

W—WONDER

I often think about Mary Magdalene’s experience that first resurrection morning. She probably wondered about how the stone would be moved from the tomb, then wondered how she would tell the disciples what she had seen. As she returned to the garden, I bet she wondered about all she’d learned from Jesus and then, when He spoke her name, I just can’t imagine the wonder at hearing His voice once again. May I invite you into the wonder of WHO Jesus is and how much He loves you? Take time to embrace the wonder of God-made-flesh, sent to die, now sitting at God’s right hand, someday to return, and eternally to reign.

Meditate on these passages as you wonder: Psalm 89 and John 20:11-18

{Please feel free to print the SLOW pdf and use it as you prepare your heart for Easter.}

How has slowing helped you see the Lord more clearly?

Accountability for Growth {A Note about HelloMornings}

January 16, 2013 by Caroline Leave a Comment

We’re discussing the spiritual disciplines this month here at Do Not Depart. Since the word “discipline” means “to train,” we know growing in these areas takes work and practice!

Finding Quiet Time with HelloMornings

In your search for quiet time and study time, do you ever wish you had someone to help encourage you to get up a bit earlier in the mornings, stay focused just a few minutes longer, or set that new goal?

HelloMornings might a good resource to help you! The challenge uses accountability groups to check-in and encourage one another via social media. (What is HelloMornings? Read more here!)

Interested in joining other like-minded believers working to begin the day focused on God?

Head over to the HelloMornings website to register for the new challenge (starting today!): http://www.hellomornings.org/register/

This session runs January 28th-April 26th (13 weeks). The HelloMornings group offers a study each session, and this time it’s Abounding Hope (a Quench Bible study on hope amidst any circumstance – written by Lara Williams and our own Katie Orr!).

Registration for this winter’s challenge is open for one week only: January 16th-23rd. Register today!

What have you found helps you begin your day focused on God? If you’ve participated in previous HelloMornings challenges, we’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

Bible Notebook: Prayer Album for Women on the Go

September 18, 2012 by Julie 11 Comments

I’m pretty sure I frequently look like a refugee. Women have a lot of “stuff” to take with us. Maybe it’s because we want to be prepared for any possible scenarios. Maybe it’s because we want to justify having large floral bags. Maybe it’s because people get used to us with a diaper bag appendage, and that matures into carrying extra snacks, random trash, and assorted fast food coupons. Or maybe it’s that we want to be ready to use our spare moments well.

When life is busy, we need to think ahead about how to make the most of time to turn our hearts to the Lord. There are many ways to organize simple devotional, study, and prayer resources we can take with us.

As a woman often on the go, there are times when I just can’t take my Bible Study materials with me. I want a handy, easy-to-carry, mobile tool for unexpected times I can turn my attention to the Lord. Imagine yourself sitting in a school pick up line … because you didn’t have time to go home. Think about waiting at the doctor’s office … because she was called away to an emergency. Or envision the 30 minutes wait during a music lesson, because it’s not long enough to leave and come back. Women have little time to waste, yet we have to learn to wait. In the waiting, it’s good to have a Prayer Album for Women on the Go. Pull it out of your purse, glove compartment, lunch bag, desk, diaper bag, or other case and use your time to do a little “praying without ceasing.”

We created these Prayer Albums as an activity at a women’s shelter. We talked about, “How do you really pray without ceasing?” It was a fun way to spend an evening with other women, putting together a tool we can all use to make the most of our time and help us abide in the Vine (John 15:1-11) in our busy lives, talking to God throughout our days.

Five sections for prayer include: Praises (giving thanks), Pits (temptations/sin), People (specific needs/hopes), Pleas (burdens/requests), Promises (scripture to guide/encourage).

Download The Prayer Album for Women on the Go here.

10 Steps to Make Your Prayer Album for Women on the Go

Purchase a 4×6 slide in photo book (Ex. $2 option & $4 option at Target) & index cards
Print out the 6 pages on to card stock
Carefully cut out the divider cards
Prepare 2 tabbed cards for each section: Praises/Pits/People/Pleas/Promises
Trim away extra words, preparing 2 cards per section
The final card can be used as a cover card
Put two cards, back to back, into a pocket, so that they show on each side
Fill 3-4 pages with index cards in between each section
Repeat for each section
Use index cards to write down requests, answers to prayer, and scripture, and update regularly. You can even add pictures or notes unique to the content.

Click here to download your free printable Prayer Album cards.

And when you carve out sweet time to open up your Bible Notebook, use the Bible Notebook tabs, the Meditation Worksheet, pages for Seminar and Sermon Notes, and Prayer Calendars to dig deep in God’s Word.

Top Ten Android Apps for Spiritual Growth

February 29, 2012 by Do Not Depart 33 Comments

Heather’s “Top 10 iPhone Apps for Spiritual Growth” post was great, but I am an Android user. (I did send it to all my iPhone-owning family members and friends who found the post useful though.)

So, below you will find some Droid apps that I have found to be helpful for my spiritual growth. (Some are the same as on iPhone, but links are to Android apps.)

Best Bible Study Apps

Christian Droid Apps 1. YouVersion Bible (FREE)
*Read/listen to the Bible with over 150 Bible versions and almost 200 Bible reading plans to help you read the Bible and track your progress.
*Easily search the Bible for either a reference or a keyword.
*Connect Twitter and Facebook accounts to easily share Bible verses.
*Bookmark your favorite Bible verses and sync them with YouVersion.com.
*Make public or private notes on your bible reading.

Christian Droid Apps 2. Daily Bible (FREE)
*Daily Bible Verse with daily notification
*Daily Bible Reading Plan
*Easy & Fast Search any Bible verse or topic: Easily search any verse of any topic.
*Daily Bible devotionals: Choose from a huge list of podcasts. Read or listen from devotions. Save a podcast and listen to it offline.
*Save or share Bible verse or plan or devotions easily on Facebook, Twitter, email, text etc.

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 3. Logos Bible Software (FREE)
*Thousands of books and tools for Bible study
*Easy to read, verse preview, footnotes, and easy navigation.
*Includes powerful study tools: Passage Guide, Text Comparison, and Bible Word Study.
*When you download the app you get access to all features and more than 30 resources. When you sign up for a free Logos account, you get access to an additional 30 resources as well as access to over 16,000 resources for sale from the Logos and Vyrso libraries.

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 4. MySword Bible (FREE)
*Multiple off-line Bibles, Commentaries and Dictionaries
*Bible version verse comparison
*Highlighting
*Bookmarks
*Type your personal notes and insights
*Search (concordance) for Bible, Commentaries and Personal notes
*Dictionary, Commentary and Journal/Book picture support
*Paragraph or Verse mode for the Bible view

Scripture Memory Apps

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 5. RememberMe Bible Verses Memory (FREE)
*Listen to verses
*Study flashcards and play word puzzles
*Obfuscate a passage and fills in the gaps
*First letter and placeholder methods
*Line by line practice
*Daily reminders
*Flashcard widget for your home screen
*Numerous Bible translations
*More than 100 verses preloaded

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 6. Fighter Verses ($2.99)
*Over 520 verses included
*Add ANY VERSE using “My Verses” and optionally define topics for topical memory.
*SIX Bible translations – ESV, NIV, NASB, HCSB, KJV, LBLA
*Fill in the blank QUIZ
*SONGS to help you learn verses (ESV only)
*TOPICAL index for topical memory
*Configurable SCHEDULE for weekly memorization
*REMINDERS to memorize daily or weekly

Best Prayer Apps

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 7. Prayer Journal ($0.99)
*Keep a running list of topics that you are praying about
*Share entries or the entire journal with friends (email/text messaging)
*Set notifications to remind you to pray for the topic.
*Upload journal to Google Docs.
*When you feel you have reached an answer to your prayer topic(s), mark them as answered and keep them available for later viewing, to remind yourself of God’s goodness to you in those requests.

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 8. Prayers to Share (FREE)
*Share your prayers with people around the world
*Pray along with others
*Write out your prayers
*Keep track of those you pray for
*Share your prayers anonymously with others who can pray along on our Social Prayer Network
*…or just keep them private
*Receive inspiration from reading everyone’s prayers

Best Worship Apps

9. Pandora (FREE)
*Personalized radio streams music to your phone.
*Type in the name of a favorite artist, song, or composer and a station will be created to play their music and music like it.
*Here are some of the stations on my Pandora app:
Casting Crowns, Addison Road, Nichole Nordeman,
Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, and Brooke Fraser.
If you use Pandora, what stations do you have for your worship times?

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 10. 1000 Gifts (FREE)
*Quotes on awaking to the joy-filled power of grace and gratitude at your fingertips … to get you started
*Photo and video stream, texts, and voice recordings of your gifts … to keep you going
*A one-tap option to instantly share captured gifts to Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr … to keep friends and family inspired on their way to their one thousand gifts

Thanks Heather, for reminding me about this one!

11. And I have to sneak one more in here: KLOVE Positive & Encouraging (FREE). Commercial-free contemporary Christian music.

Which apps for spiritual growth would you add to the list?

_______________________________________________

Joyce is a business major turned PreK teacher turned stay-at-home mommy to 2 little girls (ages 5 and 2.5.) She likes to dabble in a little bit of everything, from writing newsletters (for our family and for MOPS) to crafting to trying out new recipes…basically just trying new things.

She loves God, family and friends, date nights, board games, books, and blogging. You can visit her over at Keeping Up with the Moys.

What’s in your mirror?

January 16, 2012 by Julie 5 Comments

"Morning face" while camping ... NO mirrors allowed!

The Saturday morning sight caught me a little by surprise. Looking in the mirror I couldn’t help but utter an “Ew!” when I saw myself. Knowing my husband was gone to a meeting, I decided to ignore “the face,” throw on a robe, and answer the coffee pot’s call. I left my baggy eyes, dark circles, and dry skin at the mirror and settled into my comfy kitchen chair.

What do you do with what you see in the mirror? You could be the kind of gal who gets to work with her toolbox to cover up and enhance. You might be the kind who exfoliates down deep. You may even be the kind to up your water intake, back up your bedtime, and offload cares through prayer. We all respond to what the mirror shows us.

God’s Word is like a high magnification mirror. We all respond to what the mirror shows us.

James 1:23-25

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

God’s truth exposes us for what we are. To hear what God wants and then walk away without action would be foolish. Instead, as we learn the Word and implant it in our memory, we’re called to act on it. Doing something about what we see in the mirror of God’s truth leads to blessing. That blessing overflows to those around us.

I was just getting a refill to freshen up my coffee breath when the garage door opened and my husband walked in. With a look of concern, he came to me and tenderly asked if I was okay. “I’m fine. Why?” I responded.

“You look like you’re really upset, like you’ve been crying,” he said in a slightly nervous tone.

Nope. Just morning face that I ignored, forgot about about, and got comfortable with. Shoulda been a “doer” and done something about it! The next morning when I looked in the mirror, that same gal met me, but I dealt with her. I think we were all better for it; you could even say we were blessed!

How will you respond to what you see in God’s word today?

Will you walk away and forget about it, or will you deal with it?

Announcing…Run to Him

January 2, 2012 by Katie Orr 16 Comments

Run to Him, our winter Bible study, will start up Friday, January 13. We will be diving into a selection of Psalms; searching for how to relate our emotions, fears and challenges to the God who knows; digging for promises we can cling to when our soul cries out.

Maximize Your Mornings

Once again, we will be hosting this Bible study in partnership with Inspired To Action’s Maximize Your Mornings challenge. If you are looking for encouragement and accountability toward getting up early to meet with the Lord, this is the challenge for you! Check out the details here, but go quickly, as registration ends January 3rd!

Anyone is welcome to participate in the study, regardless of whether you are a part of the HelloMornings challenge. Be sure to stay tuned for a Run to Him study guide and more details about the study!

You’ve got to have a plan

December 30, 2011 by Kathy Howard 7 Comments

Can you hear the countdown yet? A new year arrives in less than 48 hours and 2011 will be history. Are you ready? Have you made plans for 2012?

I’m not talking about vacation plans or career plans or plans to renovate your kitchen, though those all need thought and preparation. No, I’m talking about purposeful plans to spend time with God in 2012.

Many of us start the year with good intentions, but regular time with God in His Word often falls by the wayside because we’ve failed to put a plan in place. Planning is not “unspiritual.” Paul told Timothy to “train yourself to be godly” (1 Timothy 4:7) because real spiritual growth takes discipline and purposeful intent.

A great place to begin is with a Bible reading plan. Haphazard reading will always be just that – haphazard. If you have a plan, then you have direction and structure. You never have to wonder, “What will I read today?”

If you’d like to have both a reading plan and group accountability I invite you to join me as I use the “Chronological Bible Story” Reading plan. I’ve invited all my Facebook friends and I have a nice big group joining in. I’ve established a Facebook group where we can talk about what we’re reading, ask questions, and be encouraged.

Won’t you join us? Here’s the group entitled “Reading the Bible Together in 2012”. You can access the reading plan there, or here.

If this plan does not meet your needs, I have several other Bible reading plans on my website. You are welcome to use any of them. Be sure to check out the other discipleship resources as well like the “Quiet Time Tips” and Prayer Helps.

Have you used a Bible reading plan before? What are your goals for getting into God’s Word in 2012?

{Resource Review} Savoring Living Water

September 13, 2011 by Teri Lynne Underwood 9 Comments

Before we share a great resource for you, we need to share something with you. Our friend Kristi will no longer be writing here at Scripture Dig. She’s been offered the opportunity to serve in a much larger way in her local church and in order to give that the attention it will demand, she will be stepping down from Scripture Dig. She’s written more about this decision on her blog. We will miss her presence here but know that God is at work in the ministry He has laid before her. We invite you to join us in praying for her as she endeavors to follow God’s direction in her life … and she’s promised to come back and visit here at Scripture Dig. We’ll hold her to that!

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Sometimes a resource comes along that meshes perfectly with our vision to “Encourage, equip, and empower others to dig into God’s Word” … Savoring Living Water: How to Have an Effective Quiet Time fits the bill perfectly.

One of the very first themes we covered here at Scripture Dig was Daily Time in the Word. We’ve shared what our own Quiet Times look like and invited others to share about theirs in the My Time to Dig posts. We believe wholeheartedly that that of the main tools we have to grow spiritually is consistent, quality time spent engaging with the Bible.

That’s where Savoring Living Water comes in. In seven concise, yet full, chapters, Katie Orr and Lara Williams offer solid information and suggestions for developing a vibrant personal time with the Lord. Covering topics from what time of day to what kind of resources, Savoring Living Water is a resource for both the new believer and those of us who are “more seasoned” in our faith walk.

With five appendices and a companion journal added to the end of the book, Katie and Lara give us not just the “Why” and the “How” but tools to help us get started and put into practice the principles they teach.

Perhaps, though, the key component that drives this book, is the heart from which is it written. From the first words, the passion Katie and Lara have for this topic are evident but equally revealed is their desire to be an encouragement to others.

It is a joy for us at Scripture Dig to recommend Savoring Living Water: How to Have an Effective Quiet Time to our readers. Savoring Living Water is available on Amazon for the Kindle and Barnes & Noble for the Nook as well as a PDF version. For each copy of Savoring Living Water purchased, the authors are donating $2 to One Verse, a translation company that seeks to provide the Scriptures in as many languages as possible.

We are happy to be giving away a copy of this ebook to one of our readers. Your answer in the comments to the following question is your entry:

What is the biggest hindrance in your life to having a consistent, effective quiet time?

{You can read more about Savoring Living Water on their website and we encourage you to like their Facebook page for ongoing encouragement. And please check out the One Verse website to learn more about the amazing work this organization is doing!}

Find your beach

January 20, 2011 by ScriptureDig 11 Comments

I looked past the dunes and saw no one. All alone and amazed by it, I wondered if I was safe. I expected my family to emerge from the beach grass and ask what was for dinner. It was so strange to be so utterly … alone. I was tempted to feel empty and lonely. Instead, God overwhelmed me. I reveled in the chance to pray aloud, to lay in the sand and talk to the Lord, to sing with abandon, and to laugh in enjoyment of His creation and the truths He stirred in my mind. If anyone came to the beach, they must’ve left when they saw what they thought was a crazy woman. It was not loneliness. It was solitude.

Finding a deserted beach and hours to drink in the Lord is not common in our day. We must seek solitude. Jesus made a habit of going to a “lonely place apart” (Matt. 14:13). Seeking out a solitary place was essential to Jesus’ ministry to people. It’s easy to forge ahead with the “doing,” but even Jesus took time to recharge. The more filled our lives are with people, the more necessary it is to step aside to find refreshment.

The Discipline of Solitude allows us to:

Release our FEARS ~ Most of us resist being alone, seeking groups and people, instead. When we get alone, we exchange control for putting our TRUST in God. Kristi discussed the part trust plays in Submission yesterday. Getting alone forces us to trust God is sufficient to care for us. When faced with problems, our instinct is to answer, defend, explain … but silence is the response of a heart filled with trust, a heart strengthened in the garden of Solitude.

As we discipline ourselves to stop talking, we let God act for us as our Justifier. Letting go of our modern mindset, craving company and words, it seems natural to open our hands to display our trust in God, inviting Him to be our only Companion. When we risk being still, we discover God in a deeper way than while in motion (Psalm 46:10).

Replace our DISTRACTIONS ~ Instead of being swept away be life, Solitude requires the Spirit fruit of self control to be quiet with the Lord. Silence creates emotional and spiritual space. In following Jesus’ pattern of restructuring habits and priorities of mankind, we still the motion of our days. We exchange uncertainty about this life with confidence from being still and knowing He is God.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”

Redeem our TIME ~ It’s not easy to find this place of solitude, but Foster encourages us that solitude is “more a state of mind and heart than it is a place.” Our minds settle on Him and experience peace that replenishes. Valuing the discipline of Solitude means we create opportunity to hear God and be refreshed by Him.

So where is this beach, so you can go there? God may have a different, better place to meet with you. Sometimes solitude must be captured when & where we least expect it. It can happen anywhere or time, when we redirect the focus of our hearts:

Instead of filling 10 minutes in the car line with a phone call, enjoy the solitude. Talk to God aloud or just concentrate on a scripture and be quiet with Him, as He works the Word into your mind.
Instead of using that corner chair to pile laundry, make it a special place for solitude.
Instead of looking at this weekend and filling it only w/cleaning & kids’ sports, carve out space for solitude. It could be the sweetest time of your weekend and the refill you need to approach next week.

Lost moments are reclaimed. Sacred places are created. Meaningful times are experienced.

Don’t apologize for being still or silent or embracing sweet solitude. Jesus found refreshing, so He could be a blessing to those around Him. Sweet things from the Lord await us on the beach!

Let God talk first

July 28, 2010 by Kathy Howard 11 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I had the joy of sharing my quiet time spot with you. I even posted a photo of my desk! (See that post here.) In that post I gave a fairly general overview of the components of my time with God. Today, I’d like to linger a bit on how my Bible reading and prayer go hand in hand.

Occasionally I go to my desk to spend time with God with something specific weighing heavily on my heart. Those days I have to pour out my heart to God in prayer before I can do anything else. But those days are the exception.

Most days I begin my time with God by seeking to hear what He has to say to me through His Word. I ask Him to speak to me and to open my ears to hear. Then I begin to read the Bible. My goal is to make what God has to say my priority. I work to let Him begin and guide our conversation.

Because I’m a Type A personality, it’s easy for me to fall into the mistake of reading too quickly to make sure I “finish” the day’s reading assignment. So I have to remind myself that the purpose of reading is for God to speak to me. I need to stop when God prompts. When a verse or phrase “jumps off the page” I pause and linger there, meditating on that passage.

About a month ago, I wrote a post about meditating on God’s Word. (You can review that here.) Biblical meditation is not emptying your mind, but filling it with God’s Word. It includes asking God questions about the passage. For instance, does this text reveal something I should…

Believe about God?
Praise or thank or trust God for?
Pray about for myself or others?
Have a new attitude about?
Make a decision about?
Act on for the sake of Christ, others, or myself?

As I think deeply on the passage and ask God questions I “listen” for His answers. I want to understand what He is saying to me through His Word. I record what He says in a journal. This process is the heart of my daily time with God.

Usually there is additional prayer time to talk with God about things that have not already come up. And often there is also some “follow up.” Something I need to do, someone I need to talk to, something I need to make right. In other words, I need to be obedient to something God has told me during our time together.

Donald Whitney, author of “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life,” writes that “meditation is the missing link between Bible intake and prayer.” He explains that meditation helps us digest what God says to us in His Word and then speak to Him about it in a meaningful way. He also quotes from several Puritan writers who passionately wrote about the same thing.

Although this type of interaction with God is my goal, I still sometimes struggle to let Him speak first and guide our time together. Some days my own schedule or own agenda gets in the way. Maybe you can relate. I forget that it’s not all about me! What about you? How do you focus on what God has to say to you?

Blessings, Kathy

Coffee and Conversation with God

July 26, 2010 by ScriptureDig 15 Comments

Everyone has a story to tell. For Susan, the story revolves around how God has taught her to believe that the joy of the Lord is her strength. While she has faced the struggle of living through depression and other family illnesses, Susan desires to use the story of her struggle to point people toward the Source of hope. She longs for people to embrace the God who dances over them wildly with joy (Zephaniah 3:17). Susan is a college professor and also the founder of Defiant Joy Ministries. {Susan and I competed together on the speech and debate team at Southwest Baptist University and have recently reconnected via Facebook. What a joy to see how God is using her to touch the lives of so many! I know you all will be encouraged by her “My Time to Dig” post today! ~ Teri Lynne}

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My favorite singer/songwriter Sara Groves captures the beauty of listening to one another’s stories this way: “Every heart has so much history. It’s my favorite place to start. Sit down awhile and share your narrative with me. I’m not afraid of who you are.” For me, all things of importance flow from relationships and I am easily swayed by any opportunity to have conversation and coffee with a friend. After all, life was meant to be shared over coffee, wasn’t it?! Over the years, God has taught me much about how He desires to hear my narrative and how He definitely is not afraid of who I am. God is by far the best listener I’ve encountered and that is why I affectionately refer to my quiet time with God as C&C: coffee and conversation with God.

One main theme that has emerged from years of conversations with God over many cups of coffee is that my knowledge of God is useless without knowing God. Just like I learn about a friend by listening to her narrative, I learn about God by studying His story through His word as well as sitting quietly before Him. Knowledge of God is gained through purposefully getting to know God. I can memorize the entire Bible, know the names of God, recite the lineage of Christ, etc. but knowledge is useless without being rooted in relationship with the Living Word. It’s not that knowledge of any kind is useless in and of itself. My C&C time with God has caused me to reflect on what I do with the knowledge I have. In 2 Peter 1, I am encouraged to use my knowledge about God to know God. That can be a difficult pursuit for one like me who is comfortable taking in knowledge for knowledge’s sake. God has taught me that I need to go beyond the words on the page and look to the One who inspired the words. After all, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

One of the ways God has taught me to put my knowledge of Him into action is by bringing my daily life with me into my C&C time. I’ve learned to abandon a pre-determined set of rules (made by others and/or me) about what should or shouldn’t be said to God during our C&C time. In fact, thinking of it as having coffee with a friend has helped me to learn that God is relational and He wants to hear me share what’s going on in my life. During my day, if I have a thought about something, a need arises, or a reflection about scripture emerges, among other things, I write it down on a 3×5 note card. I then use the note cards to help guide my C&C time with God. So many amazing insights have come from not separating my daily life from my C&C time—it’s all one in the same. God has encouraged me to see my life as one big conversation with Him—if only it could always involve coffee!

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Thanks, Susan! What an encouragement to see life as “one big conversation with Him.”

How do you incorporate what you receive from the Lord during your quiet time into your daily life?