Quiet Time. Part 1

So Zach, Zerbe and I have all harped how important it is to have a quiet time and I really just wanted reiterate how important it is and how to have a quiet time. Throughout my childhood and teenage years, I tried having a quiet time and it ended up like this: "flip flip flip, close my eyes, point to a verse. Ah okay this is what God wants me to learn today." I've come to learn over years and years of disappointment that this is not the best way to grow and become intimate with God. Because sometimes you'll flip to this and then you'll flip to this. Yes, you might find something that speaks to what you're going through but don't count on this technique to do that.

I often find the best illustration of how important a quiet time is how you become a friend. As sad as this is, it is remarkable true. So being completely generic, let's go through this. You first meet a dude or a girl and its exciting, a lot like when you accepted Christ, you find them on Facebook and you begin to examine their likes, dislikes, photos, and friends. Again this is a lot like reading the Bible and learning about God. But do you have a personal relationship with them? No! All you know about is some superficial thing that results in awkward 10 second conversations, "So you like One Direction? Yep...."  and that's how that conversation ends. You don't begin to understand how a person thinks or why they believe what they do until you talk with them. Growing a relationship with a girl or a guy isn't about how much time you spend on Facebook looking at their profile, its about how much time you spend talking to them and asking intentional questions. This is how we should pray. When we pray we begin to understand God's heart and his wisdom and why he has put stuff in the Bible. Now, I'm not saying disregard reading the Bible; what I'm saying is that prayer is an equally powerful tool in the Christian's arsenal to understanding the Bible. So what is it I'm suggesting for your quiet time? I'm glad you guys are such great askers of questions. Here's my answer:

Get out your iPhone and put it on do not disturb(yes put it on do not disturb) and then set a timer for 10 minutes. Then, pick a book of the Bible, I suggest John, and read for those 10 minutes. Now this is like English class a bit but you're not graded. When you read, I want you to ask these 4 questions:

1. What is the context of the passage you're reading?
2. What else can you observe?
3. What could it mean?
4. How does this apply in my life?

These 4 questions will help you get a lot more out of your Bible reading time. Don't fret if you are in the middle of a chapter and your timer goes off. Just save it till tomorrow. Now reset your timer for 10 more minutes and pray for that long. Now that seems like a long time and it is. I suggest using a journal to jot down your prayers so you don't lose focus. Now this is just an intro into a very more in depth topic that I want to cover; so here is my final summary:

• 10 Minutes in the word
• 10 Minutes in Prayer
• 10 Minutes in another Christian text

The first two are most important and I encourage y'all to knock those down. If you need an additional book, just ask us! We have plenty of books we are willing to give. Much love my brothers. Right now is a perfect time to start your quiet time! Go ahead do it and start this week!
-K