Category: 31 Days of Quiet

Cultivate: To Foster the Growth Of


After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” 
(Revelation 7:9-12 ESV)


When I was a little girl, one of my favorite parts of Vacation Bible School was the featured missionary. I remember after meeting a missionary from Africa, who brought items from her country to touch and pass around, promising God that I would go to Africa for him when I grew up. As a single young person, I thought I would become a full-time missionary. 

As a grown woman, I have learned that I can be a part of missions through prayer and support. In 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time, Pam Farrel challenges us to find ways to expand our global perspective on the kingdom of God. 

Make friends with a missionary, writing to him or her may enrich your quiet times . . .visit churches from other cultures . . .if you can’t find a church of a different culture in your area, then you can be equally inspired by books. 

Here are links to the resources she mentions:





©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam http://www.Love-wise.com


How do you maintain a kingdom perspective 
in your quiet times?
Posted on by kelrohlf 2

Splurge: To Spend Extravagantly

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to Jesus with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. (Matthew 26:6-10),



How often have you stolen away with Jesus for some extended time? Does it feel extravagant? Does the enemy, whisper, “Why waste such precious time?”

Jesus is honored by our time and our devotion to Him. Why not plan to spend a whole morning, afternoon, day or even a weekend retreat with Him?


Pam Farrell share several creative ways to splurge on your time with Jesus, but I want to highlight her reason behind the extravagance:

I know these can’t be everyday quiet-time experiences, but I find that if I have a few of these sprinkled throughout the year, I keep a better perspective on life as a whole. Maybe it is because these are special events that slow down my pace and my thoughts. I regain clarity and composure as I draw into God’s presence for a longer period of time.

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam http://www.Love-wise.com


What are some ways you enjoy splurging 
your time and self for Jesus?
 
Posted on by kelrohlf 2

Thrilling Guest Thursday: Jeanie Kelley

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; 
if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
(Revelation 3:20 NASB)




Join me today, as my friend, Jeanie Kelley shares the hard questions she hopes to ask Jesus when she meets Him in person. 

Have you ever heard of the question raised at a dinner party? If you could sit down with anyone in history, dead or alive, who would it be and why? Someone you could pick their brain. Some may say Elvis or someone like Caesar. Now for me, the one person I would love to sit down and fellowship or have a meal with would be Jesus Christ. He would definitely be the one I would be grateful to talk to.


The reason would be, for me, I would ask what has happened to my dad when he passed away. I know he went peacefully, but is he in Heaven? I would love to tell Jesus to tell Dad hi for me and that I miss him so much. This would be the first question I would have.

Click here to find out what other questions Jeanie would like to ask Jesus.

Jeanie’s blog post made me think, wouldn’t it be interesting to have a dinner party to share Jesus with others. Something to think about. 

Who would you invite?



Posted on by kelrohlf 1

Still: Uttering No Sound; Quiet

Silence is praise to you,
    Zion-dwelling God,
And also obedience.
    You hear the prayer in it all.
(Psalm 65:1 The Message)

I am restless. A cold snap in the weather caught me unawares. I miss sitting out on our front porch. To go for a walk seems like a huge effort; to find socks, a coat, a hat and gloves appears insurmountable. I sit in the front room staring out at the empty porch swing, wondering how a little cold weather holds me hostage. My mind wanders and focus eludes me. The sunlight peeps through the window. I need some sunshine. I need some warmth. I want to be outdoors in the solitude and silence of a good walk with God.

I grab my phone, a travel mug with coffee, a book and a pen. I rummage through the closet to find gloves and a warm coat. Walking to the park, my mental block begins to thaw. My soul warms up to God. We just walk together. I try to read, but He just wants to be with me. Uttering no sound, being quiet together, moving through the cold, sunny day is enough.

Enough to bring me back to peace, back to some mental clarity and the ideas for a class I’m teaching on Friday begin to flow, just like the blood coursing through my body and the oxygen filling my lungs. 

Solitude affords me the opportunity to be present to the moment. To listen and soak in God’s love. 

In 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time, Pam Farrel reminds us that we have to carve out time to be still and know God:

Enjoying quiet is a lost art. Many of miss God in the everyday, but when things are still, when we take time in the quietness of nature–or in the quietness of our souls–our hearts will begin to tune into thoughts of God. 

If it’s been a while since you stopped to smell the roses, do just that. Begin your journey in solitude by a walk in a garden or park. find a grassy knoll and lay on your back…and watch clouds, noting their shapes. then just pray through your thoughts as they come, even if they seem jumbled and random. 

It may feel strange at first to rest in the Lord, but one day of R and R with God can give you back months of clarity and productivity.

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam http://www.Love-wise.com


What is keeping you from being still?

Posted on by kelrohlf 4

Record: To Give Evidence Of

Moses recorded their starting places according 
to their journeys by the command of the Lord, 
and these are their journeys according to their starting places.
(Numbers 33: 2 NASB)



Apparently God cares about keeping records. I found the above Scripture fascinating. In a quick concordance search, I found this repeating phrase: “These are the records of the generations of…” After each entry would be a person’s name, like Noah, etc. Several times in Israel’s history, these records were important reminders of God’s faithfulness and direction for the nation.

Today’s idea for waking up our quiet time is to create a “Miracle Scrapbook.” If you are visual person, you may love this idea. But other ways to record God’s miracles in your life are readily available. Like using a digital journal on your phone to take photos, type notes and record God’s daily faithfulness or the old-fashioned journal, where you can list your blessings or keep track of answered prayers. You could also use a voice recorder on your phone to have a verbal record of God’s praiseworthy deeds in your life.

I am a visual person, so scrapbooking, doodling and journaling the journey appeal to me. I have shelves of scrapbooks, so I am not sure I will go to the effort of making a special one for miracles. Come to think of it, if I just go back and look at my current scrapbooks and journals, I could find plenty of everyday and once in a lifetime miracles that give evidence of God’s grace in our lives.

If you don’t want to or don’t feel like making a visual reminder, why not just look at some old photos and thank God in person for the miracle of your life with your voice or in your heart.

Here’s  a couple reasons that Pam Farrel keeps a miracle scrapbook:

Someday we’d have children, and I didn’t want them to think because we were in ministry we were paid to be good. (I wanted them to know there was a time when were “good for nothing!”) I began to keep evidence of answered prayer. For example, the grocery bags that held two weeks of free groceries we received when we were broke…Whenever my faith becomes weary and I’m not sure if God can see me…through a crisis or challenge, I pull out that miracle scrapbook. I am reminded that while the obstacles might have changed or grown, God hasn’t changed, and he is able to handle the challenge.

By recording anchor points in your marriage or family, you strengthen the faith of everyone in that family. By spending your quiet times cataloging God’s provision for you, your heartstring to him is also strengthened.

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam http://www.Love-wise.com
How do you record God’s faithfulness to you?
Linking up with Soli Deo Gloria Party.
To read more of the posts from 31 Days of Quiet, click here.
Posted on by kelrohlf 10