This summer, I have moved most of my writing energy to a new online project called Bible Study Together. It started as a request from my pastor to experiment with creating a Bible Study through a Facebook group. That venue proved problematic because of the way the posts bounce around when a person comments on a particular post. As a result, I moved everything to the blog which has proved far more successful.
The process is quite different from devotional work and although the learning and appreciation I have for the book of Ephesians has grown immeasurably, I would not say it has enhanced my quiet time.
How do people balance all of the possibilities? I never seem able to get the percentages right. I enjoy new experiences but they come at a cost. My home environment has reached “chaos” standing, particularly the office. With the kids all in “adulthood” but still living at home, there is a scatteredness to our schedules that makes dinners or “family” time an anomaly. Church time now has additional responsibilities and it is rare to find time for reflection. Besides, our services aren’t even structured for that. I knew that going in.
I remember going on a personal retreat to a convent. It was a wonderful experience in the end, but it took a full day and a half before I really managed to settle into a routine of true contemplation and prayer. The first hours I slept heavily or made lists of all the things I needed to do when I got back. My mind whirred.
So, here I am, making myself another promise: two more weeks of the study and I’ll get back to my first love. But who knows, really, what the next two weeks will hold?
Balancing study, worship and devotion is a struggle for our ChristCare (small group). We finish a study and everyone says how interesting and great it was and how much they learned; and then we move right on to the next book/topic. Are we really being transformed by the Word and the Spirit? Are we deepening in faith, growing in relationship, emboldening our witness? Hard to find the right balance, but have to believe God blesses the effort!
I understand completely. Thanks for sharing. ib ________________________________________
When I was still working, I had a boss who required us to set aside 4 hours every week for “unstructured thinking” no matter how busy we were. Deepak Chopra, I’m told, has two 30-minute meditation periods scheduled for his staff every single day. The only way to assure quiet time is to create it in your schedule and adhere to it. You will be astounded how everything else falls into place once you’ve made meditation/contemplation/quiet a regular habit.