Keeping It Fresh!

One of the most practical ways that I have been able to keep my spiritual life “fresh” is through making God a big part of our family life. It’s one thing to burry my nose in study to get ready for a Wednesday night rally service, but it’s a totally different thing to prepare my heart as a father to share my relationship with God with my daughters. It’s very personal and it’s very much an investment that I know will reap great rewards.

It’s probably one of my favorite parts of the day. I homeschool my two oldest daughters and every day – about an hour into their schoolwork – we stop and pull out our copies of YouthWalk. I used the same devotional magazine when I was in highschool and still love to read it to this day. Each month focuses on a different blanket topic (this month = prayer) and each week focuses in on more specific areas of the blanket topic (this week = power of prayer). I’m so excited about the discussion and family prayer times we will have for the rest of the month!

How does this energize my spiritual life? #1) it deepens my relationship with God as another way of spending daily dedicated time with Him, #2) it encourages me as a father and spiritual mentor to walk my girls through some “ah-hah” moments in their own spiritual lives, and #3) the different weekly topics and various authors keep me interested in learning and growing together with my girls. I absolutely love it!

On a side note, if you don’t have children to do daily devotions with, why not try this with your spouse or another close friend of yours that loves God? We weren’t meant to do life alone – including our spiritual life. I set aside personal times with God, yes, but adding others into the conversation only adds to the mix/momentum.