Week 1 Select the destination, calendar it in, and start packing
Week 2 Make Plans to Get There
Week 3 Create a Scrapbook of Special “Vacation” Memories
Week 4 Enjoy Your “Vacation” in One Location
Week 1 Select the destination, calendar it in, and start packing!
My idea of the perfect vacation would be to enjoy resting in a beautiful setting that is near water. Perhaps you enjoy action packed days. Depending on the season your family is in, you may not have much choice about the type of vacation you take. Budgetary constraints may prevent any vacation at all. Whatever your preferences or situation, the need to pull away, regroup, and rest is universal. It also happens to be possible. A “satisfied customer” describes what you can expect from the “ultimate tour guide” in Psalm 23. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; . . . ” (Psalm 23:1-3).
As we all know, vacations that are not scheduled and planned are rarely taken. Time alone with God is no different. I encourage you to decide on the time you will spend with God each day and put in on your calendar.
Tips for scheduling time with God:
1. Select a time that is least likely to be interrupted. Early morning before the family rises is an ideal time unless you are not a morning person.
2. Make plans to keep your appointment.
3. Select the place you will meet with God.
4. Schedule it on your calendar in the appropriate time block.
5. Hold yourself accountable. Each day that you meet with God, put a check on your calendar.
6. Gather anything you need for your time with God and put it in a tote bag. I keep my Bible, prayer journal, pens and highlighter in mine. You can take your tote bag with you anywhere and you have everything you need in one place.
I challenge you to meet with God every day this week for at least 15 minutes to read the Bible and pray. Workaholics and “worldaholics” will have a hard time with this assignment, but once you experience the rest and restoration of spirit that comes from time with God, you will become convinced that this is a priority worth pursuing.
I’m looking forward to my summer long vacation with God! Are you? Check back next week for some specific ways to make your time with God more meaningful.
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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Week 2 -Make Plans to Get There
I hope you enjoyed your time with God last week. If you haven’t already done so, take a few minutes right now to schedule your time with Him this week. Going out of town, late evening plans, and unexpected interruptions often sabotage our plans for time alone with God, so look at your calendar, find the time least likely to be interrupted each day, and calendar it in.
Now, let’s get a little more specific about how you will spend your time with Him. I realize that people approach vacations differently. Some like to play it by ear and avoid making reservations before their departure, while others book their vacation spots a year in advance. In the same way, some prefer to flip open a Bible and begin reading while others very regularly and methodically follow a plan. A combination of planning and flexibility are usually required.
One especially exciting, yet simple, plan I would recommend is that of reading the Bible using The Devotional Daily Bible by Thomas Nelson publishers. This Bible arranges the entire text of the Bible in 365 sections that are designed to take 15 minutes to read. Each day’s reading combines a blend of scripture from the Old Testament, some verses from the Psalms and Proverbs, and a passage from the New Testament.
Upon the suggestion of a seasoned traveler, my husband, I adopted this plan and did eventually “cross the finish line”, though not in a year. The process was quite fascinating because the Scripture was always so consistently relevant to the particular circumstances in my life. It also reinforced to me the importance of basing beliefs, decisions, and convictions on the context of the entire Bible as opposed to an awareness of a few common verses that even unbelievers quote.
Maybe it’s time for you to take that “cross country” trip from Genesis to Revelation you have been dreaming about for so long. I would encourage you to visit your local Christian book store or amazon.com and find a daily devotional Bible. You may not make the journey in a year, but you can always put a marker in your Bible and then pick up where you left off the next time. You may take side trips or stay in one spot for several days, but if you make a commitment to resume the journey, you will eventually get there!
I’d love to hear how your time with God is going, so contact me and let me know. If you have comments that you wouldn’t mind me posting on the website for “fellow travelers”, note that when you write. “Postcards” from fellow travelers often encourage us to visit places we have never been.
Regardless of your travel plans, there is a richness of experience and joy in spending time in God’s word that can make this your best summer ever!
" I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes;" (Psalm 119: 14-16 NKJV).
Check back next week for some fun, creative "scrapbooking" ideas you can use to record your travels. Not artsy and creative? It's not required - you'll see. Have a great week!
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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Week 3 Create a Scrapbook of Special “Vacation” Memories
Have you been spending some time every day in God’s word? I would like to share a fun, creative way to capture some of those memories you are making with God as you spend time in His word. Some people keep beautiful, elaborate scrapbooks highlighting special vacation memories. My sisters have made some exceptional scrapbooks of times we have spent together with family. It’s fun to look through the pictures and relive the special memories that the pictures depict. We sometimes stop and recall a story associated with a particular picture. These pictorial memories are yet another set of reminders of the bond we have as a family.
Though I am not as artistic as my three sisters, I, too, have made a very special “scrapbook”. I love to look back through my collection of pictures and relive the special memories that they depict. I often have a story to recall. This collection of pictures is yet another set of reminders of the bond I have with my heavenly Father.
My “scrapbook” consists of a three ring notebook filled with page protectors that contain pictures that illustrate Scripture. My pictures come from magazines and photos that friends have taken and given to me of anything that illustrates a verse of the Bible.
I usually type the verse or copy and paste it from www.biblegateway.com. Pasting the verse or verses near the bottom of the document leaves room at the top of the page to place the picture that illustrates the verse.
Some examples of pages in my “scrapbook” are:
a beautiful picture of a sandy beach with the following verses printed below it: “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; . . .” ( Psalm 139:17-18NKJV).
a picture of water moving along and through rocks with the following verse: “He cuts out channels in the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing” (Job 28:10 NKJV).
A picture of a woman resting in a hammock with the following verses:
Do not fret . . . Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; . . . (Psalm 37:1,5,7 NKJV)
Sometimes I see a picture and it reminds me of a verse. Sometimes I see a verse I want to include and I look for a picture to go with it. Sometimes I see a beautiful picture and look for a verse to go with it by going to biblegateway.com and doing a keyword search. I have compiled this special “book” over the last 13-14 years. When I need a lift, I thumb through my “scrapbook” and usually feel encouraged, hopeful, and confident in God’s love and care by the time I reach the last page. Many of the pages remind me of particular events in my life when I experienced the reality of the verses I am reading.
I hope you’ll start a “scrapbook” this week that reveals to you “pictures” of who God is and what His word reveals. It’s a fun, encouraging way to spend time in His word and “hide His word in your heart”
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You (Psalm 119:11 NKJV)
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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Week 4 Enjoy Your Vacation in One Location
Yesterday, a friend who had just returned from vacation told me how enjoyable her vacation had been. She and her family rented a place in the mountains for one week. Relaxing in the peaceful, quiet setting had left her quite refreshed. It was not a week packed with activities or adventure, but, rather, a quiet, restful time spent in one place.
As we are spending time getting to know the Lord, I find it enjoyable to occasionally spend an extended amount of time in one book or even on one verse of the Bible.
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude all contain 6 chapters or less. You can look at these as short “day” trips or as a place to stay for a week. One meaningful endeavor involves selecting one of these brief books and reading it every day for a week. You will be amazed at the depth of meaning you will find in that book with each passing day.
One verse, when fully studied and explored, can also reveal a depth of revelation and insight that is so exciting. Because the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek, and because it is difficult to capture the full meaning of the original text in English, I believe you will find it helpful to use a concordance when you study. I personally use a Strong’s Concordance that correlates with the King James Version.
For example, read Proverbs 31:10.
“Who can find a virtuous woman? For her worth is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10 KJV).
The word “virtuous” in Proverbs 31:10 is taken from the same Hebrew word, “chayil {khah'-yil}”, which means strength, might, ability, and efficiency. Is that what you thought “virtuous” meant?
You don’t have to know Hebrew or Greek to discover the meaning of words in the Bible. You simply have to know how to use a concordance. A concordance is set up like a dictionary. The words are listed in alphabetical order. Under each word is a list of every occurrence of that word in the Bible listed in chronological order. Beside the reference to each occurrence of a particular word, you will find a number. In the back of the concordance is a Hebrew and Greek dictionary. If the word you are studying occurs in the Old Testament, look up the number beside that word in the Hebrew dictionary in the back of the concordance. If the word upon which you are focusing occurs in the New Testament, look up the number beside that word in the Greek dictionary in the back of the concordance. Beside each number is the literal meaning of that word. You will find that many words in the Hebrew and Greek are often used to describe one English word. The collection of words will help you to more accurately capture the meaning of the word.
By the way, if you want to find out more about the characteristics of a strong, mighty, capable, and efficient woman, read the remainder of Proverbs 31.
I hope you have spent some quality time in God’s Word this month. If so, I’m sure you found that it has left you refreshed and restored.
Check back next week as we continue our summer focus of spending time with God. Next month, we will explore some different ways to enjoy time with Him.
© 2007 Lauren Fletcher all rights reserved
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