SPEAKER_01 0:01

Well hello everybody. Welcome to the Pastor's Corner podcast. We're so excited that you guys have decided to join us today, wherever you may be listening from. Um, and you might recognize this is a different voice to start out the podcast, and that's because it is. Um, our pastor's not not with us today here on the podcast. He is busy and got a lot of stuff going on. And so we are in the podcast studio today. Um, it's me. Um I think he calls me the Whaley Meister. Uh but Bryson, uh, Pastor Bryson, we got Pastor Rick. Enrique, there we go. Pastor Rick is across from me, and then across from me as well is Brother Chris. We were just talking about it. He does not have a nickname yet. We gotta get him one. We gotta get him one. Um, it doesn't, you know, it just does it's just not right without a nickname. Oh, what's Jess's nickname?

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Oh, Master Pastor.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Yeah, the Master Pastor. But he's he's always the one in introducing everybody, so he doesn't throw that name out there um himself. But yeah, he's got a couple nicknames around around these parts. But anyways, welcome to the podcast today. Um, we are excited to be in here, um, us three. Um, and you know, um last podcast that we had um last week, we were talking about staying focused through change um in a season of life and a time of the year where there's a lot of change going on. Um just had graduations the past couple of days here um in the area. And today what we're gonna do is we're gonna take that subject from last week and kind of dig a little bit deeper into it. And today the focus of the podcast is going to be how to have a daily quiet time with the Lord. Um, we're gonna kind of share um some from personal experience, what that looks like in our own lives, throw some scripture out there. Um, but I think just to get us started today, it's just important to understand that today we're gonna talk about a lot of different things as it relates to a quiet time, um, as it relates to to having a personal time with Jesus. But the most important thing is that you need it, right? You need one. Um, and so we're gonna throw some things out there today. Uh, I am I am positive without even talking to these two guys beforehand um about it, I am positive that my personal quiet time looks different than Chris's and my personal time, my personal quiet time looks different than Pastor Rick's um and and and everywhere in between. And so there might be some parts that are the same, but it's gonna look different um, you know, for you um and what fits you best um and how you connect with the Lord um on that deep level. But the most important thing I would say as we get the conversation going um on the podcast today is that you need that quiet time. It needs to be something that you make a priority in your life. And so I'm gonna throw it around um and get some kind of opening statements, if you will, opening comments on this topic, and then we're gonna dive deeper into it. So again, thanks for joining us today, and here we go.

SPEAKER_02 2:54

All right, yeah, I guess I'll uh just throw a couple comments in. Um, I was just looking at the dates here because of the topic that we were gonna talk about, and I thought that was it. Uh June the 10th, 1992 was when the Lord saved me. So coming up in a few days, it'll be how many years is that? 39, 92. 34.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

Bryson didn't tell us we'll have math questions as far as we're yeah, 34 years ago.

SPEAKER_02 3:22

The reason I wanted to bring that date up is nobody told me how to have a quiet time. Nobody told me how to study the Bible, nobody told me how to pray. And I I learned by listening to the other people and just practicing. That's right. And uh, it's been the most beneficial thing that I've ever done. And I'm so thankful I didn't take it for granted because a lot of people get saved and nobody shares with them or shows them how to have a quiet time, and they end up not having it. But somehow, some way I just I understood this is something I need to learn how to do. And even though nobody showed me, it became a priority in my life. And I just just started trying stuff, and whatever worked, and it's changed throughout the years at how I have a quiet time since those days, and I'll share some of those throughout the process. Not that any of them is wrong, but there's different ways to have it because you have to break it up. If not, it kind of gets routine, gets boring, and uh sometimes you just say, well, it's it's not that big of a deal. And uh, so we're just gonna share. Everybody has it different. There's no the Bible cannot tell you how to have a quiet time and it's just do this, this, this, and this. You just have to learn how you're uniquely gifted, what you need, and just work yourself into a routine. So that's kind of what we're gonna look at today. And so that's just my opening comment. Uh, you may have not been trained, nobody may have not sat down with you to show you how to have a quiet time. Hopefully, through all that we share today, you'll realize, you know, there is no formula. Everybody does it differently, and maybe you'll just learn maybe some things to to start having that quiet time because it's the most beneficial thing you'll ever do in your Christian life.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Yeah, uh, you know, I'm I'm excited about when when when uh I think Pastor Jesse had mentioned this topic because, you know, if we want to be honest, we all can really need some work on this. We all can do better on this on working on this. And you know, and I know as far as you know, I believe it's Matthew and Luke where you know he talks about uh, you know, uh praying no morning, evening and night, but the uh I think morning, noon and night. But the uh but you know, we're all busy and uh you know, and sometimes yeah yeah, prayer, you know, when you start your prayer, yeah, it's gonna you're gonna uh obviously you you might say a prayer, but then you have your quiet time, but you know, but but sometimes we just need to sit there everybody be be like the Bible tells, be be quiet, be still, and let that let the Lord speak to us. And and uh so uh that's kind of my opening statement where I'm going with it.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

Yeah, and so um going right off that, um, the scripture that kind of comes to mind um when I think about spending time with the Lord, making it personal, making it real, is actually a little mini story, I like to call it, at the end of Luke chapter 10. And I'm just gonna read it, um, just a couple verses, says, as Jesus and his disciples um were on their way, came to a village where a woman named Martha opened up her home to him. And she had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha, she was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made, and she came out to him and asked, Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me. And this is how Jesus ends this uh conversation. He says, Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. And I think oftentimes we miss God completely because we are so caught up in everything else. We are so, like you said, we're we're busy. Um we live in a world, um, a society and a culture that just promotes just adding things to our schedule. Um, to always gotta be on the go. Um, it's almost like you don't have a life um worth living if you don't have a bunch of stuff on your calendar. Um, but um the story right here, um, I've always loved this story. Um, in Luke chapter 10, Jesus makes it clear that before and I mean the reality is this. The reality is this, Martha was not doing anything bad. Um, she was getting the house ready for the Lord. I mean, this is this is a big deal if Jesus is coming by your house. Um and she is trying to get things ready, um, she's trying to get things prepared. So she's not doing something inherently bad, but she's not doing what is the best thing to do. Um, as Mary um is sitting there at the Lord's feet, just realizing um and coming to the conclusion it's something that I was taught that I learned and I'm still I'm still learning and growing in it. But the reality is this, and I would just encourage whoever's listening on the podcast today, you can do so many great things for God, and that's great. And we need people to do great things for God. I'm not discounting that at all, but what I am trying to say this uh today on the podcast is this, and please hear what I'm saying. Before you do great things for God, it is important that you simply be with God, right? Because if you do a lot of great things for God, but you fail to be with God, eventually doing the great things for God will become uh mundane. They'll they'll become um something that you you kind of you don't look forward to anymore. Um you you you'll get burned out. Um stressed out, burned out. Um you you'll get filled with anxiety. I mean, it a lot of stuff will begin to happen. Um if you do do, do, do, do, but you fail to be. And we were created to be before we do. Um and that's just the truth of the matter. And so that's just my encouragement to to you guys today, listening, wherever you might be, um, whatever season of life you might find yourself in, be with God before you do for God. Um, because being with God is the most important thing. Um, having that time where it's just you and him, and you're growing um and you are learning more about him daily, and he's speaking to you, and you feel his presence and his spirit. Um, there's just something so sweet about it, and and it leads, um, it leads you to to being able to do for him in the best possible way because you can't do for God effectively when you are dismissing the fact that you need to be with him. And so I think this story in Luke chapter 10 just gives us a perfect example of that. Um, Jesus has to stop Martha. She's she's she's I've I I feel like she's pacing in the house. She's she's saying, What are you doing, Mary? She's coming out of the kitchen and look in the hallway. Yeah, like, what are we doing? Help. Uh, we uh Jesus is here. We got to get everything ready. And I think that's the reason why the Lord has to say her name twice. He says, Martha, Martha. I can imagine it's like that. I don't know. Call me crazy, but I think it's like I think it's that tone where it's like Martha, and then he says that tw he says her name twice, almost like, hey, like just stop for a minute. Like I know you're doing all these things, and I'm I and I I believe the Lord was grateful for it. But listen, I would rather you be with me than do for me. And so that's just what I would say as uh we kind of kickstart the conversation.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Well, it could have been a you know, just by reading it, could have could have sounded like a little bit of gel a little bit of jealousy right there on what she's knowing what what Mary was doing. But yeah, the uh and I think that's what what Rick said. There's no uh you know, having somebody teach you, but uh you know, you can't come and listen to somebody who's been a Christian or or or pastor or something for 20 years and hear them pray. And I think sometimes we're we're we're kind of experiencing this with the children because we've been working with them on praying and uh not being ashamed to pray and uh and and and and and how and and how to pray. And it uh but you can't compare your prayer to somebody else's as well, cause you know, you as long as your heart's sincere and and and and and you know, we we did a thing, a study with the children, start talking about just conversation with God. And uh, but last night just hearing the children pray, I give every all the children when we're done a chance to pray. And uh just have everybody's eyes closed and I just have them raise their hand if they want to pray. Then I'll when I hear somebody stop praying, I'll open my eyes up and see who the next one. But last night just hearing the I guess you say the growth of some of the ones who who who are praying. And then last night, and when we first started doing that, we maybe had two or three kids that would want to pr that would pray. And uh last night, you know, we had about 40 kids down there and and and at least half of them volunteered to pr you know pray. And some of them, I mean, Cheryl was mentioned last night too, just their maturity on the things they've on how they pray and their confidence in prayer.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

And uh, you know, just that that was just awesome to see, especially when you got you know little children doing it. When you can't some people you know, you can't get an adult to pray sometime. You know, you'll ask in a group and you'll ask for somebody to pray and you won't even get an adult to pray. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:01

Yeah, well. Uh I want to bring in a scripture that uh the first one that I thought about, I found in Mark 135 when it comes to spending time with the with the Lord. But to set the context of what the verse I'm gonna talk about, we got to understand that Jesus is God. He came to this earth, he's full of God, fully humanity. So he came to this earth, he's God. Nothing changed. But in Mark 135, it says, now early in the morning, having risen a long time before daylight, he went out to a deserted place, a solitary place, and there he prayed. So Jesus, being God on earth, realized that he needs to spend time with in prayer to his father. Now he's God on earth, and he can work miracles, do anything he wants to, but yet he realized how important it was to spend time in prayer to his father, which is God. So if Jesus needs to pray, come on, then nobody else is left out of the picture.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

Because if he has to spend time with the Father, how in the world do we think we're ever gonna make it in this life when we bypass our quiet time?

SPEAKER_01 13:10

How much more do we need it? If he is doing it and he's modeling it and he's setting the example, how much more uh do we need to have that time? I think that's so true. Um, so true, Rick, um, that hey, Jesus, I mean, if he needed time spent alone, if he got away to a solitary place, if he did these things, then then why in the world uh would we think we don't need to do that too? Um that we don't need it too. Um that, oh, I'm good. I'm I, you know, I'm uh I'm okay. I don't have to do that today. I don't need to do that this week. Um Jesus modeled it perfectly, perfectly for us um throughout his life. Um that's a really good great example right there at the beginning of Mark, uh Mark chapter one. You got anything else on that?

SPEAKER_02 13:55

I was just kind of just throwing some things around. Yeah, and eventually we're gonna get back to uh before we close, make sure we share kind of our process and how we've learned uh the quiet time routine that we've gotten ourselves into.

SPEAKER_01 14:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

But yeah, I was just gonna bring up Jesus here because uh we're without excuse.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Come on. Yep. No excuse, no excuse right there. Chris, you got anything else?

SPEAKER_00 14:16

Yeah, well, I'm just gonna go ahead and throw through uh throw throw a Bible verse that we that that uh that I had on here. And because we're talking about quiet time, we're talking about uh just trying to get along with God and just like it was mentioned, it's kind of like uh even with with Jesus doing this it's it's kind of rejuvenating and refreshing you, and if it but uh right here I got Romans 12, and I was just gonna read verse two, but I'm just gonna go ahead and pick up verse one. It says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, you present your body to live and sacrifice wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. So our quiet time is is is worship. I mean, it's it's it's it's our personal worship with God. And uh but but verse two says, And be not conformed to this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is good and accept uh acceptable and perfect will of God. And uh you know our quiet time as far as is is that's where God's talking to us. You know, so we're praying, and and when I pray, you know, I try to pray that God shows me his will. And I think that a lot of us is not uh you know, maybe we're praying for the wrong thing, we're praying for something personal when it's not uh something that God really wants us. But but then I thought about you know, God, well, well, what is God's will? You know, because God has a permissive will, which is where he gives us free choice, but he also has his perfect will and what he wants for us. And and uh but uh with with me, you know, like I said uh you know, I talked about you talking about f finding your place going out. It doesn't have to be going out somewhere like Jesus did. I mean, you can just find you a quiet space. Sometimes my quiet time it might just be sitting in my truck.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:57

The uh I tell you the the the closest I felt to God in a while was sitting at the beach this week and sitting on the back and just looking at the ocean. And just the uh uh because we we all you know sometimes you can't have it. Sometimes you have to have your quiet time, just you have that extra quiet time put in there. Maybe you're frustrated today and something's just not going right, and you just have to stop and just say, you know, just no, God show me, no, show me what you know what I'm doing wrong. Show me what you what you know what your will is in my life, and and just to try to get yourself back on track.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

Yeah. All right, well, let's um let's throw around, let's throw around uh the people listening today. Um, let's kind of give some personal um just kind of ideas, thoughts, kind of how we shape our our quiet time, what that has looked like, maybe what it's looked like even in the past. Um because I I think the I think the one of the most important things is is having a place. Um you know, there will be times, there will be days where you are unable to to be in in that place um just for whatever reason. You're on a trip, um something unexpected happens, um, and you have to spend your spend that that quiet time um as we're calling it with the Lord in another area, another place. Um but I think it's super important that for the most part you have a set place that you do your quiet time, um a set place. And and this is not gonna be the same for everybody. Um, it's just not. Um I mean, because we all live different lives, we all have different things going on, we all have different ways um and different places where we can easily uh more easily focus and concentrate, because that's obviously a huge thing when it relates to having that quiet time, connecting with the Lord. But I think it's important um to have a have a place. And and I would even go as church further. I think it's also important to have a specific time. Um because if you don't have a specific place and a specific time where most days you are doing your Bible study and you're doing your quiet time, a lot of times um if you don't have that place and you don't have that time, um, it it just makes it a lot easier to not do it.

SPEAKER_02 18:05

Yeah, because you know what's it's time.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

Yeah, yeah. It just makes it a lot easier to to keep pushing it off and then it and then you don't end up doing it, and then you push it off to the next day, and the next day becomes multiple days and becomes weeks, and that's just kind of how a cycle, bad habits, um, if you will, start. And so I I would say that's kind of the the first thing uh when it, you know, before you even get to like what you're reading or how you're praying or whatever it may be, I think it's important, really important. And I've learned this just over the course of my, you know, even limited time, um, you know, following the Lord, um, that it's so it's so important to have a place is so important to have a time. What do you what do you guys kind of think about that? Um have you found that to be beneficial um in your walks with the Lord?

SPEAKER_02 18:52

Yeah, definitely having a place because it gives you a destination. Jesus went out to a solitary place. He didn't just haphazardly decide to walk out to woke up early in the morning and went out to someplace. Yeah. He had a designated place because he had to be away from people, because there were thousands of people every wake an hour wanting to see him or wanted to hear him. He had to make a place and a time to get away from him so that he could spend time with his father in prayer. So having that place and having that time is vital, and that's one thing that I've always done in my life. And mine's, I just followed the example of Jesus early in the morning, before anybody else was stirred, he went out to a solitary place and prayed. So my quiet time from day one until now, my place has changed and the times have fluctuated, but it's always been the first thing. I'm a runner. The only time I can run consistently is in the morning. I don't pray some other time so I can run. I get up earlier to have my quiet time before I go run. And so, as I need a longer run, I have to get up earlier, meaning I'm gonna have my quiet time earlier than that, so I get up earlier to have my time with the Lord. And so I always the first thing, because if I try to have it at night, try to have it in the afternoon, stuff comes up. The very reason I don't run in the evenings is because weather can get in the way, activities can get in the way, unexpected stuff can come. And if you try to have your quiet time like that without a place and a time, everything's gonna interrupt it. So the only consistency I have in my life is before anything, even the sun comes up, before anything happens in that day. That is the first thing that I do. That is my time, and that is my place to go spend time with the Lord before anything else happens in my life.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

You know, obviously, you know, everybody, you know, is we talk about prayer too, about uh, you know, but obviously before you before you eat. But but with me, the one uh thing I try to do is uh for one, you got to remove distractions, and and I know I talk about being in my truck a lot because I'm in my truck a lot. But the uh but but but Carolyn gets up a lot earlier than I do. I'm a night owl.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

And uh I don't call you a night owl Chris. You don't never go to sleep.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

That's that's another whole topic, Rick. But but like I said, but uh uh but normally what I try to do as far as get up in the morning time and uh and you know, I I might go in the office and tell Carolyn, hey, you know, good morning and stuff like that. But if I can't, no, uh obviously I can't do my quiet time in the office with her because there she's on the phone. I'm looking around my desk, I see too much stuff that I need to do that's distracting me. So normally I I I either go to you know, uh take my Bible and I either sit it in my recliner in the living room by myself or I sit it in the dining room by myself because like I said, if I'm in the office, I'm distracted. But but you know, but when I get in my truck every morning, and even even my guys, as far as you know, the anybody who's with me, know you know, we're gonna pray, you know what I'm saying? And uh but with me, I don't when I get in my truck and and in my quiet time I always pray and as far as Lord's you know, I mean this is just me. I said uh you know, Lord, uh to put people in my path today that that that that that uh that I can share the gospel with. That whatever I do or say today I'll bring honor and glory to him. And and uh but when I get home from work, a lot of times I just have to sit in my truck because you know, you you figure if you're out working and you had a bad bad day at work, sometimes you need to have your little bit of quiet time in your vehicle before you go in there and and take all the negative and all the stuff you've had in there to your family that you're supposed to be protecting. And not that's not just for talk about protecting physically, it's talking about protecting spiritually. You know, uh yes, you should be able to talk to your spouse about things, but you don't need to go in there and dump everything on them as far as today because your spouse has probably had of her own issues that day as well. So but uh but then at nighttime, you know, I try to pray. Uh like I said, Caroline normally goes to bed around nine or ten o'clock. So I try to, you know, uh if I don't fall asleep, I'm a recliner or or whatever. Tell it about yourself now. Then I do. Well, you know, if I fall asleep, she don't, no, she's she's no, she won't wake me up. But when I get up and uh when I go to bed, if I hadn't had a chance to pray with her before I go to bed, I always, you know, still put my hand over there on her shoulder and just pray, pray with her and pray for her. Not no just for our marriage or finances or you know, our our ministry. You know what I'm saying? Just because this is a something we do together. So it just gives that whole different aspect to it.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

Yeah, so I I think and just kind of as we've talked about, having a time, having a place. Um, and I think going back to what um Rick was saying, you know, it's important um to have that time and have that place. Um Jesus models it, um, he does it in the morning. Um, that's the way he models it, not saying that you know, any other time of the day is necessarily bad, but um it's uh I think so there's there are major benefits of doing it in in the morning time um and you you know for that specific personal time of the Lord. I think number one, because as we've already talked about, there's things that come up in our day, there's activities, there's family, there's unexpected things, there's even planned things, and there's a lot going on, and life is busy and it just doesn't stop. Um, and so I think that's number one, but also number two, I have noticed, and I because I've tried like so many things, like morning, midday, night. I've tried I've tried a ton when it comes to like when to do my walk with, you know, my my quiet time with the Lord. But I've I have found that when I do it in the morning, when I do it before like the day really gets going, and I'm doing whatever that day holds, what I've found is that I'm able to respond differently in situations. I'm able to have a better attitude, a better mindset, a better posture, all those things when I've already spent my time with the Lord versus if I haven't already. Um I think there's, I mean, just just kind of keeping it very, very truthful on the podcast. I mean, we always do, but I guess just being even even more um today, um, just realizing that if I have already spent time with the Lord, I am, I'm, I'm gonna better respond when that negative situation comes up. I'm gonna be able to better, to better have, have a better answer, to have a better attitude. Um, because I have found myself if if I'm if I've not spent time with the Lord and life comes up um with what life does and throws throws things at me or have an encounter and it's not a good encounter, some some negative news comes up, whatever. Man, it's uh it's gonna be it's gonna be a rough, I'm gonna have a rougher time if I've not already spent time with the Lord. And so obviously, if you're listening today, find find your place, find your time. But the Lord does model in the mornings. I think you'll be able to better respond to situations and just uh honestly just have a better outlook on the day when it is kind of in that morning time. And so what what I also want to do here, um, just as we kind of start to, you know, descend the plane here on on the episode of the podcast today. Again, thank you so much for listening, is like what what does what is y'all's quiet times look like? Um, you know, like what does it look like now? What has it looked like previously? Um, we've already mentioned that sometimes it does need to change, maybe the way you do it or the rhythm and the flow of it, so it doesn't become so um routine, so it doesn't become something that you're just going through the motions, but kind of kind of what have you found that that works best for you? And I guess we'll start with you, Rick. Um just kind of what works best for you, what have you found um that that kind of just fits you where you can best connect with the Lord?

SPEAKER_02 26:32

Yeah, I'll uh I'll kind of go back and just share a lot of different ways I've done it throughout the years because you have to change it up. If not, it's no matter how you do it, it will get old and get routine. So you have to kind of change it up. But uh I have done it before. Uh the first thing I do before I pray is I always read scripture. Now, it doesn't, there's that's just me. You can pray first, read scripture, but you have to have prayer and scripture together, uh, either one or the other. I always read scripture first. And so what I've done in the past is I'll say, okay, I know love's mentioned in the Bible a whole bunch of times. So I'm gonna go to my concordance and I'm gonna read four, five, ten verses, however much time I have, on love, and I check them off on end of concordance. And it may take me a month to go through through all of them, it may take me two months, may take me a few weeks, depending on what word or what topic you're looking at, and just mark it off your concordance and see what this word is spoken about in the Old Testament and New Testament. And so I've kind of done that, and you can just pick a word and say, okay, I want to see what the Bible says about just read every verse over a period of time that the Bible speaks about that. And um the thing that I do mostly is read through books. And so it just say you I just got through with the book of Psalms. I usually do that every couple of years. Because when you start the acquire time in the book of Psalms, it's usually go it's 150 of them. It's usually gonna take uh almost a half a year if you read uh one or several of some of the shorter ones in a in a setting. And so you pick a book of the Bible, pay pick Proverbs, Old Testament book, Psalms, some Old Testament book, some New Testament book. Right now I'm going through Paul's epistles, so I read one after the other, just like Pastor Jesse's preaching. When he gets through with one book, he starts in the next one. And so I have my quiet time like that. Sometimes if the chapters are short, I may read a couple of chapters. If it's longer, I may just read one chapter and try to soak in what's going on and allowing God to show me how this applies to my life today, last week, the upcoming week. Why am I reading this? What's going on? And so you just read through books. That way you have something ready the next morning. Because if you just say, Well, I don't know how to read the Bible and you open it up, it's a big book. You gotta have a plan. So I don't have to worry about where I'm going tomorrow. This morning was uh 1 Timothy chapter 2. Guess where I'm going in the morning? 2 Timothy chapter 3. So I have a plan. Uh uh 1 Timothy, I meant. 1 Timothy chapter 3 is where I'm going in the morning. Yeah. And so reading through the books is a good, consistent way to read through the Bible over a long period of time, but also to spend that time uh allowing God to speak through that book as you read those um, and especially if things stand out or verses you want to memorize or something. So just go through books. So that's just a couple of ways that I've done it throughout the years. But my plan, how I go about my routine, is I get up when I need to early in the morning. I I go in, have my Bible marked where I'm where I'm at, I read that verse of scripture and think about it as I'm reading through it. Then when I get through reading the Bible, I immediately just start going into a time of prayer. And a simple prayer thing to remember is just ACTS, Acts. A C T S. You don't start out prayer asking God for stuff. There's a lot, you got to get yourself ready in the right frame of mind. And so adoration, you just spend time praising God. You can learn how to praise God reading through the book of Psalms. Yeah. Praise Him for who He is, for your salvation. So you go through a time of adoration. And then to see His confession, you've got to get your heart right with God before you ever start asking for stuff so you will ask rightly. And so there's a time of confession. Give God time to show you maybe the way you acted, words you said, things that you looked at, thought about. Uh try to confess every known sin that you have. And then you go into that time of tea, which is thanksgiving. Thank God for answered prayers. We're good at asking God for stuff, but we're terrible to thank you for answered prayers. So go through a time of thanking him for your family, for your help, for answered prayers and all the things you can be thankful for today for allowing you to get up. And then the last thing you do is ask supplication. That's when you start asking God for stuff, interceding for people, praying for prayer needs, praying for your family, praying for your own needs. And so that's kind of the format that I've gotten into that uh keeps you consistent and you know what's coming, and you just spend time with the Lord. And I do not have a set time. Um, I may be there for 45 minutes one day, I may be there for an hour one time, I may be there for 30 minutes. I don't set a clock and say, okay, it's time for my quiet time to end. Because when it's all said and done, you have to spend that time of not saying a word, giving God time to speak. And that is the hardest time of a quiet time is setting a dead silence, not saying anything, trying to not think about anything, and just listening for the still small voice of God to speak uh into your life. And so that's just kind of uh the way I go about my routine and my quiet time.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

Awesome. That's super helpful.

SPEAKER_00 31:13

Uh Chris, yeah, I'll tell you, he he about he about nailed it right there.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

Yeah, he sure did.

SPEAKER_00 31:20

I I when when when Rick was going first, I was like, man, Rick better not use my line right here because I actually got this from but you know, but but one thing I do is is I'm a I mean, y'all make fun of me about my trapper keeper and my nose and stuff like that, but but you know, this is one of the reasons why I was excited about this today. I hate Pastor Jess is not here because it's good to hear because people don't talk about stuff like this. It's good to hear how other people do things because maybe that's maybe you've been struggling in your quiet time and your prayer time, and and and uh like you said, you've never had anybody teach you how to do it. So it's good to hear other people and how they do things, as far as in not saying that any one way is right or wrong, but yeah, but you know, but but that's what I do. I mean I take notes and and uh and but one thing I try to do is is is is that I wrote down that made me think about this as far as what I try to do is is Pastor Rick and Pastor Jesse both talked about this, and you know, Pastor Rick talks about leaving yourself spiritual markers in your Bible. And uh, and one of us think about you know, you talk about the story with uh Larry up in the church plant up in in West Virginia on just things like that. So you got something to go back, and then you and Pastor Jesse both had talked about you know keeping track of your spirit spiritual victories. And but that's that's that's one of the ways. I mean, I yes, I start out uh reading my Bible. That was I've never thought about doing that the way you talked about just going to your concordance and just picking out something and and going through that. Most of the time with me and not being a cheap way out. I'm gonna whatever lesson I'm working on with the children or something that I'm trying to prepare, then I'm gonna go with that. I'm gonna that that's what some of the scripture I'm gonna kind of be in, but but I try to go through my you know through through my Bible uh time, but a lot of times I just go through here because this gives me a chance to think on paper, think it ever, think it out on paper. But I go back and and and and I look for the people that you know the obviously the people I'm keeping track of who I'm praying for. And uh, but I also uh go back and look at uh certain things that maybe any of y'all said. I said I I I love you know the fact that we have three of y'all and y'all have different perspectives when you preach. And Rick's got me over here taking uh notes right here. That's why what do you call that? Uh acronym or whatever that is, where we just did it, I can't remember what that's called, but the uh but uh but with me as far as uh normally when I try to get up in the morning, obviously at nighttime, I normally don't uh uh I don't normally get into a whole lot of reading scripture, but normally I pray first before I read and before I look up as far as and I pray God to show me what He wants me to get out of what what I'm gonna be reading. And uh so uh but uh and and Rick, I said everything Rick just said just now, I mean, just the same thing. I mean, I'm trying to try to go make sure I go through and and and and pray for anybody who's asked me for to pray for them for one. But also, uh, you know, when you hear kids like last night was was big for me because some of the kids' prayers, the things we're praying about, I mean, they didn't ask me to pray for it, but you can't help but pray for somebody when you know somebody's got something going on in their life. And and uh so uh but that's that's just kind of how I do it. But in the morning time I try to to to to to to read scripture. Normally it's more or less on something I'm already studying. The uh uh just to refresh it in my mind that maybe God would give me a different different perspective on what it was uh or where I thought I was going with something. I know y'all, I hear y'all talk about it. You know, you could you know sometimes your quiet time where God, you know, you're trying to go a direction that that you you want to go, but maybe God in your quiet time tells you, hey, that's not what that's that's not what you're supposed to be talking about. You know, you need to go a different direction, and maybe he'll give you another scripture somewhere else to go. So but I yeah, I I appreciate um this topic. I mean, that's something that's helped that that that I'm learning right now myself, something that's helping me.

SPEAKER_01 35:18

So yeah, and uh just to kind of share briefly um kind of what that that time looks like. Um for me, um it's it's I mean, I'll be honest, this is we said it at the beginning, but we're still all growing in this um and trying to figure out what works best in the season of life. Um right now with a 14-month old at home, it's uh I mean it the the maybe the place that I and the and even sometimes the time that I've had to do um my quiet time ha has had to change or look be different um depending on when he's crying and when he's sleeping and when you get quiet time with a baby bob in your hand. Yeah, exactly. So it's uh it's a it's a crazy time of life right now. Only gonna get crazier, only gonna get busier. Um, and that's just how life is. But it's so important that you set aside time. Um and what one of the things that I would just encourage everybody with really, really, really, really quick is you know, as somebody in ministry, it is it is hard. Um, and I've had to fight off the temptation of my quiet time being like my sermon prep time.

SPEAKER_02 36:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:26

You know what I mean? Yeah. Like I've had to fight off the temptation of like, oh, I'm I've and this would, and I'm I know I'm speaking to uh probably most people, if not ever all everybody that's listening is not in ministry necessarily, not working at a church. But what I would say, it's easy to say, oh, well, okay, I I listened to a sermon today, or I I went to church. I don't need, you know, that that is that it's almost like that replaces, you know, my quiet time. But I would just say this nothing should replace it or does replace your personal time with the Lord, that one-on-one time with him. And so um my my quiet time, um, the first thing I like to do is I I just I gotta tell the Lord to calm me down, you know, like like help me. Calm you down. Like help me be still. Um, you know, so I it it is a I mean, I'm not fully like my full kind of prayer at the beginning, but I am saying, like, Lord, like breathe a little bit, like calm me down so I can hear you, so I can be in the right posture and be in the right frame of mind. Um, I like to no matter what I'm doing as far as quiet time, I like to go through a psalm a day. Um I like I like to do that and and and kind of have that process started. And then I'm I'm I've been just a big proponent of going through books of the Bible. Um, and I like Chris, I I like I like to take notes. That's something that really, really helps me. I take notes during sermons, but also I like to take notes during my quiet time, jot things down when I'm learning. And then one of the biggest benefits that that that I've had, and this is something I've I've really just done, like maybe within the past year of my life, is I like to write, I I write out my prayer, not like like bullet points of what I'm praying for, but I like literally like write out a prayer like I'm saying that prayer out loud. And that's something that takes time to do, but it's something that I've it's really been beneficial to me. Maybe beneficial for you, may not be. Um, but I like to, as I'm kind of praying, I like to kind of write it out, kind of like you know, on paper, um, usually below my my notes for the day of what the scripture that I'm reading. And so that's kind of what it looks like. Sometimes I have a like a devotional that that I'll kind of go through as well at the beginning of my time. Um you can you can buy devotionals and get them for pretty pretty cheap at a lot of different places. So even online. Yeah, even online.

SPEAKER_00 38:44

Did you do your Bible app? It's one of the ones I use in the morning time because you know it it pops up every day and give you a devotional for that day.

SPEAKER_01 38:51

And then there's there's different plans on the Bible app. So if you don't know where to start, there's there's a lot of places to start that that does not just look like let me just open up to a random page. Um, no doubt, God can speak through anything. It's his his and divine and inspired word, but um it's important to have that plan. And there's a lot of places that that you can that you can go to. Um, and if you need some help with that, that's that's something that we're here for. And so um I hope today's been been helpful. Um it was so funny. It's so funny that we just talked about before we got on. We're three people, it's gonna be shorter. But it's been long, this is the longest podcast we've done. Uh but that's okay. Um, because we've come to the point. Um, hopefully it's been encouraging. Hopefully, um shared some helpful advice. Um, but yeah, find your place, find your time um where you can easily focus, um, remove distractions, and then um connect with the Lord. And so, Rick, we talked about this at the beginning of how we're gonna end this thing. Pastor Jesse's not here. 16-year-old school bus driver. What do they think about quiet time? How do they have their quiet time? I'm gonna let you finish it off here.

SPEAKER_02 40:00

Go ahead, Chris. What was yours?

SPEAKER_00 40:02

You put me on the spot now. I said kick this kids off, kick the kids off the school bus.

SPEAKER_02 40:09

I said he'd have had quiet time when he got them all off the bus and before he got them on the bus so he wouldn't hurt them. That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 40:16

Uh well, we didn't do it justice, but we at least we added it in there. It's gotta be in there. It's gotta be in there. It's it has been every time. So thanks so much for listening on the podcast today. Um, and hopefully this has been helpful and beneficial. Let us know if it is. That's always encouraging to us, and we'll see you back next time.