Could you briefly introduce yourself?
Do you belong to our Westbury or Ashley Down church?
I belong to Emmanuel Westbury. Somerset and I were looking to become part of a local church when the idea of the original church plant was being investigated, so we came across from Christ Church with the original church planting team when James was 9 months old.
When do you usually manage to spend some time listening and talking to God?
At the moment I seem to be in a good-ish season of Quiet Times and try to spend 30-45 minutes each morning studying the Bible and praying once Somerset's alarm goes off at 6.15am, whilst Somerset gets ready for work and gets the boys their breakfast. I've only had this early morning slot for the past 3 months having tried other times during the day, but at the moment I'm finding this to work well as it sets me up for the day. I feel more relieved that I've given my day to Jesus and can get on trying to live it out in a godly way.
However, I feel this has only been possible recently as the boys are less hands-on demanding, and more capable of getting dressed themselves and amusing themselves without constant attention. Previously I've tried grabbing 30 minutes at lunch time (putting the boys in front of CBeebies in the attempt to not get interrupted). It worked okay, but I did feel I was tackling the beginning of the day before giving it over to God, surviving on "arrow prayers" and feeling the need to sit down and have a Quiet Time was hanging over me.
If I'm at home by myself for lunch I find it helpful to put on a worship CD and I spend a little bit of time praying more for people or sending members of my prayer triplet, small group or other friends & family a text, email or short note of encouragement. Before having the boys I used to commute a lot, so I had worship CDs in the car to play and inspire me to think and pray.
What stops those times? / What makes sure they happen?
At the moment feeling too tired and falling back to sleep is my biggest challenge. I have to make sure that Somerset switches the light on when he gets out of bed and I have my Bible, Explore Notes and Prayer Diary and pen right by my bed.
If I'm honest I've found having regular Quiet Times much harder since becoming a mum. When I was a single young Christian in my early 30s I would have a Quiet Time before getting out of bed and continue to pray through and plan my day whilst having a shower. Once married to Somerset we did a Quiet Time together over breakfast using daily Bible study notes and finished off by discussing what came up and praying together.
When James and Jonathan came along I really struggled and there have been highs & lows over the past 6 years. I've missed the intimacy of studying and praying with Somerset and having the opportunity to just sit at God's feet as time became more squeezed and structure and routine went out of my day. I was exhausted and became ill due to lack of sleep (Jonathan didn't sleep for the first 18 months), and just after he started sleeping I can remember being challenged by the book "Shopping for Time" which suggested that getting up before your family to pray was the ideal. Ironically I now agree with that sentiment, but think you have to be in the right place to manage that effectively and sometimes live by grace knowing that not everything is achievable with young children and sleep deprivation. During this time older mums in Mon @ 10 really kept me going and I picked up a lot of wisdom and practical tips from them (thank you ladies!).
What resources do you use to get into the Bible so that you can hear God speak?
I've used and continue to use a variety of resources to get close to God and hear him speak. At the moment I'm using the Good Book Company's Explore Notes alongside Corrie Ten Boom's Each New Day daily reflection book (she's a real hero of mine) and I'm constantly amazed how much these two daily reflections co-inside. I had a tough time over the summer holidays and the Explore Notes focussed on Jeremiah, which spoke very personally and powerfully into the situation I was struggling with - God is amazing! When I was doing lunchtime Quiet Times I had the Explore App on my mobile phone which was great as the App contains the relevant Bible passages, so wherever you are you can access it.
Earlier this year during Lent I listened to the Bible Society's New Testament audio - which I just loved. I'd sit and have my lunch in the kitchen with my Bible open listening the CEV Bible passages - each daily reading lasted approximately 30 minutes and had a variety of different readers, so held your attention. I would really love to find something similar that I could use to listen to the Old Testament.
In the past when I've struggled to stay focussed and read the Bible I have found comfort and inspiration from reading Christian biographies, seeing how God has worked powerfully in their lives. To get me back into the discipline of regular Quiet Times when the boys were small I read 2 books written by Clare Blake, a friend from Exeter Frontiers church (my church before coming to Bristol). Both books - "(Extra)ordinary Women" and "Diaries of an Extraordinary Woman", I treated as daily devotions and have found them to be very honest yet challenging books for someone at my stage of life and would recommend them to any women in their early 20s upwards.
What tips would you give when it comes to praying so you effectively talk to God?
Firstly, find a time when you won't be disturbed and guard it, making it a regular part of your day. Find some Bible study notes that work for you and give it a go. If you fall behind - it is inevitable that you'll occasionally miss a day or two, don't beat yourself up, start again.
When I try to pray my mind often wanders, so I've found keeping a Prayer Diary/ Journal really helpful. I have an A5 sized 'page-a-day' diary which I scribble in each day - thoughts and prayers following my Bible Study, prayers for family, small group, prayer triplet, and other friends and family etc. Prayer requests from my small group, prayer triplet and Emmanuel Monthly prayer meetings all get sellotaped in there too, so I don't lose them. It is a great place to go back to look at answered prayers - really inspiring.
We have a Bible in most rooms in our house and I've a free App on my phone (YouVersion ), so that I don't have to waste time searching for a Bible when I want to look something up or read a passage. In addition to my Prayer Diary I've just started a scribble book that I write things in that I feel God is challenging me on and that I can come back to and add in thoughts and prayers.
I'm quite a visual person and struggle to remember Bible passages, so have found that writing down Bible verses that have meant something to me, so that I can call upon them really helpful (I'm trying to add the same verses to bookmarks on my Bible App for inspiration when I'm not at home). I have a shelf in the kitchen, above the sink, where I display Bible verses to catch my eye whilst washing up or preparing meals. Also up there is a vase of sand and pebbles, something Clare Cain mentioned, which represents if you have your pebbles in place i.e. have prioritised spending time with God, there is still room for lots and lots of sand, i.e. all the other things on your To Do list etc. (I hope I got that right, Clare!). There is also a Tearcraft cross made of huge sharp nails which helps to remind me of the physical pain, not to mention the mental torture, that Jesus suffered on the cross for me.
What can we be praying for your times of Bible reading and prayer?
Please pray that I will continue to keep going with my early morning Quiet Times, that I guard this time, and come before the Lord with hunger and anticipation that He will speak personally to me, I will learn more of Him, be guided and shaped by Him on a daily basis.
Also please pray now that Jonathan is starting school, that I have the discipline to structure my day better to enable me to be more God-centred in my day to encourage others. Pray that I get the balance right, and don't get over loaded - I relate very much to the Martha and Mary passage, I'm not good at saying "no" so I end up trying to do too many 'good' things (family life, church, Aquila, helping others) and feel overburdened. I also get distracted with less helpful things like listening too long to Radio 4, going on the PC, reading local magazines, Sunday supplements that are lying around the house etc., so pray that I recognise this and discipline myself better.
Please pray that I spend more time praying with Somerset and we start challenging each other (he reads the same Explore notes as I do in the car park before he goes into work) on what we've read each day.
Finally please pray that we find a way of studying God's Word again with James & Jonathan. We've finished the Good Book Company's Beginning with God series which has been brilliant, but now both boys are at school and they have after school activites (Beavers etc.) as well as school books to read we're struggling to fit something daily in without making bedtime too late - any wisdom gratefully received!
