Do you belong to the Westbury or Ashley Down church?
Westbury
When do you usually manage to spend some time listening and talking to God?
For many years I used to spend time listening and talking to God before going to sleep. Marriage and busier days made that routine time for listening to God hard although I/we still try to pray before going to sleep. So now I try to grab time to read my Bible and pray each day but it will not be at a particular set point and sadly I frequently miss what should be a really important part of my day.
What stops those times?
Not having a fixed point in the day makes it a lot harder to meet regularly with God so as ever it will be busyness or just plain forgetfulness that will mean I miss out. They are also not as long as they really should be.
What make sure they happen?
Hmmm how honest to be here??? Generally the easiest time when I am alone and nobody disturbs me is when I sit on the toilet although I worry my colleagues at work may think I have some sort of problem!
What resources do you use to get into the Bible so that you can hear God speak?
I have used quite a number of resources. For the most part I have used Bible reading notes. Currently I am finding the Explore App from the Good Book Company particularly helpful as the Explore notes are a fairly reliable Bible reading resource which are not too long, provide some helpful guidance on the passage and are strong on application. Before, when I had Bible and notes or even notes with Bible text in them such as the "Daily Reading Bible" series I either did not have them with me when I had a good opportunity for a quiet time or spent far to long trying to remember where I last left them when I did. I nearly always know where my iPhone is and I am quite likely to have it with me.
The Explore App (for iPhones & Pads and android) is quite a good implementation of the Explore notes with the ability to flick from Bible Passage to notes, it provides hyperlinks and highlighted text to take you straight to the verse referred to in a question so there is no excuse not to keep digging into the word for each point. There are a number of minor niggles which I hope will be ironed out in future releases and the transposition from the printed version often introduces some amusing typos.
Before the Explore app I had not really found any good daily Bible reading apps although I did use an App version of Spurgeon's Morning and Evening which is just one verse and a brief commentary. The choice though is increasing and Matthias Media have just released an App called XV. I have not used this yet but it starts with 15 studies as a Bible overview. After this you can make an in app purchase of studies on nearly every book of the Bible and some thematic readings. I thought this was an amazing achievement for a new resource until I read the small print which reveals these are an App version of the long standing resource the "Daily Reading Bible" that I have used before. At least now I will be able to finish off the ones I have not done without the old problem of losing the booklet!
The Explore App is free to download and comes with some introduction to Bible reading notes or October's notes are half price (69p usually it is £1.49 per month). Also of particular interest to students may be the free series of Bible Studies in Luke which is a current offer in conjunction with UCCF for Uncover Gospel Project.
What tips would you give when it comes to praying so you effectively talk to God?
That's a hard one. I would not say I was a great prayer. There have been many great ideas I've heard and used often though the problem is keeping going with them. Things that are helping at the moment....
...Giving thanks at most meals we have as a family means that a short prayer can sometimes flow from this routine thanksgiving.
...Having the regular spot of praying before sleeping also means that this is another opportunity for a brief prayer.
...I find the instruction to pray at all times helpful so I try to pray simple very short prayers throughout the day. Sadly not nearly as often as that sounds!
...The prayer book marks are a great reminder to pray for my small group though mine often gets left in my Bible so it is only what I have remembered. Maybe we need a prayer bookmark App!
At the moment the big draw back of these is that my prayers are mostly self/family centred with a lack of any real structure particularly of praising God for who he is and for praying beyond the immediate.
What can we be praying for your times of Bible reading and prayer?
It would be great to have prayer that I am more consistent in my quiet times and make time as oppose to stumbling across it in a day. It would also be helpful for my prayer life to be more structured and go beyond my immediate concerns and family and be more regular in praying for my non christian friends.
