In the busyness of life and ministry, do I really have time for God?  Over the past 19 years of ministry, God has allowed me to serve as Senior Pastor, Executive Pastor, Family Pastor, and Small Groups Pastor and in every role one of the biggest obstacles I find is making room for God in my daily schedule.  I know that statement doesn’t sound too spiritual but to me prayer and the spiritual disciplines have seemed to always (not intentionally) slowly shift to the back seat of my priorities.  Today, I was reading through Colossians and came across a challenging but encouraging verse about making room for the eternal.  Here is what it said,

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 

Devote myself to prayer…uhm…good thought but really how devoted am I to prayer?   Here are a few of the take aways from my time today:

• Define Prayer:  My definition for prayer has changed over the past few years.  I use to define prayer as talking to God but now I define prayer as listening to God.  The problem with me talking to God is I still have this sense of control and I find myself just spouting off my checklist of wants and needs.  Henry Blackaby described that we need to find out where God is working and join Him in what He is doing.  Whenever I listen, I can let go and spend more time focusing on what God is saying to me individually.  God is always speaking but sometimes we can’t hear Him due to the busyness of our activity.
• Focus My Thoughts On God:  I have noticed that great spiritual leaders from the past have almost always spoken of finding a specific place to get alone with God.  A place of no distractions, no cell phones, no computers, or any other gadgets that would take our focus away from the Almighty.  We have a casita at our house and it is the perfect place to go and just focus on what God is saying to me.  I really love the escape and it has really become a special place to me and my time with my Heavenly Father.
• Hang Out with Spiritual Leaders:  Whenever I say that, people sometimes think a spiritual leader is someone who is not cool, not hip, and definitely cannot be fun!  I really wasn’t looking for hip or cool people but what I have needed is someone who can read my soul and give me guidance in my walk with Christ.  I am so thankful for the spiritual leaders that have taken the time to invest in my life.  Don’t forget as leaders, we need to be pouring our lives in those that God has placed around us.
• Go on  a Retreat:  No, not the one you have to sign up for and pay a lot of money, but just go on a retreat.  I was able to take a retreat the other day by just getting in the car and driving 30 minutes to be in the mountains.  I love to get away to remote places and just enjoy the view and listen to God.  You can go on a hike, a drive, or even take a walk.  Whatever you do, take time to go on a retreat.  It will do so much good for your soul!

Mother Teresa once said,

You have to be holy in your position as you are, and I have to be holy in the position that God has put me.  So it is nothing extraordinary to be holy.  Holiness is not the luxury of the few.  Holiness is a simple duty for you and for me.  We have been created for that. 

Remember, Holy not perfect…spiritual not religious!  Just some of my thoughts that God has me thinking about today!  What are you thinking about today?