5 o'clock club--day one

Today was my official start in the "5 O'clock club" see this post for details. Here's how it went:

I got up at 9:10...that may not seem early at all, but I do not work on Fridays so this is the beginning of my "weekend" and, well, I normally don't wake up until about 11, so I think that is progress! I mean, I'm getting up earlier than normal for the sole purpose of spending time with the Lord, isn't that what this is about?

Here is what my "quiet time" routine is at this point.

Every Day:

• Read a chapter from Psalms (going consecutively through this book)
• Read an entry from my One Year book of Hymns--this has the lyrics of a classic hymn, a devotion regarding the circumstances in which the hymn was written or about the meaning of the lyrics, and a scripture verse or passage corresponding to the message.
• Read an entry from "Show Me Your Love: Classic Christian Writings" another devotional for every day of the year, with little page-long excerpts from the writings of classic Christian authors (think D.L. Moody, Andrew Murray, Thomas A Kempis, etc...)
• write in my prayer journal. I have recently realized how important it is for me to process my thoughts on paper (or a computer screen as it may be). I also gain a lot from being able to look back on previous prayers and see how God has answered them.

Rotate between these books each day:

• Fear Not Tomorrow, God is Already There~Ruth Graham: Billy Graham's daughter wrote this on dealing with trusting God with the future. My mom gave it to me recently when we found out about some financial uncertainties in our future. I'm really enjoying it! A recent quote that spoke to me: "God gives us a chance to believe His promise regardless of whether our emotions are on board, and His promise is 'I am with you'." (p. 39)
• Abba's Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging~Brennan Manning: Another mom gift! (can you tell that the book love runs in the family?) Another book on trusting God and realizing His love for us. It has also been a very helpful read. "Only reckless confidence in a source greater than ourselves can empower us to forgive the wounds inflicted by others." (p. 68) There is a lot about compassion, viewing ourselves as loved in God's eyes. Good stuff.
• The Believer's Daily Renewal~Andrew Murray: This is a re-read for me. One of my favorite devotionals ever, by one of the classic Christian authors (probably my favorite) written in the early 1900s, it focuses on our times with the Lord (encouraging us to start the day with the Lord) it is just WONDERFUL. I highly recommend it. "if your aim is simply to know the Bible well, you will be disappointed. If you think that a that a thorough knowledge of the Bible in itself will be a blessing, you are mistaken...the first prerequisite of Bible study is a great hunger after righteousness, a sincere desire to do all God's will." This deals so much with making knowledge of God an idol instead of a personal relationship with the Lord.--I cannot recommend it enough!
  
• Married but not Engaged: Why Men check out and what you can do to Create the Intimacy you Desire~Paul & Sandy Coughlin: Kinda "eh" about this one so far. I want to get some of my Christian marriage books in with my time with the Lord, and I felt that this was a huge issue when I really started my Quiet times again. I'm not sure how well it really applys to my situation, but hubs does struggle with passivity and fear of conflict which are some of the main focus points. No quotes from this one yet, but I'm never "above" getting some practical advice on how to make our marriage stronger!

*Todays focus seemed to be on having an honest prayer life and coming to God about everything.

• I read Psalm 35, and was struck with how self-centered the whole thing was--David asking God to vanquish and humiliate his enemies, yet David is considered a man after God's own heart?
  
• Believer's Daily Renewal was about "Moses the Man of Prayer" and what it means to be an intercessor (devoted to God, devoted to people, conscious of a divine calling to act as mediator "prayer is an index of our spiritual life, it's power depends on our relationship with God")
• The Hymns "It is Well with My Soul" and "At Even, Ere the Sun Was Set" (I was a day behind on these) Both deal with trusting God regardless of what our situation is and finding peace in Him
• Fear not Tomorrow was about finding comfort in God alone, not allowing subsitutes, and also realizing that finding comfort in God does not mean that the painful situation will stop, just that we can and should trust Him in all things.

I was reminded that no matter how small my situation, how selfish my desires may seem, or how hopeless I may feel, the evidence of a true relationship with God is that I come to Him with everything and am HONEST. I won't always get my desired result out of situations, but the point is that I trust Him with everything and know that His will is done