We’ve discussed that this quarantine is a BRILLIANT time to start or reset a quiet time practice. While we don’t have our normal daily routines, we do have some extra time on our hands, and this would be a great way to utilize the gift of time. Marcy and I have compiled some of our favorite resources in this post!
When looking at a quiet time routine, these are some basic tools that you can mix and match to build something that fits you well. (This is not an exclusive list, but a good starting place.)
- prayer
- silence/meditation
- scripture reading
- journaling
- devotion/book reading
- worship songs
- reflection/gratitude
When starting a quiet time routine, choose 2-3 of these and give them a try. If you don’t know what to pray, choose a Psalm. And if you don’t know what scripture to read, start with a Gospel and read through it a chapter or so at a time.
There are lots of different resources available to help you with quiet time. Here are some helpful reminders.
- Daily resources – devotions or reading plans that are matched with a day of the calendar year (correspond with a specific date)
- Topical resources – devotions or reading plans that are grouped by themes or ideas (joy, anxiety, forgiveness, grace, etc)
- Print media – physical resources such as Bibles, books, or journals
- Digital media – apps, podcasts, records, websites, playlists, audiobooks, etc
Below, you’ll find descriptions and examples for some popular resources that could be helpful for you!
Devotions
Jesus Calling: This devotion by Sarah Young is a daily reading that offers a meditation, scripture reading, and a prayer. This is a great introductory resource and can provide you with structure and content while you develop a routine that works for you!
The Blue Book: The Blue Book by Jim Branch is a weekly devotional on different topics such as “Fear” “The Dance” “Waiting” and about 49 other topics. His devotions include an opening and closing prayer, a psalm for the week, a daily passage, and different quotes, poems, and stories from people who have learned about the lord in this certain topic. Then, there is a song to listen to for the week, prayer, and journaling listed. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to further their intimacy and awareness of the Lord.
Every Moment Holy: This is a modern liturgy for everyday life. There are blessings and prayers for almost anything you can think of: dating, medical procedures, morning coffee, social media, and feeling awkward in social groups. This is yet another resource to show God is with you in your everyday life, even in modern context.
The Book of Common Prayer: This is a similar, lofty, perhaps, resource to give liturgy to everyday life. There is liturgy for the season of Lent, the Daily Office (prayers for different times of ordinary days), and many common places and occasions. This book is a great day to show that even long ago, feelings and prayers relate to our feelings and prayers today for the Lord.
Apps
YouVersion Bible App: YouVersion is a super common bible app including the whole Bible, a daily verse, and many plans to give you a devotional daily as well as a daily Bible Reading. This offers tons of topical and daily plans that you can subscribe to. It also has a feature where you can link up with friends and go through plans together!
Through the Word: Through the word is Ramsey’s favorite online resource to learn about the historical context, themes, and general explanation of books of the bible. There are about six minute segments on passages of the bible, taking you through whole books of the bible. There are additionally plans on wisdom, leadership, beginning, and other themes of that sort.
Podcasts
The Bible Recap – A daily podcast that corresponds with a chronicle reading of the Bible on the YouVersion app. About 6-9 minutes per day that helps you understand the scripture you just read!
The Next Right Thing – A weekly podcast about decision making from a Biblical perspective. Did you know the average person makes over 35,000 decisions a day? BONKERS. This podcast helps us see the small things of life as holy.
BibleProject – A weekly podcast that dives deep into scripture and provides in-depth conversations about the Bible and theology. There are also videos available at bible project.com
Books
The Liturgy of the Ordinary: This is a book all about taking regular things like brushing your teeth or eating leftovers and changing your perspective to see them as sacred. A completely transformative and very practical look at our everyday lives!
The Ministry of Ordinary Places: This book by Shannon Martin gives an account of everyday finding the Lord in small, ordinary places like cracked gravel or the moon in the morning. It is transformative in the way that God can lead you in daily life through paying attention.
The Chronicles of Narnia: An incredible, fantastical book series about the magical land of Narnia. It’s an extended metaphor/allegory about Jesus’ love for us. The characters are interesting and the stories are compelling. And C.S. Lewis is Jenny’s favorite theologian, you’ll see why when you read this series.
Mere Christianity: This C.S. Lewis classic is a compilation of essays that were pulled from his incredible WWII radio broadcasts and turned into one of the world’s most influential books on becoming a Christian. It is a bit dense and will require you to chew on the text – so it might take you a long time to get through it. But it is so worth it!
The Jesus Storybook Bible: This is actually a children’s Bible, but is designed to tell the stories of scripture like, well, stories. It almost reads the way fairy tales do. It might seem strange to have a kids book on the list, but reading familiar stories in this way will change the way you look at scripture!
Authors to Consider
- C.S. Lewis
- Henri Nouwen
- Frederick Buechner
- Emily P. Freeman
- Annie F. Downs
- A.W. Tozer
Do you have questions or other resources you’d like to add to the list? Email Jenny at jcross@churchstreetumc.org!
