HANGIN' WITH JESUS - IT'S NOT A "MEMBERS ONLY" KINDA PARTY

Hello there, shugpies!

I hope y'all are having a totally fabulous weekend!

Remember I posted about the devotional, Jesus Calling?

(That there was the link to Amazon, where you can look through the first several pages.)

Well, I received it in the mail and I am in love!

It is written from Jesus's point of view, and it really, truly helps me to focus and to feel like I am spending time WITH Him. This devotional is easy to read, simple to understand, and just really helps me to stop, and focus, which is something I really struggle with. Having prayer time at bedtime did not work for me. My mind would be going 900 miles a minute about everything under the sun, or, I'd be so tired, I'd just drift off right in the middle of talking to Jesus. No bueno. I was also bad about thinking of all the crap I needed to get done, and telling myself that I'd spend time with Jesus later. And, guess what? It kept getting shoved off til the next day, and the next day. Ouch. And while there's a lot to be said for a good church service, or being among other Christians (real ones), sometimes the hypocrisy, and church drama and gossip can really be a buzz kill. I really wanted to slooooow down, and be still and hang out with the real deal holyfield Jesus.

 I highly, highly recommend this devotional. Especially if you are someone who wants to take the first step to know Him better. You don't have to have a church, or be a part of some group, and you don't have to talk to Him in any special language. Your relationship with Him is between you and Him! Just be yourself. He already knows you anyway - the good, the bad, the ugly, the judgmental, the impatient, the bitter, the angry, the frustrated - He knows it all. ;) Jesus is not a complicated guy. He just wants to hang out. I literally asked Him to draw me closer because I could feel myself being full of yucky things that made me want to punch the fire out of people, and y'all, He totally is!

I also thought it would help me to be more focused if I were to keep a prayer journal. I took a notebook I had around the house, and transformed it, and decorated it to make it usable for this purpose. 

I looked on Pinterest for ideas, because I really need some structure, I think, or I will just sit there and stare at the page. So far, my journal has been a combination of:

- writing a (very honest) letter to Jesus about everything - how I feel, what's bothering me, things I want to work on, things that hurt, things that anger, or sometimes just a random stream of consciousness. Today, I was telling Him about some things I wanted to get for others because they had helped me so much. I just talk to Him, like we are out having coffee.

 - listing things I'm thankful for and times when Jesus has shown up and helped me/answered my prayers. Sometimes His blessings are small ones, and if we overlook them, then it's really easy to feel like He's not there, and then when big things come, we have doubt, fear, and anxiety.

- making a list of those who I am praying for or situations I am praying for/about

- self improvement - things about me that need some work, where I'd like for God to help make me more like Him, to search my heart and get rid of the gunk. (PS, I am loaded.)

- writing down verses from my devotional and/or my study bible

Plus, y'all know I love anything involving highlighters, fun pens & markers and doodling meaningful quotes and images. ;)

The more I wrote, and discussed my new method of quiet time with Jesus, the more I kept coming back to the word 'intentional'. Being intentional with my time with Him. Being intentional with my actions and maintaining my relationship with Him. I don't believe in cramming Jesus down people's throats. One, it's ineffective. Two, it borders really close on the line of self-righteousness, in my opinion. (Read The Prodigal God, {also an Amazon link} it too is super fab.) But - since this is my blog, I just wanted to share with y'all how I hang out with Jesus. 

Intentional - It's my word for 2014. :)

It's only been a few days, but I feel calmer, more at peace with things beyond my control, and situations that make me feel angry and frustrated. I do feel like Jesus and I have been hanging out. Sometimes my devotional leads me to a certain place in the bible, which leads me to somewhere else in the bible. Sometimes, it just leads me to my own thoughts. Sometimes I'm just quiet and sit, and then write what I want. 

I also wanted to share this little clip called The Power of Words with y'all, which made me cry. 

So sweet. A little kindness goes such a long way.

Have a magical rest of the weekend!

PS - I'm linking up with lots of lovelies over at Casey's.