Tools in my backpack to help me keep a quiet time

Posted on October 5, 2016October 14, 2016 by Matthew Laker

In all of our lives, there are foundational practices that need to be part of the regular rhythm of life. As I journey with people, often when I ask about people’s quiet time, their head drops or they look away. They know they need to develop this area but have not. A few along the journey honestly have never really developed a quiet time in their life.

What is a Quiet time?

A quiet time is the intentional regular rhythm of pausing to pray and sit with Jesus. Often it involves scripture reading but does not always have to.

My 3 purposes of a Quite time.

a. To provide reflection space in my life to gain a better perspective of myself, circumstances, and Jesus.

b. To hear from and listen to the Holy Spirit.

c. To align my life with Christ’s

There are more, but these are my top three.

Developing and practising our quiet time is like going on a hike. In that journey, there are some useful tools to have in our backpack.

Here are four tools I carry in my life that help me in the journey, or rhythm, of a quiet time.

1. Calendar – Set time aside to meet with Jesus. We do it with everyone else. You can still have that spur of the moment time. For example, unplanned times where you find yourself praying or worshiping in music, etc. You need those, but you also need scheduled times of hitting the pause button in your life. So find a time that works and do it.

2. A Framework – Many people, when starting out, need the assistance of a framework to help them know what to do in this time. The framework is just a tool to help you hear from Jesus. There are many good ones out there. For example Lectio Divina. Here is an outline you can read to help and you can read a little more about it here.

3. A Bible and a journal – Many people use this time to reflect upon scripture and read scripture. I suggest having a bible reading plan can be a great help. A journal as well can help you process your thoughts.

4. Understand yourself – It is important to know how you best connect with Jesus. It is important to know your personality and character and who God calls you to be. There are a number of great tools that can serve as jumping off points to help in this.

In my journey of practising a quiet time these are a few of my tools that have proved to be helpful. It is important as well to also be aware of the space you are in and what your distractions will be.

Finally, give yourself some grace. Just because you missed that one time does not mean the world is going to end or you lose God’s favour. You already have God’s favour, that is why we want to spend time with him.

What tools are in your backpack?

What is one step you can do today to develop the rhythm of quiet?

What is one tool you need to use to develop the rhythm of your quiet time?

Jesus wants to speak with you: Three things to do

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Matthew Laker

I was in a season of trying to figure out my next steps. There was much reflection and desire to hear from God. I started to ask questions like, how do I hear from Jesus? How does Jesus speak to us? Just because I am a pastor does not mean I have this all figured out. The second push behind some of this questioning was a real awareness in my scripture reading of God wanting to guide and speak to his people.

I even picked up some resources to read and looked through some old notes and studies I had done. The thing is, even for the average person in the Bible, God speaking was not a large and massive event. Those are the rare moments. Even in the Old Testament stories we often refer to are very different experiences than what Jesus speaks about for us who are now under the new covenant.

Remember, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we can now enter the throne room of God. Jesus shared he would send his spirit to guide us to truth.

In John 10:27 Jesus shares:

” My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Jesus intends to speak to his followers.

Don’t just rush by that. Jesus, the creator of the universe and our redeemer, wants to speak to us. To be a follower of Jesus means in some way Jesus speaks to us. To some, this will seem like foolishness. For the follower of Jesus, this is to be the norm.

The big question is, what does this look like? How does this happen? What does it sound like? These are all good questions.

However, today I want to ask this question. As a follower of Jesus are you making time to hear from Jesus?

Even Jesus pulled away to spend time with God the father. There is an example there for us. In learning to hear from Jesus, we have to make time.

Three things to do.

1) Schedule it – Start by scheduling 15-30 min a day to worship and pray and be still before the throne of God.

2) Journal what you may be thinking Jesus is saying to you. Then take that to a trusted friend so you and your friend can test it.

3) Follow Jesus. Hearing God comes alongside obeying God. Obeying God leads to being able to enter, experience, and engage the life you were created for.

What questions do you have? What has been your experience?

4 Rewards for developing the habit of prayer

Posted on June 3, 2016June 2, 2016 by Matthew Laker

4 Rewards for developing the habit of prayer

“Of all the Spiritual disciplines prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with God the father”

(Richard Foster).

When we journey through the Spiritual discipline of prayer, it is important to remember the rewards of developing this habit. Remembering the “why” or reason, in this case for prayer, helps us to continue and maintain any habit.

Prayer at its core is about communing with Jesus. It is about walking to the everlasting fountain of living water and taking a drink.

Here are four rewards for developing and continuing in the habit of prayer.

Christ-likeness

This is about becoming who God created you to be. Through the power and work of the Holy Spirit, we are becoming like Jesus. As we spend time with him in prayer we are positioning ourselves to fully enter, engage, and experience the life Jesus’ death opened up for us.

Experiences of God’s grace in your life.

In Hebrews 4:16 the author reminds us that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we can approach the throne of Jesus and receive grace and mercy for the journey we are in. Prayer becomes one of the roads we walk to experience God in our life.

Our souls become nourished.

In John 4 we read ¹³Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. ¹⁴But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” If we are to stay spiritually hydrated we are going to need to sit at the feet of Jesus and drink.

Release blessing to other people.

Many times in scripture we see Jesus praying for others, we see the church praying for others. Jesus calls us to pray that God the Father would send more workers because the harvest is ready. Praying for others is part of our journey with God. We join together with him in his work in the world. He invites us into this work and at one level, as we pray, it opens up the opportunity of blessing for others.

To enter, engage and experience the life you were created for continue in the habit of prayer.

A method for discipleship: Power in coaching-mentoring relationship

Posted on June 1, 2016May 31, 2016 by Matthew Laker

I have found the coaching-mentoring idea a great tool to help people grow in life and faith.

In my local setting coaching-mentoring has become a part of my ministry. I soon realized in leading a church I cannot do it all but need to train others to develop what has started. As I connected people with mentors/coaches it helped create an environment for them to grow in life and faith. There is power in the body of Christ.

Jesus said to teach them to “obey everything I have commanded”. Often we think this is just in large or small group classroom style settings. Jesus definitely had large teaching times, however, he spent more of his time with a few individuals. When we get to the book of Acts we often see the apostles taking people under their wing.

One may protest to me that mentoring and coaching are two different things. They are right, but, there are good principles in both systems that I have found useful in helping people fully enter into Christ-likeness and the life he calls them to.

I see the Coaching/mentoring as a relational experience through which one person journeys with another by sharing God-given resources. It is understood chiefly as coming alongside someone and offering them support, accountability, and a listening ear in any and all aspects of life. Each experience has clearly defined start and finish times. The goal is to help the other person fully enter, engage and experience the life they were created for.

There are many methods to go about the great commission. This is one that I continue to see fruit from and one that I see throughout history in one form or another. Often it is not fast or glamorous. It is often messy and not a special pill of wonders. It is often slow but gives an opportunity for people to put down strong roots.

Jesus said the harvest is ready but the workers are few.

What if you consider investing in just one person over the next year?

As we serve others we enter, engage and experience the life we were created for.

To be a follower of Jesus means we will invest in others. This investment will not be for our benefit but for theirs.

Check out this post for informal coaching-mentoring relationships tips.

Here are two books that may also help:

“Become a coaching leader” by Daniel Harkavy

“Christian coaching” by Gary r. Collins

5 Tips for informal coaching mentoring

Posted on May 25, 2016May 25, 2016 by Matthew Laker

Making disciples starts by one person informally or formally investing in another.

The coaching/mentoring is a relational experience through which one person journeys with another by sharing God-given resources. It is understood chiefly as coming alongside someone and offering them support, accountability, and a listening ear in any and all aspects of life. Each experience has clearly defined start and finish times. The goal is to help the other person fully enter, engage and experience the life they were created for.

It carries the idea of formal relationships. However, I have come to understand that we all have many informal opportunities to invest in people’s lives.

5 Tips for informal coaching-mentoring

1. It’s not about you –

Often we can see people only as their value to help us reach our own personal goals. The life that Jesus us calls us to is a life that helps others be all they were created to be.

“For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” Philippians 2:21

2. Listen –

In a world of many distractions and anxiety, we struggle to simply slow down and listen to people. Often people are guarded in what they say and there are good reasons for this. This being said, people will often give hints about what is really going on beyond the surface of their life–the life that society sees. However if we do not take a listening posture we miss much of what is going on. Listen with the intention to hear the story and driving forces in people’s lives.

Sometimes the biggest investment we will make is being a listening ear.

3. Make time for relationships –

It all amazes me in the church as people gather on a Sunday morning. Many rush off as soon as the service is over. Now most of our buildings are not designed well for developing relationships. However, people often do not give margin in their life to make time for relationships. To fulfill the great commission we need to make time for relationships. Some of the great conversation we see Jesus in come as he bumps into people during the day.

4. Learn to ask good questions. –

This is a hard one and often only comes with practice. There is always a need to develop discernment if this is the right time to ask deeper questions or a least one that is going to bring further conversation.

Asking good questions helps the person process which then keeps the focus on them. This is not about you giving the answers, even if you know what they should do. It is about helping them discover. There can be time to give advice and often it will be invited.

5. Pray –

Take time to pray with people. Like the guys in Mark 2 who lowered the man through the roof of someone’s house in order to get him to Jesus. Prayer is about taking people to Jesus.

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As followers of Jesus, we all will have an opportunity for informal investment in others. Opportunities for the great commission come every week. However, you need to be intentional and full of grace.