seclusion...

Day7-8

I am writing you all from a small coffee shop in my hometown of Enterprise, Alabama. I can here to get away for a bit...to focus on God, to be alone with him, to prepare for this weekend as I will lead several teenage girls for 3 days. I packed up the laptop, bible, books, etc and headed over here. Its nice-to be alone (well, at least free of needy toddlers for a few). However, as I sit trying to read my daily bookmarks, it is so hard for me to push out the world and really focus on Christ.

I hear the radio playing...Christian music, but still, I find myself singing along-in my head, of course--they'd throw me out for sure if I started belting out Leeland! People are coming in and out, coffee grinding, cars on the road outside...all this distracts me. I could facebook for 2 hours, read others blogs, shop online. But, hearing from the holy spirit requires more quiet. Why? I really want to meet with God, to be alone, so why can't I quiet the world?

There is a GREAT "must-read", The Jesus Habits:Exercising the Spiritual Disciplines of Jesus. The first habit Jay Dennis (the author) talks about is SECLUSION. NO surprise that Jesus went AWAY. AWAY from NOISE. What noise is there in your life? It may be very apparent. It may not. Pray about it. What tries to sneak in on your time with him??

I did sleep in this morning. I'm at my mom's. That's the point here :()

I pray you each continually seek him. All day. Every day.

good quote to chew on for a bit:
"The great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it." -John Ortberg

OH how I pray that you experience ALL God has for you-its more than we can imagine. Run after him!!