Fallen and Flawed

Brother, if I had a morning routine, I’d share it with you. Unless you want to know how I make my bagels and coffee.

First I like to spend my time in either prayer or worship during my drive to school.

It’s my senior year of High School and I have all my credits needed to graduate so I had my 1st period changed to a Study Hall for the semester.

I usually start there with reading my bible, either I read wherever I open up, or I read something I am wanting to look into. Just whatever I feel led to do. Then I usually start writing things down that are on my mind and typically I get what I want to write about for my blog. Assuming I have time left, I usually spend it in prayer before I head off to my second period. It’s made my mornings and days so much better since I got that changed.

Jonathan: That sound like a legit morning routine.

Luke: I’m proud of ya, brother. Keep it up.

My morning routine is pretty bad since I’m trying to adjust my sleep schedule to get up earlier but not having much luck. What I want to do is get up ~2 hours before I need to leave for work, so I have time for morning stuff, and at least 1-1.5 hours left over for devotions and perhaps reading a book.

For Bible reading right now I’m using Prof. Horner’s bible reading system. It’s basically 10 lists where you read a chapter per day off each list. So you read 10 chapters a day, but it is spread over 10 different books. The lists are structured so the same 10 chapter combination never realisticly repeats, and the “more important” (if you can say that about some scripture vs other scripture) stuff you read some of every single day. Can do 5 in morning and 5 at night, but I tend to try and do all 10 in the morning.

I’ve been doing it about a month and I love it. I’ve never read this much of the Bible on a daily basis, it stays very fresh because of the variety, and I’m getting a nice feel for context and the relationship of the OT with NT because of being exposed to both each time I read.

The longest list is 250 days, so actually, you’d read the whole Bible in 250 days. Except during those 8-9 months you’ve read the books of Proverbs and Acts 8-9 times, the gospels 3-4 times, and actually the whole NT just under 3 times.

I got long winded, but it’s worth checking out if you ever want to try something new. I struggled for months on what I wanted to do after finishing a One Year Bible, and this fit the bill perfectly.

Program info and bookmarks:

http://www.4shared.com/file/84820158/92ad7a9e/professor_grant_horners_bible_reading_system.html

His Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46416541831

Wake at about 5:45, hit the shower to wake up. Make some crappy instant coffee and hit my ancient hand-me-down blue swivel rocker by my reading lamp with a fleece blanket. I’m currently going thru my rainbow study NIV by a chronological guide. Just got finished with Isaiah.. I’m not sure when I started, maybe a year ago?. I’m over 1/2 way thru. I try to do this every weekday, but due to some mornings having to get to work early, I might not get it in. I get up so early so I can have about 20 min reading time before I get my son out of bed to get him ready to catch the bus. Some times I’m more successful than others.. if I miss a few days I get cranky.

j shelton: “if I miss a few days I get cranky.” Join the club.

Ideal Weekday Morning Routine:

Awake refreshed and confident to the dulcet chime of my Blackberry phone. My husband is calling me from a busy but profitable 12-hour graveyard shift at the semiconductor fab. Talk briefly with him before saying goodbye, hang up, and rise athletically from my bed. I drop to my knees painlessly and pray, taking care to name everyone on my prayer list, my children, my husband, and anyone else that comes to mind. Then, lifting myself gracefully from the floor, I tip toe nimbly to my son’s bunk bed while my baby daughter slumbers peacefully in her crib next to him, gently shake him awake, and hand him his clothes. As he quickly dresses and quietly jumps out of bed, I head upstairs to make some coffee and a healthy breakfast. My son effortlessly finishes his last piece of homework while wolfing down his whole-grain cereal, orange juice, milk, and artfully-presented sliced fruit. He glances at the clock, joyfully shrugs into his coat, shoulders his backpack, and skips up to the bus as it approaches. As I sit down to begin my devotional, my husband pulls in to the driveway and joins me for a prayer session and a hearty Bible study before retiring to bed. Meanwhile, I eagerly begin the day’s house chores as the roommates we recently opened our home to come leaping happily up the stairs.

My REAL Morning routine:

As I am nodding off after a restless night spent trying to keep my perpetually hungry daughter from fussing and waking the rest of the household, I am jolted awake by the phone chime. I greet my husband sleepily, and he returns the greeting exhaustedly after a grueling night at work. Thankful that he has been spared the axe that took so many of his coworkers, I say a silent prayer to God for his safe return home. My feet explode in pain as they hit the floor. Sometimes that pain helps me remember that there are many in this world whose feet are covered in blisters as they are forced to walk for miles to get even basic supplies. I shuffle as quietly as I can past my daughter’s crib, tripping over the toys she tossed over the side in a late-night bid for attention. Just a few hours earlier I prayed to my Father in exasperation and exhaustion, begging Him to make her just…shut…up…and…SLEEP…for a few hours… Now she is sleeping with her little behind poking in the air, and I am moved to give Him thanks for her sound sleep, and the fact that she is able to get the food she needs.
I reach the bunk bed and have to shake my son awake several times before he finally sits up. Immediately the whining begins. The room is too cold, the clothes are too tight, the socks are too loose. This wakes his sister up, and she immediately begins to fuss for food. I quickly make her a bottle. After she is fed and tucked back in to her crib I look over to find that Zane has fallen back to sleep in his own bed. Closer inspection reveals that his pants are on backwards and he still hasn’t put his shirt on. I reason, cajole, threaten him up the stairs to our second-story kitchen. He picks over a hastily assembled peanut butter fold-over sandwich and complains about not having any jelly on it. Meanwhile I discover that, once again, he’s left his drink bottle half-drunk and open in his lunch box and old coffee milk is now coating everything inside.
I have just enough time to clean his lunch box out and fix his food when my phone alarm goes off, letting me know I need to get Zane downstairs to wait for the bus. He slouches into his coat, finds one of the sleeves is turns inside-out and flails in frustration, finally pushes his hand through. I hurry him downstairs. We sit on the steps, waiting for the bus. Things begin to lighten outside, and the birds begin their dawn chorus. Taking his skinny hand in my own, I say a prayer over him. We sit and talk. The phone alarm buzzes in my pocket, reminding me of my daily Bible study…which I sometimes remember to do, and sometimes I’m just too tired…
The bus rounds the corner to our house. I look down and realize Zane’s forgotten to put his shoes on. We scramble to find them. He gets them on right as the bus pulls up and dashes to the double-doors with his laces flapping.
I flop back down into bed and wait for Eric to come home. The familiar sound of the car pulling in to the driveway prompts another quick prayer of thanksgiving. Eric shuffles in to the house, grateful to be home. We do a brief Bible study and spend some time talking. Tabitha wakes up. She plays with Daddy for a while, gets a diaper change, then returns to her crib. I catnap with Eric while he says his prayers and falls into an exhausted sleep, then get up when Tabi begins to stir again. I carry her upstairs and make another glass of coffee milk while she nibbles her favorite cereal in her high chair.
I turn on the computer and pull up iTunes, click on my playlist, and settle down to read my RSS feeds. Many times, articles in my feeds remind me to pray and so my reading is often interspersed with more intercessory prayers. When the coffee wakes me up I get to my feet and begin working on my chores. Our roommates wake up and start their day, and the sound of their voices remind me to pray for them as well.

Jonathan: I was toying with following Horner’s plan. Hear nothing but good things about it. Couldn’t bring myself to make the plunge. Maybe next year.

Denita: Appreciate your honesty, darling. I’m SO with you.

For me “Morning Routine” is an oxymoron. I am not smiling as I type this. I have several chronic health conditions which, combined with their accompanying prescribed remedies, cause me very irregular sleep and a morning condition best described as semiconciousness. I have an intended routine of prayer and Bible reading/study, but I seldom get through it before noon, and the reading/study portion often waits until afternoon or evening, owing to my being too foggy-headed to focus on it. What portion(s) of Scripture I concentrate on varies.
I usually work my way through one or more books at a time, alternating OT with NT.

For several years I have been going through the prayer of Mt.6:9-13 daily, meditating upon each word and phrase of it, tying in related Scriptures as they occur to me, and tying them to the names and circumstances whose needs are on my mind and heart. This routine developed when I set out to write a brief devotional on the Lord’s Prayer and discovered that I had very little understanding of its design or purpose as the model of all Christian prayer. After about four years, I think I’m beginning to get the general concept, but I’m far from having a “handle” on it. Nonetheless, it has become a very instructive way to pray. The more my prayers are integrated with Scripture, the more fervent and effective they become.

[As a side note, whenever I receive a prayer request or become aware of any prayer need, I try to pray about it immediately as well as make a note of it. Otherwise I may easily forget it and neglect it altogether.]

Finally, I will say that there is no excuse for my laxity in having a “routine” time in God’s presence. There are reasons, but they do not serve as an excuse. I am lazy, easily discouraged, and lack the deep love for God, His Christ, His church, the living and preaching of His Gospel, and the lost, which should motivate me to greater active devotion. So let no one use my example for an alibi.

If you have a routine before God’s face, I solicit your prayers for me that I may develop one too. I’m trying, and grateful that God doesn’t find me too trying…

Denita, welcome back– hope your sabbatical was fruitful.

Horner’s plan?

Man, I am a like a kid among spiritual adults when it comes to this prayer and devotional thing.

Jonathan, I hear ya.

My morning plan is actually an evening plan because then there are no kids or wives to be doted on and I’m naturally a night owl.

Five years ago a woman by the well type friend gave me a One Year Bible. Being soaked in the world daily for the first time in a long time started a process of I don’t know what to call it other than taking my faith more seriously again. It had a OT, NT, Psalm, and Proverb for each day. The first year I did the whole thing, the next year just the NT and proverbs. Since then I’ve done some sort of combination until this year I am reading The Story in One Year Chronologically.

I’ve read one “fun” book in the last forever (and it gave me nightmares!). I really do enjoy a good theological read like Tozer, et al.

I didn’t leave out the devotion and prayer by accident. It’s not that it doesn’t happen but it doesn’t have the regularity that I wish it would right up until the instant it’s time to go do it. I am Kris Lundgaard’s wolverine you are calmly trying to talk into surgery without anesthesia. My sin nature fights and claws for what it is worth even finding time to post on a blog about my prayer life to avoid praying. Wretched I know!

Oh and in that year of daily reading there are days where I just do it to do it, not because I am overwhelmed with the prospect of spending time in God’s Word. And when it’s done, it might as well have not happened.

So who’s prayer list can I get on about that?

Rob, thanks for sharing. I’ve held to the notion for a while that it’s not about getting through Scripture, but about Scripture getting through you. My first time making it through the Bible, though, felt really good. As far as my yearly plan goes, I’m way behind!

Hey Demian,

Well, last month, I read through the Psalms. Starting with the current day and then going up thirty to the next Psalm, repeating this until there are no more left (Ie. on Jan. 1 read Psalm 1, 31, 61, 91 etc). Then I read a chapter in Proverbs corresponding to the day.

This month, I’m thinking about reading through Ecclesiastes and John’s letters, but the jury is still out…

I like to start around 7, but it is usually closer to 7:45.

This usually happens with me sittin in my desk chair in front of my big window, blinds open, with my feet propped up on the desk!

Al, Even though you won’t like me saying this, you’re my hero. And now I have the opportunity to return the prayer favors!

Denita, what Al said!

Until a few years ago, my morning routine consisted of grabbing my coffee and Bible and heading for the bathroom. It was the only place I could get any peace in a house full of kids and pets. I was also a big fan of simply opening my Bible randomly and reading whatever pages presented themselves. That is until the pages and spine got some “memory” and kept opening to the same verses!

The last few years, after putting the coffee on, I turn on my Mac and open my email to find the Back to God Hour’s devotional. I’ll admit I started getting this because they were a client of the ad agency where I was working at the time, and I needed to review and critique what they were doing. But even though they are no longer clients, I have made this a key to my morning quiet time. Each month features a new author, so the tone and style varies, which I like, but every one features a Bible verse (with a link to Biblegateway, convenient for digging deeper when I want) some teaching and encouragement, and then ends in a prayer.

Sometimes this serves as a kick-start to additional study, reflection and prayer. But most of the time, this becomes the extent of my morning routine.

I’m still working on consistently waking up early in the morning for fellowship and meditation. But this is my routine:

First thing after waking, I thank God for the new day (say “good morning!” ü). I also thank Him for this new life. I make it a point to remember to do this even though I didn’t wake up on the right side of bed or yesterday was not so good. After that I want to spend a few meditative moments or let myself go to specific prayers (unfortunately at this point I usually nod off…)

I read Our Daily Bread for that day.
If I have time, I read the Bible chapters at home. If I’m running late, I study during commute time to the office (1hr).

During weekends I don’t feel hurried. My personal Bible is NIV. After reading this, I compare it with another translation (this year, it’s MSG.) I linger over notes. (Precious are the days when distraction is not an issue). Only after feeling “full” do I get out of bed.

That’s a great routine, Liz. And an hour commute? I’m almost there: 50 minutes. What a wonderful way to redeem the time, though. Train or car for you?

A bumpy car ride most days =) How about you? Noise aside, I can say commute time’s my best time of the day.

Wow you guys are up there too. Mine’s a 45 minute drive to school. I agree with you Liz, generally it’s one of the best times of my day.

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