Every great relationship requires time in order to grow, and it’s the same for our friendship with Jesus. God wants us to spend time with him! Here are some ideas to help you connect with God on your own:

1. Choose a TIME when you are at your best. If you are a morning person, spend time with God in the morning. The idea is to be with God when we are most alert and ready to hear him speak.

2. Pick a PLACE where you won’t be distracted. Our world is FILLED with interruptions. Disconnect from the world…Facebook will still be there when you are done.

3. Set a GOAL that’s realistic. Building the habit of a regular quiet time is difficult, so start with what you can handle. You may start with five minutes a day, two times a week. Eventually, it would be great to spend time with God once a day!

Ok. So. Now What?

Pray.

Prayer can be defined as “simple communication with God.” You don’t need to know anything special to be able to talk to God. Anyone can! So share what’s on your heart. When we pray, we have more peace and less anxiety. We find more wisdom and make better decisions. God wants to hear what you have to say, and he wants to speak to you, too!

Read your Bible.

The Bible is God’s love letter to us. By reading it, we learn how God wants us to live and his purpose for our lives. Sometimes it’s good to read just a few verses, other times you’ll want to read multiple chapters. Do what’s best for you. We suggest you begin with the Gospel of Mark, so you can learn about Jesus. After that, check out Genesis, then Philippians, and John. After that, if you need some more suggestions, ask your small group leader or another leader.

Journal.

Express your thoughts, feelings, learnings, prayers, questions and anything else about your spiritual life. Writing helps us explore what we’re learning from God. If you don’t have a journal, we’ll gladly give you one.