Donna Young shares how she stays connected to connected to God during her summer months. . .

3 easy ways to stay connected to God this summer:

  1. Commit to leisurely read your Bible every day.

If you’re like most people, you don’t equate Bible reading with leisure reading. Reading for fun is more often associated with works written by Nicholas Sparks than the Apostle Paul. I get it. I love a good summer read as much as the next gal. But maybe we’ve looked at reading God’s Word the wrong way: a “have-to” rather than a “get-to”.

What if we tweaked our perspective just a smidge?

Summertime Bible reading allows freedom to read what we want at a pace that works best for us. One chapter a day? That’s cool. One Psalm a day? Cool. The entire New Testament this summer?  That’s cool, too.

I like to pick a book of the Bible and work my way through it, just like I read a novel. I put myself in the shoes of the characters. Try it. The Bible will come alive in a new way. You’ll love it!

On your smart phone, download the free You Version Bible app. Or try BibleGateway.com. I like the New Living Translation for easy reading.

Whatever you decide to read, open your Bible and read something. Read unhurried. Savor the experience. Make notes in the margin. Journal your thoughts. Enjoy a great cup of coffee, or your favorite cold drink. Read by the pool, or under an umbrella at the beach. Read on a park bench while the kids play. Read at a coffee shop, or at lunchtime. Read in the evening before bed.

Just read.

2.  Go to church.

Hold on. Don’t stop reading. Seriously. You need to hear what I’m about to say. Goodness, I need to hear what I’m about to say.

This summer make a commitment to attend church. Why? Because you need it. How do I know? Because I need it, too.

Our enemy knows we need it, as well.  Which is why he’ll throw anything and everything in our path to prevent us from getting there: exhaustion, laziness, bad attitudes, family squabbles, sickness, tardiness, other more “appealing” opportunities, kids’ sports, guilt, apathy. You name it; the devil can dish it out.

When my kids were younger we were never, ever late for school, but we were always late for church. For some reason (hmmm…) we just couldn’t get it together to leave for church on time. Now that they are older, the devil works on me. In fact, I’ve noticed a pattern as I dress for church–a thought, a memory, a worry, a concern–begins to eat away at my inner peace. There have been mornings I’ve had to will myself to go to church because honestly, I didn’t want to.

In moments like these, my “will-to” needs to win the war over my “want-to”. Occasionally, I have to give myself my own “talking to”: “Just go. You want regret it. And you need it.”

Our enemy knows our spiritual commitment, our emotional refreshment, and our psychological resilience gets rebooted through the power and presence of Christ, and His community. The worship refocuses us. The prayer reinvigorates us. The Word refuels us. The people restore us. The experience reminds us of who God is, who we are, and what this life is all about.

We need this. Our souls need this. Our kids need this, too.

Our enemy doesn’t want us to get what we need to stay connected to Christ, which is why he’ll try anything to get us off course. He knows something else, too.

When we disassociate with the people of God we inevitably disassociate with the person of God.

Oh, maybe not at first. But over time, it happens.

Other things seep in and become priorities, and before we know it, our relationship with God has become a distant second. Or third. Or forty-third.

Don’t let this happen to you. Make a commitment to go to church.

3.  Look for an opportunity to serve.

You know those extra summertime minutes you have?  Use them to relax and unwind, but also use them to bless someone else. Nothing keeps us connected to God like serving people in Jesus’ name.

Frankly, sometimes we need to put ourselves in a position to need Jesus. Serving others does that.

It’s easy to live as if Jesus is a nice addition to our life rather than the sustaining force behind it. If I can do everything in my life without giving Jesus a thought, something is terribly wrong. And when I forget Jesus, I flounder.

When we serve, we stretch ourselves beyond ourselves. When we stretch, we grow. When we grow, eventually, we flourish.

So there you have it…three simple ways to keep your spiritual mojo and stay connected to Christ this summer.

Read.

Go.

Serve.

You don’t have to flounder in your relationship with God; you can flourish. Flourish, and make this your best summer yet!

How do you stay connected to God during the summer?

Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. — Psalm 71:18

Chuck Swindoll once said, “Let’s recognize that age has little to do with ability.” He then went on to point out… “Ted Williams, at age 42 slammed a home run in his last official time at bat…. Golda Meir was 71 when she became prime minister of Israel…. George Bernard Shaw was 94 when one of his plays was first produced…. And Benjamin Franklin was a framer of the United States Constitution when he was 81.” If age were an obstacle to achievement, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and a long line of other biblical characters would have never been used to do incredible things for God – Abraham to raise Isaac, the child of promise; Moses to deliver God’s people from slavery; and Samuel to anoint the young shepherd boy David to one day be king. It was in their twilight years that God called them to one of the greatest tasks of their life – and He gave them the strength to see it through! So be encouraged today knowing that God’s plans for your life don’t have an expiration date. In fact, His biggest adventure for you may be just around the bend.

Prayer Challenge Ask God to ignite a new passion in your heart for the road ahead. Pray that He will use your experience and abilities to build His Kingdom and encourage others Questions for Thought In what ways may you have put an expiration date on God’s plans for your life? How could you start fresh today and serve God with renewed zeal?