Have you ever joined a gym only to never go? {raises virtual hand…}

I think gyms and churches are alike in some ways.

People join the gym {church} with the best intentions… “I’m going to go every day it’s open.”

Two weeks later, they’re down to once a week – if that – and not to mention, ready to leave as soon as they get there.

There are exercise classes {small groups} available, but they decide they’re going to save those for when they have extra time or for when they “really get in shape”.  They begin to miss out on the community formed inside these walls and even the accountability that can be developed in the sessions, all because they don’t want to be vulnerable or uncomfortable.

Still with me?

Yesterday I talked about how it was important for us to find a new church as newlyweds. But we knew we didn’t want to just find one and join – we wanted to build our muscles and get stronger:)

I’ll be the first to say that being the new person anywhere is always a little bit uncomfortable.  But every time we try something new, whether it’s Sunday School, a new service, or my latest endeavor a quilting class{!}, the Lord is faithful in establishing a community around us and growing us more.

And right now during these early days of marriage, quality community is so important to us! Just like accountability partners at the gym are helpful in making sure you are staying on track, the other members of the church are there to support us as we seek God’s will for our lives and encourage us to keep putting Him first in all things.

What ways are you involved in your church?

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to meet Princess Kate?

As awkward as I can be around people I know, I can’t imagine how nervous I would be around “royalty”.  I’m sure I would try to act like I have it together but we know how that would turn out… not good… and she would probably look a little something like this:

So thankfully, I don’t think I’ll be meeting her anytime soon – but I do have a King that lets me approach whenever I need Him {and thankfully, no plane tickets required}!

I love that God tells us that we can come confidently to His throne and that while we are there, He’ll give us mercy and grace {and can we ever have too much of either of those?}.

Since I can’t physically approach His throne yet, I decided to try out something new a couple of months ago – writing out my prayers.  For me, writing has been the best way for me to approach the King {and when I say writing, I actually mean typing in my pages document called “prayer sheets”}.

I find that if I’m not writing something down {a to do list, goals, etc}, my mind tends to go in a million different places. And with writing I’m able to more fully focus on my Him and eliminate as many distractions as possible.

And y’all – what a difference it has made! It has been so good for me, to not only be consistent in my daily set aside time, but also to look forward to my prayer time now that I have found a way that helps me focus and give Him the attention He deserves.

What are some ways that you spend time in prayer?