Well, as James mentioned before, we have been looking for a new church.  We liked the previous one—we liked the pastor, the praise team, the kids program—but I struggled with the lack of Sunday School program and how hard it was to meet people.  I enjoyed the MOPS group, but it seems a number of those women don’t go to the church.  He mentioned the one we’re going to now.  I have to admit, the church makes me uncomfortable.  In a good way. I’m being challenged, and that is, well, uncomfortable.  I’m realizing my spiritual life and my physical body have become the same way…flabby, out of shape. We started the physical challenge for the physical body…I need to have a spiritual challenge.  One of the songs on my work out CD that I keep hearing has a line “Stir up our hearts, oh God” that has spoken to me.  I was given the image of my heart being a pool that is black, stagnant, full of scum on top.  I’ve been praying for God to stir up that pool, my heart, making it a fresh spring.  I can tell the ripples are starting, but it is taking time.

My brother-in-law wrote a very good post on prayer I’ve been thinking about. I know I need a specific “Work Out Plan”. I know the idea of formulas and step by step directions do not work in the spiritual realm.  I had started to read Practicing The Presence of God by Brother Lawrence several years ago, and I know I need to go back to that.  (I got into a discussion with my MIL about this topic last night, and she referred me back to that book, so I’m going to have to go back and find it.) Then she (MIL) sent me a link to a book, where Ch. 1 is “The Failure of Formulas”. (You can read that chapter here.)  The book is called Searching For God Knows What, by Donald Miller.  I highly recommend reading the first chapter…Just one quote (There were so many I wanted to share, I really held myself back):

So if the difference between Christian faith and all other forms of spirituality is that Christian faith offers a relational dynamic with God, why are we cloaking this relational dynamic in formulas?

So I am working on trying to STOP wanting a formula, or 3 step process, and am instead seeing how I can build this relationship.  I know the key is time—something I feel I lack so often.  Yet I’ve made time for exercise, how can I not make more time for God?  So that is my “Work Out Plan”: Time with God. Be it time alone, reading his Word, or just working on developing that relationship ALL the time, in the day to day grind, or something else. I don’t want it to be a step by step attempt, a formula, or even something I’m trying to do on my own power. I’ve tried that before, and seen how it fails.