Restore My Soul: A Coloring Book Devotional Journey

Meditate using this new coloring book by Ann-Margret Hovsepian.

A couple years ago, my employer sent me to the Frankfurt Book Fair to spot trends. We want to prepare our students for what's coming, not what's been. Frankfurt is the largest book fair in the world, so I spent hours walking the aisles, talking to venders, and scoping out products. And I came home with a couple of coloring books for adults. I had never heard of such a thing! It was like paint by number only using colored pencils instead of paint—and without the numbers. I got to choose what colors I liked best.And sure enough, now they're everywhere, these books. And my friend Ann-Margret Hovsepian has created a nice one especially for helping us think about what matters. She includes a devotional thought with a verse opposite each coloring page. And the pages are thick enough that I could use a small magic marker without having it bleed through. Even non-artists can pull away from the screen and create within boundaries. Check out Restore My Soul.

Christmas Reflection: Sinner and Sinner Reconciled

“The angel answered [Mary, saying], ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:35, NIV)

Back in the beautiful orchard on a Friday afternoon, God made male and female in His image. What an astonishing creation—human flesh imaging God! But before long something horrible happened.

Sin destroyed the unity humanity experienced, and all creation was affected by their plunge into sin. One ramification was the distortion of male/ female relations. Enter the gender wars—the battle of the sexes. Loneliness and selfish independence replaced unity and interdependence.

As a consequence of sin, God issued a devastating prediction: woman’s desire would be for man, and man would rule over woman (Genesis 3:15–16). The author of Genesis recorded this traumatic news, and one chapter later, he used the same juxtaposition of “rule” and “desire” to describe the power struggle of sin with Cain’s will (4:7).

Until Christmas. Enter the God-Man. A male, arrived sans-sperm through the womb of a virgin. Human flesh once again perfectly imaged God, only this time that “image of the invisible God” was incarnate in the person of the Son of God.

The very way Jesus came demonstrated male/female interdependence. And through Christ and His Spirit we have the reason and the empowerment to overcome rebellion and regain unity. The God who is all fair abolishes the prejudices that divide us.

In Christ we sing of “God and sinners reconciled.” And that reconciliation is both horizontal and vertical. Because of Christmas, we are reconciled to God. Because of Christmas, we can and must also be reconciled with each other.

How to Spend Time Alone with God

Today I have as my guest Crickett Keeth, my coauthor on Sumatra with the Seven Churches. She writes a blog about mentoring and discipleship, and this post has garnered the most traffic: 

I’m often asked what I do in my quiet times alone with God. Tobe honest, I don’t have a set routine because I don’t want it to become mechanical,but I do have certain things that I incorporate into my quiet times each day.

A Devotional Reading:I like to begin by reading from a devotional book.  Sometimes I use more than one book. Forinstance, right now, I am reading from MyUtmost for His Highest and Daily withthe King. I like to start my time with Him by pondering a statement orthought directed from Scripture to help me direct my focus to Him.

Bible Study: ThenI move into Bible study. I prefer to have a structured Bible study to use eachday. That way, I’m not just spending time looking for a passage to read. I havea plan and know what I’m going to do each day. (If you’re looking for a studyto do, check out the studies on my Bible Study page.)

Prayer: My timein the Word always prompts me to pray. Sometimes His Word convicts me of sin inmy life, and I stop to confess and talk to God about this area. Or His Wordmoves me to pray for someone that He has put on my heart. His Word shows methings that I need to apply in my own life, and I begin to pray about thosethings.  

Journaling: Ialmost always journal. Sometimes I start out journaling, writing out mythoughts, my prayers, my concerns, my praises. Other times, I journal at theend of my quiet time, writing out what God has shown me that morning. Journalinghelps me keep a record of what God is doing and how He is working.

There is no one method that fits all. The key is spendingtime with God each day, and that may look different for each one of us and fromday to day. My time alone with Him is where I find strength and direction.Without that time in His Word and prayer, I find myself getting distractedthroughout the day. Time alone with God is vital to spiritual growth. Don’t letSatan convince you it’s not.

How do you spend your time alone with God? What is yourfavorite devotional book?