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“How I trained my little ones to sit still and quiet” (by Jessica Burrell)

August 22, 2020August 22, 2020 by romans122life, posted in Bible, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, family

This is a follow-up post to my previous post “Help, The Church Nursery is Closed!” in which I reference training your children at home to be content to sit quietly. Once you are out in public, it is too late to ask them to behave in some new way that you have never taught them. This post is an effort to convey how I trained my little ones in the peace and comfort of our home. The Lord says to train up our children in the way they should go (Prov. 22:6), to train them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4), and to teach them to have a quiet and gentle spirit, which the Scriptures say is “precious in God’s sight” (1 Pet. 3:4). I have tried to apply these Scriptures in some practical ways at home while teaching my children to sit quietly and respectfully.

So how do you start? Start slowly. Start with 5 minutes, maybe less. Sit on the couch with Mommy and children together reading a book or singing a hymn, all engaged in the same activity. The purpose is to stay in the designated place for the duration of the time. Most children love this quality time of having Mommy’s attention to themselves, and they rarely have any trouble complying. The next step is to tell the child that they must read (or look at) their own book while Mommy reads a book separate from the child or works on something independent from the children, while still sitting on the couch right beside them. In the first step, the child is the central focus. In this second phase, the child will begin to realize that the point of being on the couch is not for Mommy to cater to their wishes, but rather for them to find contentment on their own. While you need to be instructing the child in step one, this second step is more where reinforcing and teaching the child your expectations really comes in. Tell the child “you may not squirm around and climb down to the floor.” And “Mommy has a timer set for 5 minutes. When it beeps, we will be all done. Then you may get down and play.” The child may not ask “how much longer” or similar questions. The child must learn to be content to wait patiently until the time is done and Mommy says that it is time to get down.

I should clarify that “Still and quiet” time in our home meant no talking or moving around. You stay in your place and entertain yourself with one quiet toy or book. If this object was used to harass a sibling, it would be taken away, and the remainder of the time would be spent with hands folded neatly in the lap. I do not exaggerate when I say that I can count on one hand how many times objects had to be taken away from my children in public. They learned this lesson very well at home! Consider anything a small child will normally do when they do not want to be still…roll around on the seat, scoot down to the floor, then they end up under the seat, or army-crawling to a nearby location. Their innate intent is to push the limits and see how far is too far. You as the mother need to decide what will be acceptable for your children while in public. Are you okay with them sitting on the floor at the doctor’s office or crawling on the floor down to the end of the pew at church? If not, be sure that you are firm in your training at home. For us, no arm waving, clapping, or moving off the seat was permitted. Depending on age, lying down quietly in one’s spot (not rolling) was permitted.

After the children have gotten the hang of a 5-minute interval of being quiet and occupying themselves with Mommy on the couch, the next step is to have Mommy get off the couch and do something else nearby, while leaving the children on the couch having their “still and quiet” time. For example, I will tell the children to come and sit. Then, once they have been reminded of the rules of “still and quiet” time, I will step away while warning the children that I will be watching to make sure they do a good job. I might sit in another area of the same room and make a call to schedule dental cleanings, while maintaining frequent eye contact with the children so they know I am paying attention to their behavior. If a little one decides they aren’t interested in the training session, their behavior is quickly dealt with and they resume their time on the couch. Quick and consistent discipline is necessary in this training time. You will be training your children regardless of how you handle the situation. While they are in the living room, it might be easy to warn them, “Mommy said get back on the couch… I mean it!” But consider if this method will be an option in church or in the doctor’s office. You want to train them to listen the first time, not the second or third. They must learn to obey immediately and to realize that there will be swift consequences when they do not. There will be no “easy out” if they disobey. The training session will continue on after discipline has been handed out.

Once the children are able to sit quietly while you perform other tasks in the same room, the real test comes. “Still and quiet” while Mommy leaves the room! This was always our children’s favorite part of the training times. I would have the children sit (they were permitted one quiet toy) while I left the room to set a timer and then come back in to check on them and see if they were still in the same place and quiet. I might go put a letter in the mailbox but quickly return and pop in the room to surprise the children. This can be a very fun activity. The children never know what corner you might pop out around or what you might be wearing on your head when you return. The “away” might be anywhere from 5 seconds to 15 seconds to begin with. You want to help them keep their attention on the task at hand. Don’t make this sitting session a miserable thing for them. My children would often forget the toy they had in their lap and prefer to watch out for when I would pop my head back in the room to see how well they were doing. I would give silent accolades whenever I peeked in and saw that the children were still doing as I had asked.

You may notice a natural progression in this: very small and familiar steps to begin with, then moving up to bigger steps. This will not happen overnight. I would recommend having a practice session every day, or a five-minute session in the morning and another one in the afternoon, depending on the age and personality of your child.

After the children can manage a 5-minute segment of time on the couch on their own with Mommy in and out of the room, it is time to add more time to the clock. I would graduate them to 10-15 minutes on the couch with one quiet activity of their choice, whether it is a toy, a reading book, or a notebook with a pencil or crayon. If the children are misbehaving or not obeying the way they should, the offending child must be removed and disciplined and brought back to resume their sitting time. Meanwhile, the other children are expected to continue sitting quietly. This has helped immensely during the years that my husband has been in a pastoral position and has been unable to assist me in the pew with the children. I have been able to take the rowdy child out of the service to address behavior while leaving all of the other children (yes, even a two-year-old) sitting quietly in the pew without me in the room, knowing that they would sit still because they dare not be the next one leaving the sanctuary with me.

I have one last comment on praising your little ones for doing well. Rewarding our children when they do well is not the same as bribery. Bribery is a parent’s last attempt at getting what they want from their child. It is a negotiation that puts the child in control of the situation and puts the parent at their mercy. Rewards and positive affirmation for good behavior are very different than that. When I ask my child to do something and they do it right away and with a cheerful heart, rewarding them in some way is a great way to help encourage and motivate the child to do it again. They have honored me, and I want to bless them because of it. This is a good and wholesome way to encourage good behavior in our children.

In my other post, “Help, The Church Nursery is Closed!” I talk about preparing for Sunday morning by starting on Saturday. I mention that “less is more” when packing activity bags for kids in church or the doctor’s office, and I give a few other ideas like finding a seat near the exits and arriving early to claim it.

I hope this post has been an encouragement to you! It is not always easy, and it is never a fast process to train up our little ones in the way they should go. But, as the Lord commands us to do it, I hope this will be of some small encouragement to you as we strive to please Him!

Jessica E. Burrell

“Help! The Church Nursery is Closed!” (by Jessica Burrell)

August 21, 2020August 21, 2020 by romans122life, posted in Christianity, Church, Discipleship, family

Today has brought about many changes in our culture: schools shutting down and mask-wearing becoming a requirement in most establishments, to name a few. Many of these changes in recent days affect our everyday life, even for the stay-at-home mom. While we may be inconvenienced by some of the new CDC requirements, like trying to keep masks on our squirming children while in public, there are some challenges that prove more difficult than others. As Christian mothers, one of the greatest difficulties we face may be that of the closing of the church nurseries. Due to the light-speed way that children can transfer germs from one person or surface to another, most churches have closed down their nurseries for the time being. This leaves parents with younger children only two options: stay home and live-stream the service from the living room, or attend church as a family, all in one pew, squirming children and all. I will be approaching this issue as a sister in Christ, loving mother, and wife of a pastor. This is a difficulty facing many young families today, and there is no easy answer.

Don’t Stop Going To Church

As hard as it may seem to take your family to church and sit in the pew with the entire family while you try to keep the young children quiet as the pastor preaches, this is your calling from the Lord. Whether you are a pastor’s wife and your husband has to sit on the front row or stand in the pulpit while you try to manage the children in the pew alone, or whether you have two parents with grandparents able to help share the load, whether you are a single mom or dad bringing your children to church who have never once sat through a church service because they always go to nursery or children’s church, your God-given calling and obligation is to have your family in church – assembling together with the saints. We might think that live-stream is an easy “out,” or a suitable alternative, but I would suggest that this is not the case.

Many churches are re-assembling with caution and are keeping live-stream available for those who are at risk and for those who are maintaining a “shelter-in-place” lifestyle. For the rest of us, families included, we are in some part back to the grocery stores, vacations and outings. If this is the case for your family, it stands to reason that you should be back to church as a family, as well. There are many factors that could cause difficulties with bringing children into the church who are not used to sitting in the pews. Regardless of the factors involved, this is no excuse to forsake God’s commands (Heb 10:25); this is simply a new growth opportunity that the Lord has placed in your path. There is nowhere in the Scriptures that makes provision for the church to forsake the assembling together until nursery or children’s church is available. No matter the age of your child or children, you need to be in church, and so do they. As much as it is difficult to adjust to this (whether by choice or for lack of any other options), many of us are being required to turn “family integrated” for a time. I know these are not easy words to speak, and I can say from experience that it is even harder to live out. It can be a very difficult thing to adjust to, but just because it isn’t easy, doesn’t make skipping church an option.

How I Got Started on this Journey

For me, this journey started when I had four young children. Our oldest was 6 years old (a girl). After her, we had three boys in a row (5, 3, and 16 months). Our youngest son had seriously injured his hand and was in need of multiple surgeries and frequent doctors visits. It was an hour drive to the Pediatric Hand Specialist’s office, and after having four young children strapped in their car seats for an hour, they were then expected to wait in a waiting room and accompany me into the patient room where the three oldest would have to be left without my watchful eye as I took their little brother to a nearby room for x-rays. After we returned to the patient room, we would wait until the doctor arrived to discuss this very serious situation with me. All the while, there were four children, 6 and younger, going completely stir-crazy and one frazzled Mommy trying to control the situation and have a coherent conversation with the doctor. This was a very rude wake-up call for me when I realized that I had no choice but to somehow survive this situation again and again at every doctor’s visit, every x-ray, and every consultation. It was impossible for my husband to take more time off work to help me after he had already taken time for two hospitalizations and hand surgeries for our little guy. My only option was to train my children at home to behave the way I needed them to so that we could make it through all of these trips without chaos and tears for all five of us!

It may sound crazy to expect so much from a little one who many say can’t even reason yet, but there is nothing ridiculous at all about teaching your child to sit relatively still and occupy himself quietly for a little while. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say that the parent who never trains their child to be still for a length of time is actually depriving their child of learning self-control at a younger age when it comes a little easier. The practice of sitting “still and quiet,” or whatever you will call it, will be a blessing to you as the parent, as well as anyone you encounter. You will also find that God rewards your child with a more content spirit when they are taught to be still for short periods of time.

Trust me when I say, “You can do this.” But while you are sitting in a church service with 100 other people trying to listening to a 30-45 minute sermon, you will realize that this is NOT the time to teach your child how you expect them to behave. This will only frustrate you and your child (Eph. 6:4). You must work on training your child to sit quietly while in the comfort and safety of your own home. If you are interested in the way I trained my children at home, please look for my follow-up post. “How I trained my little ones to sit still and quiet”

Keeping Your Kids in the Pew Begins At Home

I would like to give a few practical pointers to help you wrap your mind around this concept. From the early infancy age through toddlers and preschoolers with the wiggles, it is not easy to ask children to sit “still and quiet,” as we say in my home, for an hour-long service. But they can do it. It is also important to be considerate of those around you and not insist on keeping a screaming toddler in the service during his entire tantrum. My first suggestion would be to find an area in the church that has easy access to one of the exits. Next, plan to arrive at church early enough to claim this area for your family so that you ensure an easy exit if someone gets too rowdy or disruptive.

Next, you must plan for Sunday morning the night before. You don’t want to show up to church frazzled and frustrated before the service has even started. This will not help you to have the patience and grace needed to guide your children through the worship service. Saturday night, be sure that all baths are taken care of, clothes are picked out and ironed if needed, shoes are found and matched, hair bows are selected, etc. In our home, everyone must have Mommy approve their outfit before dinnertime on Saturday so that there is not “whoops” on Sunday morning. Sunday morning your only goal should be to make sure everyone is clothed, fed, and ready to leave. Once in the pew, I have found that less is more as far as busy activities go. I used to pack a full bag of books, toys, snacks and crayons, only to find that at the end of the service I had an entire half-acre of mess to clean up. Not to mention needing to offer apologies for the new “art” on the underside of the pews.

When thinking about your child’s needs for the service, pack appropriately according to their age. If your child is able to write, give them a few writing tools and a notebook. You can draw a word, for example: “God,” and your child can copy it. Then you can draw a picture on one side of the page and your child can write it on the other side. At this point their imagination usually takes over and they will doodle quite happily for a while. If you have a young child, be sure that you pack pacifiers, quiet (and not messy) snacks, and a select few books and toys in a small bag that the child can access easily on their own to play with quietly. As you make all of these preparations on Saturday night, remember that your training begins at home. Be sure that your children understand your expectations before you get to the church. We now have seven children in our home and can easily fill an entire pew. There was a season when we had to assign each child their “spot” and tell them which siblings would be sitting on either side of them so that we would not have any arguments or disruptions in the pew.

Don’t Grow Weary – You Can Do This

Last of all: do not grow weary in doing good (Gal. 6:9). There have been Sundays in church or weekdays in a doctor’s office that I wanted to throw my hands in the air and say, “I’m done training today! We’ll be waiting in the car!” We have had a few days when I had to abandon the grocery cart in the middle of the store and head to the van to deal with behavior that couldn’t wait. What I came to realize was that the grocery shopping was not my highest priority. Taking that moment to train my child would last a lot longer than those groceries did. I would encourage you to keep the same perspective when sitting through worship. Is it fun to take a child out and deal with behavior, walk back into church, only to have to leave and deal with them again? No. But what you are doing is training your child that this behavior is not an option. No matter how many tantrums he throws, the result will be the same: correction and re-entering the service. I would caution against staying in the foyer to allow the disruptive child to play for the rest of the service. If your child is having a day where he is completely uncooperative and is a distraction to everyone else in the sanctuary, look for a bench in the foyer to sit on. But still practice sitting quietly during this time so he sees that his defiant behavior is not rewarded with playtime. If this level of disobedience in public is common, maybe this is a sign that more time needs to be dedicated to training at home.

Although this task seems at times insurmountable, it is doable! Trust me; I didn’t start until I already had four children. Talk about challenging! There were many times I wanted to give up. I often felt as though there would never be a break and that I could never get a thing out of the worship service unless all of my children were tucked away in their classes and I could just focus on the pastor alone. This is not true, though. And as soon as we thinking that “just one thing” will make it all better, we need to make sure we aren’t manufacturing an idol in our hearts. God didn’t give you a quiet pew without children. God gave you those adorable rowdy children to love and care for, and He still requires you to come and worship Him.

I know that this may only be a short-term goal for you. Perhaps you are only going to keep your children in the service until nursery becomes available again. You must understand that this is a worth-while effort and a God-required effort you must make to bring your children to church. We have to expel the notion that we are coming to church for our own selfish good. First, we do this because the Lord commands it (John 14:15). He gives us the desire for it, which is a blessing, but more than that, He requires it. If it’s “no fun,” or “I don’t get anything out of it right now,” that’s okay. You are honoring the Lord with your self-sacrifice. Just remember that it’s not all about you. It’s hard to live this out, but it’s true. And for most of us, this season will get easier. Our children don’t stay little forever.

We don’t have it all figured out. And if you come to the church where we worship, you will see squirming kids, hear rustling papers, and probably even see a little one being taken out for a “talk.” And that’s a good thing. Actually, if you were to come to church this week, you wouldn’t even see our whole family in the pew. One of my children has a medical condition that has prevented her and me from returning to church yet. It is at this time more than ever I am so grateful for the Providential situation all those years ago when I was forced to teach my children how to be content to be still. My husband is a pastor and elder in our church and cannot sit with our children during the entire service. When he is on the platform, it is such a blessing to us both to know that our children have been trained to obey us and sit still and respectfully while he does what he needs to do. That little 16-month-old with the hand injury is now six years old and sits quietly, taking what notes he is able to, or drawing a picture of his Daddy reading Scripture from the pulpit. We don’t have it all together, and we never will. But God has been faithful to do a work in our children, little by little. We are weak vessels through whom the Lord has been pleased to exhibit His strength.

I hope this article has encouraged you and caused you to consider your responsibility for raising your children before the Lord. If you are interested in a more how-to based article where I describe how I practically trained my children in these concepts at home, please look for my follow-up post.

Jessica E. Burrell

4 Ways To Pray As School Starts Back

August 1, 2016August 1, 2016 by romans122life, posted in Christianity, Church, School

For most, the upcoming weeks signals the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. If you listen carefully, you can hear the sharpening of pencils, the children groaning, and the parents celebrating as D-Day quickly approaches. No matter what school option (private, public, or home) you have chosen for your family, one thing rings true for all Christians. We need to be a people of prayer if we are going to get through this year usefully. Below I have 4 areas that I believe we would all do well to pray for before school ever starts this year. This has been adapted from a prayer guide that Prayer Closet Ministry provided several years ago. There are sample prayers that are given for each area that you can use, if you so choose to us them, but my encouragement to you today is that you take a few minutes to pray over each area before your children start to hit the books for another year.

Prayer for the Students

For the Lost

We want to pray that the Lord will save the lost children in this school.

Father, I pray that the lost students of __________will surrender to Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of their lives. Show them their lostness and their need of Jesus. Have mercy on them
and saved them through Your Son, Jesus Christ ( John 6:44; Matthew 11:28).

2. For the Saved

We want to pray for a faithful witness and boldness in believing students

Father, I ask that the Christian students of __________will have a powerful and righteous influence in the school for your glory. Empower them to live holy and obedient lives before their friends and teachers. Sanctify anything in their lives that might hinder their testimony
(Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Peter 2:11-12, 3:15-16).

Father, have these students of __________be powerful witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ. Fill them with the Holy Spirit so that they can speak boldly about who You and what
You have done (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).

Prayer for the Administration and Teachers

For the Lost

We want to pray the Lord will save all lost teachers and administration

Father, I plead that the unsaved teachers of __________would graciously draw them all into a personal relationship with You through the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that they would turn from their sin to Christ with a genuine faith (John 3:15-18, 6:44; Acts 4:12, 17:30-31).

2. For the Saved

We pray for a willingness to share their faith within the authoritative structure that they are under.

Father, please give the teachers and administration at __________would exercise a righteous influence among the students and other teachers. Empower them to live holy lives and minister to the students and other teachers (Proverbs 28:1; Matthew 5:13-16).

Father, I pray that grant them the wisdom to know how and when to share their faith with all they are around.. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8, 4:31).

Prayer for the Parents

For the Lost

We want to pray for parents who do not know the Lord, to come to know Him this year.

Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that the unsaved parents of __________would surrender their lives to Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. I ask that the Spirit would convict them and draw them to Jesus by his grace to faith
and repentance for Your name sake (John 3:15-18).

2. For the Saved

We want to pray for believing parents to live out their faith in a way that brings glory to God.

Father, I ask that the believing parents of __________will continue to grow in their relationship to God .That they will take the lead as an example of godly living. Do this so that they can train godly children, and to be an example to others as well (John 8:31-32; 1 Peter 3:1-2).

Father, grant the believing parents of __________a spirit of prayer for the administrators, teachers, and students. I pray that they will cover and saturate __________with prayers of supplication and intercession (Colossians 4:2).

3. For all Parents

We want to pray for all parents to be faithful and good parents to their children.

Father, I ask that you give all parents a burden to be involved in all areas of their children’s lives. I pray that parents here will be sensitive and wise concerning the needs of their children. Help them to recognize their needs and problems and grant them the wisdom, patience,
and love to deal with these things (Ephesians 6:4).

Prayer for Protection

For the Students

We want to pray for all students to be safe from all harm while in school.

Father, protect the students at __________from anything or anyone that would choose to hurt them. Give them an environment where they can learn and have no fear of being bullied, looked down upon, or injured them from anyone. Make this school a place where they can be educated safely so as to be able to glorify you in their life with their education (Psalm 11:4-7).

2. For Teachers and Administrators

We want to pray that all teachers and administrators will be safe from any possible harm.

Father, we ask that you protect all of those who have chosen to help educate the children
at ________________. Protect them from harm. Give them the ability to teach each child in a way that they can understand. Protect their minds so that they can be free to teach. Protect the sanctity of their marriage as the pour much time and effort into these jobs. Protect the believing ones from spiritual attack, and those who do not believe from believing
Satanic lies about you (I Timothy 2:1-3.)

We are told to be a people of prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We are told to not just think about ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4) but others as well. We are also told to educate our children (Deuteronomy 6:5-7, Proverbs 1:8-9, Proverbs 22:6). If we want to do this in a way that honors the Lord, brings glory to Him, and be a kingdom people, I can think of few better ways than to pray for our children and schools as we start a new year of educating our children for the glory of God. I hope that you will consider these 4 areas in your own children’s lives, and pray for them diligently.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Adam B. Burrell

4 Helpful Ways to be Prepared for Sunday Worship

June 28, 2016 by romans122life, posted in Christianity, Church

For the Christian, Sunday should be the most anticipated day of the week. It is a day where we gather with people that we love to be encouraged, edified, and engaged, not just with each other, but with our Lord. It is a place where we get to go before the throne room of God and worship Him. It is the Lord’s Day. What a blessing it is that He would give us a whole day just to be with Him apart from our normal labor. However, for many, it can be the most stressful day of the week. Besides the spiritual battle that is raged that day, just the plain affairs of the world can weigh heavy on us and rob us of this wonderful blessing of gathering with the corporate body. We are told to “not forsake the assembling together of the saints.” It is a command of God, but it is also for our benefit. So, how can we make sure that it is a blessing to us without all the hustle of the Sunday morning rush and frustrations? Below are 4 ways to “be” prepared, and I hope can help us be ready to worship.

Be Prayed Up:

Do you pray for your pastor and elders each week? What a blessing this can be. If you really want to help your pastor, be praying for him that the Lord will give him the time to rightly divide the Word of truth. However, don’t just stop at praying for him. Be in prayer for yourself as well. Pray that the Lord will give you a clear conscience. Pray that the Lord will rid you from all distraction. Pray that the Lord will give you a yielding Spirit to what He has to say to you through the teaching and preaching of the Word. Do not neglect this aspect of preparation. This can start as early as Monday morning the week prior. Prayer is powerful, and it sets your spirit in a posture of submission to the Lord, instead of having yourself on the throne of your desires.

Be Fed Up:

Have you ever been sitting in church and your stomach starts to make all sorts of crazy sounds because you have not fed it enough and it longs for a mile long bar of food? Hunger pains can be real distracters. When we are hungry it is hard to focus on almost anything else. It is hard to be listening to how Jesus is the Bread of Life when all you can think about is getting to the local hamburger joint after services. You don’t want to be stealing a few extra communion wafers during the Lord’s Supper because you forgot to eat toast that morning. Make sure that you have eaten a good breakfast that will sustain your hunger so that your spiritual hunger can fully feast on the Word.

Be Slept Up:

Is there anything more embarrassing than falling asleep in church? I once watched a grown man fall asleep and slowly fall into the lap of the person sitting next to me in the pew. It is one of the funniest things that I have ever experienced in my life. However, if he would have had a proper night’s sleep the evening before, it never would have happened. We have all experienced it. Our eyes get heavy. Our head starts to nod. When this happens, we cannot comprehend anything that anyone is saying. All of our energy and might is focused on not causing “an incident.” It can be a miserable feeling. If you have an important meeting at work, a project at school, or simply a full day ahead of you, do you not try to get to bed early to make sure that your body is prepared and you mind is sharp for the next day? How much more so should this be true if we are planning on going to visit with the one who died in our stead so that we can worship Him? Get a good night’s sleep so that you can be awake and not miss the Son the next day.

Be Read Up:

If you have Sunday School or small group materials, or if you know the passage that your pastor will be preaching from on the Lord’s Day, be prepared ahead of time by reading through it prior to the services. It is amazing the difference it can make when you have a basic understanding of a subject or specific text in the way of comprehension and personal application. Bible reading and study is not just for the teacher and preacher, but for all of us so that we can KNOW and worship God. It is a blessing to have God’s Word in a language that we can understand. Do not neglect this gift that the Lord has given us. I have never heard anyone ever say, “I really wish that I had not read the Bible before coming to church today.” On the other hand, I know many who have said the opposite. So, read before hand and be prepared.

These are 4 helpful and just plain practical ways that I hope will enhance your Lord’s Day worship if you have found yourself struggling with it as of late. Before you get up Sunday morning, and you’re running late and frustrated with everyone in your house, prepare yourself to “Be.” Pray before you hit the pew. Eat before you enter. Sleep before you sing, and if you want to fully experience what God has for you in the corporate gathering of believers, read before you ride. Do these things, and see if you do not come away more refreshed and ready to seek His Kingdom for the sake of His glory.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Adam B. Burrell