Loud Time

I guess there is a reason it is called Quiet Time. I guess you are supposed to be Quiet or something. Well lately all I have had is Loud Time. There is just so much noise in my life right now.

I am struggling to find quiet time alone with God right now. There…I said it. I am a missionary and I am trying to serve Him with all my might but I am trying to do it without Him.

But you better believe that I am gonna fight through this.

On Sunday mornings at church there is a service in English at 8:30 a.m. I went this past week for the first time and it was no accident that I was there. Go figure. The discussion was about our devotional life (or lack thereof) and four points hit me square in the face. Maybe they will hit you too.

• If I don’t spend time alone with God, how can I say that I love Him?
• I am as safe as my personal devotional life.
• Picture God sitting and waiting on you and YOU not being there. (Ouch. That one really hurt)
• As you grow as a Christian, it becomes more about listening and less about talking.

I just have to chuckle because it makes me laugh how God is always ready and willing to speak directly to us and all we have to do is show up. All I had to do was show up to the English service this past Sunday.

I have now setup a weekly meeting with my pastor here and today I was sharing my Quiet Time struggle with Him and I was sharing how difficult it is too schedule/plan things here.

He told me to open my Bible to John 15…uh oh….this is gonna be the second time that John 15 has hit me square in the face since arriving here in La Paz.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Ahhh yes…pruning…what do I always do when I need to check out a Biblical symbol…yes, you guessed it…Wikipedia…

Pruning in landscaping and gardening is the practice of removing diseased, non-productive, or otherwise unwanted portions from a plant. The purpose of pruning is to shape the plant by controlling or directing plant growth, to maintain the health of the plant, or to increase the yield or quality of flowers and fruits. Proper pruning is as much a skill as it is an art, since badly pruned plants can become diseased or grow in undesirable ways.

Why do all these symbols that Jesus used have to be so dead on?

My pastor basically told me that God is pruning me right now so that I will be able to bear more fruit for Him in the future. And I think part of the pruning process is God completely wrecking my idea of a schedule and an agenda. My daily “to do list” mentality that I imported from the USA is getting thrown out the window. I think this mentality is near impossible to accomplish here.

I need to have goals. Don’t get me wrong. But I think I need to see those goals with a wider scope. If everything doesn’t get checked off the list each day I am starting to believe that it's ok. He recommended that I set goals for the week instead of each day. And I like that idea. I am going to start looking at weekly objectives instead of daily objectives. A daily "to do list" is just too frustrating in this culture.

I just think God is telling me that objectives, goals and “to do lists” are ok…but I think He is teaching me that it is also necessary to be flexible. I need to be open to going places and doing things when His spirit leads me. I mean…His spirit led me down here so why should I change things now that I am here?



I just need to let the mysteries of the Word guide and direct me. I am always amazed at what I find when I actually take the time to look.