What if I don’t feel good enough to serve God in ministry?

Have you ever thought this before?

Shame can be a powerful and debilitating voice in the life of a believer. The voice of Shame is the quiet whisper in your ear that says “You aren’t good enough” or “Avoid the spotlight” or “Who do you think you are to speak up?”.

Something I have learned is that because it loves to hide in the darkness, shame brings with it the fear of being exposed, and leads me to cover up the wrong things that I’ve done. This has been happening since the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve hid from God after eating from the fruit (Genesis 3:10).

Listening to lies will never lead us towards intimacy with God.

Scripture is full of examples of God using imperfect and even sinful people to accomplish His purposes. Moses had a problem with anger (Exodus 32:19), Joshua was terrified of his enemies (Joshua 1:9), Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho (Joshua 2:1), David was an adulterer and a murderer (2 Samuel 11:26), and Peter denied Christ on the night of His arrest (Luke 22:60).

Through God’s plan for redemption, He takes our brokenness and imperfections and re-creates them into something beautiful.

Repentance doesn’t require perfection but a honest and humble heart.

Only Christ is truly about to comforts us in our weaknesses so that we can comfort others in their weaknesses. Often our weaknesses become strengths when we submit them to Him.

Saying that you need to ‘fix yourself’ before God can use you is like saying you need to ‘fix’ your teeth before you go to the dentist. That’s craziness. If God could only use perfect people, He would never be able to use anyone.

Today don’t let the voice of shame stop you from stepping out and growing in your walk with God. He will not reject you.

“The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God”. Psalm 51:17

Trust God to finish the good work He has begun in you. Saying “yes” to Jesus will see you walk into the fullness of His plans and purposes.

The post God Uses The Imperfect appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

I had one of those moments. I had been a tradie in Western Australia for 7 years. Over that time I had built a great life, solid church community, surrounded by my family and great mates, and earning good money. As far as I was concerned I had all I needed.

During this time I had taken some time off and completed a 6 month course called a Discipleship Training School (DTS). It was in these 6 months I encountered God like never before. For the first time I truly discovered my purpose and passion in life.

I had a moment on the school I refer to as my love revelation, it was a powerful and moving moment in my life. God really got my attention and called me to live for more than just myself.

So in January of 2017 I was back home wrestling with the decision to continue with my life or take a risk into the unknown. The question was simple.

Do I stay a tradie or become a missionary?

Those decisions are never easy, weighing up the implications of both options. I went down to a beach and decided I wouldn’t leave until I knew what I wanted.

I had the comfort and safety of the known, settling back into the life I had lived but with the opportunity of even more money working as an electrician in the mines.

Or I could take a risk and step into the unknown world of missions.

Usually, I’m a very logical and analytical person so I usually look at the pros and cons and then decide. If I had done that I wouldn’t be here writing this blog. I would have gone back to the money, family and friends the world I knew well.

Instead that day on the beach I began to look at what I wanted out of life and it became harder and harder to ignore missions. It gave me a new purpose and ignited passion and excitement within me. Missions spoke to my heart while being a tradie spoke to my head to logic and reason.

It’s always going to be easy to go with the “tradie” lifestyle but sometimes in life, we have to put aside the pros and cons list and truly ask ourselves what do I want out of this life. It may make me happy now but will I regret it in 40 years?

So many people never live a life that unlocks their full potential because they are playing it safe. It’s like they have a feeling there may be something more out there for them but they don’t step out and go for it.

I never want to live a half-life with regret of what could have been. Life with God will always involve some sort of risk.

Can I encourage you to think about your life, your future? Is there a decision you need to make? Maybe you need to listen to what God is stirring within your heart and take a chance to see what happens as you embrace the unknown.

Maybe you’ll look back on it as the best thing you ever did.

The post Tradie To Missionary appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

God cares about refugees.

The Bible is filled with men and women who were refugees. Moses, Ruth and Joseph are just some examples of those who were forced to leave their way of life by circumstances outside their control to become foreigners.

Nobody is too insignificant or hidden from God’s loving eye.

In Genesis 21:17-18 we read about God seeing Hagar alone with her son Ishmael in the desert. It was a desperate situation. The Lord reached out to this woman and provided a way forward. He also gave her son a future hope.

Jesus was a refugee.

We may not think about how God can personally relate to the refugee but Jesus himself was a refugee when his family fled a genocide to find safety in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14).

God understands what it feels like to lose a home. To be forced to leave behind what you love. To feel frightened about personal safety. God’s care on this issue is personal.

This month hosts World Refugee Day. I would like to invite you to pray for those who have been forced to leave their home and way of life. As followers of Jesus we have a unique opportunity to reach out to refugees in our local community and demonstrate God’s loving compassion to a hurting world.

The issue may feel overwhelming but the world is not so big and far away when you start by looking next door.

Growing up in small town Australia my life didn’t have much to do with people from other countries. Wars were far away and only something I only saw on TV.

I was watching with the world in 2016 when millions of grief stricken refugees began to walk across Europe in search of safety. I saw images of families forced to walk for days and wished I could do something to help.

During this time I did a night class with YWAM on global missions and gained God’s insight on Nations, cultures and people groups. It stirred my heart to care about those living as foreigners in my own city.

One day a lady randomly come into my office and asked if anyone would be interested in making house visits to several Syrian families in my city.

I said yes.

The first visit involved awkward conversations across a difficult language barrier.  As I continued to go back each week a friendship was developed. Now four years later I call this family my family and enjoy our weekly meals of fellowship together.

I would later learn that my friends were one of the millions of refugees I had seen fleeing their beloved Syria. They had walked tirelessly throughout the night carrying their 4 small children and 2 bags of clothing to find refuge in Jordan. I remember wondering what I could do to help and am grateful that God gave me the opportunity.

It feels as though my life has become enriched through this experience and I am constantly blessed by my friends in more ways than one. I have also gained more of God’s heart in the process.

If you have a heart for situations you see in the world, ask God to show how you can help. You may be surprised by how quickly He answers that prayer. God’s ways are generous. You may also be surprised by an unexpected blessing of friendship.

This is what God is like.

The post God as a Refugee? appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

I lived in a town of 2000 people within the ‘Bible Belt’ of the U.S and while it felt like we had a Christian church every few blocks, I only remember having one person in my acquaintance that followed a different faith.

Fast forward to my college years. One of my dear friends there had grown up as a missionary kid in South America. After we having been friends for several months, he shared with me that he was an atheist.

We began having rich, open conversations about our spiritual backgrounds, and I shared about my faith in Jesus.

As a follower of Jesus I feel called to relationship and sharing truth with those of all backgrounds.

Our conversations challenged me to take a greater hold of my beliefs and it also richly built our friendship. As a follower of Jesus, I feel called to building relationships and sharing truth with those of all backgrounds.

In my friendships with those of different faiths, God has taught me the following insights:

1. Get outside of your bubble

Our culture celebrates diversity, but we can still find ourselves living with people like ourselves. It takes a conscious decision to befriend those who come from varying cultures, worldviews, and perspectives to your own.

In Acts 17 we find that Paul did not wait for the Athenians to come to him – he searched them out and began conversations.

Helping with a holiday kids club helped me make a new friend this last year who comes from a different nation, culture, and religion to myself.

Ask God to highlight ways to meet new people such as through a hobby, social group or volunteer opportunities.

2. Seek long-lasting relationships

Openness and trust in relationships are built through time and shared experiences. Such as with my friend in college, we were friends for a few months before we even spoke about the spirituality in our lives.

Simply be consistent and seek genuine care for your friends.

3. Offer prayer and blessing

At times in the past, I’ve felt awkward about asking to pray for my friends when we have come from different religions. Over time I found that most people welcome prayers and blessings for their lives.

Just like me, my friends are navigating their own relationships, work, and purposes. We can easily feel isolated in that but prayer is a significant way to support your friends.

Ask how you can be praying for your friends, and if they are open, follow through with them.

______________________________

Here’s the challenge to consider: who is God leading you to connect with outside of your bubble?

The post Loving People with Different Religions to Me appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

He went from encompassing light and life, to sin and death; everywhere. Jesus went to a new ‘country’ but He never made people feel weird about theirs. He made people feel valued and called them higher; to be their fullest selves.

Jesus showed us the way to true life.

When Jesus entered our human culture, He brought that culture of heaven to earth. This culture of heaven deeply transforms humanity.

Jesus’ culture redeems our broken one. Jesus’ culture of heaven — of love, light, truth; the Kingdom of God…it’s this culture that’s changed the world.

So how do we change the brokenness in the world? How did Jesus do this? It’s a very simple yet deep answer. Jesus…loved. Go on and check out the classic John 3:16 verse.

Jesus’ love is the catalyst that transforms the world and redeems all of its cultures.

Jesus’ love is the catalyst that transforms the world and redeems all of its cultures. This kind of love is what we are all called to as Jesus’ followers.

The culture of redeeming love is part of your destiny. This is part of who you are called to be.

How do we love this way? How do we gain a heart for the whole world, regardless of differences? How do we gain a heart for cultures and people groups not our own?

Let’s start by placing you in the story.

You go to a new country, city or home. You notice things are a bit different. Maybe the people speak a foreign language. Maybe the city is bigger, dirtier or nosier than you’re used to.

Maybe the home you’re visiting smells funny or the decorations aren’t to your liking. It’s a bit uncomfortable. It’s a bit weird.

These feelings usually arise when we experience new cultures.

When your culture collides with another, it causes an initial friction. I once heard a leader say, ‘If something seems weird to you, it’s because it’s offending your culture’.

I once heard a leader say, ‘If something seems weird to you, it’s because it’s offending your culture’.

That’s pretty profound.

Read that again, ‘if something seems weird to you, it’s because it’s offending your culture’. Your culture refers to the collection of your (and your society’s) ideas, customs and social behaviors. You create a culture around you wherever you go.

So you, too, can create a culture of confidence, openness and hospitality, or one that can look like insecurity, hiddenness and distance.

When we think things are weird, strange or uncomfortable, it’s usually because they are new and not normal to our culture. The strangeness shows us that things are different and out of our control.

The way to find the treasure is by taking culture collisions as opportunities to learn.

The collision of cultures also reveals other ways to live. There is actually a treasure hidden in these collisions. The way to find the treasure is by taking culture collisions as opportunities to learn.

In these crucial moments, we have an important choice to make. This choice can lead you straight to the treasure, if you choose wisely.

Your choice is to open up or to close off.

Wouldn’t it be nice to fully be yourself, and be met with an open heart, even if that person is totally different than you?

We can choose to stay open and learn from different people, or we can close our hearts towards them.

If you find something or someone ‘weird’, I challenge you to stop and ask yourself, ‘what can I learn from this? How can I keep my heart open instead of closed?’.

A closed heart can sometimes look like a cold attitude, superficial kindness, judgement, gossip or rudeness.

An open heart can look like one that learns, loves, stays humble, listens, patiently observes, surrenders and aims for connection rather than agreement.

This open heart comes from the culture of heaven. It looks like the way of Jesus.

We are called to ‘be imitators of God, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God’ (Ephesians 5:1-2).

The way of love is the way of Jesus.

Here are some tools to keep your heart open, especially towards people and people groups not your own:

Pray.
Pray for the people you don’t understand. I can guarantee that if your heart is open to God and you pray for them, you will receive His heart for and perspective on them.

Asking God for His heart for the people and places that are different than you will change your heart in a beautiful way.

Choose thankfulness.
Choose something to be grateful for in regards to that person, place or situation.

Smile.
Appropriate eye contact and smiling can bridge many gaps.

Music.
Singing and worshiping together can build bonds deeper than most conversations can.

Learn.
Keep an attitude of a learner. Find something to learn about them or their background.

Research their culture, if possible.

Choose patience.
Don’t worry, it takes time.

Serve.
Find a way to serve and bless that person or people group in a way that makes them feel loved and honored. Research and observation may help you in this area.

Hospitality.
Find a way to invite them over for a meal and/or conversation. How can you make them feel at home?

These tools bring the culture of heaven to earth. When it comes to loving people groups not our own, Jesus is our ultimate example and strength.

He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

He leads us into this kind of love, so if you want to experience life to the fullest, entrust your life to Him and ask Him to show you His love.

This love changes the world. This love will give you a heart for all tribes, tongues and nations.

Let’s do this!

The post Embracing Cultures Makes Us More Like Jesus appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

It says: ‘As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy”.

In Hebrew, the word for holy is ‘Qadowsh’, and in the Greek it’s ‘Hagios’. Both of these words carried a tremendous amount of weight in biblical culture, but I think that meaning is largely lost in our culture.

As I have started to study the bible more, I have started to see that holiness is now my favourite thing about being a follower of Christ.

There are a couple of things that ‘holy’ can mean in the bible. One meaning is pure; clean, sinless, morally upright and perfect. Another meaning is to be set apart for God, to serve him; to be exclusively His. I find both to be very inspiring.

Holiness is the result of what Jesus did on the cross.

As we start to understand what it means to be ‘holy’, we need to be very careful that we don’t start thinking, ‘I need to make myself holy’.

We can’t do that.

It’s only the sacrifice of Jesus that can remove our sin and make us pure and clean before the Father (1 John 1:7-9). It’s important to know that have already been made holy.

‘If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’
– 1 John 1:6

Holiness is the choice to live a life with Christ as the centre-point.

Because of the empowerment of God’s Holy Spirit, we are invited to live lives that are set apart for His purposes — to be exclusively His. And this is where we choose to be holy.

This is where we choose to hold ourselves to a godly standard of living, rather than a worldly standard.

This is where we require a deliberate rejection of things that are ‘normal’ and take hold of things that are ‘different’. At times this is uncomfortable or inconvenient — but it leads us to really great rewards.

At times this is uncomfortable or inconvenient — but it leads us to really great rewards.

In Philippians 3:8-9, Paul acknowledges how many things he had to put aside to take a hold of Christ.

‘What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.’

As I start to see more of who God is, I see just how sweet relationship with Him can be.

The reward of holiness is greater intimacy with the Father.

My desire to walk in God’s ways is not motivated by fear of punishment but by the joy that comes with getting to know Him better. By living according to His standards, I find that I am drawn into a deeper sense of intimacy and closeness with Him.

I’ve found that the closer I get to God, the closer I want to be with Him.

After all, God is love (1 John 4:8), God is light (1 John 1:5) and God is life (John 14:6). I have found that the closer I get to Him, the better life becomes.

Now, I’m not saying that I get it right all the time. I still make mistakes, but the way I respond to God in those times is so important. If I continue to live a life that is falling short of (or ignoring) God’s standards, I will tend to run away from Him (John 3:20-21).

But by walking in humility and transparency when I fall short of His standard I no longer have any fear of being exposed, I no longer have any fear of being punished.

I no longer have any fear of being exposed.
I no longer have any fear of being punished.

Guilt and shame are broken in the light of transparency, which will cause me to run TO Him instead of away FROM Him.

When I run to Him I find forgiveness, comfort and mercy; and my soul can find rest in His embrace.

There is no greater feeling than hearing God say, ‘I see you, I know you, and I love you’.

My ongoing desire to live in holiness means it’s become easier and easier for me to hear and believe the Lord when He says that to me.

Some questions to consider:

• • What does it mean to me that God is Holy?
  • What does it mean to me that God is calling me to a holy lifestyle?
  • Is there anything God is asking me to leave behind in order to allow him to take the central point of my life?
  • What am I going to do about that?

The post Why Holiness is Now My Favourite Thing appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

Time for me to quickly dress in my business clothes, to brush my teeth and hair, slap on makeup, eat toast and throw on heels as I rush out the door.

My commute to work is short but I still wait until the last possible minute to arrive.

7:40am comes faster than I’m able to chew my last bites of toast as the ding of the elevator alerts me to the second floor of our executive offices. I walk forward for the hundredth time; excited to see my friends but not excited to work or chase this career.

“Why did I choose this job again? Why am I here?”

I’d ask myself these questions several times a week until I finally got honest with myself. Don’t get me wrong, I was beyond thankful for the jobs God provided but I realised it was time to pursue something that I felt made to do; a career path that matched my purpose.

So what was my purpose?

I thought back on my life, and the words God and others had spoken to me. I knew deep down I was built for relationships, leadership, discipleship, worship and the international community.

Every aeroplane flight to another country would give my heart wings as I imagined the people I’d meet, the cultural differences I’d learn about, the connections I’d make and the new foods I’d eat.

Ever since I was young, I felt fully alive in the times that I had meaningful conversations with another human being.

Throughout my teens and early twenties, I discovered a deep desire to follow Jesus in every sphere of society.

These were the things that propelled my spirit and soul.

Business was also a route I’d wanted to travel down but I had never surrendered the idea to God. Not until I was on it that I realised that life didn’t feel, well, very life-giving.

This was contrary to what Jesus says in John 10:10; that He came to give us life, and life to the fullest.

Where was this “fullest life” I was searching for?

I knew it couldn’t be found in my job, my relationships or resources.

My past experience with God reminded me that the only times I’ve experienced God’s deep love for me and “life to the fullest” were the times when I fully trusted Him, surrendered my plans to Him and followed His direction, with no looking back.

I decided to get real with myself and God that week.

Cut back to that Friday; it’s evening and I’m in my room. I’m kneeling by my bed and pouring out my heart out to God. I tell Him how much I desire to follow Him but don’t know if this business career path is His best for me. Something’s missing.

I tell Jesus about all the dreams I have for my life, and that I’m scared to let go and trust Him with what feels like a HUGE decision — a career change.

Essentially, I’m letting go of control; over my life’s direction and I ask Him to show me what to give my life to, for the next 10-20 years.

Though it was scary, I laid down all of my plans and dreams.

Yes; every single one. Marriage, comfort, the USA, a house, financial ease, to name a few.

And at the end of laying those dreams down at Jesus’ feet, and through many tears, I told Him I’d follow Him wherever He wanted to lead me. Even to Gila Bend (a small town in Arizona that was not my first choice to go and live).

Why did I do it?

I remembered times when I wasn’t sure which university to go to, or which gap year program to do. I had asked God to make it clear and every time, God led me down an awesome path absolutely filled to the BRIM with adventure.

I have never regretted following Him in my decisions.

So why wouldn’t I trust Him this time?

Surrender is a funny thing. It seems so scary, yet it leads to the greatest freedom of all time. And this was the time that I surrendered it all and was surprised soon after.

No joke, it wasn’t long after that I received a message from a friend on staff at YWAM Newcastle asking if I’d ever consider coming back into full-time missions.

It was that text that sparked a year-long journey that led me into missions; full-time, getting paid by faith and seeing God provide above and beyond every time.

Choosing to surrender my plans and comfort to God was the best move I ever made.

Following Jesus, no matter where is so worth it, friends. What ideas, plans or dreams do you need to surrender or lay down, to do life to the full? To do life with Jesus again?

I encourage you to talk to Jesus right now. I am confident He will speak to you and show you the way forward.

God bless you!

The post Why I Left My Career to Get Paid by Faith appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

Whether as a teacher, a chef or a swim instructor, we really can share the love and truth of Jesus in our workplaces. This is because evangelism and discipleship translates into each sphere of society.

And although inspired by missionary biographies, I, myself, never seriously considered a life in full-time ministry or missions.

I lived out my faith through a ‘typical’ job.

Starting in early high school, a plan began to formulate in my mind. Through various jobs, I recognised my love for working with children and youth. It felt natural. I had a passion for it.

With this awareness, I determined that a job in teaching would be the most obvious and fulfilling way to operate in my passion and share my faith. I moved in that trajectory by studying primary education.

After completing my degree, I moved to Guatemala and taught at an international school.

I had incredible freedom to share my faith with my students and to encourage both their academic and spiritual growth. During my second year of teaching, God arrested my attention and paused me on the path I was on and, I joined a YWAM Discipleship Training School (DTS) for 6 months instead.

Midway through the DTS God spoke to me through Ezekiel 3.

In this chapter, God affirms His call on Ezekiel’s life to be a prophet to the Israelites.

God expresses that Ezekiel’s work is to speak the word of the Lord to His people, ‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me’ [Ezekiel 3:17].

God shared with me a call that He has on my life — to bring His words to young people.

Just as God had sent Ezekiel to his own people; God was sending me to young people.

In the same chapter, God places an emphasis on how the Israelites will be transformed. It was not Ezekiel’s responsibility to bring about heart change within the people.

Rather God called him to simple obedience; ‘Say the words I give you.’

In the same way, God shared with me that while I am called to young people — I am not the one bringing the transformation. He is.

I am simply a messenger of the Good News.

With this call to young people, God brought a theme into focus — full-time youth ministry.

During an international outreach of DTS, I was involved in a few youth programs; in Sri Lanka our team supported a surf ministry for young women and in Thailand, we taught English in a juvenile detention centre.

It was upon returning home to the US that I stepped into a part-time position; leading the youth group at my church.

While in some ways challenging, I was pushed into a deeper relationship with the Father.

To seek Him for wisdom and direction. To partner with Him in planning. To deepen my love for the Word as I prepared for teachings.

Within the year of finishing my DTS, I felt God’s leading and my own growing desire — and from there, I jumped into a full-time youth ministry role with YWAM.

In the journey from full-time teaching to full-time youth ministry, I felt God teaching me this: while I can be missional in any workplace, He was calling me to missions as my workplace.

Is missions for me?

Yes! And it could be for you.

The post Why I Left Teaching to Work in Youth Ministry appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

I know there are some people that say God and sports can’t fit together, but I’ve found that to be far from true.

The God that I know is deeply interested in me, which means He cares about what I care about.

Involving God in my love of sport was what attracted me to the Sports Discipleship Training School (DTS) at YWAM Newcastle, and has since led me on some really wild adventures.

Here are 3 things that I’ve learnt having been involved with sports ministry over the last 10 years:

1 . Sport is attractive:

No matter where you are in the world, people of all ages are drawn to sport. That means it’s a great way to connect with people from a whole bunch of socio-economic, linguistic, religious or ethnic backgrounds.

If you are playing sport on outreach somewhere, sometimes you will draw the attention of a couple of people, and other times a couple hundred! This means you will be able to meet and interact with people that you may not normally be able to.

2 . Sport can expose true character:

I’ve found that people tend to drop their walls and reveal their true selves while playing (or watching) sport.

Playing sport with a God-honouring mentality (by playing with a sweet spirit towards the opposition, celebrating the success of your teammates, remembering that God is pleased and present) can help shift the atmosphere at any sporting fixture.

When playing with people that I’m leading or discipling, I can be an example of what Christ-like character looks like, and help refine that in others.

For a while, I had 1 Corinthians 10:31 written on my cricket bat. It says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”.

That helped keep my mentality on Christ; thanking him for the skills He had given me, and serving as a reminder that He was present with me as I was playing.

3 . Sport can provide opportunities:

I think I expected that the people I was reaching out to would miraculously open up and share heart-to-heart because we had been playing sport. It doesn’t often work like that.

As in any area of life, it takes about 10 seconds of courage to start a God-centered conversation on the field. That could look like asking a very simple question, teaching a group based on a biblical/sports metaphor or sharing a little part of your testimony. You may also offer to pray for someone who has been injured!

Playing sport doesn’t cause people to miraculously open up but it can give you the opportunity to start a conversation about faith.

We have sent DTS teams from YWAM Newcastle to the Commonwealth Games (2018), the Olympics (2012 and 2016), and the World Cup (2010, 2014 and 2018).

All of these have provided opportunities to connect with people from various countries around the world, and we have seen hundreds of people respond to Christ at these events.

And you could be a part of this too!

The post Playing Sport as a Missionary appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

Here are some fun ideas to help you create a new routine and make the best use of your day…

 1. SKIP THE SNOOZE BUTTON

It’s best to try and save this little luxury for the weekends. To begin your day well why not skip the snooze button and start your morning slow? With many of us working from home we now have more time to use in the mornings. This is a great chance to listen to some worship, grab a cuppa and read a devotional all in the comfort of your cosy bed. Slow down and savour this moment in God’s presence. Don’t forget to write down what you are getting from the Lord as you seek His heart for your day. Enjoy!

2. NOURISH YOUR BODY

Now is a good time to create a new habit to forget social media until you have had breakfast. Feel free to mix things up a little and get creative. Sometimes it’s the small things that make a breaky that little bit extra, eg. honey on your oats or shredded coconut on your muesli. Whatever your breakfast preference is make it top priority to give your body some nourishing fuel for the day.

3. GET ACTIVE

It doesn’t need to be a huge work out (unless that’s your thing) but why not go for a walk around the block? If that is not an option find an app that has your exercise style and give yourself a ten-minute timeframe. It’s not about the length of time but the regularity. Start small and build yourself up to a new routine.

4. USE THAT WARDROBE

As tempting as it is to lie around all day in sweatpants – it’s important for your mental health to make an effort to get dressed in the morning. Have a bit of fun and experiment with outfits or bust out something fancy. Putting on a change of clothes can also positively impact your mood and help bring you into a new day.

5. A NEW READING ROUTINE

Choose a book to learn and a book for fun. This season is a great opportunity to be ‘mentored’ by authors who will challenge you to go to the next level. Ask your mates for a good recommendation and read it together. Reading is a good activity to keep your brain alert. Along with a teaching book be sure to pick up a good novel – one that sparks your imagination!

6. A ROUTINE TO GET INSPIRED

In the age of the internet, there are so many online resources available to keep you inspired. Watch a TED talk, listen to a podcast, start a new Bible reading plan or read a cool blog. Pick a topic or an interest and get inspired!

7. STAY CONNECTED

Although we have more time to be online it doesn’t mean that we are necessarily ‘connected’. Don’t forget the value of intentional relationship especially in a time like this. Being intentional is something we need to be deliberate about and put in a little extra effort. Why not reach out to someone and connect online over a coffee and chat? It can be an opportunity to share what is on your heart and ask what God is doing in theirs. It’s important to process things in your life that you are reflecting upon and get input from others you respect and admire.

8. SET SOME GOALS

Make a list of things you have always wanted to do but never had the time for. Make it realistic and try not to challenge yourself beyond what is possible for this year with the current situation. For example, one goal could be to read the entire New Testament or start learning a new language. It’s important to know why you are setting these goals and what you hope they will achieve.

Pick a routine above and make it a part of your daily habit. There are beautiful things that God is doing in this season; pay attention to your day and don’t miss it!

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