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5th May 2009 by Jarrod Newton

Simo and I have just spent an awesome long weekend up in Yeppoon for Central & North Queensland Youth Councils! Big shout out to all the guys from CNQ, we had a blast hanging out with you all, and an even bigger blast watching how God moved. Thanks for welcoming us so openly!

On Saturday morning I had the privilege of being able to speak on Daniel 6 - about winning the battle for our personal time with God. One of the final challenges was ‘Get Inspired' - about how we can make sure that our personal time with God never becomes stale, or boring, or a chore, but is always fresh and exciting!

Get inspired!

We looked at the fact God has made each of us unique, and so the ways that we connect with him are going to match up with the way he created us! So without further ado, here's some practical tips to help you connect...

If you're a reader...

Then once you've finished reading Twilight or whatever else you're into at the moment, make your next book a Christian book. Something simple yet challenging like 'Soul Seekers' by Judah Smith would be a great start. Plus there's some fantastic Christian youth websites out there with great articles (as well as MORE, you might want to check out soulpurpose.co.nz).

And don't forget that some of the best stories you'll ever read are found in the Bible! The book of Mark is a great place to get started.

If you're a listener...

Then head to iTunes and sign up to a couple of sermon podcasts. You can get regular downloads of awesome preaches from guys at Planetshakers (PlanetBoom), CCC Ofxford Falls (Stadium Generation) and heaps more!

If you're a watcher...

If you've got a bit of money lying around, then head to your local Christian bookstore and invest in some DVDs - the Nooma series, plus DVDs of Hillsong concerts, whatever you want! If you're a bit short on cash, you can still find some good stuff online if you look hard enough. One of the best free productions I've found is Hillsong's weekly TV show.

If anyone knows of any specific youth ministry videocasts or online TV shows then leave a comment to let us know!

If you're a musician...

Then find time every day to engage with God through music. Chuck on a worship CD and just sit and reflect on the words of songs, write your own songs, or sing scripture/bible verses over yourself.

If you love the outdoors...

Then do your best to make sure you're outside when you're doing your devotions. My wife connects with God in this way - every tree, every star, every natural wonder is reminder of God's power and glory. Often her times of feeling closest to God are in the midst of his amazing creation.

If you're an extrovert...

Then it's ok to include other people in your personal time with God! Organise to meet up with one or two others regularly to pray and read the Bible together. You should still work on having a bit of one-on-one time with God, but you're probably going to be more energised and inspired when there's a few of you together!

Bill Hybels writes in Courageous Leadership "For these people, solitude feels like solitary confinement... It feels suffocating... But inject a strong dose of relationship into their pursuit of God and watch what happens! Almost immediately these individuals begin to thrive spiritually."

If you connect best with God when other people are around, then stop apologising for it and celebrate it! Make sure your devotional time regularly includes other people.

If you're an introvert...

Then make sure you leave plenty of time for reflection. For some people this might look like journalling, for others it could be a form of meditation, but one way or another make sure you have time just to stop and think.

And at the end of the day, the best way to be inspired is to mix it up. Doing things the same way all the time will get stale, no matter how good a match for your personality it is. Start asking other people how they connect with God to expand your own perspective. Find someone with an awesome prayer life or who connects with God in a way you admire and ask them to mentor you so that you can learn from them.

There's plenty of inspiration out there! The question is have you positioned yourself to see it?

Till next time,

Jarrod Newton

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1. 

   Leah Robinson

   May 05, 2009 at 11:57am

   Awesome.. thanks heaps again for everything jarrod and simo.. thanks for the reminder here about ways we can connect with God... for me reading in creation is it for me.. or listening to music while watching the stars or clouds go by... totally understand your wife...
   Thanks again for helping us to connect even more to our awesome God.. Bless ya all

   Reply
2. 

   Dan Walters

   May 05, 2009 at 12:12pm

   its good jarrod!

   Reply
3. 

   Belinda

   May 05, 2009 at 1:32pm

   Check out a guy called Reggie Dabbs. Has own website but you can find his stuff me youtube aswell. Awesome youth speaker!

   Reply
4. 

   Feanny

   May 08, 2009 at 1:06pm

   Hey Jarrord,
   
   You were spot on mate. You expressed it so well & i truly believe that our youth up here are digging deeper & finding their unique way of connecting.
   
   For me, i have a few ways, music (playing or listening), watcher (nooma dvd's, shakers dvds) & on the rare occasion Outdoors nite or day.
   
   Thanks again for reminding us how easy it truly is... just us humans like to make it complicated.

   Reply
5. 

   Shandri Brown

   May 11, 2009 at 10:26am

   Hey jarrod,
   good stuff. Thanks

   Reply
6. 

   Azza

   May 11, 2009 at 10:12pm

   Thanx man!!!

   Reply
7. 

   Cal Harmer

   May 11, 2009 at 10:21pm

   hey Jarrod
   
   awesome word! let me tell you... it actually works too!
   me being musical and all... i've started to listen to the 'words' not the 'music'. and it helps.
   
   Our God is a God who saves!
   
   Cal.

   Reply
8. 

   Jarrod Newton

   May 12, 2009 at 3:54pm

   Thanks everyone! Really appreciate your encouragement =)

   Reply