Our Daily Bread

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,^[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.^[b]

– Jesus teaching disciples to pray, Matthew 6:9-13

One discipline many of us struggle with is dedicated time for our spiritual practice.  I pray daily while I’m doing things and sing along with every worship song on the radio,  but I don’t get into the Word of God nearly often enough.

A lot of my early life was spent as part of the church. It helped that I grew up in a tiny little town. There were two entities that had events: the school and the church. There was only one school in town and 2 churches. Half of the people in my church also worked at the school, so there’s no getting things by on the church. You’re held to a higher standard in rural towns.

My parents are strong believers. They went on some short term mission trips and came back on fire for God’s calling. They included teachings of God in much of our lives. There were many mornings that my dad would pull out Our Daily Bread and read it to us while we ate breakfast. It was a nice start to the day. We went to church as a family most of the time. My father even got a chance to preach at times.

I was a very active member of our church. I was part of the youth group, the bell choir, the Christmas drama, and often ended up part of any other thing we had going on. I also took part in the youth group from the other church in town. Like I said, rural town; not much to do.

When I became an adult, my time was now in my own hands. I also moved to a place that had LOTS AND LOTS of events. I could go to a different event every single day if I wanted to. I also could be part of 90 different groups if I wanted. Church and school were not my only options any longer. Slowly, my spiritual practice time got chewed away at.

I was lucky that I transferred my junior year to a school with a fairly active Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. I got involved in their Bible studies, their events, and even the gospel choir on campus. I didn’t need to do a lot of my own creation of spiritual practice time; this group created a lot of that for me. They also gave me accountability and “homework” to keep me up to speed.

Out of college, I got a job at a Christian camp. During their off season, they hosted retreats, so I became their retreat hostess. Once again, I was in direct service of God. My job included prayer, honest vulnerable talk about beliefs, and events that included the worship of the One Whom I Love.

Then, I married and got a job in my field. We haven’t had a “home” church for about 6 years. In this time, my resolve to spend time in my Bible and in worship has flagged. I’m blessed enough to have a great local radio station that offers worship music. There’s an AM station that has talk shows and sermons that gives me some learning when I crave it. I still pray whenever I’m led. The radio has sustained that “alone time” feel most of the time; it still felt lacking.

And then I discovered podcasts. In particular,  Our Daily Bread. I know that some might not like this publication’s format. That’s fine.  I may not relate to the writing every single day.  That’s fine too. The encouragement that I get from these 5-10 minute devotionals is worth every minute that may have seemed wasted at the time.

Commutes can be brutal. Something to listen to can be the difference between road rage and a calm ride. Radio stations lose signal at times. They also can air songs or sermons that get my ire up. The memory of a specific song being used to abuse someone can make me change the station. A sermon that highlights hatred or bigotry can do the same to me. That has been when I turn to the podcasts lately. Your church may have a podcast; many churches have gone to offering them. Getting a serving of the Bible is helpful for me. If you feel similarly, I included a link to the podcast I listen to for Our Daily Bread below.

Link for Our Daily Bread Podcast on Google Play Music: https://play.google.com/music/m/Ijpqyhygtcg63n5iutxzgt46cye?t=Our_Daily_Bread_Podcast_Our_Daily_Bread

I don’t know how many other sites have the podcast. I’m sure you can just search it in your software of choice. Either way, I hope you find a podcast or group that can offer you something to fill the static between your road rage and your craving for more in this life. While you look, keep moving; we’ll see you on the road.