“Spiritual disciplines” are things we do to stay in love with God and grow in faith. They can be things we do alone or together; they can be ways to spend time with God or to serve others. As the people of Sylva First UMC share one of their spiritual disciplines with you each week, we hope it will inspire you to new ways of loving God and growing in faith.
Hello, my name is Chris Hartbarger. For about the past two years, I have spent time in the evening reading scripture and bible plans through the Bible app. I honestly feel that the Bible app has helped me
through some difficult situations throughout my high school career and has given me a sense of relief while using the plans. The plans start with a devotion that allows the writer of the plan to share their
personal experiences as well as words of encouragement.
I would definitely recommend trying the app and reading a plan. There are many different types of plans. A very helpful aspect of the app is that you can select a plan based on a situation, experience, emotion, and you can even choose plans that were designed specifically just for men or just for women. I personally have read plans that dealt with feelings of anxiety, feeling lost, have difficulty with making a decision, and there are even plans tailored for athletes and the situations they experience while participating in sports.
A specific spiritual discipline that I have been practicing using these reading plans, is to go through and read the devotion and story, and then read the scripture connected with the devotion. I then take time and meditate on it, and then think of a person in my life that comes to mind when I read the verses of the scripture. I have had scriptures remind me of teammates, family members, teachers, and other important individuals in my life. Taking this time to pray for others while reading scripture always makes me feel closer to God and I fell it really strengthens and solidifies the relationship I have with Him.
