It’s officially summertime! Kids are home, work still is ongoing, and routines go out the window. You may find that all your good habits you’ve worked hard to develop during the school year…start to fade. This is why I’m giving you my 4 tips to stay connected with Christ during summer. Learn how to keep these four foundational pillars as a priority, and see how your relationship with God grows.
Now, don’t worry. These four tips will help you stay kingdom focused, leaving plenty of room for even more summer fun. Remember, hanging with Jesus is the best thing you can do for your spiritual growth. Pro tip: Let your kids see you do these 4 tips to stay connected with Christ this summer. There are exponential benefits of modeling these for your children. Yes, they’re home for the summer, so bring them into what you’re doing.
“So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.”
Hebrews 2:1
It is our sinful, human nature that causes us to naturally drift away from God. Think about it, we don’t naturally want to eat healthy food or hit the gym every day. We don’t accidentally fall into our Bible or have intentional conversations telling others about Christ. In a marriage worth fighting for, you have to pursue time with your spouse. Same goes for our relationship with God. We have to actively spend time with Him in order to grow our relationship in a healthy way. Let’s let this verse from Hebrews give us a humbling approach to this post/podcast episode.
Tip #1: Stick with Your Bible Routine
Routines are so easily thrown off during summer. This is an official fact taken from the experiences of all parents from around the world, over the course of many years. There are generally no set schedules, which means, reading your Bible can accidentally be put on the back burner. As Christians, we don’t intentionally try to slip away from our relationship with Christ. But, as summer moves along, we can quickly slip out of our good, Bible reading habits.
Tip #1 of my 4 tips to stay connected with Christ during summer is to stick with your Bible reading routine as best you can. Hear me say this, tweak as necessary! Many days, my Bible reading takes place in audio format while I’m driving to pick up kids from school. Since there is no school I’ll be driving to every day, I need to make some changes. I can switch up my Bible reading routine a variety of ways:
- Listen during my morning routine while I get ready
- Tune in while I do household chores
- Play the audio downstairs while the kids play upstairs
- Give the kids the option of listening with me or doing something else
Even just five minutes of reading your Bible is better than no minutes. Listen, if your kids can sit and watch a few episodes of Bluey, that gives you plenty of time to read while they smile at the cute little dogs living their best lives. Any time with God is better than no time at all.
I’ve learned over the years to let the kids know what I’m doing, and that it’s very important. I like to give them the option of joining, so they know that they’re welcome. I say things like, “Either join me, or give me a few minutes.” “I’m always interruptible if you need me.” I always remind my kids that spending time with God is the most important thing I can be doing, not only for myself, but for them.
Pro tip: Be patient in this process. You and the kids will need to work through how this looks best. Some days, my kids grab their Bible or coloring book and sit next to me. Sometimes I read aloud while they’re at the table. Be flexible during the interruptions, and gently point them back to your needing to focus (whether that’s listening or reading your Bible). Hint: This is a great opportunity to read their Bible to them. You can discuss along the way, and kid friendly translations are easy to understand. Wins all around!
Tip #2: Practice Praying Constantly
The second of my 4 tips to stay connected with Christ during summer is focused on talking with God. Again, your routine may be thrown off a bit, so staying flexible will be key. If you’re still working on the habit of prayer, great! I encourage you to do my 40 Day Prayer Challenge. You can click this link, and it’ll take you to where you can get your free workbook. Or, head to wherever you listen to your podcasts and download episodes 245-285.
I have a few favorite ways of practicing a lifestyle of prayer, so I’ll list several, and you can choose a couple to start with, or mix it up. Depending on the day or summer activity, a good change of pace can be refreshing. There are many “right” ways to pray, so don’t overthink it. Just remember that God loves you and wants to talk to His kids. If you need some intentional reminders to pray, here ya go!
- Create an alarm for the top of each hour during the day (or hit repeat on a one hour timer). When the alarm goes off, stop and pray.
- Set your alarm five minutes early. When it goes off, hit snooze, but instead of falling back asleep, spend that time in prayer (sitting up helps).
- Take a stretch break. Spend a few minutes stretching, and pray throughout that time. It’s good for body and soul
- On your knees. Take a moment to get on your knees and pray. This position keeps you focused, humbled, and it’ll stretch your back out nicely.
- Pray while you brush your teeth or your morning routine.
Praying often is a great way to stay connected to Christ. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, practicing a lifestyle of prayer helps you grow closer to Christ. If you’re out swimming with the kids or going on a walk, take a moment to thank God for all the good He is doing. Again, if you’re looking to develop a habit of prayer, try my 40 Day Prayer Challenge. It’s episodes 245-285, and you can click this link, to get your free workbook.
Take these prayer ideas and tweak them as needed. If you’re not a morning person and you’d rather go to bed later and pray yourself to sleep, do that! When we stay in a good habit of regularly praying, our relationship with God grows. Think about it, when you spend time chatting with someone, you bond and build a relationship. Same here! The more you pray, the more you can stay connected with Christ during summer.
Tip #3 Keep in Community
The 3rd tip of my 4 tips to stay connected with Christ during summer is all about friendships! Hooray! The Bible frequently mentions us living in Christian community on a regular basis. So, carrying that into the summer will be beneficial. There are tons of scriptures speaking of the benefits of living in community. This inner circle builds you up, spurs you on, and is there to carry the load when you need it the most.
Side note of a real life event: In episode 185, I talk about how my home group came through big time when my son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age three. They stepped up, rallied around our family, and absolutely crushed it in the Biblical community department. CLICK HERE to tune into that episode. If you know someone who’s recently gone through a medical lifestyle change, this episode gives you all the details on how you can help. Now, back to community.
Summer schedules are crazy and family vacations are sporadic when you look at your home group’s planned trips. And…the camps…When was that camp again? Have we missed the payment deadline? Is drop off/pick up at the most random times of the day? Yes, there’s a lot of mental load, so do yourself a favor and intentionally plan regular time with your life group. Here are some great ways to stay in Biblical community throughout the summer.
- Weekly gatherings to discuss the previous sermon
- Meet ups at local parks, splash pads, libraries, etc…
- Prayer texts in an ongoing thread
- Make a call plan and pick one person a week to call and chat
- One on one coffee sessions or lunches
- Church Bible studies (hooray weekly meetups with childcare!)
- Girls nights! Husbands watch the kids while the girls hang
- Guys pickle ball nights (or bball, or whatever they’re into)
There are a million right ways to continue to hang out with your Biblical community. No matter what it is y’all are doing this summer, keep God in it. Pray for each other, encourage one another, and intentionally ask about each others’ spiritual walk. Make it a point to regularly get together, and be genuine. When we’re vulnerable with each other on purpose, it can be used for a purpose.
Tip #4: Share Your Faith
The final of my 4 tips to stay connected with Christ during summer, is as simple as you let it be. Telling others about God. Wait! Don’t turn off the episode or click off this post! In the book of Matthew, God specifically commissions us to go tell others about Him. When He said that, it wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command. Here’s the gut check you may have not wanted to hear: Sometimes we have to get over ourselves, and start professing our faith.
Yes, you may be an introvert. Or, you may not know what to talk about, or *insert excuse here*. The point is, if you have access to life changing information, information that will save souls, why hide it? The most loving thing you can do for a lost person is tell them about the God who saved your life, and wants to save theirs too.
It doesn’t have to be some big, scary conversation. You don’t need to randomly approach someone and ask if they know your Lord and savior Jesus Christ. You can absolutely do that if you want, but know that there are many good ways to tell others about God. Listen, summer is full of random plans, and you’ll run into random people. So you can always take a low risk approach, because guess what, you may never see that person again!
Are you on vacation out of state and a small talk begins to happen? Great! Sprinkle some Jesus into that conversation. Again, it doesn’t have to be, “Do you know Jesus?”. It can be something as simple as, “Wow, God sure gave us some pretty weather today.” Then, you can see where that conversation leads. Here are some tips about telling others about Jesus:
- Pray and ask God for the right words, tone, and delivery
- Ask God to open up opportunities to express your faith
- Listen to the Holy Spirit and act on His nudges
- Remember that God equips you
Keep it simple. Don’t over think it, and let God show up. Souls are at stake, and you know what will save them! Don’t hold back. Be bold in your faith and who God has called you to be. Summer is the perfect time for a lighthearted, no pressure conversation. You know what I do? Shoot, while the kids are home for the summer I practice on them! I try to see how I can fit God into anything we’re talking about or doing. Practice here, and you’ll be surprised at how you can begin to see God working all around you
You can do it!
There it is! My 4 tips to stay connected with Christ during Summer. When we can prioritize these four pillars, we will grow closer to God. Let’s recap the tips:
- Stick with your Bible reading plan
- Practice praying constantly
- Keep in community
- Share your faith
When we do these four things consistently, we can become more like Jesus every day. Ask God to guide you this summer, keep you accountable, and have fun in this process.
Links from the Show
- Summer Thrive Guide Mini Series (ep 291-304)
- 40 Day Prayer Challenge
- Type 1 Diabetes, Rhett’s episode 185
- Witty & Gritty on Instagram
