Years ago, when Jason and I were first married, I was browsing through a thrift store on my lunch break. I was casually looking through the books when a well loved book caught my attention. 

The title was Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Now normally I don't just pick up any old book that labels itself "Christian." But this particular book had endorsements on the back from some pastors I greatly respected. So I snagged it for $2.00 and began reading. 

And the result has been one of the biggest impacts on my spiritual life ever. I have since gone on to read his newer books Praying the Bible and Family Worship. Since then, Donald Whitney has become one of my favorite authors and I have shared his books and wisdom here in my ministry countless times. And this weekend, I got the chance to meet him. 

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This past weekend we had the privilege of hosting a conference at our church where Donald Whitney spoke. He taught sessions on how to cultivate a deeper prayer life and Bible study life. The conference was incredible! 

And after the conference, I got 15 amazing minutes to interview him. I had some burning questions about how to practice Spiritual Disciplines when you are super strapped for time and feel like you can't add anything else to your to-do list (Anyone else feel like this??). You can go up and listen to the full audio podcast or watch the video interview below. 

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What Are Spiritual Disciplines? 

Now that I have become so familiar with his books and ministry, I use the term "Spiritual Disciplines" a lot. But I understand it can be a little strange if you are not familiar with that wording. 

"The Spiritual Disciplines are those practices found in Scripture that promote spiritual growth among believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are the habits of devotion and experiential Christianity that have been practiced by the people of God since biblical times." - Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, page 4

Basically, Spiritual Disciplines are these things we can do to promote spiritual growth and grow closer to God such as fasting, journaling, Scripture memorization, and chief among them: Bible reading & prayer. Throughout the last two years, the emphasis I've placed on Spiritual Disciplines in my own life and on my blog has been on Bible reading and prayer as these are the two most important disciplines. 

What do we do when we have NO time?

One of the biggest struggles, as a mom of five young kids who is busy managing a household, is finding the time to read and pray. And when I do manage to find some time, the struggle comes in trying to stay awake! It can be tough to develop these practices into habits and then to actually get something out of it. 

Donald Whitney addresses this so well in the video and gives some incredible encouragement. But I think the thing I took most away from the conference and from speaking to Donald, is that the Spiritual Disciplines do take work and discipline. They are not always easy to cultivate and sometimes it's going to take some sacrifice on my part to make happen. 

If I am so busy and tired in this season that I can't stay awake to read my Bible, then I can stand by my bed so I won't accidentally fall asleep, and read for 5 minutes. Or play the Bible via my favorite Bible app while I cook breakfast and clean up the dishes.