I think we’d all agree that spending time with Jesus is at the top of our priority list.

Quiet times in the morning, with our Bible, journal, and cup of coffee. Maybe some worship music on in the background. Peaceful and Christ-centered. The perfect way to start our day.

Or that’s our plan, at least. Until life gets in the way.

Babies scream all night, and the morning comes far too quickly. Toddlers fight going to bed long after you’d planned on heading to bed yourself. Or maybe you’re like me and carrying a baby who has taken over your body and requires more rest from you than you’d care to give.

Maybe your alarm clock is the monitor next to your bed. Not that I would know anything about that.

Life. It happens. And I’m finding that life with littles is totally unpredictable. That morning time I had planned the night before often gets skipped in the morning because of something more urgent. Like sleep. Or an overflowing diaper.

In hopes of getting my quiet time “on track”, I’ve tried a lot of things. I’ve done a few different online Bible studies, multiple times. The ones where you join a group of women online and walk through a study together. The community and accountability are priceless, and I’ve loved being in those groups. Love, love, loved it. Except for one thing.

I always fall behind.

Without fail, I’ll get a week into the study (if I’m lucky), and miss a day. And then I’m behind with no hope of catching up, unless I put the rest of life on hold for a day. Or three. Which is impossible. So, being behind the rest of the women in the group, I stop contributing my thoughts (since I’m on the lesson they did 3 days ago), and slowly fade out.

Every. Time.

I know, I KNOW, there is so much to be said about sticking with a study, and self-discipline, and making sure that nothing stands in the way of your Jesus time. I know.

But I’m also learning that life comes in seasons. And this season of life, where I’m a pregnant mommy, trying to support my hubby in his new job, keep the house somewhat clean (or finish unpacking the somewhat clean house…), and put 3 meals on the table each day, just doesn’t quite fit a cookie-cutter 8-week study with an assigned lesson for every day of the week.

I. Just. Can’t.

It’s a bummer though. It’s discouraging that I feel like I can’t join Bible study groups that I know are so wonderful. And that feeling doesn’t come from those groups, it comes from me. I know I can’t keep up, so I feel bad before we even begin. So I’ve stopped joining. And I’m back to struggling my way through finding a quiet time routine that works for me, except this time without the support of any other Christian women.

Can you relate?

If you can, I’ve got something that I’m hoping you’ll love. 🙂

For those of us whose heart cry is for more of Jesus in our crazy, unpredictable lives, I’d like to invite you to…

 Simply Devoted is a community of women. Of us. Women who yearn for Jesus, for encouragement in our daily devotions, and for the fellowship of other women.

This community will be formed by small groups, ideally 5 members and 1 leader. They will be facilitated through Facebook groups, where members will get to know each other, pray for each other, and focus on their quiet times together.

Sound familiar? I know. Except for one major difference.

There will be no official study.

Simply Devoted is all about making God-time simple for real life women, and that means that we’ve got no curriculum. Every woman in your group is free to do their own study. Ready to walk through a Beth Moore study? Awesome. Want to read a book of the Bible? Fantastic. Happy to manage a devotional reading each day? More power to you.

We’re not devoted to a program, a specific study, or a curriculum. We’re devoted to time with Him. However that looks in your life right now. We want to make time with God a priority in our hearts and our lives, and that’s going to look different for each of us. We get that. So let’s embrace it.

Each woman is free to do whatever type of quiet time the Lord is leading them to. The only requirement is that we crack open our Bibles and do SOMETHING. Then, in the groups, we will each share one thing (ONE THING!) that the Lord put on our hearts that day. Maybe a verse, maybe a thought, maybe a quote from a book you’re reading.

Groups will be small enough that we can really get to know each other, be able to share honestly, and genuinely encourage and pray for one another. You’ll have a leader to keep you involved, and new friends to keep you accountable.

Simply Devoted groups will kick off around the beginning of September. So you’ve got a month to think about whether or not this is something you’d like to be a part of.

I hope it is. I hope that Simply Devoted is something that encourages you because it’s something you can actually do. A way to simplify the devotional time that we’ve made so complicated, and just be with Him. And in turn, encourage one another to do the same.

Interested? If you are, please hop on over and fill out our intake form. It’s got all the information I’ll need to place you in a group. 🙂 Just click on the link below:

Simply Devoted Groups – Intake Form

So, that’s our big news! I’d love your prayers as I’m putting these groups together and getting everything all ready. In the meantime, you can hop on over and “like” Simply Devoted on Facebook and Pinterest! You can also sign up for the Simply Devoted newsletter for all the important updates and information that you’ll need!

What do you think? Are you ready to be Simply Devoted?