Four Ways to Nurture Spiritual Growth
Using Your Phone to Grow Your Relationship with God
by Jennifer Trautmann
After pressing the snooze button for the second time, I finally reached for my phone. I began to scroll to “ease” into my day. When I finally got up to shower, I felt a “not enough” feeling. Aimlessly scrolling was not working. I knew I needed to pursue discipleship instead of letting social media lead me down a rabbit trail of blah. A light bulb came on. What if I use my phone to my spiritual benefit instead of my detriment? That’s when I began to make some intentional shifts toward daily spiritual practices. I even found some apps that boost this endeavor. You can too.
Harness your phone as a tool to help you grow intentionally in your relationship with God. I recommend the following four tips to nurture spiritual disciplines in your everyday life and four apps to help you pursue growth in each area.
Aimlessly scrolling on social media leads us down a rabbit trail of blah.
1. Seek God’s story before the world’s stories.
App: Lectio 365 (24-7 Prayer International)
Your news feed is ready to give you a story of scarcity and fear. Social media can leave you believing the lie that you are not enough. Author Justin Whitmel Earley, in the book The Common Rule, talks about how every morning we look to attach ourselves to stories that compete for our identity. He says, “Our most true sense of identity is found only in the story of who we are becoming, and that story is found in the words of the Bible.* The Lectio 365 app helps you wrap your identity in the story of God with morning and evening Scripture meditations.
2. Cultivate a habit of curiosity.
App: BibleProject (BibleProject)
Use your interest to lead you deeper. Did a question pop up during the last sermon you heard? Have you ever wondered how the Bible came to be or what “hallowed be thy name” actually means? Research Scripture, and follow the breadcrumbs. Delve into what the Bible is all about with the BibleProject app.
3. Be willing to expand beyond your denominational traditions.
App: Centering Prayer (Contemplative Outreach)
Walk a prayer labyrinth, or take part in a charismatic praise and worship gathering. Attend a solo retreat for a dedicated time of solitude with God. According to author and pastor Glenn Packiam, finding new wells to fill your spiritual cup can give life when your old practices have run dry. The Centering Prayer app helps you practice silence for a few minutes a day by suggesting a psalm or prayer to center your focus containing both an audio and visual timer.
Find new wells to fill your spiritual cup when your old practices have run dry.
4. Accept the invitation to self-examination.
App: Reimagining the Examen (Loyola Press)
During the practice of self-examination, the Holy Spirit can nudge you toward transformation. Author Ruth Haley Barton talks about this in her book Sacred Rhythms.** She quotes Robert Mulholland, saying, “The process of being conformed to the image of Christ takes place right there at the point of our unlikeness to Christ.”*** The Reimagining the Examen app invites you into a habit of reflecting on your day with questions such as: “To what or whom have you grown unhealthily attached?”, or “Where have you let fear take over?” The app challenges you gently in both confession and forgiveness.
In a world where needs, commitments, and even apps are constantly fighting for attention, these particular apps help me carve out spiritual spaces and places to meet with Jesus.
* Justin Whitmel Earley, The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2019), 82.
** Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 92-93.
*** M. Robert Mulholland, Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 38.
Jennifer Trautmann is a photographer and minister who could eat a poke bowl nonstop. @gratitudephotompls
Subscribe to Truly MagazineListen to The Truly Co Podcast on Apple and Spotify |