It doesn’t matter if it’s the beginning of a new year or the middle of a long one, sometimes you just get in a rut. Your church attendance hasn’t wavered, you’re still spending time with the Lord (for the most part), you’re in regular Bible study, and everything should be fine, but it’s not. Things are just…off.
It happens.
Many times we get swept away by our own routines and life just seems to be a series of mundane occurrences. You know as well as we do that there’s no magic formula to shake us out of our ruts, but sometimes it helps to get our hands on something that speaks to us right where we are. You know, some words from an author who just seems to put both hands on our shoulders and say, “Listen, it’s time to wake up…”
SingleRoots Writers Say…
For wise counsel, we asked some of our SingleRoots alumni writers to weigh in on the matter. Here’s what they had to say:
“Book studies on Sabbath keeping. If you’re in a rut you probably need to slow down. No good spinning your wheels when you’re stuck.”
::Jeff Pate, author of Instant Mania: Giving Myself Permission to Grow Slowly
“Eugene Peterson’s Run with the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best is one of my all-time favorite books. It shook me out of a fairly deep rut a few years ago. The title is based on Jeremiah 12:5, ‘If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?’ Peterson uses the book of Jeremiah as a basis for challenging the reader to not get so distracted by the routines or chaos of life that we allow them to interrupt our relentless pursuit of Christ.”
:: Jessica Bufkin, author of How to Frustrate Your Friends: A Confession
“I read the Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions on a regular basis and pray the prayers during my times with the Lord. They carry such richness and theological depth that it’s hard to stay in the same rut when you’re constantly being reminded of the good and great God in which we serve. You can get a free PDF of them here.”
:: Liesl Bennett, author of Never Been Kissed…or in Love
“I’ve always been a fan of Tara-Leigh Cobble books, I love Half-Life: Die Already by Mark Steele, not to mention favorites like Brennan Manning, John Eldridge, C.S. Lewis and I get a lot out of Beth Moore Bible studies.”
:: Brooke Corcoran, author of What a Difference a Decade Makes: Thoughts on Waiting for Your Spouse
“My spiritual ruts often comes as a result of circumstances that allow me to take my focus off of who God is, who He says I am, and what He did for me. I try (and often fail) to constantly listen to sermons, read, and/or study what the Bible says about grace. Max Lucado’s appropriately named book, Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine is a great one and anything else he has written has proven to be an encouragement to me in tough times.”
:: W. Brandon Howard, author of What Everyone Needs to Know About Spiritual Growth
Explore the Topic Further…
For further discussion on Bible studies, books, and other resources to help you get out of a spiritual rut, check out these posts:
Books and Bible Studies for Christian Singles: A Resource List – “We did some digging, and we came up with some resources for those of you who are looking for similar studies. Our answers include chapter books as well as workbooks with fill-in-the-blanks and weekly homework.”
How My Version of Crazy Taught Me to Say “No” – “I wanted more of him, but I had no idea how to get to him. I knew I desperately needed to spend quality time with him and in his word, but I didn’t know how to fit it into my schedule. I was doing so many ‘good’ things within ministry and my professional life that my free time was already spoken for.”
Spiritual Retreat: A Weekend Away by Myself – “Not too long ago, I found myself with nothing on my calendar for the weekend and a deep need for respite. I desperately wanted to get away from all the noise and be quiet before the Lord.”
Christian Dating Books :: Which Ones Should I Read? – “Wading through an ever-growing list of Christian dating books can be tiresome. It seems everyone has something to say about this ever-growing topic, which isn’t even clearly delineated in the Bible. So when people ask us about dating book recommendations, we share 2 main categories. These are the ones we’re most concerned about and by authors we respect.”
