23 ways to refresh your spiritual life in 2023
Happy New Year! The start of 2023 provides an opportunity to give yourself a spiritual makeover. Perhaps you could connect with God in a new way, invest in a spiritual discipline you’ve been neglecting, deepen your faith through study or plan a retreat. Here are 23 ideas to make that connection.
(1) Find a new way to pray
There are many ways to connect with God, and each of us has our own. In his brilliant book Sacred Pathways, Gary Chapman helps you to work out what your particular sacred pathway is, and offers lots of practical suggestions of how to work this through in your prayer life. https://www.eden.co.uk/sacred-pathways-gary-thomas/
(2) Get to grips with your Bible
Aim to open your Bible every day this year. If you’re not used to Bible reading, start with just a verse or two – maybe from the Psalms or John’s gospel. Do it at the same time each day and try to pray into whatever you are learning. One invaluable app is Bible Gateway, which gives you a variety of plans to get you reading the Bible daily.
(3) Try fasting
The Bible repeatedly talks about ‘prayer and fasting’, but these days Christians often neglect fasting. In the last few years, the ‘5:2’ approach to fasting has shown that there are many health benefits, as well as the spiritual discipline of doing without. If you’re not used to fasting, start small: skip a meal. If you have any health issues, make sure you get medical advice before fasting.
(4) Plan a quiet day
Taking a day out of your regular routine can help you to connect with God. If possible, take a day off work; if not, set aside a day at the weekend. Go somewhere different which will feed your soul – there are several good venues locally including St Columba’s House in Maybury, the Abbey in Chertsey and the House of Prayer in East Molesey. The best way to plan this is to set aside time in your diary now and don’t let it move – why not put a few in for the year?
(5) Start a journal
Many people find it helpful to keep a journal of what they’re learning with God. Write down things you’re seeing in your Bible or other books you’re reading, insights from prayer, pictures or anything else. Over time, look back and see how God has been at work in your life.
(6) Pray with a friend
Having a ‘soul friend’ or prayer partner can be a great help in your faith. Not only do you share what’s on your heart, but you have the confidence of knowing someone is praying for you regularly, even when you’re not meeting. You may already have someone who can pray with you – we recommend pairing up with the same gender, or forming a triplet. If you need help finding the right match, talk to Mark, Bekah or Ray.
(7) Boost your children’s faith
Try something new with your children’s faith this year. You could have a ‘thank you’ jar, where you each think of something you’re thankful for each day – write it down and put it in the jar, then pray and say a simple thank you to God. A Bible story before bed can promote good conversations. Maybe even some family worship time, listening to a song, reading something and praying together once a week. Our team can help with ideas and resources.
(8) Find a good podcast
If you haven’t got into podcasts yet, why not start this year? Some favourites from the team include Matters of life and death, Speak Life and Unbelievable; they’re all available on any free podcast app.
(9) Book a conference
St Mary’s is returning to New Wine United this summer, 25-30 July. A big Christian conference is a brilliant way to connect with people from all over the country, hear brilliant speakers, experience ministry from the Holy Spirit and enjoy time with your church family. There’s excellent work for children and young people too – the opportunity to connect with a much bigger group than any single church can offer. We hope to have a little St Mary’s tent village again, cooking and doing life together. This year United is in a new venue in Maidstone, so there is plenty of local accommodation if you don’t want to camp. Book now for a special early bird discount https://www.new-wine.org/events/united23/
Our women are also returning to the Activate conference, 3-5 March. An opportunity to build friendships and hear inspirational speakers in a lovely country hotel setting, this promises to be a brilliant event. https://www.activateyourlife.org.uk/undivided-activate-weekend-away-2023/
(10) Get inspired by a biography
Reading stories of other Christians encourages us to keep the faith through life’s many struggles. Ask around for people’s favourites, or try an all-time classic: Killing Fields, Living Fields by Don Cormack or The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.
(11) Make a difference locally
Give your time to one of Woking’s many Christian projects or to one of our ministries at St Mary’s. Check out the 40 or so projects running through the Lighthouse, or step out at the weekend with Street Angels.
(12) Read the whole Bible
Nothing gives you quite the level of input as reading the whole Bible in one year. The brilliant Bible in One Year app gives you daily input from Alpha pioneer Nicky Gumbel – you can get the app to read you the passage and the reflection, so you can listen on your daily commute. If one year is a bit much, try reading it over two years – a great resource is D.A. Carson’s two-volume For the Love of God. https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/christian-devotional-books/for-the-love-of-god-vol-1/
(13) Join a small group
The three marks of membership at St Mary’s are that you help with one of our ministries, you join a small group and you support our work financially. You can join others who are looking to start a group over Wednesday evenings in Lent, from 22 February. We’ll come together to worship, pray and see what the Spirit does. Watch out for more details through our notices.
(14) Give to our work regularly
From training and employing clergy and staff to making sure our building is warm and well maintained, all of our ministry costs money. We rely on regular giving from our church members to meet our costs. For full details of how to start giving regularly, visit https://www.stmaryofbethany.org.uk/giving.
(15) Say thank you
There are few things more encouraging than receiving some appreciation out of the blue. If someone has made a positive difference in your life, whether it was with the right word at the right time or an act of kindness, however small and long ago, take the time to send them a thank you. This could be a WhatsApp message, an email or a card.
(16) Book a retreat
Taking a few days out to relax and connect with God is a great thing to do. As they say, ‘The best way to advance is to retreat.’ Christian retreat centres provide fantastic environments to escape from day-to-day life and focus on God. You can plan your own time or join an organised retreat, with options as varied as monastic silence and painting. Team recommendations include Penhurst in East Sussex, Launde Abbey in Leicestershire, Stanton House near Oxford, Leigh Abbey and Sheldon in Devon.
(17) Listen to God
When you pray, take a few minutes to listen to God. Prayer can end up being like a shopping list of all the things you’d like God to do; but the best conversations are always two way. You might find God reminds you of something in the Bible, or words from someone else, or you may just find a few minutes’ peace. Aim to take ten minutes doing this each day.
(18) Plan for your future
You may well have a clear idea of what you would like to happen after your death; but have you communicated this to anyone? It’s a huge help to grieving family and friends to have a clear idea of what their loved one wanted, from the choice between burial and cremation to hymns and readings at their funeral. Get your things in order: if you haven’t already made a will and got Lasting Power of Attorney in place, do it this year, and make notes for your funeral too – you can keep them all in the same place, as long as it’s somewhere your next of kin will find it.
(19) Commit to regular prayer for our work
The St Mary of Bethany monthly Prayer Diary gives you something or somebody to pray for every day of the month. You can pick one up from church on the last Sunday of the month, or have it emailed from our office. Praying every day using a diary is a great way to build discipline in prayer.
(20) Pray for your neighbours
Whether or not you know all your neighbours, you can commit to praying for them and getting to know them better. Be intentional: pray for homes as you pass them and individuals when you know their names. Look for opportunities to share a bit of your life with them.
(21) Produce your own prayer diary
Another way to journal is to have a prayer diary, with lists of people to pray for each day of the month and every day of the week. This may appeal to the more organised and methodical Christian; it can be a great way to remember to pray for a large number of people regularly. You can use the fantastic PrayerMate app to help you.
(22) Discover new music
Find new hymns and songs using YouTube, Spotify or whichever streaming service is your favourite. When you find a song you love, share it with us – we’re always open to suggestions of new songs for our worship.
(23) Share what works
Whichever of these suggestions you try, share with others what works for you. Even small encouragements can make a big difference if someone’s thinking about trying the same thing.