Probably my most favorite topic to talk about on my blog is a morning time routine. I am so convinced that a morning time routine is the best way to grow in our relationship with God that I have a hard time not talking about it. And of course, if I’m talking morning time routine, I have to talk about my morning time routine basket.
Thirty-to-THRIVE System
Not familiar with a morning time routine? The system Matt and I teach is called 30-to-THRIVE. It’s a thirty-minute routine for reading your Bible, praying, journaling, and reading a book. It looks like this:
First 10 Minutes
The first ten minutes is for reading your Bible or a devotional. I am currently loving the devotionals from Daily Grace Co. Of course, I’m also a fan of the devotionals that we write as well. You can find those at Manney Resources.
Second 10 MInutes
This time is used for journaling for both prayer and application for what you read. For the prayer time, I write down at least three things I’m grateful for. Then I write down things I need to confess. Lastly, I write down my requests. Then I take the time to pray through each of those things.
After that, I write down anything that stood out to me from my Bible reading time. It may be a verse, a thought, or just something that stood out to me that I don’t want to forget.
Third 10 Minutes
The last set of ten minutes is set aside for reading a book. I read something inspirational, spiritual, or a book that I can learn from.
That is the 30-to-THRIVE system in a nutshell. If you want to see this process broken down into greater detail, check out my free Morning Time Routine Course.
My Morning Time Basket
I have found the easiest thing for me to keep all my supplies in one place is to put them all in my morning time basket. That way I’m not spending time each morning trying to find my Bible or a pen or anything else I might need.
So what’s currently in my morning time basket?
1. My Bible.
I currently use this NLT Bible from Amazon. I’m probably close to getting another one sometime soon. This one is pretty marked up and ready to be saved for one of my kids to have one day. So I will start another one soon.
2. My Journal
I use this Faithfully Stepping Journal every single morning. Matt and I created them, so I’m obviously a little biased; but I love these journals. It’s exactly what I need each morning.
Each journal has a section at the top for prayer and includes sections for gratitude, confession, and requests. Next is a section for writing down anything that stood out to me during my Bible reading. Lastly, there’s a section to write down any tasks that come to mind that I don’t want to forget.
3. My Current Read
I am currently reading The Time Saving Mom by Crystal Paine and loving it. It’s so practical and exactly what I need right now. I just finished Mostly What God Does by Savannah Guthrie; that was a really good book as well.
4. My Current Bible Study
I am working on a Bible study that I hope to have out by the end of this year or early next year on the book of Job. So I have a spiral-bound notebook in my basket that I’m using for that study.
5. My Pens
Of course, you can’t have a morning time basket without pens. These Pilot G2 Gel pens are the newest pens in my basket. The other pens I have are all PaperMate gel pens in different styles and colors. I love colored pens for my morning time; it keeps things fresh because I change out the color every single morning.
6. Thank you Cards
I have a pack of thank you cards in my basket. It’s the best place to keep them because if I’m going to write a thank-you note, I usually think about it first thing in the morning with my to-do list for the day. So I get it done right then.
7. My Next Daily Grace Co. Study
I have a bible study in my basket that I’m saving for vacation in a few weeks, so it’s in my basket as well.
8. Bookmarks
I always keep a few bookmarks in my basket. I use them in the books I read as part of my morning time. I also always keep one in my Bible for underlining. I am currently loving the bookmarks from SJWonderlandz. They’re not spiritual, but they’re bookish. So I always have a few of those on hand.
9. Gratitude Journal
We made gratitude journals at the beginning of the year, and I keep mine in my basket. I don’t write in it every day; I do that in my Faithfully Stepping Journal every morning. I save my gratitude journal for bigger things–events, things I want to remember, answers to prayer, etc.
So, that’s it–a peek inside my morning time basket. Do you use a morning time basket. If so, what’s in yours?
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