Devotionals - a great way to touch base with God daily

Most of us that are seeking a connection with God already incorporate prayer in our daily lives, but there are other ways to improve your conversation with God.  I consider my time with God to be like fostering a friendship.  God is around for everyone, just like people you pass in your everyday life.  It is up to you to start a conversation and get to know Him better.  Most people start this greeting in prayer.  Some add a weekly time set aside for growing this relationship; we call this time worship.  But there are so many other ways to foster this relationship (I will be exploring several over the next months with you).  Today, I'd like to introduce to devotionals.  Devotionals can be religious or not, but they are generally daily readings that focus on a particular topic for you to ruminate on during the day.  The daily readings are usually short and can be read in less than 10 minutes, but are usually rich enough to offer a much longer contemplation time.

I have used Upper Room devotionals for several years as they are available at my church, but you can also access them online or even have daily thoughts emailed directly to your in box.  Recently I have actually been using Tough Minded Faith for Tender Hearted People by Dr. Robert H Schuller.  Yes, this is the Robert Schuller of Crystal Cathedral Ministries.  And I must admit that his name alone made me question this as a choice, but as this book came to me and I did not search it out, I thought that I would give it a try.  I must admit that I'm glad I did.  This is a wonderful devotional.  It is uplifting, scripturally based, and honest.  I would recommend it for those of you that are Christian and looking for a devotional to try this practice.

Do you use a devotional?  What devotional might you recommend?  How have you found using a devotional helpful in your spiritual practices?  If you don't currently use a devotional, how about committing to trying it for a week or a month and see if you find this a helpful way to grow your relationship with God.