Almost every young professional is aware of the responsibilities that come with being the Director of Operations, a coach, or a scout. But, not as many are familiar with the job of a Player Engagement Director. In this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, the Co-Director of Player Engagement with the Detroit Lions, Jessica Gray, discusses her career journey and her current role with the Lions. A new episode of the Uncommon Podcast is released every two weeks. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, right here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out this week's episode, and be sure to follow our podcast to get alerts when new episodes are released! Curious about Uncommon Sports Group and what our ministry has to offer? Contact us to learn more here! Do you want to join the largest community of future Christian leaders of the college and pro sport industry? Apply to join here!

So much of the "Christian struggle" seems to be a battle of seeing God as He truly is: GOD. And not just Who He is as God, but the type of God He truly is. So much of God's interaction with the Israelites throughout the Old Testament was focused on reminding them that He is GOD. Such a simple concept that can be so easy for even Christians to forget on a daily basis. But the significance of accepting or neglecting this seemingly basic point cannot be overstated. If God truly is the God He says He is throughout Scripture, then that means: everything is under His control (Colossians 1:16-17) His plans and purposes can not be disrupted (Job 42:2) His plans and purposes are ultimately for my eternal best. No matter what my feelings or emotions or eyes lead me to currently believe or to doubt, God will never give me something that is not for my best, nor will He withhold something from me that is for my best. (Romans 8:28) Once I accept Jesus, there is literally nothing that can separate me from Him. Nothing past, present, nor things to come can separate me from His love for me. (Romans 8:31-39) He will provide EVERYTHING I ever need. He is my provider. (Matthew 6:25-34) He is greater than ANY trial or difficulty I will encounter. (John 16:33) But what about when we doubt these things and see God as something different than He truly is? This is when we go astray. It can be so easy to falsely believe God is: Not in charge, and only slightly above earthly kings, rulers, and myself Not really in control nor aware of what I am going through Resentful or bitter towards me Not actually aware of what is ultimately best for me Prone to change or leave me at any point Very far from me (not lowly & accessible) Indifferent towards me I have come to recognize that when I believe any of these lies, I am extremely vulnerable to then: Try and keep some distance between God and myself out of fear that He will lead me to do something that's not for my best Become overwhelmed by fear and anxiety because there are so many things that seem out of control and unable to be controlled by earthly rulers or systems Walk on eggshells out of fear that God is just waiting for me to screw up so He can strike me down or rebuke me. Falling prey to my emotions and feelings as my source of truth even though I have experienced them lead me into things like porn, social anxiety. and feeling like my value hinges upon my ability to get people to value or approve of me. So who is GOD? His greatness is truly unsearchable (Psalm 145:3), but some of the items God has personally most reminded me about who He is throughout Scripture over the past year include: His GOODNESS - which is often demonstrated by: How He is slow to anger; He often provides His people with chance after chance to turn back to Him before He "gives them over" to what they choose in living apart from Him. He even builds reconciliation directly into His covenant terms (Lev 26:40-42) and provides details on what the people should do if/when they fail to obey the law so that they can be brought back together with Him. All of the heroes of the faith appear to have screwed up at some point in their life or repeatedly, yet God is patient with them. How grace always comes before obedience (He gives the law to the Israelites AFTER He delivers them from slavery). God CHOSE Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, etc.. None of them had done anything to merit or deserve God's blessing upon their life. It was solely God's GRACE. Making it clear that there is nothing we must do in order to earn His love for us. He even vowed to protect Cain after Cain had murdered his own brother Abel out of jealousy (Gen 4). His GENTLENESS: When Moses rattles off excuse after excuse of why he is not the right man for God’s assignment for him, God is very patient and responsive to Moses reminding him of who He is as God, and even giving Moses signs to bolster his faith. God even grants Moses' request for someone else to accompany him by giving him Aaron. He does the same in 2 Kings 20 responding to King Hezekiah by granting his request for 15 more years of life. How RELATIONAL He is: He responds to the cries of His people and even "changes His plans" in response to the pleas of Abraham on behalf of Sodom, and to the Israelites on behalf of Moses in Numbers 14:20, and again to Moses' cry that the leadership burden is too great so He provides 70 elders in Numbers 11. Mark 18:20 highlights how when the disciples went out, God worked WITH them. In Matthew, 11:28-30, Jesus invites us to come to him, and to enter into His yoke. He makes provision and cares for the poor and the least of these, even as far back as Leviticus. How He is not just saving us FROM something, but calling us TO something: God gives us purpose and meaning in the privilege of being His image bearers. Repeatedly, Paul opens his epistles by declaring he was "called" and "sent" by God. Consider the prestige there can be in WHO you are sent by. There was prestige when I was an intern of an NFL team. No prestige in my title or position as an ‘Intern’, but prestige in who I worked for. How much more is the prestige in us being "sent" by the God of creation. Ephesians 2:10 states that we are God's masterpiece, created anew in Jesus SO THAT we can do the good thing He planned for us long ago. Taking this even a step further, God equips us with His very presence - the Holy Spirit that provides us with all wisdom, guidance, and boldness to accomplish great things for His glory. The HOPE He provides us: We are not bound to the hopelessness and futility of this fragile life, but there is a coming day in which ALL will be set right, and there will be no more weeping, only perfection - something so great we cannot even comprehend. I close with the same question that Jesus spoke to the Apostle Peter in Matthew 16:15 - “Who do you say that God is?” How we answer that question changes everything.

How can you know something exists? You know by its effects. Here’s what I mean. Think about the wind. How do you know that the wind exists? You can’t see it directly, but you can see its effects. When you see a tree shaking, you know that it is the wind that is causing it to shake. When you look at a building, how do you know that builders existed? Well, you can see the effects of the builders, which is the building. So, how can we know that God exists? We can know by His effects on the world around us. God’s Greatest Effect There are so many effects on the world that God has left behind. We live on a liquid rock that is swirling around a ball of flaming plasma. That seems like a pretty big effect. But what’s more is the effects that God has left behind on human beings, the only creation made in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). The moral argument is an argument for God that digs directly into the nature of human beings. The argument points out that all human beings recognize a moral code. A moral code shows us that there is a moral law giver that is above and outside of the human race. We can see examples of God’s moral code throughout our world. An example would be the war waged against Ukraine. The entire European Union and dozens of other countries have condemned Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and have been providing direct humanitarian and military assistance. What’s more, many major corporations have halted all business operations with Russia. This includes Disney, Apple, General Motors, Adidas, and more. The United Nations recently voted on a resolution to condemn Russia’s assault on Ukraine. The results were overwhelming with 141 countries voting to condemn the Russian attacks, and only five counties (including Russia) voting against the condemnation. What do these actions across the world tell us about God? These actions unequivocally show that there is a moral standard guiding the world resulting in the nearly universal condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We must then conclude that this moral standard comes from God. The Nuremberg Trials After World War II came to an end, the Allies held the Nuremberg trials for the purpose of bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. The trials developed what became known as “International Law”. This international code established that all humanity would be guided by these rules and regulations and no leader or government would be exempt from these laws. Where did these international laws come from? It is obvious that what Hitler’s regime did was depraved and deserving of severe punishment. But what laws did the Nazis violate? International law was developed to address these atrocities. The Nazi leaders committed atrocities that all human beings recognize as wrong. This is what philosophers would call “objective morality”. Objective morality is defined as morality being universal and not subject to interpretation. We see objective morality at work in the Nuremberg trials. Laws were created to hold every human being in the world to a certain standard, and ultimately to hold the Nazi leaders accountable for their actions. But who gives this objective moral code? We see throughout the Bible that it comes from God. In Romans 2:14-15, Paul writes “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.” Paul is describing exactly what happened at Nuremberg. The Bible wasn’t the law governing the trials, but God’s moral code revealed in Scripture is what the allied leaders adhered to in developing the laws that applied to the actions of the Nazis. The genocide and murder of six million innocent Jews was objectively depraved and wrong, and the objective code established in international law is given to all of us by God, as Scripture points out. No God, No Wrong There are many atheists who would condemn the Holocaust as a travesty that should have never occurred. However, without God in the picture, morality becomes relative. Moral relativism is the view that moral judgements are true or false only relative to a particular standpoint. In short, morality has no standard, it is up for interpretation. If God isn’t real, then this philosophy would stand to be true. We must consider the weight of this view. If there is no God, there is no wrong. If you are a person that truly believes that there is no God, I want you to consider the mass genocide that the Nazi party committed. Are those actions objectively wrong, or are the actions of the Nazi party up for interpretation? I think we can all agree that the Holocaust is objectively wrong. The question many would ask is, “well then why did Hitler and his regime commit the atrocities in the Holocaust if morality is objective?” This a great question. If we look back at Romans 2:14-15, we see that in verse 15 Paul notes that the thoughts of gentiles will either accuse them of their wrong or defend their wrong. In many cases, we see people defending their wrongdoing, as opposed to admitting their wrongs. This is the case with Adolf Hitler and his regime. I want you to ask yourself this question: was the Holocaust objectively or relatively wrong? Then ask yourself this question: Does my answer point to God’s existence? Conclusion We can know God by his effects on the world and our minds. Paul states in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” The moral code that we all abide by is a direct effect of the living God. If you are dealing with doubts in your faith, I would encourage you to process the moral argument for God. Does objective morality exist? If it does, then we can be confident that God exists. In God’s Word and in the world He has created, it is clear that an objective moral code exists, and therefore we can have confidence that the living God exists.

The Bible Project is a platform that much of our staff uses to read through the Bible in 1 year! On the website you will find videos, articles, and a 365 day Bible reading plan that provides a manageable schedule to dive into Scripture each day. A good way to follow along and track your progress is through their Read Scripture app. This app will play a video related to the reading, provide the assigned readings, and have you pray through a Psalm at the end. Watch the video below to learn more: Download the app here: https://www.readscripture.org/

As followers of Christ, we believe and acknowledge that the Bible is the Holy Word of God. This means that the Scriptures are inerrant and inspired by the Holy Spirit. However, in a world that is increasingly critical of the Christian faith, this belief has been met with much criticism and doubt. In this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, Pastor Jon Christenson of Grace Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, provides listeners with key evidence on the Bible being the divine word of God. A new episode of the Uncommon Podcast is released every two weeks. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, right here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out this week's episode, and be sure to follow our podcast to get alerts when new episodes are released! Curious about Uncommon Sports Group and what our ministry has to offer? Contact us to learn more here! Do you want to join the largest community of future Christian leaders of the college and pro sport industry? Apply to join here!

The next article in our Throwback Blog Series is here! We are sharing the stories, testimonies, and experiences of members during our time as Managers on a Mission. Although we've rebranded to Uncommon Sports Group, the lessons the Lord has taught us and those that attended our events are still important and impactful. Read below to hear about how the Lord worked during our 2019 Mission Trip to Uganda through the eyes of one of our attendees, Lorenz Ross: As I reflect on my recent trip to Uganda, I stand in awe of God’s goodness and Faithfulness. Though we were only in Uganda for two weeks, it was eye-opening for me to see what can occur when one surrenders to the Lord and makes themselves available to be used by Him. My prayer every day as I walked around the soccer field next to our compound in Jinja, Uganda, was I acknowledge Psalm 118:24, which says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (ESV). By praying to start my day, I focused on the Lord. Then, I would surrender to Him and let Him guide me through the day. These two things were vital for me because, in a distant country and new environment, it would be easy to complain about mental and physical fatigue. I chose every day to withhold nothing from the Lord, and I believe that is why I got so much out of this trip. There were four things that I encountered on this trip, which were the Lord, my purpose, my culture, and new relationships. At first, I expected to do sports camps while interacting with children, which would be our goal. However, though we did do sports activities, I found myself sharing my testimony, evangelizing, and even got to preach at church in Jinja. I witnessed the power of God, which was evident in services through our song and dance with them, and that was impactful. There were no large screens, no strobe lights, and no smoke machines. It was just a piano, a music track, and open hearts that praised Jesus. Despite the language and cultural barrier, God was glorified. Next, I encountered my purpose on this trip, where I felt the Lord reaffirm it. I have known that it is my purpose, through sports and evangelism, to inspire children and young adults with the Gospel, so the ability to do both simultaneously in a different country has moved me to pursue my goals even more. The chance to play soccer, give fist-bumps or make beats with our hands, and share devotionals with them are what I will remember. Though the days seemed long, it was their smiles and laughter which motivated me to give it all I had. Then, there was the aspect of encountering my culture. While growing up, African American, I was taught in school about our history, which is only acknowledged as far back as slavery and the early South as this country formed, and neither was this topic brought to my family. I took this as an opportunity to see what my African roots may be. I am not sure where my exact bloodline traces back to in Africa, but to step foot on the continent, understand the people, hear the rhythms, and embrace their culture added extra value to this trip. Lastly, I will walk away with new friendships made in both the United States and in Uganda. Whether with my MOAM team or with Ugandan teachers and pastors, there were connections made that could be lifelong. I was concerned about staying with the same people for two weeks straight, especially since we had not gotten too much time to know each other, but thank God, we clicked right away when we first met in Minnesota, and things did not change in Uganda. We came as individuals but left as a family. I will not forget the bible studies, bus rides, and evening yoga sessions, which bonded us closer together and sharpened one another. Of course, there were little things like Coach Jo learning today’s colloquialisms like “bet” or “say less.” Then, there was Dan tapping into his hidden talents of relentless dancing. It was an honor to be surrounded by gifted individuals who exercised their gifts and grew in their faith. This trip is what I believe the kingdom of God represents. Individuals of different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences teaming up to use their gifts to bring joy and love throughout our communities as we bring glory to God and lead people to Him. Now that this trip has ended and I have adjusted to my daily routine, I remind myself of the words of Dr. Seuss, “Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.” I thank God and MOAM for the opportunity to take part in this life-changing experience. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, Lorenz! If you'd like to know more about USG or would like to get in touch, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you. Thank you for your time, and God bless!

My first experience with the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment was while I was a member of USG (MOAM). Over the summer of 2020 when many activities were canceled, USG was able to provide many opportunities for us to stay involved in the organization and provide resources to grow, one of which was the Strengths Assessment. I had taken several “personality tests” previously but all they seemed to do was tell me how I acted in a certain way and kind of ended there. There never seemed to be much depth to them and no one ever took the time to sit and talk through with me what the results meant. When I decided I’d participate in taking the assessment and commit to the coaching sessions it was more out of obligation than out of curiosity or thinking it could be beneficial. I’m glad I was wrong! Working through some tough, introspective questions about my results with Mikey really helped me understand myself better and who God created me to be. I learned about the parts of my personality that help me interact with others, was affirmed in why certain activities bring me joy (and why others don’t), and gave me an understanding of what I do well and why. Sometimes it’s easy to be blinded by the impact that we have on those around us, from little seemingly insignificant interactions to large-scale contexts. The StrengthsFinders was my favorite part of the MOAM 2020 Summer Circuit which made me excited and even more intrigued to learn about the assessments, results, and individual strengths when I joined staff with USG. As I have had the opportunity to work with over 15 students reviewing their strengths results I continue to grow in understanding of myself and really enjoy helping others make connections between their strengths and different aspects of their lives - work, family, hobbies, faith, etc. Many times I’ve been able to affirm our members that they are in the right place or heading in the right direction with their career just from conversations we’ve had about how they use their strengths every day within work and how it energizes them. Along with seeing the impact professionally, I’ve experienced how helpful this assessment has been within my personal life as well. My husband took his strengths assessment during our season of engagement and our pre-marriage counselor was able to talk through the results with both of us. This has given me a deeper level of understanding of my husband's personality, how we complement each other, and how we can support each other daily! Understanding how unique God created me was the first step I needed as a young adult while I stepped into my professional career, continued to foster solid relationships, and really embrace the calling the Lord has for my life! If you are curious about the StrengthFinders Assessment, be sure to check out this article for more information!

Working in the sport industry presents various challenges, but few are as difficult to manage as the busyness that comes with a career in sports. For Christians working in this industry, it can feel like an impossible task to do well in your job and serve the Lord as He calls us to. In this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, the former Sr. Associate Athletics Director/External Operations at the University of Oklahoma and current Lead Pastor at First Baptist Church- Carnegie, Kenny Mossman, talks about the importance of finding time to serve God amidst the busyness of an athletics schedule. A new episode of the Uncommon Podcast is released every two weeks. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, right here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out this week's episode, and be sure to follow our podcast to get alerts when new episodes are released! Curious about Uncommon Sports Group and what our ministry has to offer? Contact us to learn more here! Do you want to join the largest community of future Christian leaders of the college and pro sport industry? Apply to join here!

At the start of the 2022 calendar year, I started New Morning Mercies, a daily devotional, by Paul David Tripp. I have enjoyed spending time with the Lord in this devotional most mornings, and a specific daily devotional really impacted me that I'll elaborate on below! The David & Goliath passage from scripture is often one that is misunderstood or misrepresented. In this story the Israelite army is about to face off with the Philistine army in the Valley of Elah (Valley of Elah Photos Below Are From Our MOAM '19 Mission Trip To Israel), and a giant warrior from the Philistine army, Goliath, called for the Israelite army to send out its best man to battle him. Though the Lord had promised to deliver the Philistines into the hands of the Israelites, the Israelites were filled with fear and retreated to their tents to seek discernment on what to do next. Amidst this situation the Israelites had not only forgotten the Lord's promises, but they had also forgotten their identity in Him, and were filled with anxiousness and timidity. The Israelites doubted the Lord's providence and sovereignty and felt that they had no chance to be victorious in battle. While delivering lunch to his brothers, David, a shepherd boy, who heard of Goliath disrespecting the Israelite army, answered Goliath's challenge. David wasn't the strongest, the smartest, nor was he arrogant, but David knew who he was and where his identity was rooted in, as a child of the living God! David proceeded to win the duel and a victory for the Israelite army. Today, as Christians we can often do what the Israelite army did, and root our identity in things of this world as opposed to rooting our identity in Christ. We can also fall into living in fear, as opposed to living in the courage and hope that comes through faith in Christ, and the gift of salvation. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called, and just like He did with David, don't doubt how He can use you and your gifts for His glory! Lastly, I wanted to encourage you all, wherever the Lord has planted you, to remember your identity as God's child, to remember His promises and to live in the freedom, joy and faith that David emulated in this passage from scripture.

For Liberty's men's basketball Director of Basketball Operations, Chelsea Mangino, it's a unique challenge being a woman working in the male-dominated college basketball industry. On this episode of the Uncommon Podcast, Chelsea shares her career journey, how she has navigated that challenge, and the role that her faith plays in her career. A new episode of the Uncommon Podcast is released every two weeks. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, right here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out this week's episode, and be sure to follow our podcast to get alerts when new episodes are released! Curious about Uncommon Sports Group and what our ministry has to offer? Contact us to learn more here! Do you want to join the largest community of future Christian leaders of the college and pro sport industry? Apply to join here!

1st Peter 4:10 - “Each of you should use, whatever gift you have received, to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace, in its various forms.” We live in a remedial world that often focuses on weaknesses, boxed structure and on becoming “well-rounded”. After 30 years of research, Gallup Inc. established the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment, a respected educational, business, spiritual instrument that goes against traditional “well-rounded” ideology, in order to help individuals understand how to leverage their unique God-given strengths. Over 400 different talents were found through decades of research and they organized them into 34 unique strengths that fall under the umbrella of the four domains of, Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building and Strategic Thinking. Through this structure, individuals are able to better understand how they have been gifted and how they can use those gifts for the Lord’s glory! The premise of the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment, is that you will make your greatest contributions in life, when you are mainly working in your areas of strength. Gallup Inc. in their research found that individuals that operated in their areas of strength were more engaged with their work, assignments and tasks, had more energy, were more successful in their relationships and spiritual journeys, were less likely to burn-out and were three times more likely to report an “excellent quality of life”. Gallup’s research also found that most individuals work more frequently, effectively and make their greatest contributions in life through leveraging their top 10-12 strengths. Strengths 13-22 are leveraged and used as support strengths. Strengths 23-34 are used in rare situations, you are more energized, engaged, and successful when you do not have to leverage these strengths. When placed in a situation where your lower strengths might be needed, you can use different strengths in your top 10-12 strengths to arrive at a similar outcome. Another way to help alleviate the pressure of being a top performer in every strength would be to partner with individuals who have opposite and complementary domain strengths to yours. The Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment is used worldwide to empower individuals to focus and grow in their strengths. Since 1999, millions of people have taken the assessment and are better equipped in understanding who they were created to be. Presently there is a 1/33,000,000 percent chance of someone having the same Top 5 strengths as you in order, which confirms the uniqueness of gifts from person to person! Over 150+ USG members have completed the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment, as well as three one hour coaching sessions in regards to understanding their God given strengths, personally, relationally and how they can use those strengths for the Lord’s glory!

Slow down. We live in a fast-paced world where people are envied for how much they work, how busy and full they can make their weekends, and where complaining about being tired is like begging for a compliment to the ‘work hard, play hard’ image. For those in sport - at all levels, from athlete to general manager - it has become a status symbol to be in the office before the break of dawn and rolling home after the sun has set. Slow down. The Lord calls us to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In Ecclesiastes, Solomon talks about the futility of our time here on earth and how there is a season for everything; “There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven: a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 It’s clear from this passage that we are called to work diligently, have fun, share life, and feel emotion. This passage also makes it very clear that we are called to rest, heal, and embrace life experiences. For me, this looks a lot like meals around the table with those I love, spending time in nature, and disconnecting from social media. This will look different for everyone, but I encourage everyone to stop, think, and evaluate where you spend your time. Slow down, rest, and set aside some quiet time with the Lord. Be intentional with your time. Greg Laurie says it best, “Sometimes good things can become bad things if they keep us from the best thing.” Don’t let good things keep you from your relationship with the Lord, or they will easily become bad things. As professionals in the sport industry, busy and changing schedules, atypical work hours, strict bosses, and the pressure to perform are always present. Think about how dedicated you have been to hitting the marks and achieving the goals you and your team have set for you professionally. Now think about how much more you should spend your time given in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). How can you refocus some of the time and energy you have poured into your professional career and move that towards your relationship with the Lord. It’s countercultural. It takes commitment and dedication. Isn’t your eternity more important than getting that raise or landing the next big gig? As Christ-followers, being intentional with your time should look like: Spending time with Jesus and developing that relationship Pursuing loving relationships with your spouse, family, and friends Working diligently to perform in the area of work the Lord has called you to So, what does it mean to slow down? What are the tangible steps one might take to ‘slow down’? Here are a few simple and easy steps to help keep your life centered on Jesus while thriving in the sport industry… Determine what time of day works best for you to devote some time to God's word. What is life-giving for you? For some people, it’s an early morning with coffee and the Bible, or taking time over lunch to sit in the park and connect with the Lord through nature; for others it might be part of an evening routine of putting the phone away and reading before bed. Each individual is different and it may take some time to find the routine that works best for you, but try it out. That’s the hardest but most crucial step - to start! There are many great books and daily devotionals to help you stay focused and on track. If you are a new Believer or struggle with knowing how to begin reading the Bible, picking up one of these would be a great way to get started! Daily: New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional Jesus Calling My Utmost for His Highest Uncommon Life Morning and Evening If you need some more advice, guidance, or encouragement in finding quiet time to slow down, reach out to a USG Engagement Associate. Connecting with others will help you realize that you can do it and finding an accountability partner can make it that much easier.