New online devotional tool may be great for teens
“EXAMEN.me is a simple-to-use web site that fosters your personal interaction with God. This modern approach to ancient devotional practices guides you to examen your life as you meditate on scripture, pray, and journal all of your reflections.”
After first hearing about this from a friend I signed up and started using the service to see what it was all about. What’s great about this online tool is that it really forces you to stop and think and respond. There are about 5 steps for each devotion and you can spend as short as 7 minutes or as long as an hour to go through it. After you complete an examen it saves all your information so you can look at that particular devotion in the future.
Working and volunteering with teenagers, a common spiritual hurdle I have often noticed is one of spending regular focused time with God. Teenagers today are bombarded by so many noises that their ability to really be still and quiet is in constant competition with their cell phone, tv, internet and nearest friend. What’s great about examen is that it tells you exactly what to do and allows you to really process what you have read. I can remember reading the bible all the way through in high school and reading it just to read it. I wasn’t able to process what I read because I didn’t know what kinds of questions I needed to ask myself and I was trying to read too much…
I plan to use this site with my middle school guys small group and really challenge them to complete X number of examens by a certain date where we will share what they have learned and what God is teaching them.
I hope you encourage the teens in your ministry to utilize this tool. Consider putting a link on your youth website or on your facebook fan page. Students will most likely not find this site on their own, however they may respond positively from a spiritual mature adult who honestly cares about their devotional life and can head them in the right direction.
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