When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4, NKJV).
By Logan Earles
Earlier this summer, seven high school students set off on a discipleship experience called “The Deep.” Going into it, they had different expectations and desires, but little did they know this experience would change their relationship with Jesus forever. I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat to what God was doing.
Picture this: a teenager waking up early on purpose to sit with their Bible and reflect on what God was saying to them. Isn’t that beautiful? Don’t you want that for your kids, your friends, or yourself? If the answer is yes to any of those questions, I encourage you not to let the logistics of how, when, and where bog you down. That was a temptation at the Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church, but when God leads, all those things become less of a challenge but more of an opportunity.
The first thing we did with our students was to load them into a van and head into the great unknown at Mills Spring Ranch on Casper Mountain in Wyoming. Not only was it a great place to host a weekend retreat, but it also provided a sense of being tucked away. The goal was to get these high schoolers out of their normal environment and away from distractions.
It didn’t stop there.
Throughout the weekend, they were given extended time alone to study, pray, and listen for the voice of God. I believe that’s what Jesus was seeking when He spent time alone in the mornings. The Bible makes it clear that He regularly withdrew to pray and spend one-on-one time with His Father. Godfrey Miranda, lead pastor at Littleton Church, likes to call it TAG Time—Time Alone with God. If it was important for Jesus, can you imagine how important it is for us?
We are creatures of habit. It’s amazing how one small thing can make or break our day. We challenged all participants in this experience to recognize their habits and intentionally create new ones.
Remember how I said I had a front-row seat to God at work? It was literally a seat. One morning I sat on a balcony overlooking a ravine. Off to my left, I noticed one of the students sitting quietly on a tree stump, praying. This became a regular spot for that student, and I know the others found places that became meaningful to them as well.
Once again, this principle can be found in the life of Jesus. Not only did He regularly spend time alone with God, but He also regularly experienced community. Luke 4 tells us that it was Jesus’ custom to attend the synagogue on the Sabbath. As we follow Christ, He invites us into a regular rhythm of devotion, prayer, worship, community, and so much more.
We started this Deep experience with so many plans and activities. We accomplished all of them, yet it wasn’t the carefully planned events, the trip itself, or anything particularly complicated that changed the students’ lives. It was one simple tool: one verse at a time.
One student shared, “What challenged me the most during ‘The Deep’ was trying to spend 20 minutes studying just one verse, but it eventually got easier.”
You read that right. Each student was challenged to spend up to 20 minutes reflecting, praying, and listening to God through a single verse of Scripture. The principle is simple: quality over quantity.
We often think spiritual growth is about quantity, when in reality it’s about quality. Jesus shows us this when He is asked about the Law and the Prophets. Those books take page after page to explain God’s instruction, yet Jesus summarizes them in two simple commands: love God and love others. It’s beautifully simple.
Sometimes we think our relationship with Jesus has plateaued and that we can’t seem to go any deeper. Yet Jesus continues to call us deeper. Our students who I affectionately call “Deepers” accepted Jesus’ invitation to launch out into deeper waters, just as He challenged Simon in Luke 5.
Today, I want to extend that same invitation to you, and your church. Find time to be alone with God. Make it a regular part of your day. Don’t overcomplicate it. If you need a place to start, try what we did. Beginning with John 1:1, read one verse each day and ask yourself these three simple questions:
What does this verse say?
How does this verse connect to my life?
What is God’s invitation to me through this verse?
God is calling you into a deeper relationship with Him. Will you launch out into the deep? The experience we had at Littleton Church was one I will be talking about for years to come. It is my desire to share with all who will listen about the group of seven high school students who inspired me to dive deeper into my relationship with Jesus.
—Logan Earles is the associate pastor at the Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photo by Cristian Palmer of Unsplash.
