Here's your 'Gittin' Spot.
- Christine DiGiacomo
- May 12
- 5 min read
She was young, blonde, Southern and so sweet--a native North Carolinian. Frankly, there are so many transplants here, she was really refreshing. Ashley had Southern sayings I had never heard before, or since! She was Amy's first nanny while the four kids were tiny.1 I remember stopping by the house one day when she told Bennett, 7 years old at the time, to go get his shoes and put them on. When he told her he did not know where they were, she said, 'You know - where's your 'GITTIN' spot?' Meaning the place you would find them--where you get them. Hmmm... hold that thought.
This past weekend was graduation day for University of North Carolina...an exciting time of year! Instagram friends have posted pictures of their graduates, teary-eyed moms commenting on how quickly their babies grew up. Sniff. And it is also the time of year when small groups and Bible studies wrap for the Summer, (as my local one did yesterday). So, now what? Without the steady diet of Scripture study and discussion, how can the wanting-to-grow-in-faith person do so? Or perhaps you are brand new to Morning Briefings - and you just want more to consider--truth, most importantly?
Well, I guess I'm a little like the Instagram moms, I too have memories . . . recollections even, of probing, curious questions across the decades--maybe none more dear than this one put to me by a 15-year-old lacrosse player (and new Christian) at Fellowship of Christian Athletes:
Please, Christine, can you tell us how to grow?
Does a teacher--particularly a Bible teacher--get any better question than that?! No.
Consider this your 'Gittin' Spot for tools to expand and grow your knowledge about following Christ, daily,
Being a big advocate for making wise choices about what we let into our minds, I endeavor to guard what influences my thinking because what we let into our minds is what determines the quality and character of our thoughts. For that reason, I am judicious about my intake--how much time I spend on social media and even the 'news'; I am careful about my reading material, tv watching, podcasts, and music too. Who else, but Paul to speak to this freedom of ours to choose?
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful.
“All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.2
Let us choose well.
Here are some things I have tried and found valuable for my spiritual growth:
1) Read from the pages of my Bible and pray ... every morning.
Because we have several new subscribers, I will reiterate that I read/pray scriptures
from the psalms, the selection informed by the calendar day.
Today is the 12th--so I looked at the 12th psalm + 30, 42, 72, 102, 132, praying lines
straight from the Word of God3, guarding against the distraction of my ever-racing
mind by writing my prayers in a thin, lined journal
**far and away, this is the most important habit for a vital relationship with God
Just fifteen minutes with God to start your day will radically transform your life.
Here's another valuable asset:
2) Good and Godly music - We used to have to sacrifice the 'good' for the godly - 'not no mo', Molly. In the past couple months, I bought cheap tickets to go to a Christian concert--mostly to hear the second guy in the lineup; it was the head-liner who rocked my world. 'Who cares?' you ask, 'I live in India, I can't go to one of your concerts!' Yes, Madhava, my friend, you can. Check out this livestream of Brandon Lake's King of Hearts tour, finishing in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, on May 1.
I bought nosebleed seats to see Pat Barrett, who was sensational, but Brandon Lake? Not just musically excellent, but maybe the Billy Graham of our generation for Gen-Z! Watch it - will you, please?
And while generally not a fan of technology, there are so many resources readily available, at our fingertips, because of technology!
Consider the following Apps, which do not take the place of my morning study, but they are great add-ons.
3)Apps:
>PRAY FIRST: Guided prayers, worship music, even sermons on the all-important
subject of communicating with God. [The app is white with black lettering]
->LECTIO DIVINA: While the app has audio Bible reading and prayers for morning, midday and night, I especially like the short evening offering. It is a great mental transition from the NBA game (or whatever sporting event was live) that I was just
watching, and laying my head on the pillow.
Some of what should be in your 'Gittin' spot is not just for you - it is so you will know
how to answer your student or neighbor when they ask you why you believe as you do. In case you didn't know it, Joe Rogan, Wake Up, BarStool and Mr. Ballen have revolutionized listening -- especially for the younger set. Podcasts are where its at.
4) Podcasts you should check out:
-> Check out this kid: Bryce Crawford, 22 years old - on I tunes and YouTube. He is on fire for God, unafraid, and really interesting.
->Joby Martin, one-off preacher from Jacksonville, FL, The Church of Eleven22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzr8iatUI10. Especially appealing to young guys who feel burned or let down by 'the Church'. 'Best preacher I ever heard,' one of my guys said to me.
-> Summit Ministries: equipping, challenging the youth (and those who love or lead them).Recent podcast: What Gen Z Wants to Know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoY5CQE9oyE&t=1230s - also on I Tunes.
->Breakpoint - outtakes from culture, brief commentary from a biblical perspective, John Stonestreet, brilliant man of God, Christian thinker. I Tunes
5) Good ol' fashioned book in your hands
I suppose this is my favorite! I underline, highlight and write notes in the margins - 'no way, now you've reached too far!' Yes, I argue in the margins of my books.
What have I recently picked up? (besides Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney)
The Jesus Discoveries4 Again, you and I must be convinced that what we believe is true. This book is on 10 historic facts that bring us 'face to face with Jesus' our brilliant Savior. You see, our faith in Jesus Christ is intellectually defensible - but we must know what we believe and why we believe it.
Growing Slow - lessons on un-hurrying your heart from an accidental farm girl.5
So, what will you do with your 'Gittin' Spot? What are you seeking--more importantly, Who are you seeking? Will you go to find and encounter the living God? In the recesses of my mind, I remember:
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.6
O, there is no thing
there is no other one
like the living God of the universe!
And He has good--no, great plans for you.
Choose well.
Christine
1 - Amy is my daughter
2 - 1 Corinthians 10.23
3 - Why 30? Average month has 30 days; just a simple way to scan/consider/and on some days even read the whole psalm, thereby going through all 150 psalms in a month
4 - The Jesus Discoveries, Jeremiah J. Johnston, 2026
5 - Growing Slow, Jennifer Dukes Lee
6 - Jeremiah 29,13, ESV
Comments