I started following Jesus early in college, thanks in large part to my older brother.

He was a light on a hill in my life. His example showed me the love of Christ, and the advice he gave me was different from anything I had heard before — because it was biblical, and it was true.

After I surrendered my heart to Jesus, my brother led me through a discipleship devotional. At the time, I didn’t realize what an amazing trajectory that would set me on.

That devotional taught me what a devotional was, how to study the Bible, how to memorize Scripture, and grounded me in the core tenets of Christianity.

As I moved away and transferred to a college in Atlanta, the practice of studying, praying, and spending quiet time with God became more and more ingrained in my life. Over time, my thoughts, actions, and desires began to change.

Through seasons of marital strife, being laid off, and feeling overwhelmed with three young kids, those spiritual practices anchored me to God — and they continue to shape me today.

Some seasons, I ignored God. Or more honestly, I tried to run in the other direction. Other seasons, my devotionals became legalistic — just a checkmark on my to-do list. But thankfully, the sweet memories of devotion during my college years remained my aim. I kept wondering: how can I get back to that kind of connection with God?

Eventually, I noticed that working too much, not wanting to rock the boat, and being addicted to comfort felt more descriptive of me than “Christian.” I realized something had to change.

I’ve been interested in fitness and nutrition for a while, and I understood that eating healthy did not mean giving up food altogether. It meant finding better alternatives. That truth became even clearer when I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and had to learn just how many substitutions were possible.

So I started looking at my spiritual consumption habits the same way.

What could I change?

My scrolling.

The question became: how can I take this habit I already have and replace it with something that reconnects me to God?

The answer was STLL.