our blog
Feb
The Problem With Comfortable Couches
Many men have perfected the art of watching the Superbowl. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that some have it down to a science. From the ideal spiciness for the nacho cheese dip to pigs being snug in their blankets, they carefully craft every last detail so that when kickoff starts they can retreat to their man cave. The goal is to create an impenetrable comfortable fortress with all snacks and soda at arm’s length. For a few hours, they tune in to the big game while tuning everyone else out. They sink into the couch with chicken wing in hand and all is right with the world. That is until tomorrow morning when they are chewing antacids like candy to relieve the massive amount of heartburn.
Even though they achieved “perfection” while watching the big game, they wound up paying for it in the end. Considering the way they crafted their surroundings, it was inevitable that indigestion was sure to follow. This harkens back to the principle that your life is perfectly designed to get the results you are achieving. Just like the couch you sunk into while watching the Superbowl, many of you have become comfortable with your daily routine.
Yet, the thing with comfortable couches and a comfortable lifestyle is that they don’t encourage one to get up and move. Instead you sit and let the life you’ve been given pass you by. The heartburn you eventually feel is not caused by one too many mini-pizzas. It is an indication that being “comfortable” has caused a toll on your heart and the person you are becoming.
Over this past week we encouraged you to take a look at the way you arrange your life by examining what you devote your time towards. Hopefully, this opened your eyes to the places and things that ultimately garner your attention and focus. We wanted you to able to see what you were up against in changing the tide towards growth. The next step is penetrating your fortress of status quo by creating disciplines that encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and put your one word into action.
Throughout the book of Proverbs, we see how discipline leads to wisdom (3:11-13), knowledge (12:1), understanding (15:32), and a way to life (6:23). The point of disciplines is to do something you can do in order to do something you can’t do. Disciplines must remain disciplines for a period of time. This consistency enables them to become habits and ultimately reflexes. Eventually, they are dissolved into your character. Change cannot and does not occur without struggle. We need to be proactive in the way we structure our lives. This entails engaging in the process of formation by establishing disciplines that will help us pursue God’s heart through our one word. Instead of sitting on the sidelines and watching, disciplines put you in the game by stretching your character.
- Is there a part inside of you that doubts your One Word will ever dissolve into your character becoming a natural reflex or response? What do you believe drives this fear? Is your answer more a reflection on your own ability or God’s adequacy to evoke change in your life?
- SPIRITUAL, PHYSICAL, MENTAL/EMOTIONAL, PROFESSIONAL, RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY — this is a list of areas in life where you should consider establishing a discipline. Using this list, come up with a tangible way that you can exercise your One Word (i.e. spiritual – spend 15 minutes each day journaling). Establishing a discipline in these areas of your life is a practical way to begin a path towards growth using your word this year.
Are you looking for a way to keep your word in front of you all year long? Register for a My One Word account! One of the key features of a MOW account is an online Word Journal that allows you to capture your thoughts to reflective questions like you see above. You can go back at any time to read your completed journals to see how God has been moving in your life through your word in 2010. If you already have an account, the questions from this blog have been posted to your Word Journal — log in to your account to start your Word Journal today!
Feb
Shortcuts Only Produce Plastic Fruit
Things aren’t always as they appear. Most adults know this to be true. But children often learn the hard way. A few years back my wife and I were invited to a friend’s house for dinner. We brought our little one and she was fascinated by her new surroundings. Our friends have a coffee table with a bowl filled with a variety of fruits. Instantly, it caught our daughter’s eyes. She started smacking her lips saying “num nums” (her expression for food). We watched her as she reached for the fruit, grabbed an apple, and attempted to sink her front two teeth into it. The taste of plastic left not only a bad taste in her mouth, but also left her confused and frustrated. What appeared to be a bowl of fresh fruit or, in our daughter’s world, “num nums” turned out to be just hollow pieces of plastic. Something that appeared to bring nourishment was empty on the inside.
If we are honest with ourselves, we know that many times we treat our relationship with God like a bowl of plastic fruit. In an age of instant information, microwave ovens and quick fixes, the idea of staying in a place for an extended period of time for inner working to begin is such a foreign concept. We desire change in our timing and if it doesn’t come right away we move on to the next thing demanding our attention. This mindset encourages us to look for band-aid (behavior change and shortcuts) solutions to cure the deeper issues taking place inside our heart.
Fixing bad habits like swearing, overeating, and gossiping takes effort for sure, but isn’t that overtly challenging to do. Relying on pure will power, you can quit engaging in destructive behaviors for a period of time. To the outsider’s eyes, it might appear that growth has occurred and it has to a degree. But, you still leave yourself vulnerable to falling back to your old ways if you don’t search for the deeper struggles of the heart. You have to avoid taking shortcuts and devote the time necessary to ask what drives those bad habits.
If you are ever going to have the chance for real change to occur, you must see past the lie that a change in behavior is all you need. Going to the gym to get in shape will not answer the question of why you turn to food when you are depressed. You might solve your lusting problem by getting rid of your computer, but have you taken the time to fully understand your tendency to turn to pornography when you are lonely and craving intimacy?
Disciplines can become shortcuts if you don’t take the time to answer the question “why.” Finding the answers to those challenging questions requires brutal honesty. This is the reason many of us stop short of true spiritual transformation and exchange it for shortcuts and a false sense of outer change. As you begin to arrange your life around your one word, remember growth requires time and intention on your part. Fight the urge to be plastic fruit by relying on shortcuts.
We’d love to hear your response to the following question: Why do you seek out quick fixes rather than devote the time towards inner change? What are some examples of shortcuts you’ve taken that have led to plastic fruit?
Feb
VIDEO BLOG: February’s Focus
At the beginning of each month Mike Ashcraft, the Pastor at Port City Community Church, will be posting a short video to explain where we are going with that month’s blog topic. Our hope is that by using our blog to focus on these different topics throughout the year you will have a tool to apply this concept to your life and how you are using your one word. We’ve posted the topic video for February and invite you to check it out below. Thank you for sharing this journey together with us and we are really excited about what God is going to do in us this year!
In Mike’s video, he points out a new account feature that we are really excited about, the Word Journal. To begin using your word journal you will need to register for an account with MYONEWORD.ORG. To find out more about how the Word Journal works click here.