our blog
Dec
Memories
Living five minutes from the beach in southeastern North Carolina, it’s not uncommon to see some people wearing shorts into late fall. Yet, it has grown increasingly colder over the past few days and the anchor on the Weather Channel informs me the temperature is going to continue to drop. As much as I want to fight it, I realize the time has finally come to drag out the winter clothes from the depths of our closet. While I was searching for sweaters, jackets and scarves, I came across a box on the top shelf.
Inside were pieces of artwork, stories, special projects and school progress reports my wife and I have saved over the years from our two daughters. I carried the box over to the bed and took a moment to go through the contents. It was striking to see the progression of growth that has taken place. In a way, I received the chance to see them grow up again just by looking at each piece.
A report card brought back memories of elementary school when one of my girls struggled in a certain subject. I remember how in frustration she pondered if she’d ever understand. Now, she’s a high schooler who excels in that area. But, there are new subjects that are stretching her and she is wondering again – will I see growth.
Everything in me wanted to grab the box, hop into the car, drive over to the school and take her out of class. She needed to see with her own eyes how far she had come. No longer was she the little girl who couldn’t quite color within the lines, was just learning her multiplication tables or all the state capitals.
Without the opportunity to look back, all she saw was her present circumstances and it made her question will I ever progress. The thing is we all react the way my daughter did. As humans, we are wired this way. Take you for instance. You began this year with the promise of a new start. You were filled with the hope of change.
But, these past ten to eleven months have flown by and for some reason all you can see are the places where you have fallen short of living out your One Word. Old tendencies still rear their ugly head on occasion. Disciplines that you thought would quickly become natural still feel forced from time to time. Granted, you maybe a tad more patient, forgiving or generous. Yet, there are just too many gaps that still exist in your character.
Rather than celebrating growth, the focus is on present day you with all your shortcomings and inconsistencies. My charge for you would be to look backwards. If you are reading this blog entry, it means you are on the verge of making it through your One Word journey. From being intentional about surrender intervals and capturing your thoughts to loving those who get under your skin and impacting those in your sphere of influence, you have almost a years worth of experiences that speak of your growth. Remember, a step, no matter, how small means there is movement in your life. These tangible expressions of growth are reasons to celebrate.
Are you where you want to be? Chances are good, no. Do gaps still exist? Without a doubt. Have you mastered your word completely? No, but like scripture reminds us we are a work in progress. What I hope you are learning from this experience is that you are never done with your Word. It remains with you and becomes embedded in your character. It also leads you to your next word and the word after that. You can have hope that the work that God has been faithful to begin in you, He will be just as faithful to complete. A walk with God means a walk in progress where momentum towards intimacy is taking place. This is the lens I hope through which you now view your life.
- Read Lamentations 3:40. How would you measure your Word’s effectiveness on your life during the past year?
- Why is the journey more important in the eyes of God then our destination?
Nov
Stop and Give Thanks
It would be an understatement to say I love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday. What did you expect? After all, the holiday is centered on my two biggest interests: food and football. Growing up as a kid, I could think of no better treat then sitting on my grandparent’s couch with an overflowing plate watching the Cowboys lose (the Redskins fan in me is finally exposed). Yet, my family had a tradition which often put a kink in my plans. Before saying grace, each person gathered around the table had to share what they were thankful for. It always baffled me why my family didn’t understand that I wanted to show my thankfulness for football and food by digging into the grub and getting back to the pigskin.
Now, as I grow older, I am beginning to realize why we have a holiday dedicated to the act of thankfulness. Gratitude isn’t a natural act. In the midst of our busyness, we rarely pause and give thanks for what we’ve been given. While faced with a difficult circumstance, the last thing on our mind is remembering to rejoice over God working everything out for good. Our thoughts tend to gravitate towards what we don’t have rather than counting our blessings. Even in the process of our growth, we are quick to point out our shortcomings rather than looking behind us and being grateful for the many ways God has formed our character.
So, the focus for today’s blog entry is very simple: to pause and give thanks. Below you’ll find scriptures along with a few reflective exercises designed to help you express gratitude over the growth that has occurred through your One Word. If you are in the habit of journaling, mark this moment by taking some time to write out your thoughts. My hope is that you’ll use this as an opportunity to rejoice over God’s faithfulness to you.
Psalm 118:28-29 (NIV)
28 You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. 29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Take a moment and reflect on how God’s love is consistent even in the midst of our inadequacies and failures with living out your One Word.
Romans 6:16-18 (NIV)
16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Take a moment and thank God you are no longer a slave to sin.
1 Corinthians 15:56-58 (NIV)
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Take a moment and thank God for the victories you’ve seen in your character over the past year.
Ephesians 1:15-17 (NIV)
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Take a moment and thank God for the people who have come alongside you in your journey to reflect God’s heart.
Philippians 4:5-7 (NIV)
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Take a moment and reflect on the areas in your life where you are currently struggling to experience peace. Thank God that He is using this event to bring you closer to His side.
Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Take a moment and thank God for how your One Word is beginning to take root in your character.
Nov
A Growing Soul
Another lazy Sunday afternoon in the fall finds me camped out on the couch with a belly full of appetizers watching a football game. With the kids quietly playing up in their room and my ‘honey do’ list complete, all is right with my world. This contentment is short-lived when flipping through the channels during halftime the remote dies. While contemplating whether to get up and manually switch back to the big game a service announcement for a non-profit organization that helps starving children in Africa starts to play.
A range of emotions comes over me. I feel guilty for wanting to ignore their plight because I am more concerned over the Redskins mounting a comeback. Yet, there is part of me that feels a sense of sadness over the injustices taking place all over the world. Even though we know there are huge problems in the world, we believe there is nothing we can do to make any difference. After all, we are just one person.
It is hard not to feel completely overwhelmed when you hear stories about oppression, war and poverty. Our hearts break realizing the amount of work that needs to be done in this world. Without the Gospel, despair runs rampant. Yet, when our heart breaks with the compassion of our God seen in the Gospel, our soul expands to match this growing concern.
Unfortunately, many of us take the easy route by devoting a large portion of our energy towards taking care of ourselves. With an individualistic mindset, our greatest concern will always remains inward. Just as long as our personal kingdom does not crumble, we ignore the fact that there is chaos taking place down the street and around the globe. This reveals a darker part of us all. The truth is we are willing to tolerate these horrors as long as they remain down the street and do not affect us.
Sadly, we don’t understand the devastating effect this causes to our heart. Our soul shrinks or expands to the size of our greatest concern. We desperately need a growing soul so we are energized to pray for a growing concern taking place in a growing world. Over time you begin to develop a fundamental understanding that we are all connected to one another and we cannot afford, or survive, being obsessively concerned about ourselves.
The call is not for us to feel bad or wish we could do more. The charge is merely to do something and realize that God has equipped you with gifts and passions that He wants you to use to make His name known. Go and put your heart and soul on the line before God by asking: Lord, what would you have me do in light of my growing concern and expanding heart?
The Church that is built on Christ is the only organization on the face of the earth that has been entrusted with what every human heart longs for and in fact needs. We must not shirk our responsibility and make excuses for why we are not more effective. The power lies in our ability to follow Christ and demonstrate this by our love for one another. It requires trusting God will be faithful to lead us and put us in places where we will be useful to fulfilling those purposes.
- It has been said that our soul shrinks or expands to the size of our greatest concern. How have you seen this statement to be true in your own life?
- In what areas do you see your soul expanding recently? What has caused your heart to gravitate towards this concern?
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 2011. 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!