A few months ago, I bought 120 white plastic hangers.

It all started with a visit to a friend’s house. This friend’s house was really clean. Pristine. The kind of pristine that makes you feel like you are walking into a Pottery Barn catalog. The kind of pristine where even the washer and dryer are, well, pristine. There was no dust, no lint, no streaks of detergent, no lone, mysterious sock cluttering up her appliances. And then I got a peek at one of her closets–such wondrous organization!- and I couldn’t help but notice that all her hangers matched.

Yes, I noticed that.

And I decided that I too wanted matching hangers. Silly, I know. But when I happened upon a hanger sale a few weeks later, I thought, “What luck!” and loaded up my cart. The following Sunday at church, when I casually mentioned to one of my friends about My-Matching-Hangers-Idea, she looked at me, more than slightly puzzled by my zeal, and said, smiling, teasingly- “Donna, I think you need to go back to work.”

See, over a year ago I became a mom. A stay-at-home mom. After working for nine years, and watching several friends blaze this trail before me, I kinda had an idea what this would look like. Lunches at Chick-Fil-A, playdates at the park, mornings spent shopping at Target. And time. I would have all this glorious time.

Time to be sure there was always a fresh pitcher of my husband’s beloved sweet tea in the fridge. Time to clean the baseboards, straighten the garage, and vacuum my car. Time to read the Bible more. Time to pour into my relationships.

Time.

Eighteen months later…my husband makes his own sweet tea, my baseboards have never been dirtier, my garage looks like something from Hoarders, and my car is littered with cheerio crumbs and dried out hand-wipes. And I don’t read the Bible any more than I use to. Maybe even less. And my friendships.. they are no deeper, no more authentic than they were, well, eighteen months ago.

And all those hangers? It has been six months and they are hanging in my closet all right. They are just clothes-less. All 120 of them still nicely wrapped in sets of ten inside their cardboard sleeves.

Why? I guess I could blame all this inertia on the busyness of life, on the demands of parenting a toddler. But to be honest, this inertia of mine is because I haven’t made the effort. It is that simple. That awfully simple.

This year, God is asking me to make the effort. So. That’s my one word. Effort.

When I looked up effort in the dictionary, I came across this meaning: a determined attempt. This year, that is what I am doing. I’m not looking for perfection, I am just determined to attempt.

Don’t get me wrong. God is not asking me to try harder, as if by sheer will I can become who He designed me to be. But with my one word, God is calling me to examine my character. I found that my natural inclination is towards procrastination and laziness. I like the easy way. I watch too much daytime TV. It is a crying shame that I know that Matt Lauer wasn’t at work on Friday.

So, I am in the process of rearranging my days, so I can make the effort. It might mean getting up earlier, turning off Kathie Lee and Hoda, it might mean calling that friend and scheduling a coffee date even though it might not be convenient. In short, I am determined to attempt that whichever God has put on my heart, whether it is as practical and mundane as keeping house or as sacred as pouring over His word.

With that being said, I am now gonna close the laptop, and get to work. I have some hangers to see to.

I have an image in my head of Jesus standing in front of a pile of filthy mud-caked mirrors. The mud is so thick and crusted it encases the entire pile. He stands there as though waiting patiently, and barely, a glint escapes from the pile. Of course he has seen it, but still he seems to wait. Again there is a glint, and another, and another. This seems to be what the Master was waiting for because he deliberately reaches down and picks up the filthy mirror that reflected the brilliant flashes.

As he grasps it, no sludge sticks to his fingers and he doesn’t try to avoid the particularly grimey spots. He peers into the dark murky glass with an expression of familiarity and commences to sloughing off the mud. In some places His brilliance dances in the newly clean glass and in other places the mud sticks fast and even seems to creep back into place. But he continues diligently and deliberately until the mirror finally reflects his countenance. Then he gingerly hangs it up at the right angle so that His light is reflected from that mirror onto the mud entombed mirrors on the floor. He stands back expectantly. There, from the bottom of the pile, a glint.

This is My One Word to me. It is a process by which we position ourselves to be what God created us to be: bearers of his image. At inception, what drives us to commit to a certain word should be a heart for God’s purposes and not our own. It is easy to make lists of all the things that we dislike about ourselves, all the things that keep us from making the cut, all the things that separate us from the idealized version of self. But what makes us change, the thing that shows the Lord we are ready to be freed from our mess, is that glint of Him in us. When we want His brilliance to overtake us is when the work can start to be done.

When I committed to My One Word fully for the first time two years ago I walked a fine line between serving myself and submitting to God’s formation of my soul. God had brought me through some very serious circumstances in my life. Through those trials, I thought that I was fully depending on the Lord. But in actuality, I only let myself “surrender“ enough to include God in my anxiety/fear idolatry. I prayed out of fear. I had quiet time in anxious overdrive.

I basically asked God to bless my worry. I hated this about myself. I knew it drove me from the God that loved me and that was not fickle about that love. So, in January of 2009 my word was “be.” I wanted to just “be” the creation God planned me to be, to rest in Him and not feel the weight and blight of the world on my shoulders. I tried so much in my own power the first two months to just “be.” Self-serving had made me miss the point of the formation my heart needed.

In March of that year, the day before my birthday, my father had a stroke. He lived in a vegetative state until the fourth of July, when he passed. On that day in March I began to learn what it meant to “be” and none of it was about my own strength to do anything. It was about the work God was doing in me, for His glory. I kept the word in 2010 too. I felt God through the storm pulling me toward him, and with that new year he taught me how to “be” in the wake.

This year, God spoke the word “courage” directly to my heart. “Courage” feels like another year of “be” in a sense, just more specific in the action God (not me) wants me to take. I pray fervently that I allow the Master to clean away all the dirt and mud that feels safe. I want to reflect his brilliant image. I want to be placed so that His image can be seen by others.

J’vanete is married and the mother of two.  She enjoys being with family, laughing, dancing, good music, and good food.  She loves learning and using what she has learned to help the people around her.  Volunteering in different capacities within the community is one way she demonstrates her committment to intentionally caring for others and being the change she wants to see in the world.

I haven’t picked my word yet.

It’s really, really hard to chose just one area of your life to work on for the entire year. And then you get into the challenge of coming up with a word that has multiple meanings so that you can creatively shove a lifetime worth of change into one year. This is another helpful exercise to prolong the commitment to one word. Believe me, I have excuse’d and stalled so much my head spins.

So here I sit, after procrastinating the writing of this post until I chose a word. I’m writing now, not because I have a word. But because I am learning so much more in the process of picking a word than I expected.

I’m realizing that I have a lot to work on, hence the dilemma in picking my one word.

As a relatively new believer, I have a lot to learn. You won’t find my writings peppered with scripture because, to be honest, I am not well versed enough to know my… well, verses. So, there’s a word possibility. “Educate.” Or something a little more inventive.

I also want to make a change this year in the way I raise my two small children. I want them to know the God that I didn’t know until I was in my late 20s. Sure, we pray together and we incorporate Biblical teachings into several life moments each day. But I want to do more. I want to be a better teacher all day, every day. Not just when I notice the swift kick in the rear from the Holy Spirit. So, there’s a thought. “Consistency.” Or something a little more jazzy.

Another area that I want to work on this year is being a better steward of His money. After a crazy economy turned our household income inside out and upside down last year, we were forced to make big changes. We are hanging on by a thread but we are hanging on. This year, I want to climb that thread and conquer our new financial situation. I want to make the resources that He blesses us with work for us. Wisely. Consistently. Calmly. Knowing that all will be okay as long as we continue to put our faith in the Lord and act as good stewards of His provision. So, “steward.” Maybe?

I could go on and on with the words that pop in my mind, stay a while, only to leave because I can’t come up with a way to creatively combine them into one. Because I can’t come up with a word that sounds compelling or that will garner the “oooh, that’s a great word” from friends. Or because I get stuck in the “well, I probably need to focus on something bigger than just that.” And the word selection circle goes round and round and round.

Another big challenge is the thought that, whatever word I choose to work on for the year, God will move on. That scares me. If I choose “steward,” is He going to give me a chance to learn better stewardship by challenging us financially even more than we are already challenged? If I chose “educate” or “consistency”, am I going to be placed in a position in which I am uncomfortable in order to learn that lesson?

The answer to my questions, I know. Or I’m pretty sure I do. Yes. Yes. Yes, silly, yes. Isn’t that the purpose of the My One Word project? Choosing a word that challenges us to grow? To create a vision for our future so that we can improve our character?

Eek. Change? Improve? That sounds hard.

But having pondered this word choice day and night, even sometimes saying “I don’t need to pick a word… I’ll just work on everything this year,” I have come to a conclusion. I need a word. I need a word to help me focus. To take this overwhelming feeling of a needed all-over change one step at a time. One year, one word, at a time. I am going to commit to this challenge. I am going to commit to change.

Now. I just need a word. I have till February 1, right?

Boy, this project is not for wimps.

Hilary Brady is a freelance writer, marketing consultant and copywriter that has called PC3 home since it saved her spiritual life in 2008. More information about Hilary’s journey can be found at peanutandpoppy.wordpress.com and samples of her professional work can be seen at hbrady.com.

Over the course of the past few weeks, you have been reflecting on the person you feel God wants you to become in 2011. Unfortunately, sometimes you are so close to a situation that you get tunnel vision and begin to second-guess your perspective. Chances are good you have created a list of potential words, but you find yourself wondering how to make a final decision on the direction you will take. Our recommendation is to invite someone else to join you on your journey by seeking out his or her wisdom. Even though you must rely on the Holy Spirit for direction, God also uses people to bring perspective to your life that you are unable (or unwilling) to see at times.

Who is the person you trust the most?  Do they care deeply about the well being of your character? Hopefully, this individual possesses the ability to see the potential in you and is willing to do whatever it takes to encourage your growth and transformation. In essence, they care more about your character than your friendship. True change takes a community effort. Each one of us needs a few people to tell us the truth about our heart, point out our weaknesses, and check for our blind spots.

• Share with this person the words you are considering for the My One Word project. As you are sharing your thoughts, pay close attention to their response and the words that are met with affirmation and confirmation.  Do they affirm that your word is an area that demands your attention? Do they confirm that a certain word seems to be a place where God is working in your life?

FOR THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY PICKED THEIR WORD FOR 2011

The reason you chose the word that you did is because this godly characteristic does not come naturally to you. This is where the implementation of disciplines comes into play.  The point of disciplines is to “do something you can do in order to do something you can’t do.” You establish disciplines until they are dissolved into your character. While many of us shy away from discipline, there are many benefits to the struggle we experience as the depth of our character is tested and trained. Disciplines put you in a place where God can transform your heart. As you are starting your one word journey, take some time to reflect on what disciplines you need to set up in order to pursue your word more deeply.

• Read 1 Timothy 4:7-9. What disciplines will you incorporate in response to living out your one word?

Many of you have been down this path of change before and, for whatever reason, something got the better of you. It caused you to wave the white flag in surrender and retreat back to your old ways. This time you want things to be different. Start now by identifying the bumps in the road you will inevitably encounter. We’d love to hear your response to the following question: What do you see as the biggest roadblock that you will face when it comes to living out your one word?

It never fails, once I start thinking of a new word the lessons surrounding my previous word increase. It’s as though God is operating on His own timeline rather than mine – this shouldn’t surprise me. Suddenly, I start feeling as though I’m not ready for a new word. I question whether I gave last years word enough consideration. Did I journal enough? Have I really adopted it as a mindset the way I had planned to?

This way of thinking can overwhelm us when picking a new word, especially when trying to sum up everything that we still need to work on with just one. For example, this year, I want to continue working on being the best husband and father I can be, I want to be better at serving others, I want to be more active in ministry, and the list goes on. Finding a word that encapsulates all of the things that are important to me this year isn’t easy, and I’ve been more grateful than ever that we have until February 1st to decide.

When we seek to improve our life in any way our tendency is to look deeper and deeper into ourselves until we find an answer. I want to do the opposite. There is one word that keeps coming to mind during my quiet time – understanding. It’s a good word but I want to spend less time being introspective and more time being outwardly active in my faith.

So, as reluctant as I was to choose understanding as my word, I decided to at least spend some time with it and begin praying for more understanding about what God wants to do in my life; He must increase and I must decrease (John 3:30). A couple of weeks have passed and I’ve come to understand that God has been using my previous word, temple, to position me for this new year.

My final word came to me while looking over some of my past journal entries and study notes. Early in the year I was studying the temple that king Solomon, and the people of Israel, had built for God. The following verse was scribbled on the page:

“When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” (2 Chronicles 7:1)

Then it hits me, the person who I want to be this year can only be realized in His glory. I must come to understand that, like the temple in 2 Chronicles, when God fills me with His glory it comes down like a consuming fire. All of the frustration, anxiety, or doubt of choosing a new word or expectations of who I want to be this year, is reduced to ash. The only thing left is the glory of what God is doing at this moment, on His timeline. So, my one word for 2011 is Glory.

For some, picking a word might be easy, but for most of us it requires much prayer and consideration. How I have come to pick my one word is a testament to the importance of journaling. By looking back on the past year, and what the Spirit has taught me, I have gained a better understanding of where He is leading me this year.

If you are struggling to pick a word, or even narrow down your options, I encourage you to reflect on where you’ve been and how God might be continuing to use your past words. Of course the best advice I can give anyone on picking a word is to just ask God for His advice.

C.S. Lewis once quipped “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” My hope when I pick my one word is that it will have a similar impact on my life.  I want to see my word and focus on it, but I also hope that God uses it to illuminate many other aspects of my life. There is an exciting pressure about picking my word!

I’ve had some words that have helped—and continue to help—me grow in Christ.  “Relational” was my word in 2007. It forced me to put relationships ahead of tasks, agendas, efficiency and effectiveness and all the things that have “rescued me” and garnered praise from others.  “Relational” helped me become a gentler husband and father and even a better co-worker because I enter more conversations looking to have a closer bond not just a better decision.

In 2008 my word was “authentic.”  We talk about “encounter, formation and expression” at PC3 and my word came out of a desire to not simply perform Christ likeness but express His love and will in the world because of my authentic encounters with God, and His formational work within me.  It was a noble goal but only partly realized.  I admit and repent of the fact that I got too busy to use this word as a point of encounter . . . . at least I’m being authentic now!

“Pure” was my word for 2009.  I was giving my young son fake attention while answering email on my laptop.  He didn’t catch me, but I caught myself and it hurt.  “Pure” for me was not just about dealing with sin patterns (though that was part of it) it was about being undivided when the moment called for it; when the relationship called for it.  It was a push against multi-tasking.  Later that year, my daughter asked me to snuggle with her as she fell asleep.  The email beckoned but I snuggled.  More than that, I stayed pure.  Instead of rehearsing answers to emails I prayed for my daughter, for her friendships, for her purity, for her future husband, for wisdom as her dad, for every aspect of her life that came to mind.  “Pure” helped me have that moment.

In 2010 I forgot my word.  I had to look it up in preparing to write this.  And guess what, the word was? “Enjoy.”  I picked it while running on the beach and realizing that I was approaching the run as a task to stay in shape instead of a wonderful opportunity to take in God’s creation and enjoy my body’s ability to run.  But, the year was a hard one at work and I let it choke out my word.  Comedian Jeff Foxworthy has a running joke ‘You might be a redneck . . .”  For me it’s more like “You might be a Martha” or “You might be the prodigal son’s older brother . . .”  I’m prone to see life as obligations and then get bitter at meeting them while others enjoy the party.  “If your word is “enjoy” and you forget it by May, you might be a Martha.”  Yep.

Left to their own sense of direction, most people will travel in a circle when left in the wilderness.  Sometimes I feel like that’s me.  I seem to wrestle with same issues over and over and forward progress is inconsistent.  I also tend to wander away so knowingly with lame rationalizations.  So, my word for 2011 is “compass.”

Mike talks about the “normal, natural use of scripture” as a marker of Christian maturity.  I think that “normal, natural” idea can carry over to a lot of areas. For me, it speaks of pulling in God’s truth to a given situation quickly and without fanfare.  My “compass” is not about any issues of doubt in my ultimate destination.  The compass is about frequent checking in with what’s true and not wandering on my own.  Off we go!

We were hanging out by the pool and I was about to leave, and so she hugged me, but we didn’t immediately pull apart. As we stood there holding each other, strangely not feeling awkward—maybe that’s just because we’d known each other ten years, so what’s a minute of hugging in a decade of friendship?—she called us nerds. I replied by asking to kiss her.

She asked if we could talk about it, and I said sure. Then I leaned forward and I kissed her.

It lasted only a moment—one of those moments that seem to last forever—followed talking for the next many moments. And then, after another kiss, I went home.

I’d mounted up on wings like eagles, and baby, I was soaring.

Two years and much prayer later, I married her—also with her permission—and now, a year and a half later, we’ve made it something like five times longer than half of celebrity marriages.

All of that is a sorta cheesy way of introducing my word this year: forward. Without that first step, that first kiss and that first conversation, terrifying and intense as it might have been, maybe we never get married.

I have visions and dreams. There are things I know I want to do, things I have wanted to do for a long time, that I just haven’t yet, or that I’ve started and stopped a half-dozen different times. One thing about life: it just goes nonstop.

Having grown up in a Christian family and Christian school, I know to rely on God and all that. I try, but since I’m human, and as such, just hopeless by default, I get distracted because there is a deadline to meet and a project to finish and a dog to feed—and a couple hours later, clean up after—and, basically, life to live.

And with all that and everything else life demands, it’s plenty easy to forget God. Those dreams and visions aren’t just there randomly. Well, some are. Like the ones after we eat pizza before bed. But you know what I’m talking about. Those dreams that don’t go away, that make us tremble with anticipation and wonder. What if?

But we’ve got to chase them. If we don’t, we’ll never know why we dreamed them at all.

I’m passionate about telling great stories, and I’ve long had a vision of what that meant. Some of it I’ve reached, and some of it I can’t pursue yet … but some of it I can, and just haven’t. That’s going to become my big project this year. I’ve committed this year to, well, moving forward. And so that makes this year about walking out in faith and pure faith alone, knowing that, though there is much potential, there is no guarantee.

That’s trusting God. What’s funny is how I’ve trusted Him before, and though terrified and completely unsure of where whatever I was doing at the time was taking me, when I got there, there was no more doubt. And yet each time a new dream arises, I find myself still doubting. But acting and believing in spite of doubt—that’s faith.

The cliché says we take a leap of it, trusting God to catch us.

Only, I don’t think my leap is about getting caught. I think my leap is about learning how to fly. We’ve all had that dream, to fly. And yeah, I’d like to fly.

Only thing about flying: it requires I dare to leave the ground. Eagles never soar standing still.

Brandon is a Wilmington-based professional freelance journalist, copywriter, and editor. He is the author of The Edge of Legend: An Incredible Story of Faith and Basketball (Port 2010) and has contributed to ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, SI.com, and Our State (NC) mag, in additional to myriad regional publications. He blogs about great stories, marriage, life, and his and his wife’s ridiculous Jack Russell Terrier at brandonsneed.com.

Having painted a picture of the person you want to be at the end of 2011, your natural tendency will be to haphazardly hang the still-wet canvas on the wall and start along the path of transformation. Yet, this reaction will have you running in a thousand different directions because numerous godly characteristics make up the person you desire to become. By attempting to instill each virtue all at once, the likelihood is you’ll quickly burnout and be frustrated when all of them do not take root.

Instead of letting the wet paint run and blur your vision for change, you must take the time to narrow your focus. When you invest time and energy into developing a certain aspect of yourself, it will positively effect and spill over to other areas of your character. To help refine your search, examine a few scriptures that speak of virtues that have the potential to become your One Word.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Colossians 3:12-17

1 Peter 4:7-11

Galatians 5:22-23

• Read the scripture passages found above. What are some words found in these passages that resonate with you? Why do you seem to be drawn to these words?
• Write down the words that, to this point, have stuck with you. Keep these words in highly visible places (bathroom mirror, bible, car dashboard, refrigerator, workspace, etc.) so you will be able to wrestle with them throughout the upcoming days.

FOR THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY PICKED THEIR WORD FOR 2011

Your one word provides a lens not only to see your life and what God wants to do through you, but it also allows you to view and respond to your circumstances differently.  Rather than just responding to life, you are proactively looking for ways to put your word into action. Keeping your eyes focused on God is the key to being formed into His image, because what you see determines the direction you go.

• In what ways are you going to use your word as a lens through which you will view life, God and your circumstances?

So far, we’ve talked about your hopes as well as the fears you have regarding change. Today we want to confront the tension you will experience as you begin your pursuit of your One Word. We’d love to hear your response to the following question: In what places are you already feeling tension and resistance to your One Word?

Being a father of two young daughters, my house is the definition of pinkalicious. Everywhere I turn I am confronted with something girlie. My life is consumed with tea parties, fairies and Barbie’s. This exposure has affected me to the point where I randomly blurt out Disney Princess tunes and, sadly, know more about American Girl dolls than any man should.

I’ve come to accept this as my plight in life and the reality is I wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world. Yet, I have friends who are becoming fathers of little girls for the first time. On occasion, I like to give them a few tokens of wisdom from my years of experience nurturing those who are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Of course, this insight includes: show her affection, be her biggest cheerleader, watch your tone of voice because they are delicate and make time for her at all costs.

Then there is the piece of advice I tack on at the end: oh yeah, be prepared for a lot of wardrobe changes. When my oldest entered kindergarten, she switched her outfit at least fives time daily before heading off to school. However, this past Halloween the fickleness about outfits reached a level never seen before. I lost track of how many costumes were in the running.

At one time or another our girls were going to be Ariel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Dorothy, Minnie Mouse, or Wendy Darling (Peter Pan). The outfits weren’t just of the cartoon variety because a ballerina, ice skater, fish, pirate and veterinarian were also considered.

But, their struggle to figure out who they wanted to be is far from a unique phenomenon solely reserved for little girls contemplating outfits. The reality is very few of us pause and consider the type of person we want to become. Even within our resolutions, our focus tends to reside on escaping the individual of the past as well as the person we fear we will remain. We are well aware of the negative qualities that person possesses.

So, why you might ask, did we encourage you a few days ago to take inventory on where you’ve been and the person you currently are? Quite simply, it begins the process towards change by identifying your starting point. Taking the time to reflect on the past year in hopes of carving out a better future has the ability to halt you in your tracks. Coming face to face with the unpleasant gaps in your character and personality is not always a pretty picture.

Today we turn our attention to a different picture. This is a picture that propels you forward. Rather than attempting to avoid the person you were or stopping a negative behavior, we want you to begin painting a picture of the person you want to become at the end of 2011. This image must go deeper than outward appearances by focusing on the changes that need to take place deep inside your soul.

• Take a few moments and journal about the type of person you want to be at the end of 2011. How would you want this person to be described? What are some characteristics that would define this person? For those who have already chosen your One Word, what effect do you hope this word will have on your character? How will you have to posture yourself to make that change a reality?

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!

There’s something about My One Word that no one ever talks about and it’s with good reason; the truth would stifle us. The reality is so overwhelming that it would keep us from ever getting started.

And yet – for me at least – I feel it’s time to acknowledge the pink elephant in the room. Here goes: This month you are not picking a word to get you through the rest of the year. It’s much bigger than that. You will actually have to live with it for the rest of your life.

Talk about commitment issues!

It’s not like you can spend the next 365 days working on patience, only to become impatient next year. What’s the point of being compassionate in 2011, if you adopt an “every man for himself” attitude in 2012? You can’t spend the next 12 months trying to be humble, and then on the stroke of midnight on next New Year ’s Eve, brag about how well you did.

All of this is on my mind because I now realize that my previous words must play a role in the selection process this month. Whatever I choose for 2011 must further the change and transformation that has already taken place. The new word has to stand on the shoulders of those that have already come before it.

The first year I picked “failure.” Yes, it’s a strange word, but I was one of those guys who was so afraid of failing that at times I didn’t even try. As a new believer it seemed like I had a new identity that would be there no matter the outcome. Winning or losing was no longer the sum of who I was. So in 2007 I embraced failure, didn’t pursue it, but embraced it. Bring it on!

A few years later I wanted to address another major issue in my life. My mind was never in the present. I was always living somewhere in the future, sometimes worrying about it and other moments celebrating a great event that was years away. Some guys struggle with living in the glory days of the past. Whether you’re looking backward or forward it’s all the same sin…because you’re not living in the now. And so in 2009 and I choose the word “moment.”

Those two words are still with me today and will play a huge role in the year to come. In 2011 my word is going to be “seed.” It’s comes from the line:“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed” (Matthew 13:31-32). Jesus, by the way, also compared it to yeast. But who wants to put “yeast” on the mirror or the dashboard?

Either way the notion is if you give God something small He can build it into something huge. The seed becomes the tree big enough to house birds. The yeast becomes the loaf of bread large enough to feed the family.

In the first 4 years of my walk the focus was on my own root system. This past year God has revealed, through not the most pleasant of circumstances, that a foundation is now in place. Certainly there are areas that need to be refortified, but a structure is there. And now – for the first time – I can afford to look above the surface.

2011 is for planting seeds: in relationships, in acts of faith, through any talents or gifts and certainly through evangelism or witnessing. This year I am going to offer up something small, and then sit back and see what God will do with it.

To be sure “failure” has a role in all this. Some of the seeds will not bloom. I know that. Perhaps most of them won’t. But when they do, those few that survive, the first sign of growth – that “moment” – will be celebrated not for what it may become but for what it is. The word “seed” demands me to live in the now.

I am sure “seed” will help transform me, and I know it will be a part of my life long after 2011 is gone.