Monday, March 26, 2018

FOMO

It is quickly becoming the biggest fear, overtaking public speaking. The Fear Of Missing Out.

Nobody wants to be left out. Nobody wants to miss the next big thing. But if you had something no one should miss out on, would you share it?

Btw, Easter is Sunday. You could invite someone and/or share the story of Easter with them. I'd hate for someone to miss out on Jesus...

T

Monday, March 19, 2018

Why Just For Lent?

I have run across a couple of people who are giving up things and/or doing something more for Lent. That's fantastic, but I have a question...

Why just for Lent?

Have you ever noticed we have put rhythms in our lives to start or try new things, but we also put times for them to end? We come up with resolutions for the new year, we do things at Lent, some people do things at Advent too. But why do we put ourselves in a box and only better ourselves for that period of time?

Here's my challenge. Start praying more. Start today. What's the significance of today? Nothing, other than it's today and you can start today. And end... well, never if you can help it.

What's one thing you can do to grow closer to God that doesn't start and end by a calendar date?

T

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Why We Ate Dinner at 8:30 Tonight

Because of the time change.

Changing our clocks is a great idea. Daylight at times we are awake, saving energy, it's all great stuff. But there's one big problem.

Just because I change my clocks doesn't mean I have adjusted. I'm still tired, hungry, etc. at the same time I have been for the past few days (or weeks, or months). The number on the clock doesn't change that.

Until I make a conscious effort to change my rhythms to those numbers.

When I force myself to eat at the new time repeatedly, then my body will adjust and I will get hungry at that time. If I go to sleep at the new time over and over and over again then I will start to get tired when I should (or even better, if I wake up at the new time over and over and over then I will get tired when I should). The only way to adjust is continually follow the new time zone.

The same is true for our souls. It's amazing how often people want to go deeper with Christ so they start to attend church or try a Bible Study or whatever and we expect to feel holy and changed overnight. But that's not how it works. Our souls are still conditioned to our old lives. The only way change happens is by continual effort and conditioning to our new plan.

If you want to start going to church, you can't expect that going once (or twice) and not "feeling" anything is the fault of the church or God so you give up on church. You haven't given your soul enough time to start to grow into this new life. If you try serving once, hate it, and give up, of course it didn't work. A life of self-sacrifice doesn't happen with a half-hour service project. It takes serving over and over and over and over and over until it becomes second nature.

I now have two choices. Adjust to the new time and eat when the numbers say 6:00 or keep eating dinner at 8:30. Whether I like it or not, it's up to me.

T

Monday, March 05, 2018

The Long Game

The other day I saw a book entitled "30 Days to Understanding the Bible". Sounds great, right? Wouldn't that be a good book?

It's a lie.

Sorry to the authors and I admire what they are trying to do with helping people understand the Bible. That's all well and good. But people spend their entire lives trying to understand the Bible. And they still don't get there. But I'm supposed to believe that in one month I will understand the entirety of God's Word?

I want to understand the Bible. I really do. But I know I can't do it in 30 days. Will books like this help? Of course. But will they deliver on the promise in the title, that I will understand the Bible in the 30 days? Nope. I don't think I could even read the entire Bible in 30 days, let alone add in more time to understand what I'm reading.

Play the long game. Look to understand the Bible but not in a quick fix. Every day growing a little more in your understanding of God's Word, of who Jesus is, of who you are in Christ. That will bring about real understanding, and hopefully real life change.

T