Last Sunday, as my pastor preached on taking risks, I watched my husband out of the corner of my eye watching me out of the corner of his. He looked scared. Well, scared may be too strong a word ... reservedly panicked ... yes, that might be a better description for the odd look he was trying to mask. What was he thinking, I wondered. It didn't take too long for me to find out.
"That sermon was not for you," my dashedly handsome hubby insisted at dinner that afternoon. "Others need to take risks but you take plenty and I always get to go along for the ride." I suppose he's right. About the ride part, not the taking plenty part. And to be fair to him, my husband is faithful in following God's call to service in the inner city and the young adults and children God has given us to love. I'm incredibly blessed by a husband who takes a deep breath and then does whatever is necessary as long as He knows God is in it. That he is married to who he calls his own version of Lucy Ricardo is what gives him angst.
I guess the difference between my husband and me is in the calculation of risk. His definition of risk is "the chance of something going wrong: the danger that injury, damage, or loss will occur." Well, if that is the case, then getting out of bed this morning was a risk yet most of us do this every single day. Driving the Dan Ryan in Chicago during rush hour ... now that's a risk for you. Of course things are going to "go wrong" every day, but we still opt to go through the day. Some grumbling more than others about it, but we still get up.
I honestly do not feel the choices we've made up to this point are all that risky. Yes, we've volunteered in the Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast, lived in the inner city, and taken people into our hearts and home who had no place else to go. Yet, it all seems quite reaonsable behavior to me. Unusual, perhaps ... but why?
Think about this. When God asks you to do something, where is the risk? That it might not work out? Is that even a possibility if God is behind the request? Yes, God has asked many to follow Him to places or tasks that appeared not to work out ... but is that really so? How do we know, this side of the curtain, that God's plans were not met even though in our puny way of thinking we do not see success. The bigger risk, in my mind, is to not follow God where He leads because you will end up somewhere else ... not a godless place because God is omniscient and thus everywhere ... but a place you don't belong doing something you shouldn't be doing; not necessarily because the place or the activity is sinful, but definitely not God-appointed.
All too often American Christians, myself included, think that we must have misread God's calling when we run into difficulties. And yes, it is possible we've allow our own desires or ambitions or fears to cloud God's still small voice. But is it not equally possible that American Christians with our "I want it all and I want it now" mentality confuse the meaning of difficulty? When we storm the gates of hell, is it any surprise that the enemy puts up a fight?
So how do we know if God is calling? I believe we must be grounded in worship to know for sure. In Isaiah 6, we see the glory of God in His resplendant holiness, Isaiah falling on his face in light of his sinfulness, Isaiah then cleansed of his sin, God calling for a messenger, Isaiah responding, and finally Isaiah being sent out to serve. Worship and service. God called Isaiah to give Israel an unpopular message which was not well received. There is no question that Isaiah was called despite running into difficulties.
We need to spend sufficient time in worship of God: contemplating who He is, what we are without Him, and who we are within Him. Then, follow the call which will surely come. True worship leads to service. Every single time. We are to study God's word so we will hear it and do it, not just hear it and know it.
Romans chapters 1 through 11 systematically outlines the need and provision of God's righteousness - God is holy, we are not and God provides the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Romans 12 then states, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." The rest of the chapter and the book of Romans details the call to service.
Worship and service. In that order but never apart. Risky? Can God's ultimate plan go wrong? Really?
Did Isaiah risk? Or did Isaiah worship? Aren't we confusing sacrifice with risk sometimes? We offer ourselves to God, which is our reasonable service, and then jump back off the altar at the slightest provocation.
If something is reasonable then how is it risky?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Say What?
When eyes glaze over, you've got a problem. It doesn't matter how passionate you are about what you are sharing if someone does not understand you.
I know a little about not understanding what people say. I have Ménière's disease which, among other things, causes fluctuating, progressive hearing loss in both of my ears, usually in lower frequencies but in my case, my Ménière's disease is an equal-opportunity frequency discriminator. Essentially, I have an inability to hear certain tones. I can hear some people quite clearly; however, others, no matter how loudly they speak, sound like the adults in Charlie Brown cartoons: mwah, mwah, mwah. This can be particularly frustrating with people who know I have trouble hearing them and still do not make accommodations for my disability. One person actually told me I needed to work harder at hearing. Really? Oh, okay.
However, in kindness, I suppose it can be frustrating for those trying to talk to me when they think they are doing everything possible to be understandable and are not. Christians can be like that. We think we are communicating clearly and all others are hearing is mwah, mwah, Jesus, mwah.
The urban dictionary describes christianese as, "A communicable language within the Christian subculture with words and phrases created, redefined, and / or patened that applies only to the Christian sphere of influence." Wiktionary states, "The terms, catchphrases and theological jargon used by some Christians, commonly from Christian theology and influenced by popular translations of the Bible." My favorite definition is on Word Spy which states, "A language or linguistic style that is understood only by, or appeals only to, practicing Christians."
Only appeals to practicing Christians. Wow. In a world that so desperately needs to hear about and embrace the love of God, are we speaking a language that someone not only cannot understand but is offputted by the very words we use? Do they hear, mwah, mwah, mwah? Or worse, do they hear a touch of arrogance in our words further alienating them from a message they desperately need to hear, whether they realize it or not. Are we seriously asking them work harder at hearing?
I know a little about not understanding what people say. I have Ménière's disease which, among other things, causes fluctuating, progressive hearing loss in both of my ears, usually in lower frequencies but in my case, my Ménière's disease is an equal-opportunity frequency discriminator. Essentially, I have an inability to hear certain tones. I can hear some people quite clearly; however, others, no matter how loudly they speak, sound like the adults in Charlie Brown cartoons: mwah, mwah, mwah. This can be particularly frustrating with people who know I have trouble hearing them and still do not make accommodations for my disability. One person actually told me I needed to work harder at hearing. Really? Oh, okay.
However, in kindness, I suppose it can be frustrating for those trying to talk to me when they think they are doing everything possible to be understandable and are not. Christians can be like that. We think we are communicating clearly and all others are hearing is mwah, mwah, Jesus, mwah.
The urban dictionary describes christianese as, "A communicable language within the Christian subculture with words and phrases created, redefined, and / or patened that applies only to the Christian sphere of influence." Wiktionary states, "The terms, catchphrases and theological jargon used by some Christians, commonly from Christian theology and influenced by popular translations of the Bible." My favorite definition is on Word Spy which states, "A language or linguistic style that is understood only by, or appeals only to, practicing Christians."
Only appeals to practicing Christians. Wow. In a world that so desperately needs to hear about and embrace the love of God, are we speaking a language that someone not only cannot understand but is offputted by the very words we use? Do they hear, mwah, mwah, mwah? Or worse, do they hear a touch of arrogance in our words further alienating them from a message they desperately need to hear, whether they realize it or not. Are we seriously asking them work harder at hearing?
Christian: I felt like I was really backsliding, so I crucified my old man and put on my new man, and now the fruit of the spirit is evident in my life!
Non-Christian: Uh huh. Hey, I got to take this call ...
Last year, when some brand-new born-again in our presence Christians joined our home Bible study, the no-longer-wet-behind-the-ears Christians in the group quickly figured out we needed to find new ways to explain eternal truths we hold self-evidant but cannot describe in clear post-modernal language. We have become fluent in a primary language, which is not a bad thing, but we also need to be bi-lingual.
Seriously think about this. If you can't explain it, how well do you really know it?
Let the learning begin.
Non-Christian: Uh huh. Hey, I got to take this call ...
Last year, when some brand-new born-again in our presence Christians joined our home Bible study, the no-longer-wet-behind-the-ears Christians in the group quickly figured out we needed to find new ways to explain eternal truths we hold self-evidant but cannot describe in clear post-modernal language. We have become fluent in a primary language, which is not a bad thing, but we also need to be bi-lingual.
Seriously think about this. If you can't explain it, how well do you really know it?
Let the learning begin.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Course Corrections
Sailing is an exhilarating experience. There is nothing quite like it. Perhaps skiing if you can delete the part where I crash and fall down the mountain making weird noises and leaving bits and pieces of my equipment up the slope requiring an uphill trek to retrieve everything. I've enjoyed sailing on large vessels, medium size 36' vessels and much smaller craft - each with its special thrills and challenges. I've learned, among other things, being dependent on the wind and the waves, the sailor must be continually conscious of the environment and ready for anything from the water and sky, or even the boat, the sails and the crew.
Sailing is different from powerboating which allows one to plow forward despite wind or wave. Yes, there is a wheel that turns from left to right, but the sails, the waves and the wind speed must be accounted for and while you may want to go from Point A to Point B, in sailing you may have to steer toward Point C to get there - steering to the right so you boat will go straight. While vectors, leeways, drift and knots confuse me, and I can never keep my port from my aft straight, I do know course corrections are a constant in sailing.
Course corrections are a constant in life as well. Often, one must steer toward Point C to get to Point B, which is a lesson I continue to learn the hard way. I can become singularly focused with my plans and lists and speed to arrive and, when something unexpected alters those plans, I can become completely adrift. I may want to powerboat my way through life, but the truth is we are more like sailboats. Sidebar - people who think "sailing through life" is easy have never had to man a boat on choppy waves in a sudden squall while trying to lower sails to keep from capsizing. Sailing ... and life-sailing ... is quite the ride.
One of the items on The List is teaching inductive Bible study methods to several young men God has privileged us to have in our lives. My husband and I have longer-term relationships with these young men and were going to continue doing what we've been doing with them but just add Bible study to the mix ... interestingly, at their request. We chose to study the Book of Ruth using Leadership Resources International's study (www.leadershipresources.org). We support LRI's ministry, which teaches people all over the world how to study the Bible, and we were excited to use their materials. Ruth is a short book, is narrative, historical and has a fairly easy story to understand. Smooth sailing.
We set sail on Friday but the winds blowing on our little craft quickly moved us in a different direction. Our inaugural meeting of our Life Group or House Church was expected to be an intergenerational interracial group where we would eat a meat together while sharing our lives, do the dishes, gather in the living room to jointly study Ruth, worship and pray. We had already made a course adjustment the day before when one of our group asked if he could bring a friend of his and his friend's girlfriend. The expected and given response was there is always room for more.
On Friday, two of our expected group did not show, the friend and girlfriend came with a baby, and the little brother of another member came. One of us was openly struggling emotionally and spiritually, another was exhausted from a hard work week. Many of us had certain expectations of the evening. None of us were prepared for the way the evening would end. God was.
The study started simply enough. One person prayed, we each took turns introducing ourselves giving fun little tidbits of information, and we took turns reading through the book of Ruth. Routine stuff for small groups. Someone asked if we had any coffee, which we made, and we moved our study from the living room to the dining room over coffee and pie. One of the older members asked the group for their overall thoughts on the Book of Ruth and the prevailing winds appeared to shift.
One of our younger members did not understand the relationships between Ruth, Naomi, Boaz and who were those men that died? Emboldened, the others chimed in. What were they doing in a foreign country? And what was the thing about the shoes and the feet? I pulled out a piece of paper and drew a diagram starting from Naomi and Elimilech, their sons, their Moab wives, the deaths of the men, the trip back to Israel, the Kinsman Redeemer, Boaz and ultimately, the new baby. I also took them to the Gospels and showed how Jesus ultimately came from the line of Boaz.
Cool, huh? Oh yes, they said. Very cool. Except for one thing ... Jesus was born? Wasn't he always was? Wait. What?
It has been a long time since I have had in-depth conversations with someone who had little to no knowledge of the basics of Christianity. Most Americans I know, even the non-christians, have the preliminaries down pat, they just don't believe it. This was different. As the conversation continued, and questions and answers flew back and forth, I came to the realization of what was happening. God was calling this young woman's name and she was responding. Where to start? What scriptures to turn to? "Help me God," she was calling out in her heart. "Help me God," I was calling out in mine.
The young woman I had not known two hours earlier was sitting at my table sharing how she desperately wanted to know Jesus, wanted to follow Him, wanted to fall in love with Him but was so confused about who He was and what she should do. Somehow, she said, she knew that to get her life together she needed Jesus but ... she had so many questions. She wanted answers. She knew nothing other than Jesus must be the answer but how?
I shared the full redemptive story of God creating man, man falling away from God, and God, in His great love for us coming to earth to live, die and rise again so He could redeem us back from the slavery we so willingly sold ourselves into. We read in Genesis. We read in John. We read in Romans. We talked. We cried. We prayed. Oh, did we pray.
Breathing prayer with every word I spoke, I was privileged to see another child born into eternal glory and then, with equal joy, watched my husband introduce the young man to Jesus. It was God's appointed time for us all. We praise God that He opened their eyes to His truth, and our eyes to their need. I'm glad we did not powerboat our way through the study staying on our agenda. I'm glad there is always room for more at our table. Sometimes it is a tight fit but God uses availability and flexibility.
The Holy Spirit is moving. God, in His great mercy, is allowing us to come along for the ride ... and what a ride. Our new sister in Christ is already hoping to bring others with her to our group. We were to be a twice a month group. With two new eager Christians, and more people coming, we collectively decided to meet every week until God determined otherwise. We are switching from Ruth to the Gospels.
So, two nights a month are now four, at least for a time, and I suspect this is just the beginning of what God has in store for our little group. Whatever happens, discipling young believers requires adjustments to our lives ... and The List. So be it.
On The List was being more like Jesus and praying God allows me to make an eternal difference in the life of one person. Was my new sister in Christ that one? I believe so. But now I'm praying for more. Many more. And we are praying for others to set sail with us.
Course corrections.
Missional Theophanies.
Engaging the world and encountering God in the process.
Sailing is different from powerboating which allows one to plow forward despite wind or wave. Yes, there is a wheel that turns from left to right, but the sails, the waves and the wind speed must be accounted for and while you may want to go from Point A to Point B, in sailing you may have to steer toward Point C to get there - steering to the right so you boat will go straight. While vectors, leeways, drift and knots confuse me, and I can never keep my port from my aft straight, I do know course corrections are a constant in sailing.
Course corrections are a constant in life as well. Often, one must steer toward Point C to get to Point B, which is a lesson I continue to learn the hard way. I can become singularly focused with my plans and lists and speed to arrive and, when something unexpected alters those plans, I can become completely adrift. I may want to powerboat my way through life, but the truth is we are more like sailboats. Sidebar - people who think "sailing through life" is easy have never had to man a boat on choppy waves in a sudden squall while trying to lower sails to keep from capsizing. Sailing ... and life-sailing ... is quite the ride.
One of the items on The List is teaching inductive Bible study methods to several young men God has privileged us to have in our lives. My husband and I have longer-term relationships with these young men and were going to continue doing what we've been doing with them but just add Bible study to the mix ... interestingly, at their request. We chose to study the Book of Ruth using Leadership Resources International's study (www.leadershipresources.org). We support LRI's ministry, which teaches people all over the world how to study the Bible, and we were excited to use their materials. Ruth is a short book, is narrative, historical and has a fairly easy story to understand. Smooth sailing.
We set sail on Friday but the winds blowing on our little craft quickly moved us in a different direction. Our inaugural meeting of our Life Group or House Church was expected to be an intergenerational interracial group where we would eat a meat together while sharing our lives, do the dishes, gather in the living room to jointly study Ruth, worship and pray. We had already made a course adjustment the day before when one of our group asked if he could bring a friend of his and his friend's girlfriend. The expected and given response was there is always room for more.
On Friday, two of our expected group did not show, the friend and girlfriend came with a baby, and the little brother of another member came. One of us was openly struggling emotionally and spiritually, another was exhausted from a hard work week. Many of us had certain expectations of the evening. None of us were prepared for the way the evening would end. God was.
The study started simply enough. One person prayed, we each took turns introducing ourselves giving fun little tidbits of information, and we took turns reading through the book of Ruth. Routine stuff for small groups. Someone asked if we had any coffee, which we made, and we moved our study from the living room to the dining room over coffee and pie. One of the older members asked the group for their overall thoughts on the Book of Ruth and the prevailing winds appeared to shift.
One of our younger members did not understand the relationships between Ruth, Naomi, Boaz and who were those men that died? Emboldened, the others chimed in. What were they doing in a foreign country? And what was the thing about the shoes and the feet? I pulled out a piece of paper and drew a diagram starting from Naomi and Elimilech, their sons, their Moab wives, the deaths of the men, the trip back to Israel, the Kinsman Redeemer, Boaz and ultimately, the new baby. I also took them to the Gospels and showed how Jesus ultimately came from the line of Boaz.
Cool, huh? Oh yes, they said. Very cool. Except for one thing ... Jesus was born? Wasn't he always was? Wait. What?
It has been a long time since I have had in-depth conversations with someone who had little to no knowledge of the basics of Christianity. Most Americans I know, even the non-christians, have the preliminaries down pat, they just don't believe it. This was different. As the conversation continued, and questions and answers flew back and forth, I came to the realization of what was happening. God was calling this young woman's name and she was responding. Where to start? What scriptures to turn to? "Help me God," she was calling out in her heart. "Help me God," I was calling out in mine.
The young woman I had not known two hours earlier was sitting at my table sharing how she desperately wanted to know Jesus, wanted to follow Him, wanted to fall in love with Him but was so confused about who He was and what she should do. Somehow, she said, she knew that to get her life together she needed Jesus but ... she had so many questions. She wanted answers. She knew nothing other than Jesus must be the answer but how?
I shared the full redemptive story of God creating man, man falling away from God, and God, in His great love for us coming to earth to live, die and rise again so He could redeem us back from the slavery we so willingly sold ourselves into. We read in Genesis. We read in John. We read in Romans. We talked. We cried. We prayed. Oh, did we pray.
Breathing prayer with every word I spoke, I was privileged to see another child born into eternal glory and then, with equal joy, watched my husband introduce the young man to Jesus. It was God's appointed time for us all. We praise God that He opened their eyes to His truth, and our eyes to their need. I'm glad we did not powerboat our way through the study staying on our agenda. I'm glad there is always room for more at our table. Sometimes it is a tight fit but God uses availability and flexibility.
The Holy Spirit is moving. God, in His great mercy, is allowing us to come along for the ride ... and what a ride. Our new sister in Christ is already hoping to bring others with her to our group. We were to be a twice a month group. With two new eager Christians, and more people coming, we collectively decided to meet every week until God determined otherwise. We are switching from Ruth to the Gospels.
So, two nights a month are now four, at least for a time, and I suspect this is just the beginning of what God has in store for our little group. Whatever happens, discipling young believers requires adjustments to our lives ... and The List. So be it.
On The List was being more like Jesus and praying God allows me to make an eternal difference in the life of one person. Was my new sister in Christ that one? I believe so. But now I'm praying for more. Many more. And we are praying for others to set sail with us.
Course corrections.
Missional Theophanies.
Engaging the world and encountering God in the process.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
What Kind of Name is that for a Blog?
Naming a blog can be as difficult as naming your child. You want to be clever. You want the name to have meaning. You don't want the name to be stupid in 10 years. And you don't want to have to change the name at some point because, say, your child didn't like the name Moon Unit. This is especially hard when you decide to create your blog in a moment of creative passion and have brain freeze when blogspot requires a name. Right. Now. You know what you want to write, sheets and sheets you are ready to write, but can't think of one single name that works. This is especially frustrating when you believe you are being singularly clever with a name only to find out that someone else thought of it first. Over and over and over and ... over ... again.
I love my daughter's blog title ... "Finding Faces." It comes from a C.S. Lewis quote:
“I saw well why the gods do not speak to us openly, do not let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?” C.S. Lewis: Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold
Her husband's blog has an equally cool title ... "prayservego." I love that. Profound. Self-explanatory. And my daughter's friend is writing a food blog called "How bout a cucumber." Nice. I follow another blog by a Christian college student called "No Pennies Needed." Makes you just want to read it. Cool names all.
Missional Theophanies? Hmmm. Can you change a blog name?
But it has meaning to me. I love the missional movement. I'm late to the bandwagon but I am endeared to the movement nonetheless. According to an article in Christianity Today written by Alan Hirsch (Defining Missional | LeadershipJournal.net), it has been "increasingly difficult to open a ministry book or attend a church conference and not be accosted by the word missional." Indeed, my daughter mentioned I was using a "buzz" word in my blog title. I agree. I don't necessarily want to be part of the latest Christian trend like bracelets and every other product known to man with four initials allegedly designed to make us think about what Jesus might do. Yet, the word fits.
The same Christianity Today states, "Missional represents a significant shift in the way we think about the church. As the people of a missionary God, we ought to engage the world the same way he does—by going out rather than just reaching out. To obstruct this movement is to block God's purposes in and through his people. When the church is in mission, it is the true church." I do not desire to get into a debate regarding the necessity or difference between missional or attractional churches. The term defines how God has uniquely wired me. It fits.
Theophanies means "God Encounters." The longer definition refers to the appearance of God to a human, or to a divine disclosure. God has chosen to appear to many throughout history. Adam. Abraham. Moses. I do not claim a burning bush experience but I do know God has chosen to make Himself known to me in ways that were undeniable clear and undeniably Him.
So, Missional Theophanies means, in essence, going out to engage the world and encountering God in the process. I pray you join me on the journey. So far it's been quite a ride.
I love my daughter's blog title ... "Finding Faces." It comes from a C.S. Lewis quote:
“I saw well why the gods do not speak to us openly, do not let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?” C.S. Lewis: Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold
Her husband's blog has an equally cool title ... "prayservego." I love that. Profound. Self-explanatory. And my daughter's friend is writing a food blog called "How bout a cucumber." Nice. I follow another blog by a Christian college student called "No Pennies Needed." Makes you just want to read it. Cool names all.
Missional Theophanies? Hmmm. Can you change a blog name?
But it has meaning to me. I love the missional movement. I'm late to the bandwagon but I am endeared to the movement nonetheless. According to an article in Christianity Today written by Alan Hirsch (Defining Missional | LeadershipJournal.net), it has been "increasingly difficult to open a ministry book or attend a church conference and not be accosted by the word missional." Indeed, my daughter mentioned I was using a "buzz" word in my blog title. I agree. I don't necessarily want to be part of the latest Christian trend like bracelets and every other product known to man with four initials allegedly designed to make us think about what Jesus might do. Yet, the word fits.
The same Christianity Today states, "Missional represents a significant shift in the way we think about the church. As the people of a missionary God, we ought to engage the world the same way he does—by going out rather than just reaching out. To obstruct this movement is to block God's purposes in and through his people. When the church is in mission, it is the true church." I do not desire to get into a debate regarding the necessity or difference between missional or attractional churches. The term defines how God has uniquely wired me. It fits.
Theophanies means "God Encounters." The longer definition refers to the appearance of God to a human, or to a divine disclosure. God has chosen to appear to many throughout history. Adam. Abraham. Moses. I do not claim a burning bush experience but I do know God has chosen to make Himself known to me in ways that were undeniable clear and undeniably Him.
So, Missional Theophanies means, in essence, going out to engage the world and encountering God in the process. I pray you join me on the journey. So far it's been quite a ride.
January is nearly over and I've checked off ...
... one item that I can honestly claim responsibility - visiting the Pacific Garden Mission. Our garage getting cleaned was one of the items on The List but someone else did this (thanks Bill!) without being asked, so, while I will remove this from The List as done ... I didn't do it. There, I've been honest. And while I'm being honest, I am rethinking The List on several fronts.
First, I have 76 items on The List. The List was created by brainstormingly writing down everything that popped into my head. At the moment, I thought it might be possible. Then I realized that while I'm crazy, that is insane even for me. I've gone through January and have checked off one thing. And I don't want the things on The List to just get "checked" off. I want to enjoy all of them and I want the items to create opportunities for missional theophanies.
Secondly, I've come to realize I would be quite sad if I never accomplished some of these items in my life but could live with others never receiving a black checkmark.
Thirdly, and most importantly, the Lord seems to be making some of His own revisions to The List ... so in a sense, The List itself has become a missional theophany. I'll write more about that and the unexpected events in our life the last few days in the days to come. Let's just say priorities change when the Lord allows you to unexpectedly participate in Kingdom work.
Now, I am one of those right brain / left brain people. I dream in color and produce musicals in my head while delighting in creating spreadsheets to find investigative patterns. So, today, while I waited for an appointment, I spent some time reviewing The List and realized the items broke down into nine categories with many items fitting into two or more categories including Relationships, Creativity, Fun & Fellowship, Health & Wellbeing, Education, Job/Career, Spiritual Growth, Home & Finance and Just Because. I put the entire list in a spreadsheet and gave a point everytime an item legitimately fit into a category. I also realized some of these items could change my life while others would just make my life more fun and some were things I kept revisiting for more years than I could count. Some were both. So, I added three more columns - meaningful, fun and on the list - and scored each item accordingly with 5 being major meaningful or fabulous fun or have been on my list or in the back of my head for a long time and 1 being not so much. Then I added bonus points to any item my husband had specifically requested we do this year.
And so The List meets The Score and I am considering ways to focus accordingly. A perfect score is 29. Only one item on the list qualified ... Be More Like Jesus. Obviously I will never complete my top item ... but I hope to be more like Jesus at the end of the year than I was at the beginning. As I mentioned, the Lord is revising some of these items and as I consider how to go about accomplishing them I will blog as I go in the days, weeks and months to come. I will likely accomplish some of the very low scored items much sooner than the higher scored items just because some of easier to do than others. So, once again ...
Behold ... The List:
First, I have 76 items on The List. The List was created by brainstormingly writing down everything that popped into my head. At the moment, I thought it might be possible. Then I realized that while I'm crazy, that is insane even for me. I've gone through January and have checked off one thing. And I don't want the things on The List to just get "checked" off. I want to enjoy all of them and I want the items to create opportunities for missional theophanies.
Secondly, I've come to realize I would be quite sad if I never accomplished some of these items in my life but could live with others never receiving a black checkmark.
Thirdly, and most importantly, the Lord seems to be making some of His own revisions to The List ... so in a sense, The List itself has become a missional theophany. I'll write more about that and the unexpected events in our life the last few days in the days to come. Let's just say priorities change when the Lord allows you to unexpectedly participate in Kingdom work.
Now, I am one of those right brain / left brain people. I dream in color and produce musicals in my head while delighting in creating spreadsheets to find investigative patterns. So, today, while I waited for an appointment, I spent some time reviewing The List and realized the items broke down into nine categories with many items fitting into two or more categories including Relationships, Creativity, Fun & Fellowship, Health & Wellbeing, Education, Job/Career, Spiritual Growth, Home & Finance and Just Because. I put the entire list in a spreadsheet and gave a point everytime an item legitimately fit into a category. I also realized some of these items could change my life while others would just make my life more fun and some were things I kept revisiting for more years than I could count. Some were both. So, I added three more columns - meaningful, fun and on the list - and scored each item accordingly with 5 being major meaningful or fabulous fun or have been on my list or in the back of my head for a long time and 1 being not so much. Then I added bonus points to any item my husband had specifically requested we do this year.
And so The List meets The Score and I am considering ways to focus accordingly. A perfect score is 29. Only one item on the list qualified ... Be More Like Jesus. Obviously I will never complete my top item ... but I hope to be more like Jesus at the end of the year than I was at the beginning. As I mentioned, the Lord is revising some of these items and as I consider how to go about accomplishing them I will blog as I go in the days, weeks and months to come. I will likely accomplish some of the very low scored items much sooner than the higher scored items just because some of easier to do than others. So, once again ...
Behold ... The List:
Be More Like Jesus | 29 |
Lose 70 pounds | 26 |
Visit Josh and Joanna in Boston | 24 |
Visit Sean and Ena | 24 |
Cook Dinner for all my kids at the same time | 24 |
Discipleship with Debbie | 23 |
Start a Writer’s Group | 22 |
Bible Study w/the Boys | 21 |
Memorize 1 Peter - IN PROCESS | 21 |
Get Published | 21 |
Write a Book | 21 |
Write a Blog - IN PROCESS | 21 |
Memorize 10 Piano Pieces | 21 |
Climb a rock wall | 20 |
Teach at Coffee Break - IN PROCESS | 20 |
Complete a 5K | 20 |
Seeker’s Bible Study for my Neighbors | 20 |
Finish my Degree | 19 |
Host a Open House for my Neighbors | 19 |
Organize a Block Party | 19 |
Wisconsin Dells | 19 |
Learn ASL | 19 |
Learn to share the Gospel confidently | 19 |
Go Backpacking w/Josh | 19 |
Facilitate Agape 2011 Trip - IN PROCESS | 18 |
Spiritually Franchise Friday Dinners | 18 |
Visit India | 18 |
Take a Silent Retreat | 18 |
Visit Pacific Garden Mission - DONE | 18 |
Ravinia with Dan | 18 |
Make Lobster for Dan | 18 |
Book of Ruth with Rose | 18 |
Spin Class with Nicole | 18 |
Makeover after losing 35 pounds | 17 |
Mississippi River Boat | 16 |
See Mercy Me in Concert - IN PROCESS | 16 |
Bears / Lions Game | 15 |
Ballet Lessons | 15 |
Build a Deck/Porch | 14 |
Go Camping | 14 |
B&B Weekend with Girlfriends | 13 |
Clean My Garage - DONE | 12 |
Go Fishing | 12 |
Play Percussion at Church | 11 |
Sears Tower with Dan | 11 |
Finish Beth’s Afghan | 10 |
Go Kayaking | 10 |
Cooking Lessons w/Knife Skills | 10 |
Go on a Picnic | 10 |
Plant an Herb Garden | 9 |
Plant Roses | 9 |
Skate at Millennium Park | 9 |
Learn to Sketch | 9 |
Remodel House Out & Up | 9 |
Learn French | 8 |
Paint my bedroom | 8 |
Build a Nativity for the Front Yard | 8 |
Go to Ann Arbor Art Fair | 8 |
Teach Martell How to Swim | 8 |
Agape Volunteer Coordinator | 7 |
Swimming w/Belugas | 7 |
Direct the Christmas Musical | 7 |
Hip Hop Lessons | 7 |
Shedd Aquarium Tour | 7 |
Renew My Passport | 6 |
Singing Lessons | 6 |
Act in a Drama | 6 |
Prepare an Entire Indian Meal | 6 |
Sing in the Choir | 6 |
Go to a Blues Club | 5 |
Stain my dresser | 4 |
Find a Cello for Bill | 4 |
Build a Greenhouse | 4 |
Knit a Scarf | 2 |
Try Sushi | 1 |
Get a new Sari | 1 |
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