Redefining Your Year

By: Whitney Jones

Around this time each year, everyone begins thinking about a fresh start. We want to focus on things to change about our lives, and often the New Year provides a perfect time to do it.

But what if instead of focusing on change, we changed our focus.

It’s amazing how much can change when we choose to view our lives through a different lens.

This year our family is choosing to define our year through the lens of a theme verse from the Bible.

A theme verse is a Bible verse that your family prays about and decides together. This verse will guide your family through the challenging times and allow you to be thankful for the good times of this year. It will allow your family to keep your focus on what really matters for this new year ahead.

Why not start the year off with a theme verse for your family.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” –Hebrews 12:1

We established this to be our family verse for 2016 because it seems like we have a marathon of a year ahead of us. And we will not be able to finish this marathon of 2016 if we don’t have our focus on Jesus at the finish line.

Like I said, 2016 is going to be like running a marathon for our family. It’s going to be difficult at times, a daily challenge and rewarding in the end. We are welcoming a baby in February and our 12 year old will be going into middle school in the fall. Having a baby brings enough craziness into one’s life. Having a teenager brings a whole new level of craziness to one’s life. Wondering if your teenager will even like the new baby and how she will adjust to the baby is another story.

Our family is very excited about this next milestone that we will journey through. However, we could not run this marathon of 2016 if our eyes are not fixed on our loving Father to get us through.

So what will be your family’s theme verse for 2016? You might be thinking…I have no idea. How do I choose? Here are a few tips to get to get you started:

Think about the year ahead:

-         What is your family most excited about this year?

-         What are some challenges your family might face this year?

-         What does your family stand for?

-         If your family could ask God to do anything this year, it would be…

Look back at your answers and choose a topic you want to focus on this year. Ask God which one is His specific topic for your family. Pray and seek God’s direction on which verse is right for your family. Choose a theme verse and commit it to memory. Maybe put the verse up in your house to be a reminder each day to keep your focus. Make it a fresh start by choosing a theme verse for your family.

Three Big Things -

by Devin Dummel

I wouldn’t call myself a hoarder, although you’ll probably find that in my world I hang on to more than I should.    I’m a collector of sorts and I have a hard time just holding onto one thing.  There are so many things that I enjoy, and many things I plan on doing.   I figure I can hold onto all of it because one day I will get around to it.

Because of this desire to hold on to too much, I often try to fill my life with too much as well.  Too many meetings.  Too many obligations.  From one promise to the next, there are times where it feels like there is little time to breathe, let alone any time to do the things that are best for me.

If you are anything like me and find yourself overworked and overwhelmed even at this early stage of the New Year, I would like to share with you something I recently read which has started to change the way I think and feel about this new year.

 

“I can only do three big things in a year.  That’s it.  Just three.”   -Donald Miller

 

This simple statement has really changed the way that I am looking at my life in the context of a new year.  I’ve never been the kind of person who struggles with doing things or even doing things that I believe are worth doing.  But I’ve had lots of trouble trying to do too much, and trying to be too many things to too many people.

I thought that was just part of becoming an adult, gaining more responsibility and that I would be able to handle it.  But the reality is – I struggle to handle it all.  And the truth that I have come to discover is that I can only handle so much.

So this year I am going to take Donald Miller’s advice.  I am going to focus on accomplishing three big things this year … and that’s it.  I’m not going to allow every good idea to sway me and pull me away from the three big things I believe God wants me to pour myself into this year.

Warren Buffet said, “The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”

Knowing that helps me understand that if I want my three big things to succeed this year, then I need to stay focused and it’s okay to say no to almost everything else that won’t help me accomplish those three big goals.

Your three big things could be absolutely anything.  It could be something fun like planning a family vacation or something huge like going back to school.  It could be work related or even something crucial like learning parenting skills to deal with your teenager.

Whatever you decide on, I would encourage you to pray about what you think God would have you pour your time and energy into.  Once you’ve settled on the three big things you want to accomplish this year, share them with your family and ask them to help you stay focused.  Don’t feel bad saying no to some good things in order to accomplish your three big goals.   There is no shame in staying focused on the things you believe God wants you to achieve.

If you’re like me and always feeling like your running from one thing to the next, feeling like you can never quite get accomplished all that you hoped to accomplish.  I want to encourage you this year to only tackle three big things.  That’s it.  Just three.

 

He Goes Before Me

by Desi Ash

Starting the New Year off on the right foot can be difficult.

We set ourselves up for what we want to accomplish and think about how we can become better people.

It all sounds good until we get back into the routine of work and taking care of our families and all the events on the calendar.

Before we know it the things we wanted to accomplish fade away.

But, there is no need to worry. Life gets busy and seasons of hardship come and go. Through it all God is right there with us. Deuteronomy 31:8 says The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

 

God is there. God is there when your teenager doesn’t understand why he has to be home before curfew. God is there when your baby won’t stop crying regardless of what you try. God is there when your preteen wants to do everything on their own even if it means making things harder in the long run. And God is there when you feel lonely and want to give up.

 

Start this New Year off knowing that there will be hard times and that the goals or resolutions or reservations we have set for ourselves might get left behind in the journey of life. Regardless of all of that, you are not alone. God is with us.

 

When you do fall behind, and statistically maybe you already have, it’s okay. Pick up where you left off. Take comfort in knowing that God is already going ahead of you. God is not finished with you or your family yet!

 

 

 

 

Reservations About Resolutions

by Devin Dummel

 

By now you have likely spent a least a few minutes in the new year thinking about resolutions.  Maybe you read a blog, made a list, or responded to the question – what is one of your New Year’s resolutions? 

Every year we ask ourselves these types of questions.  We set goals and make plans.  But the reality is that while we’re all good at making New Year’s resolutions; we’re just not very good about keeping the resolutions. 

Last year, two out of three Americans made New Year’s resolutions, but just one month into the year 90% of resolution-setters already admitted they were struggling to keep them. 

So this year, instead of making resolutions, what if in order to become a better version of ourselves we started making reservations. 

What if this year instead adding items to a list – you added items to your calendar.   What if instead of checking off a list, you decided to make time and show up for the things that matter most; the things that could help you be the best version of yourself this year. 

Here are some reservations I think we could all add to our calendars this year: 

 

Reservations for God 

In the midst of the chaotic lives that we lead, we often forget that the best way to become the best version of ourselves is to be who our creator made us to be.  It’s impossible to know that, understand it or live it if we don’t spend time with Him.   

You could set aside time daily to spend in the scriptures and prayer.  Maybe you take a half day a week to get alone and get personal with your Heavenly Father.  There is not one way to spend time with God; so whatever you do make sure you add this reservation to your calendar, and make sure you show up. 

 

Reservations for your Spouse 

There is no relationship that matters more to your daily health and the health of your family than the relationship with your spouse.  It’s easy to get comfortable and let your relationship with your spouse suffer.  But it’s important to give your spouse undivided attention – don’t let anything else distract you.   

Use this time to meet the needs of your spouse and find connection and companionship.  Make sure you set aside time for just each other.  Find a sitter, get out and pour into your relationship.  You might feel like you are taking away from family time, but when you make reservations for your marriage – your family benefits the most. 

 

Reservations for Yourself 

Take time to “do you”.  If you spent all of your time trying to make your boss, spouse and kids happy – it’s very easy to lose sight of who you are.  And when that happens you are more vulnerable than you realize.

 

You don’t have to do it often.  It doesn’t have to be a huge deal.  But take some time to do something you want to do.  You can make reservations for yourself.  Go to a movie only you want to see.  Spend an evening out with your friends.  Go on a trip you’ve always wanted to take.  Whatever it is – this year make reservations for you. 

 

Our prayer for you and your family this year is that you would make more reservations than resolutions.  Add these appointments to your calendar, and adjust your rhythm and schedule this year. 

Make time for the things that matter and know that when you do that, so many other things will fall into place.  And your family will be healthier and happier than you’ve ever been.

Advent Express: Rediscovering the first gift of Christmas

Christmas is coming.  Without question it is a special time of year.  Somehow, Christmas waves a magic wand over this world and everything is softer and more beautiful.  It’s a season full of songs, lights and nostalgia.

And while you and your family will experience many gifts this Christmas, sometimes the best gifts are the things that we can’t touch or even see.  

We believe that most of the time the greatest gift we can give is not a present … but our presence.  So with that in mind the Next Generation Staff has been working and dreaming of a way to help you and your family be present together.

Even the word “Advent” is connected to the idea of ‘presence’, signifying the arrival of the most important person in all of human history, Jesus.  So during this Advent Season we would like to provide you and your family a gift and a tool to help you be more present with Him and with each other.

The ‘tool’ is our version of an Advent calendar; it’s called “The Advent Express”.  This gift is a kit that will help you and your family rediscover the first gift of Christmas, with the help of the popular Christmas book and movie, The Polar Express.

For each day of Advent (November 29-December 24) there is an envelope with instructions for a daily activity.  The activities will help you and your family experience the themes of Advent: joy, love, hope and peace, in a whole new way this year.

If you are interested in this year’s Advent Calendar for your family, contact the church office (765-778-2156) for more details.

One Thousand Gifts

We have so much to be thankful and grateful for.Our problem is that all too often we forget that truth.  Too many times what occupies our minds are the things that aren’t going well, the drama that encircles us and the worry that consumes our souls.

But the truth is we all have a lot to be thankful for.

In 2013, I set out to read 100 books cover to cover in a year.  It was a fun project and I really enjoyed it.  During that project I found myself finding new authors and branching out and reading books that I would have normally passed by.

If you asked me to list the 100 books I read that year I would struggle to name many of them, but one that would bubble to the surface of my memory immediately would be Ann Voskamp’s “One Thousand Gifts”.   

At the time Ann was a blogger and stay at home mom and she dared to ask the question, “How do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties?  What does the Christ-life really look like when your days are gritty, long – and sometimes even dark?  How is God even there?”

So Voskamp set out to answer the question by listing out all of the things she was thankful and grateful for each day.  It didn’t matter how little or large the blessings were, she wanted to make sure that she didn’t miss anything that God had sent her way.

I found this book to be extremely convicting and challenging.  It really opened me up to a different way of looking at my word, capturing the beauty of each moment, and little by little letting go of the frustrations and irritations that seemed to drain the life from me.

As we approach this season of Thanksgiving and gift giving, I challenge you to start making a list of all the blessing that God as put in your life.  You might be surprised how little time it could take you to get to ‘one thousand gifts’.

We have a lot to be thankful for and I plan on spending more of my time embracing each gift that God has blessed me with.

I hope and pray that you will be able to count your gifts and see how great God really is, discovering gratitude and thankfulness in every moment.

Beacons in the Night

“Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.”  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.”-James 4:13-14

Jesus once told a story about a rich man whose land yielded an abundant harvest.  The man so excited about what he had thought to himself, “I have no place to store these crops; I know what I’ll do.  I will build bigger barns to store all of my grain … then I’ll have plenty of grain for years and years and years.”  But little did this man know that that very night his life would be taken from him.

Jesus told this story because he wanted us to know that life is precious and that the life we have is fleeting.  It’s not worth wasting or squandering on things that don’t matter.  It’s like the fog or a mist, here one second but gone the next.  And while Jesus reminds us of this truth, it something that we often forget until we are forced to come face to face with the reality that this life can be all too brief.

This week we have all come once again face to face with that reality.  And while we change our profile pics, hold our children tighter, and #PrayforParis we are reminded once again that we should count our days; because each day counts.

So how do we respond to a world where there is such pain and hurt and brokenness?  What do we do about a pregnant Pastor’s wife who is murdered during a home invasion?  How do we cope with the suicide of student inside the walls of our schools?  How do we respond to the family who has lost their mother years too early to yet another battle with breast cancer?  What can we say to bring comfort to those who have lost loved ones to terror?  How can we continue in the middle of all this darkness?

Honestly, I’m not sure I have a great answer.  Its times like these that I am at a loss for words.  It’s times like these that I believe, as scripture teaches, God’s Spirit cries out on our behalf.  Because when we come face to face with the darkness that is present in our world the only thing that makes any sense is the groaning of the soul.

And yet as Christians, if we have learned anything about our God it is that even in the darkest hour there is still hope; that even in the midst of great injustice and tragedy that our God is still at work; that even in the darkness there is light.

It was in the beginning while the earth was formless and void, while chaos ruled, and while darkness reigned that God first brought light into the world.  And it’s no different today.  He still is looking to bring light into this dark world.

So how do we respond to this incredible darkness that we face?  How do we overcome all of the pain?   How can we make sense of any of these tragedies?

We become the light that God has called us to be.  We become “beacons in the night”.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see … your Father in heaven.”

We were made to be light.

God first spoke light into existence, bringing order to chaos and pushing away the darkness.  Then he created humans and put his eternal light in us.  He created us to be beacons in the night, a refuge for those who are hurting, a pillar to remain constant in the storm. 

So how can you respond to this darkness ?  It’s simple really.

Be the light.

Wherever you can.  However you can.  Push back the darkness.   Become a beacon in the night.