Tag: new year

Fresh starts don’t have to be trendy

January 17, 2012 / / 14 Comments

image credit: Creation swap user Branden Shape

I started my 1-year Bible reading plan today.

16 days after the start of the new year.

Which is neither trendy nor inspiring.

Nobody wants to show up late to a party. Or be the last one to leave. Or catch on to the cool things after everyone else.

I was reading my Bible, but wasn’t in a specific plan, because quite frankly, I forgot to start one. (I was reading my Bible daily…just not as a part of a specific plan) With my trip to Costa Rica, I simply forgot to get cranking on the new plan.

Why does this matter?

Why does it matter that I’m starting my Bible reading plan 16 days after the rest of the world has started their plan, their diet, and their life changes?

Because there are changes that you haven’t made yet, either. There are things you know you need to do, but for whatever reason, you haven’t. And looking at the calendar could leave you paralyzed, because you had good intentions of making those changes over 2 weeks ago.

Maybe you forgot. Maybe you didn’t realize you needed to start. Maybe you intentionally chose to put things off.

Start now! No more procrastinating!

Whether what you’ve been wanting to do is start a Bible reading plan (I’m reading the chronological plan on YouVersion), start a blog, or quit smoking.

It’s time you forgave that person who wronged you.

It’s time to write that book.

It’s time to reach out to your neighbor.

It’s time to break that addiction.

It’s January 17th. It’s not the trendy time to make life changes. But who needs trendy times, anyway?

Instead of standing still, paralyzed by the mountain of changes that need to happen to move you where you need to be, do something. Take a step in the right direction, and God will reward that step.

Don’t wait until everyone else is making changes. Change now!

January 17th is my fresh start.

Care to join me?

 

What changes are you going to work on?

* image credit: Creation swap user Branden Shape

 

What we can learn from Christmas music

January 10, 2011 / / 1 Comment

I love Christmas music.  It gets me in the mood to celebrate Christmas.

On Thanksgiving Day this year, we drove to my in-law’s house, about an hour away.  The whole way there and back, we listened to Christmas music.  Singing…smiling…talking about the upcoming holiday season.  I even set up a station on Pandora so I could listen to Christmas music when I was working in the house.  Wherever I turned, it was Christmas music.  I couldn’t get enough of it.

But the day after Christmas, I was done with that stuff.  It was almost repulsive.  I deleted the station off of Pandora.  Took the music off of my iPod.

And in the process, I learned a few things that we can apply to our churches and organizations.

What we can learn from Christmas music

1. Sometimes less is more. The fact that Christmas music only comes around once/year, and only for a month at that, makes it that much more exciting and meaningful.  People can get tired of a good thing.  Case-in-point: Christmas music.  Good ideas have short shelf lives.  Christmas music is a great idea around the holidays…but don’t think that that same idea will work in May.  Move on to another genre.

2. Change for change sake is good. I was so ready for a change on December 26th.  The music that had, the weeks prior, gotten me in the mood to celebrate Christmas now felt old.  Those Christmas carols needed to go.

3. Sometimes any change is a good change. Feel stuck?  Change something.  It’ll feel good, and keep the ball rolling forward.  Change feels like progress (whether it actually is or not).  Putting away the Christmas decorations and turning off the Christmas music feels good.  Like I’m taking a step forward.

4. When you do the same thing the same way, people will get bored. Christmas music works because, in January, you’re going to stop hearing it.  We’d all get bored if we heard the same music all year.  And when we get bored, we tune out…and stuff loses its meaning and significance.

5. Be willing to do away with your model. Andy Stanley says, “Marry your values, but date your model.”  As organizational leaders, we must know what our core values are.  Those are un-compromisable.  But our model should be constantly changing as it, over time, begins to shift us away from our core values.

Christmas music sounds awful right now. Because I’ve worn out the holiday stuff. Put up the tree. Boxed up the ornaments. Unplugged the lights.  And moved on.

And it feels so good.

Do you need to shake some things up in your church?

What things need to change?

Does “change for change sake” need to happen?

 

All things new

January 3, 2011 / / 1 Comment

Photo by Natanis Davidsen

The start of a new year reminds us that there is a chance for renewal.  New growth.  New life.  Fresh starts.

It’s a time of year that God uses to remind us that He’s in the business of renewing, changing, and making things (including our calendar) new.  Making you into who you were meant to be.

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5)

But this whole “making everything new” concept, though it sounds fantastic, isn’t done yet.  And you know that to be true.

  • You work your tail off, and still only get a ‘D’ in your class.
  • You get sick.
  • You haven’t gotten that job you’ve wanted.
  • You can’t get pregnant and wish you could.
  • You are pregnant and wish you weren’t.
  • Marriage is more difficult than you anticipated.
  • You’re up to your neck in debt.
  • You’re in over your head with parenting.
  • Your friends abandon you when you need them the most.
  • Your car isn’t running right.
  • You need a new roof.
  • Your girlfriend just left you.
  • You try to do the right thing, and bad things keep happening.

So has God abandoned you?  Is the Bible just plain wrong?  Is God really not making things new?

We live in the already/not-yet tension of this present world.  This is a broken, messed up place.  But it won’t always be this way.  It’s just that we are, in one sense, already new…and in another, seemingly more real sense, not new.  Because all of God’s promises aren’t fulfilled yet.  He’s renewed your heart and place His Spirit within you, but your body continues to waste away.  He’s given you great relationships in the Church…but all around you, relationships are falling apart.

The start of our calendars is a great reminder.  God is still making things new!  He’s still renewing people.  He’s still changing cold hearts.  He’s still redeeming His children.

There’s no promise that it’s going to happen today, though.  He’s making things new.  He’s not done yet.

The new is coming. Hang in there.

The new is coming. Don’t give up.

The new is coming. That’s a promise.

The new is coming. But it’s not here yet.

Remind yourself of these things.  Dwell on them. (Philippians 4:8) Remember that, one day, all things will be restored.  Everything will be made new again.

What do you wish would be “made new” in 2011?

 

11 on the 1s, #1

January 1, 2011 / / 3 Comments

In honor of the new year, I’m going to start a new series of posts for 2011 that are only 11 words long (posted on days of
the month ending in 1: 1, 11, 21, 31).  Ahh…the challenge of limiting my words.  Cutting out the fluff.  Creatively, and quickly, making a point.

Just something different here on the blog.

11s on the 1s

January 2011.

New day.

Month.

Year.

Decade.

Should you make changes?

 

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