Hello 2016

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Over the holidays I discovered something, or more accurately, someone, new. Long-time fans of said person will roll their eyes and think, how could you just be hearing about her?!  to which I will now say, “I know! Where have I been?” Under a rock, clearly.

But right before Christmas I crawled out from under my rock and purchased a copy of For the Love by Jen Hatmaker and, after finishing it, proceeded to devour every book she’s written like the sugar cookies and cinnamon rolls that I only make at Christmastime for obvious reasons (my scale will rudely testify as to how many of those goodies I actually indulged in this year). I laughed, I cried, I looked like a lunatic laughing out loud all by myself in the pickup line at my kids’ school. Such were the emotions I experienced while reading her words. And then I came upon a statement that stopped me cold.

Here’s what she said in 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess: “At some point the church stopped living the Bible and decided just to study it, culling the feast parts and whitewashing the fast parts. We are addicted to the buffet, skillfully discarding the costly discipleship required after consuming.” (p. 172). Ummm, yikes! That made me a little uncomfortable. Okay, a lot uncomfortable.

She went on in Interrupted to say, “There will never be enough knowledge to fill the cracks of Christian maturity without the fruit of selfless service manifested in our lives.” (p.228) All of this got me thinking about all of the consumption I’ve done over the years, the countless bible studies, the Christian books I’ve read, not to mention all the Bible reading, and how much of it has actually changed me–made a real impact on the way I live my life. I asked myself, do I really live it? And my honest answer was: just the convenient parts. Just the parts that don’t require me to get messy or be uncomfortable, or that make me feel good about myself.

So in response, I’m declaring 2016 to be the year of living it! No more sitting belly-up to the table, shoveling it in, and then walking away and leaving it all at the table. Don’t get me wrong, studying and learning are important (how else will we know what to do) but I don’t want to be guilty of knowing what to do and not doing it anymore. This is the year of being uncomfortable in the best possible way. Of doing the hard stuff. Want to join me?

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

 

 

 

Confessions of an Imperfect Christian–#5

I’ve started a new blog at www.droppingtheact.com. Check it out for the latest content.

Confession #1–It’s been a long time since I last wrote a post!  It was a good summer with the kids, but they’re back in school (cue the angelic choir) and I’m back to the blog 🙂

Confession #2–I can be spiritually blind and deaf

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Alright, here’s another confession, since I’m on a roll: I love football.  Nobody is more excited about the NFL season opener Thursday night between the Green Bay Packers (Go Pack!) and the Seattle Seahawks than me (well, maybe my son).  In the meantime, I’ve been getting my football fix with preseason games.  About two weeks ago, my son and I were watching the Packers play the St. Louis Rams and I was standing in the kitchen over a sink full of dirty dishes when I suddenly realized that about five to ten minutes of the game had passed, and I didn’t have a clue what was happening.  While my eyes were technically fixed on the screen, and I had seen the players moving around the field, I wasn’t really paying attention.  I’ll chalk it up to the wide margin in the score (sorry Rams fans), but it made me think about all of the times that I technically “see” something, but don’t really take the time or invest the brainpower to comprehend or appreciate it.

Many of you may know that our family moved to a new community this summer, and I have the delightful privilege of driving over a bridge nearly every day that spans a beautiful little waterfall.  Looking at the water as it rushes over the rocks, smooth like onyx on top and then frothy white at the bottom, literally makes me happy.  However, as gorgeous as it is and as much as I love it, sometimes I don’t even look in it’s direction.  Or other times I see it in a very vacant, disengaged way, not allowing it’s restorative power to move me.  I’m ashamed to admit, I often read my Bible in much the same way.  I see the words on the page, but my mind wanders and I fail to comprehend or appreciate what it’s saying to me.  I don’t take the time to really listen to what the words are whispering to my heart and forfeit the restorative and life-changing power they can bring.

Today I’m praying to live more fully in each moment, whether it’s taking in a beautiful sunset, waterfall, or football game, or reading the word of God.  I want each moment to be filled with appreciation for what’s before me and my mind with comprehension so that I don’t miss out on all the incredible things that God wants to do in and through me.  If you relate, drop me a note.  I’d love to hear from you! 🙂