New Year's Goal
This is the traditional time to take stock and make goals. Our small group used to take most of January and maybe longer for each of us to have an evening to review the past year and make goals for the coming year. It was part of our desire to be held accountable.
But it is part of my make up as well. Most years I read over my journal entries from the last year, and review where God and life has taken me. But I did an extensive life review last September, so I don't really need to now.
However, some ideas keeping coming to mind.
Chuck and I have been doing a lot of talking about the afterlife this year. It comes up at least weekly. We read "Love Wins" by Rob Bell. Chuck read, "What Does the Bible Really Say About Hell?" by Randy Klaassen. There aren't easy answers to the questions we have, but there are new things to think about, and new questions to ask.
What I come up with is this.
The more we try to put God into a box so that everyone can know who is 'safe' and who is not 'safe', the more we become Pharisees. That is what they did...made tons of rules so that everyone could know exactly what to do and not do so anyone could see who was in and who was out.
When Jesus was born the angels came to shepherds, who, according to my Sunday School exposition, were such a scurvy bunch that they were not allowed to be witnesses in court because they were known to be so untrustworthy.
The star appeared to astronomers from far away who were not Jewish and who did not worship the God of Israel.
God doesn't fit into religious expectations. God didn't then. God doesn't now.
Heaven is the Kingdom of God. But Jesus told us to be making that kingdom happen here and now, as well as to be waiting for its fullness later. The more I am part of spreading that Kingdom here on earth---on being honest about my faith, on being honest about my faults, on being part of justice and mercy and humility and love and forgiveness and so many other things---the more I will be ready for heaven when that day arrives for me.
In that spirit, my goal for this year is to daily be asking a question.
What am I doing to work toward God's kingdom coming and God's will being done on earth today?
These things seem important:
1. Live my life in such a way that I am part of "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven".
2. Continue to get to know God personally, and act on what I learn.
3. Be deeply involved with the church, for encouragement, for accountability, for my own nurture as well participating in nurturing the faith of others, for corporate worship.
Actually, I think numbers 2 and 3 are just more of number 1.
So anyway,
The first concrete and specific answer I've recognized is to give up computer games (namely solitaire) for this year. I hesitated to write that in this blog. I didn't want to share that such a silly thing is a problem for me. But it is easier to follow through on this when I've made it public.
Other answers will be smaller, or bigger. They won't always be about giving things up. Sometimes they will be about doing less, and being more intentional. Sometimes they will be about doing more.
I'd like to write about at least some of them here...maybe weekly or biweekly. I need to test that a bit and see if it fits. But it seems like a good way to be accountable for continuing to ask the question daily.
But it is part of my make up as well. Most years I read over my journal entries from the last year, and review where God and life has taken me. But I did an extensive life review last September, so I don't really need to now.
However, some ideas keeping coming to mind.
Chuck and I have been doing a lot of talking about the afterlife this year. It comes up at least weekly. We read "Love Wins" by Rob Bell. Chuck read, "What Does the Bible Really Say About Hell?" by Randy Klaassen. There aren't easy answers to the questions we have, but there are new things to think about, and new questions to ask.
What I come up with is this.
The more we try to put God into a box so that everyone can know who is 'safe' and who is not 'safe', the more we become Pharisees. That is what they did...made tons of rules so that everyone could know exactly what to do and not do so anyone could see who was in and who was out.
When Jesus was born the angels came to shepherds, who, according to my Sunday School exposition, were such a scurvy bunch that they were not allowed to be witnesses in court because they were known to be so untrustworthy.
The star appeared to astronomers from far away who were not Jewish and who did not worship the God of Israel.
God doesn't fit into religious expectations. God didn't then. God doesn't now.
Heaven is the Kingdom of God. But Jesus told us to be making that kingdom happen here and now, as well as to be waiting for its fullness later. The more I am part of spreading that Kingdom here on earth---on being honest about my faith, on being honest about my faults, on being part of justice and mercy and humility and love and forgiveness and so many other things---the more I will be ready for heaven when that day arrives for me.
In that spirit, my goal for this year is to daily be asking a question.
What am I doing to work toward God's kingdom coming and God's will being done on earth today?
These things seem important:
1. Live my life in such a way that I am part of "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven".
2. Continue to get to know God personally, and act on what I learn.
3. Be deeply involved with the church, for encouragement, for accountability, for my own nurture as well participating in nurturing the faith of others, for corporate worship.
Actually, I think numbers 2 and 3 are just more of number 1.
So anyway,
The first concrete and specific answer I've recognized is to give up computer games (namely solitaire) for this year. I hesitated to write that in this blog. I didn't want to share that such a silly thing is a problem for me. But it is easier to follow through on this when I've made it public.
Other answers will be smaller, or bigger. They won't always be about giving things up. Sometimes they will be about doing less, and being more intentional. Sometimes they will be about doing more.
I'd like to write about at least some of them here...maybe weekly or biweekly. I need to test that a bit and see if it fits. But it seems like a good way to be accountable for continuing to ask the question daily.
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