For Auld Lang Syne

 Auld Lang Syne, Family, Parents, Reflection, Treasuring God in Our Traditions, Volunteers  No Responses »
Dec 272012
 

Have you ever found yourself singing a familiar melody on December 31 a bit unsure of of what “Auld Lang Syne” is or who exactly we’re supposed to pass a cup of kindness to?  While song lyrics may be lost in translation for many, most people find themselves doing exactly what the song implies.  For however brief a moment, we press pause on our life to take an introspective glance at days gone by.  We remember.  We reflect.  We don’t just stop there, however.  We promise.  We resolve.  We try.  We even try harder.  Yet more often than not, we find ourselves defeated before winter has even given way to spring.  The cynics among us will say, “Why bother?”  The broken places of our hearts and lives might even call out accusations and condemnation.  ”You’re back here again?”  ”You’re still struggling with that?”  As a result, we’re often tempted to despair and give up or fix the problem by pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps and turning to our old friend, “self-discipline.”

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So are resolutions good?  Are they bad?  Should we jump on board?  Should we stay clear?  Or are they morally neutral in an of themselves like most created things?  Morally neutral things that can go either way depending on the heart of the person making them and the source they place their hope in?  When I think about reflection and resolutions in my own life, I think of a double edged sword.  One with the potential to do both harm and good to my soul depending on how I answer those questions.  Am I trying to save myself?  Am I looking at this through the lens of the Law or the lens of the Gospel?

The truth is that the message of the Gospel has everything to do with transformation and nothing to do with bootstraps.  The message of the Gospel isn’t about being a better person but about a dead person being raised to life.  Jesus reminds us in John 15 that He is the vine and we are the branches.  Apart from Him we can do nothing.  Perhaps the greatest question I should be asking myself isn’t what I’m resolving from, but why I feel this strong desire to change and who I’m ultimately placing my trust in.

Here are a few posts that flush out this idea far more eloquently than I can.

Happy New Year!

12 Important Questions Every Christian Should Ask Themselves Each Year
Dave Cover shared a blog post with Don Whitney’s original twelve questions a few years ago.  I’ve found them helpful each year since.

Year End Thoughts from Spurgeon
But here is the joy, here is the peace of Christians, that our salvation is a finished one…

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards
If you’re like me, your gut reaction might be to scan this lengthy list, throw your hands up, and shout, “Yeah, right.”  Instead, perhaps we should take a moment to think about how this opening line might speak to any resolutions we make.

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake. 

Back to Square One?
Colleen Kelley, a friend of mine, shares thoughts on letting our resolutions and reflections come under God’s grace.

What is a Habit?
Ann Voskamp responds to this question by saying, “A habit is what we wear.  A habit is the way we wear our days.”

The New Year Wears Hope Like a Fragrance
Another post by Ann Voskamp.  ”What if all tomorrows are just more of all our yesterdays?  A thousand times I’ve told myself, “I simply must try harder.”…Self-striving nurtures self-hatred.  Toiling in the flesh produces foiling in the soul…The grace of His Spirit, fills our empty spots, intercedes, and gives us a fresh start every day.

Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work
“What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies. The mind doesn’t direct the will. The mind is actually captive to what the will wants, and the will itself, in turn, is captive to what the heart wants.” -Ashley Null-

Sitting in the New Year
Two years ago, CJ Maheny’s wife and daughters posted a series called, “Sitting in the New Year” on their blog Girl Talk.   The series walked through the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 and provided practical tips for being intentional to spend time sitting at Jesus’ feet.

Dental Hygiene and Heart Health

 Auld Lang Syne, Devotional, Reflection  No Responses »
Jan 052012
 

Allow me to give you a glimpse of how I’ve been brushing my teeth for the last two years.  It starts with a tube of Crest Scope & Whitening and ends with something even more important than cavity free trips to the dentist.

A couple of years ago, I bought a packet of Scripture Memory cards from the bookstore.  Like so many other things, I had good intentions about how to use them.  Yet, I’ll be honest.  They sat unopened in the bottom of my purse for a while.  When I rediscovered them I was a bit frustrated with myself and decided I needed a better way to use them more intentionally.  I started brainstorming places/things I do each day consistently.  Like you, brushing my teeth was one of them.  I stuck the card on my bathroom mirror as a reminder that just as my morning and evening routine involves physical cleansing, my soul needs it all the more.  I wouldn’t leave the house with morning breath or go to bed with the build up from the day stuck in my teeth, why would I care less about my heart’s equivalent?

Some verses were new, many were familiar to me.  In fact, I was sometimes tempted to skip over verses like the one pictured above because it was something I thought I already knew.  As I’ve learned, the purpose of Scripture Memory is so much deeper than merely being able to recite the right words, though.  Sometimes the deepest and most profound truths are the ones we take for granted as “common place.”  Those so fundamental to the hope we’ve been called to are often easy enough to rattle off, but the weight of those words are much bigger.  For example here are some September thoughts I had during just one night of teeth brushing with Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

There is that first simple word–Trust.  When I think about the sin I’m struggling with and the difficulties I’m facing, it really isn’t about an external action.  It’s about a heart that’s unwilling to surrender completely.  I’ll even take it a step further.  My heart is unwilling to surrender because I’m believing things about God that simply aren’t true.

Case in point: That because He loves me and because He is Sovereign, I can trust Him with the things that are the most tender to my heart.

Do I believe this?

Do I believe that I can trust completely?  That I don’t have to control because quite frankly…I’ve never been in control to begin with?  That I don’t have to manipulate circumstances?  That I don’t have to constantly strive?  That I don’t have to worry?

Do I believe this?  I do…but with an imperfect faith.  I trust God with a faith that needs refining.  If faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see (Hebrews 11:1) my unbelief is keeping me from being sure and certain.  How do I know this?  Because of the restless anxiety and worry that rise up when I contemplate some rather raw emotions and sensitive areas of my life.  Because of the way that thoughts bombard me when I lay down to sleep at night.  Because to the world, my exterior actions may look fine, but my thought life is really not (see restless anxiety and worry.)  I need to hear these verses on repeat play.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

This was just one conversation I had with myself while practicing good dental hygiene.  A verse that on the surface looks simple but is far more complex when it comes to application.   I didn’t even spend time meditating on the whole thing.  That night, it was really only about one word–trust.

What I’m finding is that being intentional with this memory verse card is nothing like other memory protocols I’ve done before.  I played the part of a good church girl for many years prior and honestly am grateful in ways for verses I memorized back then even if my motivation for memorizing them at the time was more about duty than application.  But this is different…and so much better.

Instead of repeating and repeating so that I could recite with my mouth.  I’m repeating and repeating so that I can recite with my heart.  It’s actually been more like praying/focusing in on one thing and examining something small from many different angles.

Spending time with one little verse twice a day with your toothbrush really doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, but through it I’ve been convicted of sin, I’ve been given an accurate picture of who the God I love is, I’ve had my soul revived, I’ve had my mind refocused, I’ve had my heart encouraged.  My teeth need cleaning…but my heart needs it more.

You can pick up your own 2012 packet of Scripture Memory Cards at The Crossing’s bookstore for a dollar, or download them here.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
Psalm 19:8-11

 

For Auld Lang Syne

 Auld Lang Syne  No Responses »
Dec 292011
 

Have you ever found yourself singing a familiar melody on December 31 a bit unsure of of what “Auld Lang Syne” is or who exactly we’re supposed to pass a cup of kindness to?  While song lyrics may be lost in translation for many, most people find themselves doing exactly what the song implies.  For however brief a moment, we press pause on our life to take an introspective glance at days gone by.  We remember.  We reflect.  We don’t just stop there, however.  We promise.  We resolve.  We try.  We even try harder.  Yet more often than not, we find ourselves defeated before winter has even given way to spring.  The cynics among us will say, “Why bother?”  The broken places of our hearts and lives might even call out accusations and condemnation.  ”You’re back here again?”  ”You’re still struggling with that?”  As a result, we’re often tempted to despair and give up or fix the problem by pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps and turning to our old friend, “self-discipline.”

When I think about reflection and resolutions in my own life, I think of a double edged sword.  One with the potential to do both harm and good to my soul depending on who I look to for the source of lasting change.  Jesus reminds us in John 15 that He is the vine and we are the branches.  Apart from Him we can do nothing.  The message of the Gospel has everything to do with transformation and nothing to do with bootstraps.  The message of the Gospel isn’t about being a better person but about a dead person being raised to life.

During the month of January, we plan to post a series called “Auld Lang Syne.”   We’ll share some of our own reflections from days gone by, how the Gospel is shaping resolutions we’ve made, as well as sharing a few things the Lord is teaching us this winter.

For now, here are a few New Years posts I’ve enjoyed from others in the past.

Happy New Year!

12 Important Questions Every Christian Should Ask Themselves Each Year
Dave Cover shared a blog post with Don Whitney’s original twelve questions a few years ago.  I’ve found them helpful each year since.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards
If you’re like me, your gut reaction might be to scan this lengthy list, throw your hands up, and shout, “Yeah, right.”  Instead, perhaps we should take a moment to think about how this opening line might speak to any resolutions we make.
Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake. 

Back to Square One?
Colleen Kelley, a staff member of Veritas (The Crossing’s college ministry) and one of my favorite people, shares thoughts on letting our resolutions and reflections come under God’s grace.

What is a Habit?
Ann Voskamp responds to this question by saying, “A habit is what we wear.  A habit is the way we wear our days.”  She goes on to provide a free printable daily planner for moms who desire to be intentional with their families.

Sitting in the New Year
Last year, CJ Maheny’s wife and daughters posted a series called, “Sitting in the New Year” on their blog Girl Talk.   The series walked through the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 and provided practical tips for being intentional to spend time sitting at Jesus’ feet.