31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 22

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is question twenty two, and my answer.

1.      What's the most important trip you want to take this year? I want to take my children to the town where my mother and father grow up and graduated high school. I still have aunts who live in the town, and my aunts have never met my children. I want to take my children on the trip with my parents, so that my parents can show us around town and the places they went as children. I know that my children probably won’t understand the import of this trip, but it is something I want them to be able to experience.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 21

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is question twenty one, and my answer.

1.      In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year? I need most growth in being giving rather than being selfish. It seems that my natural born sinful nature and selfishness acts out more often than not. Having children has only made me more aware of this struggle in my life, as they need things from me, and I am sometimes resentful that they need my time, my energy, etc. It is difficult to be one who gives. Often we can say that we are givers, but when we truly look at our motivations, we see that we are only giving in order to receive something (praise, kudos, return on our investment, tax write-off, etc). To give of yourself, as Jesus gave of himself, is something difficult. How to remedy? I think first, I need to look at the motivations behind everything I do. Why am I acting in this way? What purposes might I seek to be gaining by acting in this way? Second, I constantly need to remind myself of the intrinsic image of God in every person with whom I deal. They are all created in the image of God, and as such, are worthy of repect. Third, I need to remind myself and claim the words of Scripture – “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself” (Philippians 2:3). Finally, I need to take the gods of comfort, selfishness, personal time, and possessions off of the altars on which I have placed them in order to give Jesus the place He should rightfully occupy.   

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 20

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is question twenty, and my answer.

1.      What's one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren? I want us to have a family story. One of the things I really appreciate about my wife’s family is that they have a family story. They spent a great deal of time together when my wife was growing up. They have inside family jokes, great memories of vacations or every day events, and fond memories of family traditions. I want to be the leader in my family in establishing for my children (and someday, my grandchildren) a family story. Of course, in addition to inside jokes, and fond memories, I want us to have a grounding in faith and our walk with Lord Jesus. I would love for us to have a legacy of faith. I would love for us to have a strong understanding of who we are as a family. I would love for my children to wear our family name with pride. How to do this? Intentional planning of family meals, family nights, vacations, weekend outings, camping trips, holiday practices, bedtime stories, etc. The key ingredient in leaving such a legacy is investing time in my family.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 19

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is question number nineteen, and my answer.

1.      What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year? The question asks about quality, not quantity. I guess the most important thing I could do is to seek out resources, books, and tools of quality. I love to read, research, and use tools in preparing for sermons and Bible studies. I read all the time. But, I do find that I sometimes read to the end a book or resource that has little quality or value. The most productive use of my time and ministry would be to put down the book and resource instead of reading it to its conclusion. Along the same vein, I need to be circumspect in choosing those books and resources of the highest quality. Instead of reading the latest book from a current theologian, why not read from Augustine. Instead of listening or reading a sermon from a pastor currently serving in ministry, I’ll try to take time and read a Jonathan Edwards sermon. This does not mean that the current theologians, pastors, and writers lack the quality of those in the past. I need to seek out those quality writers and theologians to read. But, there must be more discernment in my selection process for both me and my congregation.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 18

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the eighteenth question, and my answer.

1.      What book, in addition to the Bible, do you most want to read this year? The autobiography of Mark Twain. I received this last year, and have not yet found time to read it. I am interested in what Twain has to say about himself, his life, his beliefs.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 17

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the seventeenth question, and my answer.

1.      What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year? My biggest regret from the last year is hiding from financial issues and family issues. That is a painful thing to say, but it is true. I avoided dealing with our finances and bills. I did not have the foresight and the vision to plan financially for the future, or to look at our debt. I did not plan ahead and come up with a plan for how we would spend our money. Instead, I made the choice to spend too much money, to eat out without considering the cost, to make purchases without thought. I showed the same neglect with my family. I found ways to avoid and ignore my family instead of engaging with my family. Now last year was a difficult professional year for me, but that should not have been an excuse for ignoring some of these issues. So this year, as has been made clear through the answers to some of these questions, I am fully engaging in finances and family this year. I am making those decisions that I avoided or fled from last year.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 16

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the sixteenth question, and my answer.

1.      What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it? The most important financial goal for this year is to pay off our consumer debt and use the freed resources for savings. When we moved for me to serve as pastor at my current church, we took on some consumer debt when we bought furniture and other resources for our new home. And then life happened. The cars needed some unexpected repairs. We had to make an emergency trip to visit family. Our son needed some medical and dental work done. While our intentions were to quickly repay our consumer debt, we have fallen behind in our objective. So this is the year when we are consciously choosing to pay off those debts. Once that is accomplished, we’ll be able to place resources in savings. We need to save for the day when we need new vehicles. We need to save for our childrens’ educations (although please keep this quiet. Our plan is to save some money for them which we’ll give to them as a surprise gift once they are in university or college). We need to save for that day when we’ll retire. We need to be prepared for the unexpected, such as a disability. Getting rid of that debt will allow us to better save and prepare for these things. Our consumer debt is not a great amount, but it is still a burden to us that we want to clean up this year.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 15

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the fifteenth question, and my answer.

1.      Who do you most want to encourage this year? My wife and my son. I know that’s cheating since I picked two persons, but I find it critical to encourage both of them. I am not the most encouraging person. I don’t build up those I love enough. I don’t give out enough encouraging words. And, I am ashamed to admit it, but I often hurt my wife and son more than I encourage them. For some reason, I don’t have the same difficulty encouraging my daughter. I do see so many good things in both my wife and son. I am so proud of both of them. Recently, I wrote a letter to my son, telling him how proud I am of the four-year-old boy I see. I must do that more frequently. I also want to praise my wife more. I can praise her publically, but I am less likely to praise her on a one-on-one basis. So, I need to work on that. Both of them mean the world to me. My wife is my best friend and constant companion. I value her opinion more than any one else I know. And I love her beyond words. But, I resolve to find the words that I can tell her to encourage her this year.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 14

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the fourteenth question, and my answer.

1.      What habit would you most like to establish this year? I don’t know if you would call it a habit, but I would like to be much better about being in contact with family. I am in constant contact with my immediate family. But, I do want to make great efforts to reach out to extended family this year. Recently, my wife lost her grandfather. While we traveled to the funeral, I became more convinced of the need to reach out to family. There may be some burned bridges that need to be repaired. I need to start rebuilding those bridges. There may be some forgiveness that I need to extend to family members. There may be some apologies I need to make to family members. For the sake of my children, my wife, and me, I will make every effort to improve in this area.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 13

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the thirteenth question, and my answer.

1.      What's the most important need you feel burdened to meet this year? The most important need I feel burdened to meet this year is the burden to share my faith in Christ more frequently and more effectively. I am overwhelmed by the grace Jesus has shown to me in bringing me into a relationship with Him. I struggle with so many issues and sins, yet, Jesus died for me. Jesus died that my sins though they look like scarlet appear white as snow before God the Father. Jesus brought me into a relationship with the King of kings, the Creator of the Universe, the Almighty God. I am not worthy of such love and grace, nor could I ever earn such love and grace as has been given to me by Jesus. Yet, having said this, I am stingy in sharing this Good News with others. I can find so many excuses for why I cannot share Christ. I’m busy. I need to get this form filled out. I need to get my yard cleaned. The excuses pour in. I have prayed for a long time that God would give me the burden to see people as He sees them, to love people the way He loves them, to show compassion to people as He shows compassion for them. And I do feel that burden more and more. Now, I need to act on that burden and share some Good News with people. Jesus died and conquered death for me and for you. If you do not understand what I am saying, please, read the Bible where this is addressed in a way greater than I could ever voice it. If you want the mercy and grace of  God that I have received in Christ, please contact me and ask me.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 12

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the twelfth question, and my answer.

What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what's one way you could simplify in that area? The area of my life that most needs simplifying is organization, and the best way to simplify in this areas is to handle things one time. I like to look at something, put it aside, think about it for a while, and then come back to it, sometimes repeating the process over and over. How many times have a picked up a professional journal, started to read it, put it away, and then picked it up again in a couple of months only to reread articles, etc? How many times do I move that bill from the mailbox, to the place where we store our mail which needs addressing, to my computer bag before paying the bill? Just pay the bill. How many times do I move an item from one room of the house to another rather than finding a permanent place for it? How many times do I wrestle with giving something away or throwing it out before I actually give it away or throw it out? In my professional life, how many times do I return to consider a decision I need to make instead of just making the decision? Patience in some matters is appropriate, but at times it would be far simpler and simplifying to deal with something once and move on. Will my desk be less cluttered? Will my inbox be smaller? Will my to-do list grow shorter? Will I feel less burden about making decisions because I have already made many decisions? Who knows, but it’s worth finding out.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 11

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the eleventh question, and my answer.

  

   What's the most important decision you need to make this year? The most important decision I need to make is to get over past hurts and move on with my life. I can be trapped in the past. I can allow the past to affect my present and my future. I can allow the past to dictate how I react to people and circumstances in the present. This sounds simple to overcome, but in reality, it is difficult. The key is to trust in Jesus. I do not mean a superficial trust. And I do not mean that I have not commited my life to Jesus. What I mean is that while I pay lip service to placing trust in Jesus, I do not trust Him to deal with all the aspects of my life. I must make the decision to let Jesus deal with those past issues and choose to live in the present. I must let Jesus heal past hurts and trust Him to guide me in the present. I need to stop taking bask things that I have given to Him and let Him deal with it. Did my son tell me last night that he doesn’t love me? This morning, is a new day, so I cannot harbor that thought. Am I still reacting based on something that happened to me while I was a teenager? It’s time to move past it and react appropriately based on the present circumstance. I do not mean to bury issues. I am saying that I need to deal with those issues and the feelings they bring up in my life, offer forgiveness or seek forgiveness, and then move on. “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, let those who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.” (Philippians 3:13-16).

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 10

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the tenth question, and my answer.

1.      What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in 10 years? In eternity? The plan that will matter most in 10 years is my commitment to spend real, quality time with my family. We have in the past tried to have a “Family Night” in which we learned a Bible story and participated in a fun event, such as a board game, a trip to the local ice cream store, etc. As anyone who has tried “Family Night” can attest, these nights are often failures. We’ve had the Family Nights where our children are more interested in running around the room than sitting down for a Bible story, or our minds are stuck on work rather than focusing on Family Night, etc. And we have ceased Family Nights because it becomes more of a chore than a time of bonding. However, now that our kids are a little older, we are better able to do some focused activities. Our kids have been learning an age-appropriate catechism, and they are really good at it. Our son really seeks to make links between things, and he is ready for some good Bible stories. But, we as a family are also in need to spending time together and having fun, and Family Night should be fun. I think what will matter most in 10 years time, and in eternity, is leading our children in the path of Christ. I pray that they one day place faith in Christ, and I pray that they do so partly because of watching their parents’ expressed love of God.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 9

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the ninth question, and my answer.

1.      What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year? It is really an issue of time. Often, I spend time praying to God and giving my list of needs, requests, etc. But, I frequently don’t spend time to listen to Him. I don’t spend time to reflect on His character, His word, what He might be trying to tell me.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 8

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the eighth question, and my answer.

1.      What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year? This year, I want to focus time and attention on my family. Last year, I had to spend too much effort, thought, and energy on my job. That was important during that season. However, my family was neglected during that time. So this year, I want to be the leader in our family, and I want to be a leader who leads by demonstrating love and spending quality time with my family. I want to pray with my wife, read books with her, dream for the future with her, and play games and have fun with her. I want to listen to my children, understand their joys and pains, play with them, build them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I want our family to have time together, and also share meaningful times with just one or two of us together. I want to spend special time alone with my wife, with my son, and with my daughter. I will leave work at the office and really seek to engage in my family and with my family when I am with them.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 7

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the seventh question, and my answer.

1.      For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year? I will pray most fervently for the salvation of my son and daughter this year. I put my daughter to bed almost every night. We often read a story book that speaks about praying for what we are thankful for that day. At two years old, my daughter often repeats the same list over and over, and then I pray for her list. But, I also pray that she and her brother will come to be in a relationship with Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They are both too young at this point to understand and make such a commitment, but I can and will pray fervently for them to one day make that decision.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 6

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the sixth question, and my answer.

   

  What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church? Since I am the pastor of the church, I have to direct the vision for the church family. There are two ways I have told them I want to do that this year. First, we are going to spend the year developing a mission statement, a vision statement, and a purpose statement. We want to be able to have a clear path showing where we are going as a church family and how we plan to get there. Second, I have been developing a very intentional strategy for discipleship. I want our family to be trained and confident to share their faith. I want our family to be strongly rooted in God through the observance of the spiritual disciplines. I want our family to always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks them for a reason for the hope found in them (1 Peter 3:15). I have been developing, and will continue to develop this discipleship strategy so that our church family grows and shares our faith in Christ.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 5

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the fifth question, and my answer.

5.      What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year? I am sure that there are a multitude of time-wasters in my life. I would have to say, however, that the biggest time-waster is a lack of organization. I would guess that most of the other time-wasters are directly tied to disorganization. In fact, there are many times when I find myself making to-do lists, and then misplacing those to-do lists. Sometimes I can get so overwhelmed by the amount of obligations I have that I can be crippled by inaction. What should I do first? What has the highest priority? What can be left for another day? The problem is that I become so caught up in listing the things I have to do, that I rarely get around to doing those things. So they remain on the list for another day. Another problem is not following things through to completion. Yes, I may start a project (and it might even be the project which should have highest priority in life at that moment), but then I get distracted (often thinking about other tasks) and do not finish the task at hand. It seems that every few months, I am developing a new strategy for getting organized. It seems that I am “spring cleaning” three or four times a year. But I am painfully aware that God is a God of order. His creation is ordered. His word (the Bible) is ordered. His word calls His followers to be disciplined and ordered. If I could just stick to my guns and follow a prioritized to-do list to completion, I would feel a much greater sense of peace. If I could organize my office, or my car, or the junk drawer, or the garage, I think I would be much more effective as my mind is not distracted by the disorder and can better focus on the tasks at hand.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 4

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the fourth question, and my answer.

4.      In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it? I want to work on the discipline of meditation. By meditation, I do not mean the emptying of my mind of all things so that I am meditating on nothingness. I mean meditating on God and His word. One of the things I am trying to do this year is to focus my Bible reading on four Bible books – Proverbs, Isaiah, Matthew, and Acts. I expect that I will read these four books at least ten times this year. So, in re-reading these books, I want to slowly take the time to meditate on the words, thoughts, and commands of God in these books. I want to take the time to slow down and really reflect on His word. I also want to spend more time meditating through prayer. It is so easy for my mind to wander during times of prayer. I think about tasks I need to accomplish, or conversations I had last night, etc. I really want to become more focused on God in my prayers as I consider His character and attributes.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 3

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the third question, and my answer.

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3.      What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year? This has a simple answer, although putting it into practice will be more difficult. The single most important thing we can do to improve the quality of our family life is to eat dinner at the dining room table more frequently than not. We need to spend time with each other as a family and have discussions as a family. We need to talk about what happened during our days, our frustrations and triumphs, our dreams for the future. While it sounds simple, it may be more difficult to do. We need to get ourselves organized better for this to happen. We need to plan and schedule meals better. We need to decide to do what is best rather than what is most convenient. It sometimes is easier to eat a microwaved meal in the living room around the TV than prepare, cook, set the table and pull the kids away from the TV. But, we need this face-to-face time of bonding.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 2

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the second question, and my answer.

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2.      2) What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year? I know that God can help me 1) take control of my anger and 2) relieve my stress or worry over little things that do not really matter. I can get myself so worked up over my children ignoring me, or something someone said to me to which I took offense. I can worry about people’s perception of me. I can get angry over the slightest thing, and lash out unjustifiably. I really struggle in these areas. I know I cannot change them on my own  because I have tried. But God can do these things that are humanly impossible for me.

31 days, 31 questions, 31 answers - Day 1

I read an article by author, professor and theologian Don Whitney that listed 31 questions to consider for a new year. I decided that I will answer one question each day in January. Here is the first question, and my answer.

1.      1) What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God? I do not think that I take enough time to stop and see the greatness of God’s creation. If I take time to see the intricacy of the world God created and the majestic scope of all He created, then I think I will enjoy Him more. So this year, I will take time to stop and see the beauty and the intricacy of the created world. I will spend an extra moment looking at the sunrise or the sunset and notice the hues in the sky. I will marvel at the flower as it sprouts, buds, blooms, and goes to seed. I’ will take time to notice the underside of the flower, or the tree leaf, or the pine cone. When it snows, I will marvel at the fact that every snowflake is unique, and also think about the fact that every fingerprint is unique, that every zebra stripe or giraffe skin is a unique pattern. I will take time to gaze at the stars and wonder at the distance between the stars and the galaxies. I will see the beauty of an unfaceted gemstone. I will marvel at the power of the waves as they crash against the rocks and the shore. I will strive to see the image of God in every man, woman, and child I see. I will contemplate the energy produced by fire, and the destruction that it can bring. I will seek to notice the variety of animal and plant life.