When I’m in yoga class standing on one leg with my arms above my head and I wobble, I hear my instructor call out “reset”. What does reset mean? Merriam Webster defines it as to set again or anew. We are now almost four weeks into 2013. How’s it going so far? We love to set goals and make resolutions and plan out calendars and workouts and vacations and to do lists when January 1st rolls round. But frequently we set goals and make plans that are out of our reach, below our capabilities or just plain silly. Sometimes we set awesome goals, but find excuses not to attain them. Sometimes life happens and our goals must change. Goals are important, critical to growth, actually. They’re how we get from here to there, but they are also fluid and need constant revising. For me, I’ll be celebrating Christmas on Ground Hog’s Day. That wasn’t the plan. It didn’t make any of my lists, but due to family medical emergencies, February is when we can all get together. RESET I am thrilled, giddy, honored, humbled and blessed to announce the first two books in my latest series will release in April. I didn’t know have this information on January 1. This exciting news changes all of my writing goals for the year. I need to focus on the release of those two titles. I need to shelve rewriting a novel I was working on and instead start writing the third book in this series. All fab stuff, but... RESET How about you? Has anything happened to change your plans? If you’re an athlete an injury could switch you from developing new skills to rehabilitating. If your family is moving, you might change your focus from organizing your closet to how to decorate your new bedroom. Those 25 sit ups a day might be easier than you thought, or it might turn out it was taking on more than you could handle to assume you could practice your electric keyboard a whole hour every day.
How are you doing? Are you off balance? Have the wrong foot forward? Did something arise in your life that changes everything? Is something easier than you thought challenging you to push yourself harder? Are you facing the wrong direction? Or are you further ahead than planned? It's okay to change your original plan. RESET 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! I’d love to hear how you’re pushing the reset button and starting anew.
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I check my phone approximately 25 times a day. Really? I knew it was high, so I ran an experiment – a very sophisticated experiment. I counted how many times I checked my phone on Monday and Tuesday and again on Wednesday and found the average.
What am I checking for? A love text from my boyfriend (aka husband)? An email from my agent saying Paramount wants to make a movie from one of my books? Actually, my first data hit every morning is turning off my alarm clock. The second is checking the emails that accumulated overnight. In between showering, eating a bowl of granola and stacking, I’ll also check the weather (chilly and sunny today with a high of 53 degrees) and my calendar to see what I’m supposed to be doing today. I’ll hit my Bible app for my morning prayer time and play music on my run. I snapped pics of pumpkins and costumes this week, and texted them to friends. But honestly, sometimes I’m on my phone just to kill time. I’ll check emails or Facebook or Twitter, because I’m standing in line or waiting on hold or in the midst of a socially awkward moment when I’m standing alone at a party or a soccer game. The phone acts as an excuse for me to be standing there by myself. What would happen if instead of habitually checking my phone, I absorbed my surroundings? Struck up conversation with a stranger? Let my imagination play? What if I prayed? The Casting Crowns song, “What if His People Prayed?” runs through my head as I write this. That would be really cool - if each time I checked my phone I prayed? And sometimes I could pray instead of ever sliding the bar on my phone, others I could pray over the person who texted or called or emailed or I could pray for whatever’s on my mind. What if I added twenty-five moments of prayer each day? Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 Pretty powerful, huh? Whatever we ask in prayer, if we believe we’ll receive it, it will be ours! And if I prayed 25 more times a day? And if everyone reading this post prayed 25 more times a day? The possibilities are endless. What do you check on your phone the most? How often do you check your phone in a day? I’m a planner, an organizer, and a calendar maker extraordinaire. I have four kids, which means a fun-filled crazy, busy life. If I don’t stay on top of all the practices, assignments, to-dos and errands they crawl on top of me, and smother me.
However, despite all of my color-coding and lists, I have to remember that I am not the one in control. God is. On a family trip to Italy we needed to check out of our apartment in Florence prior to the proprietor’s arrival to make our train to Venice on time. We dutifully took out our trash, stripped our sheets and dropped our keys in the drop box. We rolled our suitcases thumpety-thump down the cobblestone streets to the metro, took the metro to the train station and boarded our train, surprised to see an entire class of Italian school children filling our car and our seats. I spoke with a lovely teacher whose English was even worse than my Italian. We exchanged tickets, but couldn’t figure out how we all had the same seat assignments. Together we searched for a conductor, who just as the train began its departure told us to sit tight. We’d sort it all out en route. We situated ourselves in corners and nooks, plugged in our ear buds and flipped through books until about an hour into the ride when the conductor came to punch the tickets I’d ordered months ago on the Eurorail website. “Ecco.” Here you go. I presented ours to him, proud of my Italian expression. He shook his head with a sneer. “These are for tomorrow.” “What?” “Today is Wednesday. These are for Thursday.” He said briskly, not feeling my panic, my pain, and my well-executed plans in a tangle. “How- how could that be?” The words tumbled from my mouth. My brain churned. He pointed to the date on the tickets, which were indeed for the next day. I grabbed my travel file and frantically flipped through the itineraries. I turned to my hubby and gasped in a stressed whisper, “How did this happen? I don’t understand? Where will we stay in Venice tonight? We’ll be a day early.” “You cannot continue to Venice.” The conductor’s voice was freakishly flat for an Italian. “Wh-what? Wh-why?” Silently he pulled out his calculator and typed in seemingly hundreds of numbers. Eventually he turned the display to me. “This is your fine for riding the train without a proper ticket. You must depart at the next stop - Bologna. You may use your ticket tomorrow to get you from Bologna to Venice.” A lengthy list of questions from me to the train worker didn’t clear up any of my concerns. The fine was enormous. We knew no one in Bologna and had no hotel booked for our four children, my mom and ourselves. We’d forfeited a prepaid night in Florence. Not to mention the blow to my ego that I’d majorly botched our travel plans and let my family down! My stomach was like a pulverized pizza. My face hotter than the Tuscan sun. My hands shook like our train car on rickety tracks. We paid our fine, gathered our group and got off the train in Bologna, the beautiful city of Bologna, home of robust spaghetti alla Bolognese, one of the oldest Universities in Europe, an active political community and ancient basilicas. In Bologna we stayed in the nicest hotel of our trip, complete with luxury air conditioning and an all you could eat breakfast buffet piled high with Italian pastries and made to order cappuccino. We witnessed a heated protest by impassioned university students, noshed on zesty pizza margarita (for a fraction of a price of what we paid for it in Florence) strolled through the historic university and visited the crowning jewel, San Luca. San Luca, named for Saint Luke, as in the gospel writer, sits at the top of approximately 300 steps covered by romantic porticoes supported by 666 arches and overlooks the lush city of Bologna from its hilltop perch. On a 70 degree, sunny day breathing in the architecture, gazing at the sapphire blue sky, marveling at history dating back to the gospels, intoxicated by a strong spiritual presence and surrounded by the people I love most in the world, I couldn’t imagine anything lovelier. Then, two young boys pulled out their violins and played an impromptu hauntingly beautiful concert in the grassy area outside the church, providing the soundtrack for my moment. My planner said I should be in Florence that day. I thought I was supposed to be in Venice that day. But God knew, there was no place on earth better for me on that day than in Bologna. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11 MSG Tell me below - where are you planning to go this week? Where will you let God take you if only you let Him? Where did you go today? What did you wear? What did you take with you?
I started the day with yoga. Wearing my comfy gray yoga pants and stretchy gray and black tank, I grabbed my mat, my rec center ID, my hot pink water bottle and slid on my flip-flops. After a trip home for a quickie shower and a wardrobe change into a black sundress and a zillion bracelets, my next stop was a writing session at my local coffee shop, Kofenya. I packed my MacBook, extension cord, cell phone, wallet and of course my coffee cup for the excursion. This afternoon I’ll head to the pool. I’ll need to slip on a bikini, pack my sunscreen (both spray and Neutrogena face formula), a towel, my Kindle, my U2 cap (to prevent sun damage), my straw cup full of H20 and a snack. We, as a society, carry around so much stuff. And it’s even more fun when we get to carry it around in cute bags! But Jesus challenges us to do something different. He sent the disciples out on their life’s work with a walking stick and the clothes and shoes they already had on. These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Mark 6: 8-9 NIV I’ve changed shoes three times today! IS His call to all of us exactly the same? Not exactly, but kind of. He might call you to teach or nurture or share a smile. You might be called to sing or paint or score or hug or listen or lead or follow. He has a plan for you. But do we need all this baggage we carry around to live out this plan? Not exactly. Jesus still calls us to spread His word – every day, everywhere we go – whether that’s shopping or hanging out with friends or going to class or working out with our team or working or spending time with family. He calls us to be His light. So what do we need to bring? That’s the easy one. Him. If I forget my sunscreen, I can sit under the shelter when I’m not in the pool. If I wear a normal t-shirt to yoga I’ll still be able to do my best downward dog. If I forget my travel cup at the coffee shop, they have mugs. So where are you going today? Where has Jesus called you to go? I’d love to hear about it. And don’t forget to pack the most important thing – Jesus. Truth, knowledge, bravery, love and selflessness. What if you had to pick just one? Which would become most important to you - so dominant that you would dismiss the other traits?
The bestselling novel by Veronica Roth, Divergent, creates a dystopian society where you must choose. Future-day Chicago is divided into factions. Each faction hones in on one of these important traits, and dedicates themselves to performing the tasks for society that best suit their traits (i.e. the faction who reveres bravery acts as security). Prioritizing core values is not a new idea. The Scarecrow, the Tin man and the Lion set out to find three of these abovementioned traits over 100 years ago when Frank L. Baum’s book, The Wizard of Oz, was first released. More recently, in the 39 Clues series the Cahill family is divided into branches based on their dominant traits and talents. Classifying humans by their personality traits isn’t new either. Myers-Briggs has been doing it since the 1940’s. I had to take this standardized test before given my first real job offer to be a shopping mall marketing manager. I was offered the position, probably because I indicated I would rather “cobble shoes” than “compare the relative areas of similar spheres” on the multiple choice test. At least, I think that’s how I answered that one… The HDMI test color blocks our personality traits. I’m RED – glaring, bright, fire truck, stop sign red. That apparently means I’m emotional. Duh. In The Me I Want to Be by John Ortberg there is a free personality test administered by Monvee to help readers identify their strengths and weaknesses. Mine came out that my personality is similar to Joseph’s from the Old Testament – you know the guy who dreamed about skinny and fat cows. The best and the worst of me (and apparently Joseph) – we are organized, task-oriented, detailed, punctual, impatient, easily flustered by change. Okay, enough about me and the guy with the rainbow coat. The point of all these tests is to help us define ourselves, find ourselves, figure out what makes us tick. By identifying our strengths and weaknesses we can determine what jobs suit our personalities, what roles in groups best suit us, what we need to work on, why we react to certain situations the way we do, how we can maximize our strengths. So, what do you value most? And how does that effect who you are? Would you ask the Wizard of Oz for courage or a heart or a brain or something else altogether? The truth is we need some of all these traits to complete us. As Tobias says in Divergent, “I want to be brave and selfless and smart and kind and honest.” I agree, Tobias. I want to be all of those things too. Have you read Divergent? Which faction would you choose? You have it all taken care of, right?
You have a date with the Big Man scheduled in your Blackberry on recurring for every day. You have a regular prayer time, a routine for reading the Word, a group you meet with either on Sundays or during the week to talk about your relationship with Jesus. It’s like clockwork. Until you go on summer vacation. And we all know vacation is a temporary thing, but time away from the Lord is bad any way you slice it. And sometimes, on vacation is when you need Him the most. So, how do you keep up with your relationship with God when you’re on the road, at camp, at a relative’s house or as distant from real life as a foreign country? When everything about your normal schedule is out of whack, how do you stay in sync with Jesus? In today’s electronic age it’s easier than ever before. You have a Smartphone. You have a laptop or access to a computer at your aunt’s house or hotel lobby. You have a sense of adventure. You’re all set. Bible reading is a piece of cake online with www.biblegateway.com. You can look up any chapter or verse in almost any translation. Don’t have access to a computer? There’s an App for that – YouVersion – The Bible App – touts more translations than you’ll ever be able to read, bookmarks your spot for you, and has a search engine to help you find any chapter or verse on demand. Churches are everywhere. So, it’s not your home church. So, it’s a little different. It’s still a group of Christians gathering together to proclaim God’s word, sing His praises and pray to Him. Find one with beautiful stained glass or an interesting history. Focus on the cross and the music and the readings for this week. If you’re out of the country, a church service in another language can still be amazingly spiritual and uplifting. The architecture and history of ancient European churches create a sense of awe, and help you realize how important God has been to generations upon generations. Now, that you have the actual Word at your fingertips and at least a Sunday service to attend, how do you supplement it with discussion, advice, inspiration? There are so many cool opportunities on the web! Encounter Magazine has The Scene that takes a current event and tackles its relationship to scripture each week. You can download it at http://encounterface2face.com/category/the-scene/ and work through it personally. There are hundreds of churches that have podcasts of their sermons and inspirational speakers have podcasts for more online immersion in Jesus. Find one that meets your needs – male, female, sister, brother, athlete, musician, artist, dancer, bookworm, outgoing, shy, highschooler, homeschooler on-your-way-to-collegegoer -- there’s a website, a blog, a speaker on the internet who speaks directly to your heart via Jesus. Find them on your favorite search engine, plug in and make it part of your day. You don’t have to stop with scripture and sermons. Download your favorite Christian tunes onto your iPod and an inspirational read onto your Kindle app, iBooks or e-reader for further immersion. Just like at home where you had a set time of day, you need to commit to a daily date with God on the road. Do you wake up before the rest of the family or stay up past the rest of your crew – this alone time is perfect for you to hang out with Jesus. If your travels give you a little down time every day after lunch, make it then. Do you schedule a daily run? How about right before or after that workout? But remember wherever you are, your Creator is there within your heart. He’s ready to chat, listen, comfort, encourage or just hang out whether you’re at home or on the road. Jesus wants to be your best friend wherever you go. So, even when you’re in new surroundings, you can still surround yourself with the Lord. Where are you traveling this summer? How do you like to incorporate your spirituality with your travels? Last summer, while checking into our hotel in Dresden, Germany I had the treat of meeting soccer legend, Brandi Chastain. She had her hair pulled into a ponytail was wearing a gray t-shirt, navy blue athletic shorts and cleats. She was kicking a pink Nike soccer ball in the hotel lobby. Yes, in the lobby. She is the woman known for kicking the winning penalty kick to win the U.S. Women’s National team the World Cup in 1999. She was in Dresden to be one of the lead ESPN announcers for the World Cup, speaking to tens of thousands of television viewers for two weeks straight.
When I asked Brandi what advice she had for young people who wanted to be soccer stars, she said, “Do it everyday. Kick it, pass it, dribble it, every day. When I was young, I kicked the ball against the side of the house for an hour every day. I got to know the ball so well, and how it would bounce off the house and where it would go if I tapped it a certain way and how to kick it back if it came to me a certain way, that when I was on the field, when I was in a game, I never had to think. I knew exactly what to do.” The same is true for whatever it is you want to achieve in life. For writers, like me, it means writing something every day. Stephen King says it in his book, On Writing. Anne LaMott says it in Bird by Bird. Do it everyday. That doesn’t have to be writing five chapters of my next novel. It could be a blog or a character sketch or a review of someone else’s work. But each day, I need to be conscious of word choice, descriptions, rhythms and flows of words. You want to learn how to cook? Chef up a meal every day. It could be scrambled eggs or a grilled cheese sandwich, but if you do it everyday, you’ll figure out too much salt makes your eggs taste like potato chips and how long to let your grilled cheese sizzle to get the cheese to melt to a perfect gooey consistency. If you want to get closer to God, read a chapter of the Bible every day and contemplate it. I promise you’ll get closer to Him. No matter what instrument you play, your instructor will ask you to practice every day. Play your scales. Work on the hardest part of your piece. Soon your ears will know the difference between a C sharp and a B flat. Your fingers will know how to move along the keys of a piano or the frets of a guitar. If your goal is to become a teacher, explain something to someone every day. It could be how to take care of a tortoise or how to French braid hair or plant pansies, or anything, but the more you practice explaining things to people, the better you’ll be at it. I promise. So, get going. Today, tomorrow and the day after that – do your thing. As Dr. Seuss said, “You’re off to great places, today is your day.” Today can be your day. You just need to get started. What can you do on a daily basis to help you achieve your dream? Control. We all want it. We all strive for it. Whether it is
control over what grade we get in a class, what we eat for dinner, what projects we’ll be assigned at work, how a relationship will work, what channel we’re watching – we want to be able to call the shots, make the decisions, have a say in how and why and when. Today was the first snowfall of the year. I woke up to a majestic world frosted in pure white icing. With the beauty came the crisp, cold air, fresh and pure, seemingly cleansing my lungs as I stepped out of the garage and inhaled deeply. The drive uptown to fetch my morning coffee usually takes me five minutes, only three when the college students are gone for Christmas break. But this morning the roads were slick. Cars inched along the roads, even though the dusting of snow was barely an inch deep. I drove cautiously, in no hurry, nothing I had to rush to get to, taking in the spectacular scenery. A few minutes later, venti Italian roast with a shot of chocolate in hand, I got back in my car. I took a sip of the dark, rich warmth and turned the key. At the first stop sign my antilock brakes ground and squealed and crunched under my foot, but my car did not stop. I kept going right through the stop sign, even though I’d only been cruising at about seven miles an hour. Thankfully, our college town is all but deserted while the students are away, and no other cars were in sight. But, I didn’t stop. I wanted to stop. I tried to stop. I did all of the things I normally do to stop. And yet, my car didn’t stop. I was not in control. I whispered a prayer of thanks that there were no other cars around, that despite me driving through a stop sign no one was hurt. I then turned off the side road, back towards the main road, hoping for smoother sailing. But, as I turned, my car fishtailed, zigging and zagging across both lanes of the small street. Again, there were no cars in my way. No one was hurt. But, this was another strong reminder that I AM NOT IN CONTROL. As a new year begins, I always make a list of goals for the year – things I plan on working to accomplish in the upcoming 365 days. I know this is an important exercise. It is critical to be intentional on how I spend my time or else my time gets spent for me. It is helpful for me to look out twelve months to see the potential the year has, to think of ways I can stretch my faith, my mind, my body, my relationships, my writing in the coming year. Just like I need to have a full tank of gas, air in my tires, directions to where I’m going and the key to my car to make it go, I need a plan for my life and my time. I need to drive the speed limit, stay on the right side of the road, and step on the brake when there is a stop sign, or else there would be accidents. People would get hurt. There would be danger and chaos. God wants me to plan and work and strive as if it all depends on me. But, sometimes I step on the brake and I don’t stop. Sometimes, despite my lists and goals and plans, He has something else in mind. He needs me to remember, that in the end, it all depends on Him. |
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