A Disciplined 2010

I really hate to make resolutions. Most of the time they don't stick. So in what may appear to be an issue of semantics, I have decided that this year I focus on the disciplined life.  The idea was originally inspired by Mark Batterson's latest book, Primal.  In the book he talks about the 4 ways we love God: through heart, mind, soul and strength.  So my goal for this year is to  take these different aspects of love, meddle them with the classic disciplines and coming up with something that will help me regain some focus over the cross of the new year.
One specific issue that Mark brought up in the book was reading through the Bible in a year.  In my last post I mentioned my struggle with this and what my plans are to correct the situation in the coming year.  But the idea of reading through the Bible in 40 days has also given me an idea for the rest of year.  What if I broke the year down into 9 40 day segments and focus on a different discipline during each of the 40 days?
Since it is New Years Eve this plan should be a little more formulated than it is right now, which is why I  asking for your help.  Right now here are a few of the ideas that I have for my 40 days:

1. reading the Bible
2. Fasting
3. Prayer
4. Working out
5. Read the Purpose Driven Life
6. Read Mere Christianity
7. Focus on one Old Testament book, learning as much about it as possible
8. Do the same for a New Testament
9. Some type of service, not sure what yet (I would really love to hear your ideas here!)

Any help? I would really love to get some feedback on this one.  Thanks! I hope everyone has a wonderful 2010!

Bible Reading for 2010

This year, like many years before I plan to read through the Bible. In 2009 I fell a little short, missing several of the prophets, a little history, Leviticus and Revelation (because we all know that many reading plans have failed in the weeks when you read the end of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy).
So this year I am using www.youversion.com to help.  YouVersion is an awesome website that puts the Bible and community at your fingertips.  With over 40 different translations and 20 reading plans that can be customized you will find something that will help you meet your goals for reading all or parts of God's Word this year.  It will also connect you with others who are reading the same plan so that you can easily discuss the insights from each day's reading.
I have currently selected the Chronological reading plan.  This approach will guide me through the text based on the chronology of the events.  I have seen, but never used, Bibles that take this approach, so it will be interesting to see how this works.  The greater challenge for this endeavor is the fact that I am going to try to do it 40 days.  After reading Mark Batterson's book, Primal, I became convinced that I need to start my year, this new decade off with a clear goal that would help me regain some focus in my life.  I can't think of anything better than reading through the Bible.  Hopefully I'll stay on top of it and let you know how it goes.
If you are a YouVersion user, look for my contributions, username jdeddins.  I will also try to repost many of them here for other readers as well.

Primal: A Review of Mark Batterson's Latest Book

2010 should begin with you reading Mark Batterson's latest book, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity.  In this book Mark looks at the Great Commandment as the definition of the soul of Christian [loving God with all of our heart, soul mind and strength].  Mark takes these four ways of loving God and expounds on how each is essential for a Christian to mature into the follower of Christ.

In each book that Mark has written he has displayed a thirst for knowledge and biblical truth.  It is quite clear the he reads across several genres, from physics and biology to pop culture and theology.  And while this book is easy to read and process, it is also challenging.  It is likely the type of book that you read through quickly, but will want to pick up and read again as soon as you are done.

Mark's gift at communication is clearly seen in his ability to take enormous truths and pack them into a few words.  There are so many scattered throughout the book, but here are few of my favorites:
1. "If the goal of reading is to get through the Bible, the goal of meitation is to get the Bible through us."
2. "Sin is a waste of energy. It's wasting your energy on things you can't have or can't control."
3. "Lack of faith is not a failure of logic. It's a failure of imagination."
4. "Most of us are alreay educated beyond the level of our obedience."
5. "You can't listen to just half of what the Holy Spirit has to say. If you aren't willing to listen to everything He has to say, you won't hear anything He has to say."

I hope you enjoy the taste of Primal and will add it you Christmas shopping list.  The book is due to make it's official release on December 22.

Disclaimer:
This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

The Liturgal Year

Just in time for the Advent season I have wrapped up The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister.  This book was a little bit of challenge for me because I don't come from a tradition that follows any type of liturgy. Nor do we follow any "church calendar." So thinking about the flow of the year in connection with the life of Christ is new to me.  Coming in as an outsider there were some terms that I wish had been better defined, but they are probably quite elementary for those whose traditions follow the liturgical year.
There are many great challenges within this short book which is part of the Ancient Practices Series.  One of the first, and most powerful to me is this,
"The liturgical year is an adventure in bringing the Christian life to fullness, the heart to alert, the soul to focus. It does not concern itself with the questions of how to make a living. It concerns itself with the questions of how to make a life."
Isn't that what we are searching for, how to make our lives meaningful?
I would highly recommend The Liturgical Year for the reader who wants a deeper look into the experience of someone who has followed the liturgical calendar for a number of years.  Sister Joan Chittister is a gifted communicator who brings this Christian practice to life.  It has certain challenged me to rethink the way I spend the Sabbath, special days in the life of Christ, and time in general.

Breaking Out of the Funk

Yesterday I wrote about being in a "spiritual funk" and provide some advice about how to/not to get of such a funk.  Well, it happened today that I was reading Galatians and came across this verse (in the NLT):

"It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not.

What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation."

-6:15

It was exactly what I needed.  I have read through Galatians countless times, but today, reading it in a different translation, this verse hit me. My life in Christ is not a one time decision, it is a continual choice to change.  I get fired up when I see something in a different way.  It makes the passage feel new, although I have read it numerous times.  I love how God does that!

Getting Out of the Funk

We've all had the funk. I don't mean the mean the good, jammin' out to classic rock tunes funk.  I mean the stop reading your Bible, saying memorized prayers, going through the motions funk that all Christians seem to struggle with at some point or another.
I've been in the funk for awhile now. I've continued to lead prayers with my family at meals times and before bed. I've continued to teach a class on the book of James and attend a men's Bible study on Monday nights. Still the funk remains. I'm not really sure when it is going to leave, but here are a few things that have/have not helped in the past.

Things that Have Not Helped:
1. Trying to do more. It seems like you get in the funk, get behind on the daily Bible reading so you set aside some time to get caught up.  What happens is a marathon reading that allows little depth into the text.
2. No plan. Thinking, hey these things happen, I'll snap out of it soon.
3. Comparing myself to ourselves.  This is rarely a good idea. God made us in His image, not in the image of your best friend, next door neighbor, or anyone else.

Things that Have Helped:
1. Continue in the motions.  Yes, there are times when your whole heart may not be into it, but to stop altogether is not the better solution. There have been too many times when I have just been reading my Bible or listening to a song while in a funk that the Lord showed me something I had never seen before and then the funk was over.  Don't give up on the disciplines that have gotten you this far.
2. Admitting you're in a funk.  Simply recognizing that things are not how you want them to be is powerful.  Sharing that observation with others multiples the effect.
3.Change of place+change of pace=change of perspective. I first heard this from Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. It's great advice for getting out of any funk that you are in.

I hope the advice helps if you are in a funk.  What advice would you share?

Looking to Younger Examples

It never ceases to amazing me the things that I can learn from those who are younger than me.  This weekend I watched my determined 5 year old, Gabie run her first 5k- in Crocs no less!  Now, this wasn't planned. We showed up to the race on Saturday morning.  Meg, my wife, and her mom were going to run the Bison Stampede at Harding University.  The run raises money for the Sunshine School which helps special needs students.
Gabie asked if she could run as well, I guess because Meg and I have been running so much lately.  Well,  I thought she would make it around the first loop and she would be done, but she just kept going! Sure enough, here she is getting ready to cross the finish line at 38 minutes.  Not bad for someone who can't even tie her own shoes yet!

Another example is Austin Gutwein.  Austin has recently published his first book, Take Your Best Shot.  In Take Your Best Shot Austin shares how he was challenged to do something bigger than himself.  He was moved through the the efforts of World Vision to help children in Africa who were dying because of AIDS.  Although Austin is not a "basketball stud" he used his passion for the game to start a program called Hoops for Hope which is currently raising money to build a medical clinic in Zambia.  It's truly amazing to read about what Austin is doing.  This week at during our Sunday morning class the teens talked about not just waiting for programming created by the church, but to go out and live their faith today.  That is exactly what Austin, and many other young people are doing.  They are not the future of the church, they are the church today!  Now that I have finished reading Take Your Best Shot, I'll be passing it on to the youth group at Cloverdale, maybe some of the teens there will be inspired to do something BIG.

Let us always remember the advice that Paul gave in 1 Timothy 4:12,

"Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your live, your faith, and your purity." -NLT