New Year

Why I’m Reading the Bible (Again) This Year

JENILYN SWETT | GUEST How did you usher in the new year? Perhaps with a midnight toast, watching the Rose Bowl parade in your pajamas, or eating some dumplings or black eyed peas. In addition to some of those festive activities, I spent time journaling and did some deep-cleaning to help give the year a fresh start. I also started back at the beginning of the Bible reading plan I followed (with a few stops, starts, and detours) last year. If you’ve gotten out of the habit of regular Bible reading – or if it’s a habit you’ve never developed, the new year can be a good time to start (or start again). The Bible is God’s Word, for us, so it is worth our time and attention. It’s worth treasuring because it’s how God makes himself known to us (Psalm 19). And just like any treasure is worth looking at over and over, the Bible is worth reading again. Here are a few reasons why I’m continuing the habit of regular Bible reading again this year, and why I hope you’ll consider doing so too. Because We’re Forgetful No matter how many times I’ve been told, no matter how many times I tell others, I still tend to forget some important things: God’s love for and delight in me, the ugly reality of my own sin, the significance of Jesus’s sacrifice, the hope we have in the resurrection. I need God’s Word to remind me. We have the Holy Spirit to help us remember what we’ve been taught, and one of the key ways he does that is through the living, active words of Scripture (John 14:26; Heb. 4:12). Because We Need Help Praying When I don’t have the words, when I’m not sure what to ask for, or when my heart is just struggling to pray, the words of Scripture are a great help....

Why I’m Reading the Bible (Again) This YearChristina Fox2024-12-26T19:37:56+00:00

Setting Goals with the End in Sight

How did your day begin? If it is anything like mine, it’s filled with good intentions. But just as the day’s momentum begins to build, it’s already 2:30 PM. Soon, the sound of the garage door opening vibrates throughout the home. My daughter’s high-pitched voice greets our golden doodle, and I’m having to answer, “What’s for dinner?” Our good intentions will be just that if it’s not followed up by action. Some time ago, I came across a short video in which author Malcolm Gladwell said, “… knowing my ending makes the beginning super easy … totally clear what I have to do and totally clear what I shouldn’t do.” Gladwell was referring to the process of writing and yet, the principle is transferable to moments when I struggle to account for the six hours between the first sip of freshly brewed coffee and the midday scurry of my dog, greeting the family member who has just walked through the mudroom. Or those days when my to-do list is marked by numerous lines striking through them, but feelings of dissatisfaction overshadow any sense of accomplishment. If I know my ending, then it’s clear what I have to do, and clear what I shouldn’t do. This means I engage each day with the bigger story in sight and have actionable goals that move me toward that end. To help bring clarity when setting goals, here are three questions to consider...

Setting Goals with the End in SightChristina Fox2024-01-12T16:45:47+00:00

Using a Bible Reading Plan

BARBARANNE KELLY | CONTRIBUTOR Sitting in the glow of our Christmas tree, I turn in my Bible to the book of Job to read three chapters, then I read a psalm, and then I turn to the book of Revelation for one chapter. These are the familiar passages of Scripture with which I close each year: the greatness and majesty of our God, the joy of praising him, and his final victory in the culmination of his covenantal plan for his Bride, the Church. After spending the year reading through the Bible with all of humanity’s ups and downs—mostly downs—and the steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord on display throughout, my heart overflows. The first week of January I’ll turn back to the opening chapters of Genesis and begin again. As idyllic as that may sound, I assure you that the discipline to follow through with a Bible reading plan does not come easily for me. January is often my best month. But as responsibilities with family and ministry mount, and the occasional vacation or unexpected life-event happen, it’s easy for the reading to fall off schedule. That’s often the case, isn’t it? Time in God’s Word is so easily neglected, pushed out by the urgencies of the moments of our days, and especially when we need it most! Why Read the Bible? I used to think that those Christians who read their entire Bible through in a year must be super-saints. I expected pastors to do that sort of reading as it’s their job to know the Scriptures inside-out. But for normal believers like myself, I figured that kind of immersion in Scripture was an unreasonable expectation and out of reach. The Lord has held me fast for many decades since I thought this way, and whether it’s from wisdom or experience or a bit of both, I’ve learned that super-saints are few and far between. Normal, quietly faithful, saints-without-capes, however, fill the pews in our churches and humbly pursue the disciplines of grace as they walk with the Lord. And one of those disciplines of grace is time spent daily in God’s Word. Reading through the Bible in a year (or so) is an attainable goal. There are many resources to help, some of which I’ll link to at the end of this article. But why should you set such a goal for yourself? I’ll allow the Apostle Paul to answer: . . . from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:15–17)...

Using a Bible Reading PlanChristina Fox2024-01-28T01:31:47+00:00

Hanging up the Hustle Culture to Embrace Eternal Investment

KAREN HODGE | CONTRIBUTOR Pressure like a grip, grip, grip, and it won't let go, whoa. Pressure like a tick, tick, tick, 'til it's ready to blow, whoa-oh-oh. Give it to your sister and never wonder. If the same pressure would've pulled you under. Who am I if I can't fall or fail? I have a reputation for crying in my popcorn in movie theaters. Sometimes, I cry because of sentimentality, and other times it happens when the truth hits a bit too close to home. While watching the movie, Encanto, the scene where the older sister Luisa sings the lines from Surface Pressure, I cried the tears of a recovering older sister, workaholic, and perfectionist who has bowed to the idol of productivity for over 30 years. In the scene, she is carrying the load of her family, including the embodiment of her woe, on pack mules up a steep hill. Her song laments the insatiable drive to please others and the vacuum of the "not-enough-ness" of human limitations. Maybe you are not crying like me, but instead, you are almost giddy with the potential of productive days ahead in 2024 as you clutch your brand-new bullet journal. Ah, the possibilities seem endless! But whether it is the lines in our journal or the rings closing on our smart watch, we are always searching for ways to measure and account for how we spend our time. Time is an economic affair. Just take a listen to those around you. "There are not enough hours in the day." "I am sick of wasting time." "Let's kill some time." "I am living on borrowed time." "I wish I could turn back the hands of time." By now, optimism may be reduced to realism. We rush from here to there with little regard for rest. We live in a hustle culture— an environment that intensely focuses on productivity, ambition, and success at all costs. The idol of toxic productivity is a cruel taskmaster. If I see my value as being measured by how much I accomplish in each day, then doing will always trump being. Thinking biblically about productivity includes remembering my identity is rooted in the finished work of Jesus Christ on my behalf rather than in finding my worth in how many things I have checked off my to-do list. In this tension, we may tend towards two extremes...

Hanging up the Hustle Culture to Embrace Eternal InvestmentChristina Fox2024-01-02T17:15:32+00:00

Hallmark, the Gospel, and the New Year

KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR I have a confession to make. I like Hallmark Movies. Now, perhaps you don’t see that as something to confess, but I’m someone who used to mercilessly mock Hallmark-type movies and those who liked them. I viewed such movies as silly and predictable and the folks who enjoyed those movies as shallow, undiscerning media consumers. I was wrong. Now, I’m not saying that Hallmark movies are high art, just that they have value that I previously did not appreciate. In case you’re unfamiliar, most Hallmark movies have a similar plot. In the first few minutes a woman experiencing some sort of disappointing life change or crisis meets or reconnects with a man who she initially finds unappealing. Circumstances cause the two to have to work together on some project or event. Miraculously they successfully complete the project—that would normally take months to complete—in a week or two. Sparks fly and romance is kindled. Despite obvious attraction, the couple experiences conflict and misunderstanding leading them to believe that they’re not meant to be together. But this belief is short-lived and the movie crescendos with the couple professing their love, sealed with a kiss. The Beauty of Simplicity Why do millions of people (mostly women) enjoy these predictable, unrealistic, formulaic movies? During a particularly stressful season in my life, I discovered Hallmark movies and found the predictability comforting. At first, I thought my enjoyment was nothing more than a little escape from reality. But what if it’s the opposite? What if the reason I was drawn to these movies is that they are supremely realistic? Perhaps the predictable plots and simplistic stories remind us of the beautiful simplicity of the Gospel story and point us to the reality of life with Christ? As lost sinners we look for meaning. Uncertainty fills our lives. When we are introduced to Jesus, we may think He’s not the answer we’re looking for. We may resist submitting to His Lordship. But He woos us, and we become smitten with Him. He does the seemingly impossible. He saves and changes a sinner. Along the way, sin interferes. We sometimes think there’s another way. We make choices that complicate our life on earth and our relationship with Jesus. Sometimes staying the course with Christ seems unimaginable. But in the end, we can be sure that we will be together. Everything will be made right, and we will enjoy an eternity in the presence of Christ. This is the kind of predictability we long for and it’s the kind of predictability we can count on as we embark on a new year. Exhaustion is what many of feel at the end of the year. The holiday season, though filled with joy and fun, is also tiring. For some of us, grief and sadness hover over the season. We may lack enthusiasm as we move into the new year. Hope may not be in the forefront. Believe it or not, I think Hallmark movies can help us here. Remembering the Faithfulness of God A common theme in Hallmark movies is the main character re-connecting with his or her roots or uncovering an important story from the past. The connection to the past inspires and empowers the character to move forward. Like the comfort food that fills our holiday tables and reminds us of our gatherings in years past, the comfort-flicks, of Hallmark remind us to remember joyful times. Such remembering offers a taste of the comfort that comes from the true Comforter...

Hallmark, the Gospel, and the New YearChristina Fox2024-01-05T18:36:44+00:00

Eight Benefits of a Bible Reading Plan

SARAH IVILL|CONTRIBUTOR There is no other time of year that Bible reading plans are more recommended than the month of January. With the new year, we are encouraged to begin new routines that will bring new growth, especially spiritual growth. But oftentimes the focus is on the logistics of the plan. For example, you can choose a chronological plan, a New Testament plan, the Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible plan, the 52 week Bible reading plan, or the 5 day Bible reading program, among several others. Plans are good because they ensure we read the whole counsel of God, not just a few parts here and there, which inevitably leads to skewed doctrine. But instead of focusing on the different kinds of plans, I want to focus on the overall benefits of a Bible reading plan. In other words, why bother to choose a plan at all? Let me suggest eight reasons. First, God’s Word “is perfect, reviving the soul” (Ps. 19:7a). We don’t have to look any further for refreshment as we walk in the wilderness of this world. Scripture is our sole sustenance. If we don’t daily revive our soul in Scripture, we will begin to wilt spiritually...

Eight Benefits of a Bible Reading PlanChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:45:01+00:00

New Year, New Habits

KIM BARNES|GUEST Years ago, I followed bloggers who encouraged their readers to join “The 5 O’clock club.” The aspirations of the club were to rise early (5am) to start your day. They offered a lot of advice about how to establish this habit. I don’t remember much of the advice, but one thing has stayed with me. One blogger wrote about rising at 5am: “Expect to feel bad for about 15 minutes.” That was a revolutionary idea to me. Previously, I would try to wake up early and usually felt so awful that I would decide that my body just isn’t ready to be awake and I would go back to bed. But what if it was NORMAL to feel bad? If my expectation is to feel bad, then I can soldier on. And you know what I discovered? When I wake up early and feel awful, the feeling almost always passes in about 15 minutes. Changing my expectation of what waking up should be like enabled me to establish a new routine and encouraged me to persevere. Expect the Hard As we start a new year, many of us are looking at establishing new routines and habits. One of the greatest obstacles to new habits is wrong expectations. We expect to feel a certain way. We want to gain certain results. But when reality is incongruous with those expectations, we get discouraged. We give up. We imagine that since the habits and routines that we aspire to are good, it will feel good to do them. Maybe they won’t feel good right away, because change is hard, but we expect that eventually the new habit will get easy...

New Year, New HabitsChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:45:09+00:00

New Beginnings: On God’s Mercy and Grace

SHARON ROCKWELL|CONTRIBUTOR The beginning of a new school year was always one of my favorite times. There was something exciting about seeing unopened textbooks and knowing that by the end of the year, I would have a thorough understanding of that new subject, or at least evidence that I gave it my best effort. It was a time of new beginnings, regardless of last year’s results. I feel the same way about New Year’s resolutions. The idea of starting over toward a new goal encourages me to persist in improving some skill, tackle some sin which has been plaguing me with temptation, or sharpen my commitment to daily Bible reading, even if I don’t make it all the way through the year. The idea that I can still have a fresh start again next January is comforting. Thankfully, God meets us on a much more abbreviated timeline. Sometimes I can hardly make it through the day in keeping the promises I committed to in my morning prayers. But God’s mercies are new each morning. It does not matter if it is a repeat sin, a failed attempt to do better in my walk with Christ, or simply that the “the flesh is weak.” The Lord extends mercy to us daily when we fall. He also abundantly pardons us. Isaiah 55:7 says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”...

New Beginnings: On God’s Mercy and GraceChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:45:17+00:00

How Advent Transforms January

ELIZABETH SANTELMANN | GUEST It’s jarring to come off the worship of Advent season and land in January. A week after Christmas, we turn off the carols and snap on the workout track. We rush as quickly as possible toward productivity. We dream that our lofty goals will produce the perfect version of ourselves. Frantically, we scrawl habits that will make us as successful as possible in the shortest amount of time. If only we could turn over a new leaf, we would become as flawless as is humanly achievable! We attempt to shove down our own human frailties to claw our way to the pedestal of who we can become. Oh, but January is hard. Our resolutions are interrupted by sick babies in the flu season. Snow days force us into the stillness of hibernation. We attempt to refocus our sights on the sweaty-faced trainers screaming “don’t give up on yourself now!” on the screens of our tv. The package of kale goes bad in the refrigerator. As one grey January day dissolves into the next, the willpower we mustered in our hearts begins to melt. Don’t Forget Advent What if we allowed the truths we learned in December to transform our hearts in January?

How Advent Transforms JanuaryChristina Fox2023-03-24T18:10:50+00:00

Five Key Questions for Setting Gospel-Shaped Goals

ELIZABETH TURNAGE|CONTRIBUTOR She looks almost beatific in her black velvet senior drape, her bright hazel eyes gazing heavenward. Next to her portrait, her senior quote reads, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have yet been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ has taken hold of me” (Philippians 3:12). It was an apt senior quote for the young perfectionist, who spent hours of every day striving to achieve—A’s in her courses, the approval of peers and faculty members, and most of all, a perfect Christian life. It was an apt senior quote for the young perfectionist, who keenly felt her failure to “obtain all this,” who knew how short she fell in every area where she longed to succeed. Sadly, that seventeen-year-old senior, who had only been a Christian for two years when she chose Philippians 3:12 to mark her life, didn’t fully understand the dynamic of grace and goals. Happily, that seventeen-year-old senior, who was me, discovered the joy and rest of knowing that God’s grace undergirds our one central goal in life: “to press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13). God’s Grace and Our Goals What does it look like to allow the goal of “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” to define all of our other goals? Let’s consider some of the good and helpful goals people set in the New Year: I will get the promotion this year. I will lose the ten, twenty, or thirty pounds. I will help my child get into college. I will run a half-marathon. I will quit drinking, overeating, compulsive shopping, etc. I will develop healthy friendships. I will rest more, work less. The problem with my goals as a high school senior, and the problem with many people’s goals, is that we forget to account for God’s grace and power when we are making them and as we seek to attain them. As an adolescent with a perfectionist bent, I assumed that achieving my goals of good grades, being well-liked, and living a holy life depended on my efforts alone. I had completely missed the point of Philippians 3:9, that my righteousness, my “right-ness with God,” depended on faith in him alone (Philippians 3:9). I had also failed to recognize the connection of Philippians 3:9 to Philippians 2:12-13. It is true that we are called to “[work out] our salvation through fear and trembling.” But by his grace, God is working in us for his good pleasure, sanctifying (“perfecting”) us by our faith in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:12-13). That reality affects all of our goals...

Five Key Questions for Setting Gospel-Shaped GoalsChristina Fox2022-05-04T23:42:53+00:00