DownshoreDrift

I saw a really good article on Christianity Today's website by John Ortberg. It talks about what our mentality toward each day should be and how we establish a rhythm to our lives.  I thought it was helpful as we think about starting the new year.

This is something that I really want to work on in the coming year.  I want to find ways to maximize my time, focus on what is most important, and take a Sabbath each week.  With so much to do, a young family, and so little time, it is easy to get your priorities out of whack and actually end up wasting quite a bit of time doing things that God never intended for you.  I think that each one of us needs to make Jesus Lord over our schedules and our time as much as anything. If we focus on listening to His voice and abiding in Him, we will live in relationship with Him and hear when to rest and when to work.  If we follow Him, the pressure will surely be off and will know the joy of His presence.

2006 starts tomorrow and it is time to make some changes.  I've finally decided to get off the couch, put the potato chips down, and get in shape (in reality I don't eat potato chips that often).  Yeah, I know.  It's the first of the year and everyone is making resolutions and this is the most common one. But, I'm really serious.  I have actually never really gotten serious about this.  When I was younger I was really skinny and could eat anything I wanted. I actually eat less now than I used to, but with getting older, my metabolism has clearly slowed down and I've added around 40 pounds over the past 6 or 7 years.  So, as a matter of spiritual discipline and trusting in God, I want to make it a priority to lose quite a bit of weight and get in shape over the next six months.

I realize that this is pretty personal and I'm setting myself up for some ridicule if I don't accomplish my goals. I have lots of excuses, like having a job that keeps me pretty sedentary, having 4 children in the past 6 years and there just isn't time for a good diet, exercise, etc. But, frankly, through prayer and actually getting some rest over the Christmas holidays, I have decided that this is something that God wants me to do and that He wants to help me with.   I think that it is a situation where I will grow closer to Him as well as I change my habits and lifestyle and ask for guidance. 

Here are my goals:

• Exercise 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes
• Cut out sweets, soft drinks, and fast food
• Lose 2 pounds a week from January to June
• Plan to cheat with some foods I really like twice a month so I don't get discouraged

For someone from New Orleans who really likes to eat, this could be difficult, but I feel that my goals are manageable and will bring more health and energy to my life.

I'll be posting updates and resources as I find them to help along with the process and to keep me accountable. What are your goals for the new year? Would you consider joining me in getting in shape and losing some excess weight? Remember, our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and we should use it to glorify God, love Him, and serve Him. We need energy for this.

Andrew Jones at Tallskinnykiwi pointed me to something that I had never done before but am committed to try over the coming year: Read through the whole Bible in one year. He gave some good reasons that I think bear repeating and that I am adding to:

• It forces you to take into account all of what God is saying, not just your favorite parts
• It creates discipline in your Bible study and time with God
• It creates a sense of accountability with yourself and your time spent in God's Word
• It creates a take off point in your study - lots of times, unless you have a plan, it is tough to know where to start.

One Year Bible Blog is a great tool for this and one that I am placing in my links section for your reference.  I hope that you will take the challenge and journey through the Bible this year!

I decided to try something new this year and update my blog. Previously, I blogged sporadically  at Downshoredrift.blogspot.com.  I hope to use this a lot more effectively over the coming year to post teaching notes, keep my effective links updated, and to chronicle things of interest that seem to explain life to me or point me to God and His work in the world. I decided to move from Blogger to Typepad because I thought it would give me more ability to advance the blog and it might be a bit easier. We'll see.

Why Downshoredrift you might be asking? Well, let me repost what I wrote in November 2004 when I started the other blog:

I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and because of that, I tend to think about things in a way that tries to be consistent with his life and teachings. I am, like everyone else who calls themselves 'Christian', in process, or on a journey to knowing Jesus more and having my life be shaped by him more and more everyday. Sometimes this happens in indiscernable ways, but he is always active, always moving, always leading, always there. That is why I chose the name Downshoredrift for this blog. Downshoredrift is the phenomenon that takes place when you are at the beach and you are out in the water floating in front of your umbrella and blanket. You think you are in the same place and you look up and realize that you have floated way down the beach without realizing you were moving. That is because the waves crash into the shore in a straight line, but come off the shore diagonally, pushing you up the beach further and further with each crashing wave. I think that those of us who are following Jesus have the same experience. The events of life crash against the shore and we think that we are staying put, or moving backwards, but all along, God's hand leads us closer and closer to Him. Well, I hope to chronicle that, in a sense, and help others see His hand in their own lives, the church, and the world around us. Let's see how far up the shore God takes us . . .

That pretty much sums things up. This blog will adapt over time and will likely chronicle theology, missions, life and family, things of interest to me (like the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, politics, economics, sports), and culture. All of it will in one way or another point back to Jesus Christ, because "He is before all things and in Him all things hold together" - Colossians 1:17.

I also want to provide helpful links to other websites that might help you along in your walk and also point you to books that I am reading that might be of interest. Bookmark this page and refer to it often - I'll try and update it several times a week and would love to read your comments!

Well, Happy New Year and may God bless each one of you with a greater knowledge of Him and His presence in 2006!