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How God’s Story Guides Our Goals

by | Jan 29, 2019 | Gospel Coaching, Learning Story

How God’s Story Guides Our Goals

God’s Story and Goals

Every now and then, I like to drag down the dusty tome, my high school yearbook, and take a look at that young me, seventeen and shiny-eyed, and think about where I was then and where I am now. I shake my head a little when I re-read my senior quote:

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Phil. 3:12, NIV

And it is a lovely verse, one that in many ways sums up my life. But sadly, as a baby Christian, I had gotten the wrong impression. I thought the verse meant: “Keep working hard to make myself perfect. I’m not perfect yet, but one day I will be.” Obviously, my understanding of Paul’s thoughts on goals was a little off! So, as we close this January series on planning and goals, I hereby acknowledge that I’m a little leery of the word goals.

3 Dangers of Goals

Goals can be dangerous…

  1. When they become about self-improvement.God does have a plan for us, even an ultimate “goal,” but it’s all about his glory and our good. And the gospel provides the transforming power, not our own strong arms pulling ourselves up by the proverbial bootstrap!
  2. When goals rule our lives rather than love. A mom who has committed to run five miles while her kids are in the nursery at the Y refuses to stop to a friend who waves her down, because the five-minute conversation would prevent her from reaching her goal. (That would have been me about twenty years ago, when I could still run!)
  3. When we make unrealistic goals and beat ourselves up when we don’t reach them. “I’m going to read the entire Bible in a month” sounds like a worthy goal, but it probably isn’t realistic for a full-time medical student.

So, yes, goals are dangerous when we misunderstand and misuse them. And yet, Scripture tells us we have a planning God who has written his story plan into our very lives. Goals have a place in God’s Story Plan.

How God’s Story of Grace Guides Our Plans

As we survey the entirety of Scripture, we discover a God who created the world with a plan—a good plan. He wrote this very plan into our stories. Let’s review the story to see what we learn about plans—God’s and ours.

  1. Creation: As we read Genesis 1, we see that God had a clear plan in mind even as he created the cosmos.

He carefully designed Adam and Eve in the image of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. After he created them, he blessed them. And he gave them a story to live that teemed with purpose and plan as the sea teemed with fish. Be fruitful. Multiply. Fill the earth. Subdue it. Have dominion over…every living thing that moves on the earth (Gen. 1:29)

  1. The Fall: Some people believe that God had to sort of “regroup” after Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As Scotty Smith writes,

Because you are the First and the Last, Jesus, we don’t have to be afraid of anything between Alpha and Omega. You are God, and we are not. You’ll never have to say “Oops” about anything in world history, or in our stories. You never “try” to do anything. You never have to scratch your head in confusion. You never have to resort to plan B.” (Heavenward Blog).

Right there, in the garden, God pursues Adam and Eve in their nakedness and draws them out of hiding (Gen. 3:9). He announces his plan for redemption even as he curses the serpent:

And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15).

There were consequences to the man and woman of their disobedience: now there would be pain and frustration, literal and metaphorical labor as the man and woman attempted to live God’s story plan—to be fruitful, multiply, rule over the earth. Thankfully, this is not where the story ends.

  1. As we saw, God did not change his plan after the Fall. All along, he had planned to send Christ to give us a new story which would bring him glory.

As people redeemed by Christ, we are called to live with plan and purpose. Consider these three passages:

  • 1:9-11: His plan, for his own good pleasure, involves Christ – and us: “At the right time, he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.”
  • 2 Cor. 5: 17: In Christ, we have become new creation. The old has passed away. We are changed and changing.
  • 2 Cor. 5:19: We are Christ’s ambassadors. God is making his appeal through us. We have a mission: to call others to God.
  1. The word “telos” is often translated “aim,” “goal,” or “end” in the Bible. Christ will one day return and finish the work he has begun.  

And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. (Rev. 21:6)

For now, we live with intention, waiting for that final day, for the end of the story, when all of God’s plans and purposes will be finally fulfilled. We make plans to live our lives for God’s glory. We learn to live freely and fully in the hope that we have been made righteous by Christ, not our own achievements, betterment, or perfection.

This is God’s story plan. Let’s make plans (and set goals!) to go into the world and love and serve God with this brand new story!

Photo by Anete Lūsiņa on Unsplash

Planning to Live Your Story 2019

by | Dec 31, 2018 | Gospel Coaching, Gospel living, Learning Story, Work

Planning to Live Your Story 2019

Planning Can Be Fun

Welcome to 2019! Who’s excited?!
I know, not everyone.
I love the new year though. I do not make resolutions, knowing that I am more of a promise-breaker than a promise-keeper!
I do, however, love thumbing through the glossy pages of my new calendar and prayer calendar/journal, envisioning the stories that will be marked there in the coming year.

Even as I conceive of the things God might do in the coming year, I recall the “wonderful works,” “the great deeds,” the “abundant goodness” (Psalm 145:5-7) he has already completed in the year past. And to think, he has more of the same planned for us in the coming year:

Planning for 2019

All this newness lying ahead of us in the days marked out on our calendars, yes, but even more, by God….how can we not be swooped up in the hope? My heart pumps fresh blood to the muscles, my mind quickens with fertile imagination—what is this amazing brand new thing I get to do—and in partnership with God, who has planned these good works in advance (Ephesians 2:10)?

Not only that, this kind of planning is failsafe—even if our labors are not fruitful, God’s plans do produce abundant fruit. Two years ago, I planted some seeds for a new prayer planner; I tilled the soil with prayer and preparation. That garden, however, was not the one God wanted to grow.

Instead, he planted my family and me in what seemed more like a desert—a waiting room, many waiting rooms, where he would nourish our hearts through suffering and sorrow, where he would grow good, sturdy, surprising fruit that would sustain us for years to come. Here’s the thing—whatever happens to the plans we make for the coming year, God’s plan and plans never fail to yield an abundant crop of goodness and glory. (Jeremiah 29:11).

So yes, let’s make plans. And let’s place them on God’s altar, as Mary did so long ago, praying a simple prayer:

“I am the Lord’s servant; be it unto me according to thy Word” (Luke 1:38).

The Story Plan Exercise

Now, let’s get practical—let’s start planning! Today, I’m going to share with you a novel tool I created to help you create goals and plans.

Note: If you are a subscriber, you will receive (for free) my subscribers’ most-prized tool of all time: the Story Plan Exercise: eight beautifully laid out pages with prompts and tools and space to write and pray and plan. Soooo…if you’ve been thinking about subscribing but haven’t yet, now would be the time (I promise not to bombard you with lots of emails)!

SUBSCRIBE HERE!

But if you’re not a subscriber and don’t really want to be—good news!  I’m going to walk you through the “no-frills” version here:

Get free printable prayer worksheet and cards

Send them now!

The “Where Have I Been, Where Am I Going” Planning Exercise

Background: This enlightening exercise helps us survey what God has done in the past and draws us to look for what he will do in the future. When we are persuaded that God is presently working his kingdom plan, we are motivated to set goals and keep running the race toward them with endurance.

Suggestions: Either schedule out four thirty-minute periods over the next week or one two-three-hour planning session (put it on your calendar or it won’t happen). Or, gather for a planning session with some friends or your small group or your spouse; work together and separately on it.

Part 1

  1. Ask, “Where have I been?”
  2. Pray. Ask God to remind you of the significant events, changes, accomplishments, and losses of the past year.
  3. Write down your top three in a short sentence or phrase. (Remember, things actually change in our brain when we write).
  4. Look at major areas of your life (relationships, spiritual and emotional health, work, finances, play) and write two-three sentences about changes you saw, for better or for worse, in 2018. (In the Story Plan Exercise, I provide a fancy grid for this, but you can make your own).

Part 2

  1. Ask, “Where are you going?”
  2. Pray. “Lord, show me where to go.”
  3. Write down the top three events/stories/challenges/goals you would like to see accomplished in 2019.
  4. Look at major areas of your life (relationships, spiritual and emotional health, work, finances, play) and write two-three sentences about changes you want to see in 2019.

Part 3: Write Your Story

  1. Pray about which story to write.
  2. Now, write for ten minutes. Choose one of the top three and write an imaginative story as if the goal were accomplished. Date it: January 1, 2020.

Here is my example:
Prayer: Lord, show me which goals matter to you the most.
Ex. I want to hear from at least ten people that my devotional, The Waiting Room, helped them find peace and hope as they waited during a health crisis.
So my story, which I hope to share with you later this week, will be “fictional” but also a faithful, hopeful account of how that happened.

To help you write the story, you can answer the following questions:

  1. What concrete actions did you take?
  2. What challenges did you meet?
  3. What actions did you take to overcome the challenges?
  4. Who prayed for you, encouraged you, kept you going?
  5. What did you see God do in the process?

Part 4: Make Your Plan
(In the Story Plan Exercise, there’s also a nifty chart for this, but you can make your own:-).

  1. Review the “imaginary actions” you took to accomplish your goal.
  2. Make your plan of action. Write down three things:
  • What four-five steps do I need to take?
  • Next to each step, write the date for it to be completed.
  • Put a reminder on your calendar to make a note about the outcome—if you completed the step and what happened if you did.

So, now, you know what to do! If you try it, I’d love to know how it works for you, what you learn through doing it, how I could improve it (there’s always room for improvement!)

A Prayer about Making Goals and Plans in 2019

Lord God,

We are so glad that you are the ruler over our lives. You planned and created the world, and yet, you have taken the time to make plans for the good works we will do to advance your kingdom. Thank you for the opportunities you give us. Thank you for the grace you show us. Help us to live the story of faith, hope, and love you have written for us. Amen.

5 Story Quotes to Make You Think

by | Aug 21, 2018 | Gospel Coaching, Gospel living, Learning Story

5 Story Quotes to Make You Think

I’m a story lover — are you?

If you read the Living Story blog regularly, you know that it is all about that story — that is, the Story God has written into his cosmos and into our lives.

Enjoy these 5 favorite story quotes along with some reflection questions to help you think about how you are living your God-authored story. If you enjoy them, be sure to share them!

01

Eugene Peterson

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

How do you think a story can be an act of hospitality?

02

Dan Allender

To Be Told

What redemption story might God be telling with your life?

03

Scotty Smith

Restoring Broken Things

What role do you play as a carrier of God’s Story?

04

Rachel Remen

Kitchen Table Wisdom

Schedule a time on your calendar to tell and listen to good stories!

05

Madeleine L’Engle

Walking on Water

What does your story reveal about who and what and why you are?

Get free printable prayer worksheet and cards

Send them now!

5 [Un]Surprising Things about Correctional Ministries

by | May 24, 2016 | Gospel Coaching, Gospel living, Spiritual Growth

5 [Un]Surprising Things about Correctional Ministries

Correctional Ministries Summit

“I was beaten with a braided extension cord by my mother, who ran a bootleg house.” Pastor Tony Lowden, Executive Director of Stone Academy, shared those words as he raised this puzzling question:

WHY did I escape the imprisonment every other male member of my family has experienced?

His answer (ET translation of a very profound “plenary”):  “I got hung up on a nail.”
The nail of God’s love which held Jesus to the Cross, the only sure anchor in this life, saved him from his seemingly certain incarcerated future.

My story with Correctional Ministries

Lowden’s was among the many strong and compassionate voices speaking this past weekend at the Correctional Ministries and Chaplain’s Association Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. I spent 48 hours as a newbie to correctional ministry soaking up astounding statistics and stories about the impact these ministries are having on real people. I wept with others over songs shared by the Lee Arrendale Women’s Prison Choir. I sat under men and women solidly secure in their belief that the gospel is the only story that offers true hope to the dark reality of incarcerated men and women in America.

How did I come to be in this place? The whole story would require an additional blog. For now, let’s just say that a gentle, quiet question started forming in me about 2 years ago, “Should I become involved in prison ministry in some way, shape, or form?” I know I have teaching gifts, which I’ve used for over 25 years in white middle class churches and beyond. Should I try to use them in a different culture?

I did what I encourage my coaching clients to do – prayed, listened (to God and others), sought, waited. Last fall, an opportunity came to join a team of 4 delightful women, who, like me, don’t know much about correctional ministry (that’s the phrase that includes prison/jail/re-entry ministry) except that we have some gifts and want to help.

5 [UN]surprising things correctional ministries taught me

I AM LEARNING SO MUCH!!! And I’m so eager to share with you. So, here are 5 (out of about 50) at first surprising but really unsurprising things about correctional ministry.

  1. Are prisoners people too? Genesis 1:26-28.

    Too often, we see mug shots or read stories of a crime in the paper, and we jump to a conclusion — thug, druggie, evil. Our labels may be partially accurate, but they don’t tell the whole story.

One morning at the jail, after the worship service, we rode the elevator down with the inmates. The tall freckle-faced young woman in the orange jumpsuit had her pretty red hair pulled back in a high ponytail. She eagerly told us about all the books she had been reading while recovering from an injury in the infirmary. I could not shake the thought – I could as easily be in my living room listening to one of the girls on my daughter’s volleyball team.

Every incarcerated person is created in the image of God and bears his glory, no matter how well disguised it is by evil. Share on XI need to recall: Every incarcerated person is created in the image of God and bears his glory, no matter how well disguised it is by evil.

  1. What do the incarcerated need most?

    Mark Casson, executive director of Metanoia Ministries, a highly effective mentoring and re-entry program, graciously gave me an hour of his time. He posed this question of me.

As I searched my mind for the answer — “Car? Job? House,” he interjected.

“THE CHURCH!” He quoted Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” At first, I wondered – “Is he being practical?” But he explained that in churches, many “returning citizens” will not only be encouraged by the gospel, but will also be connected to resources for practical needs.What the incarcerated need most -- THE #CHURCH! Matt. 6:33 #prisonministry Share on X

  1. Which “culture” is more spiritual? Prison or America?

    Prison! In a spot-on workshop on re-entry, Mark explained that prison often affords many hours for Bible reading and praying. At the same time, it protects the prisoner from some of the temptations presented in American culture. He added that many incarcerated people may often experience rapid spiritual growth because of the time they spend in God’s Word.

  1. “Who’s the guy”?

    Dr. Harold Trulear, of Healing Communities, pointed out that 9 times out of 10 — yes, he said 9 times out of 10, when women are incarcerated, there is a guy involved. Not only are women prostituted by men, they also run drugs or buy guns for men. He added that where a man was not directly involved, emotional, physical, and spiritual abuse often influences women’s crimes.

  1. How can we help?

    You may not have a calling to correctional ministry, but all Christians are called to play a vital role. Here are some things you can do:

  • PRAY: Pray against the enemy and evil. Pray for…
    • the incarcerated and victims of crime
    • families and children of incarcerated and victims
    • correctional officers
  • HELP BY NOT HELPING: Rob Kendall, director of Against the Grain (http://www.atghope.org), exhorted us, “Don’t do things for people they can do for themselves.”
  • LEARN MORE: Prison Fellowship has one of the largest correctional ministry outreaches in the country. On their website, you can learn about prison reform, restorative justice, and more.

We all need correctional ministry.

I was talking to a wizened African-American woman, a coordinator of programs at a prison in Michigan. I explained that I was new to the conference and correctional ministry, but that I had been teaching Bible study in church for many years. She leaned over and took my arm and said, “You know, honey, you’ve been teaching prisoners, too. We’re all prisoners of sin.” What a wonderful encouragement to us all to continue to bring the hope of the gospel wherever we go.

 

 

A Very Facebook Kinda Birthday

by | Nov 3, 2015 | Gospel Coaching, Learning Story, Writing

A Very Facebook Kinda Birthday

Birthdays and Facebook

True confession time. I have mixed feelings about wishing people happy birthday on Facebook. I mean, sometimes I have never met the “friend,” and I can’t think of anything to say beyond the traditional Happy Birthday greeting, with an occasional variation to Feliz Cumpleanos (but then I can’t get the computer to do that little mark over the n, which I think is called an “en-yay” but then autocorrect turns that into “Enya” which is not at all what I’m after ;-)!!!!

Anyway. It’s not that I don’t think about wishing you a happy birthday on Facebook. Some days I agonize over it; other times I just say, “No, they don’t want to read my contribution,” and many times I’m just too busy. Other times I want to write a personal note, hey- even a card – but then I never get around to it…

I just had a birthday. First, I want to say – for those of my Facebook friends who did not write on my wall – I completely understand (see above! 🙂 )!

Birthday Wishes and the Characters in our Stories

But, this year, as so often happens, these lovely postings from…

  • the ones that wrote only the two words
  • those who wished that I had a wonderful birthday and/or was celebrated well – I did and I was —
  • and those who spoke briefly of how my life has impacted theirs…

reminded me. Reminded me of the great cloud of witnesses that lives this story with me….

  • girls-turned-women I played tennis with when I was a pigtailed 11-year-old (now I’m a pig-tailed 53-year-old and haters can hate 😉
  • a former student who gave me a heckuva time when they were in my 9th grade English class but have now grown up to live stories of grace (you know who you are:-),
  • people I have never met but am acquainted with through the odd connection of social media…
  • my “big sister” in my sorority who stood about 11 inches lower than me in stature but miles above me in wisdom and faith…
  • and dear friends who have prayed with and for me in the dark days and have celebrated redemption with me in the foretaste of glory days….

I could go on and on…

These postings, cards, texts and toasts from dear friends and family…it is like watching a really good movie trailer…the Spirit parading before me the strange and wonderful characters God has written into my life. They are the Living-Stories-of-Grace God has gifted me.

The Community of Faith

The writer of Hebrews writes about the community of faith,

“Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off the sin which easily entangles us and run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and now sits at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

The author has in Chapter 11, listed “heroes of faith,” whose stories, if you know some of them, do not exhibit perfect records of faithfulness (think Abraham and Sarah:-). What they do exhibit is God’s perfect faithfulness to them, despite their sometimes wildly erratic record. We run well in the company of others who know our only real hope for faithfulness comes from fixing our eyes together on the only perfectly faithful one – Jesus.

Scotty Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman, in their wonderful book, Restoring Broken Things, write about being “characters and carriers of the gospel.”

God is telling an authentic, non-spin story of selfish, broken people, who are in the process of being made new by Jesus. That’s why Jesus has the lead role in God’s Story. But He’s not the only character. He’s making us characters too. We are carriers of God’s Story – targets for hope who’ll serve as agents of hope, and candidates of mercy who’ll live as conduits of mercy. Jesus is bringing restoration to broken individuals as a means of bringing healing to other individuals, families, communities, and ultimately, to the whole universe.

Here’s the thing – the Christian life is not a solo journey. As I thumb through the catalog of characters who wished me well on my birthday, I remember. I remember the best of times and the worst of times. I remember agents of hope who conducted the mercy of God in my life. I remember God’s marvelous stories of redemption and the people he used in writing them.

What’s Your Story?

Who are the characters and carriers of the gospel in your life?
Why not write their names down or say them aloud and thank God for them.
Or share a little about them in the comments, then send them a link:-)!
Better yet, write them a note telling them a story of how they conducted mercy to you.

Header Photo Courtesy of  Reina Cookies — best cookie ever, and my birthday cake of choice!