Archives for January 2020

2020 Vision: Up for Adventure?

01.28.2020 by Sharon Porter //

Welcome, friend! We’re so glad you popped into see what’s happening at FACETS this week. We’re all focused on how we see 2020 and our vision for it. We want you to meet our friend, Sharon Porter. Her heart beats fast for her relationship with God and others. Since I (Jennifer) have known her, I’ve loved hearing her wisdom and being greeted by her big smile! Please give her a warm welcome to FACETS!

vi·sion /ˈviZHən/ n.

1. the faculty or state of being able to see.

- the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom.

You know, there’s SO much I want to share with you about vision! I’m sitting writing little pieces of different things that have come to me over the past weeks as I have prayed about writing this piece, and thought about what God wants me to say. I’m going to write from my heart—as I put that down I feel a swell of emotion and feel the sting of tears. Why? Because I long for each and every person to KNOW that God has a vision for them and their life!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”—Jeremiah 29:11 [emphasis added]

Read the first 5 words of that verse slowly 5 times. Can you imagine that? The God of the universe knows—knows—the plans He has for YOU! You were created from the vision He had of you. You were created with purpose!

Why do I long for every person to know that God has a vision for their life?

About 15 years ago God began to tear apart the box I lived in. I’m so thankful that He did!

I had no vision. I lived in inner chaos. No one could see the inner chaos. Most people would never have guessed what was going on on the inside—there was no visible or known ‘thing’ anyone would have ‘seen’ that would have given a hint of it. My family saw and experienced some of it. Unfortunately what they saw and experienced was what they used to define me, and it was what I used to define me as well.

God has taken me on a journey of discovering myself, healing the fragmented parts of myself, and beginning to live truly alive.

What kept me without vision, I believe, is the same for all of us—the battle scars, or wounds, that we carry! Think about it, when you are sick or hurt, are you great at thinking about others or about your vision? No, you’re thinking about you and how you can get better. If someone hits you where you’re hurt, you’ll most likely yell. And, so…that’s the story of my life. Until now.

As God has lifted me out of the box I was living in and healed so much, my eyes—including the eyes of my heart—are seeing a whole new horizon. I just thought of one of my favorite movies: Aladdin. (Sing it with me!)

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us, “No”
Or where to go
Or say we’re only dreaming
A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I’m way up here
It’s crystal clear
That now I’m in a whole new world with you (Aladdin, Walt Disney Productions, 2019)

Kind of fun because I can put that into a spiritual picture with Jesus! When Jesus gives us a vision of who we are created to be in Him, it becomes crystal clear. Well, maybe not ‘crystal’ clear, but clear enough because we don’t need to see more when we’re with Him!

Walking a healing journey with God is an incredible adventure of faith, joy, tears, love, sorrow, courage, repentance, & more! Living alive from a place of vision and purpose is almost intoxicating in moments.

How CAN you see 2020? (Asked with a tone of excitement.)

You have the privilege of sitting with the God of the universe and asking Him that question: “Jesus, how CAN I see 2020?” Ask Him to give you His vision for this next year, that is also the beginning of a new decade! Write down the words, pictures, emotions you feel come from Him. (Don’t over-analyze when you do this. Ask, listen, put down what comes to mind or heart. After putting it down you’ll be able to discern if it’s truly from Him or not.) Please don’t worry if you feel like you get nothing! Keep asking, keep listening, keep trusting! Unlike Aladdin, we’re not rubbing a magic lamp! (Said with a laugh.) Pressing into God often requires effort, diligence, and time—just like anything that is worth having!

How can you see 2020? I pray you see 2020 WITH JESUS!

The vision He has for your life is an adventure worth taking!

Want to see the other posts on 2020? Click the FACETS’ names to read: Tracy, Jennifer, and Megan. Where can you find the FACETS anytime on social? Check out our Facebook Page!

Is 2020 Feeling Blurry?

01.21.2020 by Megan Abbott //

Hi Friends! Welcome back to Facets of Faith this fine Tuesday. I hope amidst all the anticipation of the new year and new decade, you are finding joy in each and every new day. This month we are sharing how we see 2020. How do you see 2020? Take a minute to jump back a couple weeks to Tracy’s post on finding joy, here, and check out Jen’s thoughts from last week on planning for 2020, here. I pray that as we take on a new year here at FACETS, God will be moving in this community, and encouraging each of us.

Last year I had a word of the year—rest. It started as finding time to slow down and sit with the Lord without an agenda, transformed into learning about the sabbath, and eventually was something that gave me space for healing I really needed. When it was first revealed, though, I was honestly a bit frustrated. I didn’t know where it would lead. It was as if the mental movie of my future felt out of focus because the word could either lead a million places, or nowhere. How did God want me to act on “rest”?

Have you ever been there? Where you prayed for what God had in store for you in the season, and the answer was just blurry enough you were left wondering, “What in the world, God? Where are we going?” If I’m honest, I’m right there again this year. I have been in a season of rest that feels like it prepared me for a whirlwind season. I haven’t quite settled on one word, but I feel full of anticipation for the new adventures ahead in this year. Do you know what isn’t so good, though, for jumping feet first into a new adventure?

A walking cast.

How does this make sense? They aren’t exactly made for jumping, or running, and I’m not even entirely convinced they are made for walking! Definitely not for speed or excitement. When I was considering new adventures in the new year, this wasn’t quite what I meant. But here I am taking one wobbly step forward at the speed of a sloth.

SO WHERE ARE WE GOING GOD?

When I’m really confused and don’t quite know how to pray, I usually end up in the Psalms. I know this is maybe a bit more literal than it should actually be taken, but I prayed Psalm 119:105 over and over again as I was trying to figure out where God was leading me.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 (ESV)

Praying that I would find clarity in His word for what I should be learning about “rest.” I have been thinking back on it, and the same image keeps coming to mind: trying to find my destination in complete darkness.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Several years ago I spent a few years living in a small village in rural southern Belize. There were 254 people, we spoke Q’eqchi, the village was surrounded by rainforest and plantations, and there was no electricity for miles. When the moon was full, or close to full, you could walk around without a flashlight in areas you were familiar with and be alright, but during that new moon time, it was dark. Can’t see the next step in front of you dark. The stars were amazingly beautiful, but flashlights were a requirement for life.

A few things you should know to fully appreciate where we are going:

My bathroom was a latrine about 100ft from my house, and my water spigot where I could wash my hands or dishes was about 50 feet away in a little shed that also housed a tarantula I named Charlotte and often a giant k’oopopo’ (toad);
The shop in my village didn’t sell batteries so if I forgot them on my weekly trip to the market town, I was out of luck;
Batteries die much faster when it is over 100 degrees everyday, and
I didn’t often plan ahead.

UTTER DARKNESS

So I vividly remember what it was like the first time my flashlight died and I tried to walk to the bathroom without it. I also remember the first time I tried to walk down the path using a candle for light. Flashlights light up the whole path in front of you. You can see clearly what you are approaching, and easily find your way. Candles, not so much; they glow in your face. You can see your next step, but not much of anything further than that. I knew exactly where my water spigot was in relationship to my house, but I had no idea where Charlotte would be. When I had a candle, it was one step at a time, and a lot of praying away the tarantulas.

FOLLOW THE LIGHT

I think walking with God bounces back and forth between taking the path with a candle, and taking the path with a flashlight. There have been times where I have peace about decisions, a vision for where I am going, and am confident about the path to get there. There are other times that it is literally minute-by-minute. Either way, God is revealing the path as we go, just sometimes He is using a flashlight, and sometimes He seems to be using a candle. I often want the full moon version where I can see everything clearly.

BY MY VISION

Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:12 (ESV)

As someone who likes to understand everything, and really know what the plan is, I struggle with only having a candle light the next step. It isn’t comfortable. It is hard. It requires a lot of trust. I have read and prayed through Psalm 139 almost daily for the last week. It reminds me that God knows me, He surrounds me, He protects me, and He is going wherever I go. How comforting are these words:

Even then You will be there to guide me; Your right hand will embrace me, for You are always there. Even if I am afraid and think to myself, “There is no doubt that the darkness will swallow me, the light around me will soon be turned to night,” You can see in the dark, for it is not dark to Your eyes. For You the night is just as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to Your eyes.” Psalm 139:10-12 (Voice)

I have to trust the One who sees everything to guide me. The One who, whether it is dark or light, sees where I am going, and surrounds me. It is less about seeing clearly where I am going, and more about trusting the One who is guiding me.

REJOICE IN THE PROTECTION

I wonder sometimes what I didn’t see when I was walking to the latrine, or the water spigot, or to my neighbor’s house down the road after dark. Even with the flashlight I only saw what was lit by the flashlight or candle. I saw what I needed to see in that moment. Sometimes I wonder what all I didn’t see. Men went spear fishing in the river and hunting in the bush in the middle of the night. For a period of time, there was a jaguar that was coming into the village and stealing chickens and pigs from my neighbors pens. Can you imagine if I had seen it all? Every tarantula, person, snake, rat, jaguar... everything that could possibly have crossed my path? Ugh, I never would have stepped out of my house.

STEP BY STEP WE MOVE FORWARD

So let’s back up to the word for the year. I’m not sure what yours is, but mine is something related to anticipation (which is actually kind of funny considering it implies some sort of unknown is involved, I think I just found my word). What if God revealed today everything we were going to experience or learn throughout the year related to our words in one moment? Would it feel kind of like stepping out of my house in the village if every creature was illuminated?

I am going to pray we can rejoice in taking today’s steps today, and patiently trust God to reveal tomorrow’s steps tomorrow. Even if they are wobbly and taken at the pace of a sloth.

Thanks for stopping by today. Let us know what word you are walking towards in a comment below, or at the FACETS Facebook Page. We’d love to hear from you!

See 2020: as an Opportunity

01.15.2020 by Jennifer Howe //

Hey, friend, welcome to FACETS. It’s a new year, a new decade, and we want to know how you see 2020. Do you see 2020 as an opportunity? We had a ton of fun taking pictures together to celebrate the new year. Take a look at our team picture and signatures in January. Aren’t they great? We’re writing about seeing 2020 this month, and we hope your hearts are touched or encouraged. Tracy shared her heartfelt post here. Look for Megan’s post next week, and then our guest (Sharon Porter!) will be joining us the following week.

I (Jennifer) sit at the hidey hole on writing days. I really love days in January when everything is set aside to reflect and plan. Suddenly, I’ve got perspective on 2020 like Anne of Green Gables—It’s a fresh year “with no mistakes in it yet.”¹

At the hidey hole coffee shop, I bounce between casual glances at the characters drifting in and a laser-focused stare at my screen waiting for something to happen. Background music drones (I’ve heard the track 3 times by now), and I’m wondering what this new year holds.

I send a text to a friend on January 2nd: “I’ve planned the whole year.” She replies with several emojis and exclamation marks. She asks if I’d plan her year, too. I dish: “You know I plan loosely, right?”

That’s not the whole story, not even the whole truth.

“The best-laid plans…”²

Welcome to my Enneagram-5-with-balanced-wings 2020 plan! It’s scheduled 30-minute increments, significant activities to grow me and to grow with my friends (read: a ton of cerebral focus and development), a-a-a-a-a-and overlooking some minor details in the creative process. When I say I sprawl over this part of the Enneagram diagram, I’m not kidding. It’s really entertaining when this 5 in flight wobbles left and right on the wings. Imagine an albatross taking off.

I planned in my journal and scheduled all the things in my calendar (knowing the alerts on my phone would be exactly as I like). I set my bedtime and waking alarm, and the morning ritual alerts would follow. Perfection!

“…often go awry.”²

Day One:
*Alarm* [Hit snooze. Bedtime was pushed to make iCal events.]
*Feed the dogs.* [Motivated—a Pavlovian response started 9 minutes ago. Bowls divvied. I’m under the covers again. I wonder how that happened—]
*Walk the dogs.* [More like: Get out of bed again! It’s still dark out. I’m bewildered.]
*Quiet time.* [It’s quiet when the dogs are outside…even without a walk. VISION is my word for the year. I’ll study that.]
*Head to the Food Triangle.* [Time’s up! Groceries don’t buy themselves.]
*Growth time.* [I love this! Great podcasts on the drive and as I buzz through grocery stores.]
*Chiropractor.* [Taking care of my body is important!]
*Workout.* [Now I maladjust the adjustment I just got.]

All before 10 AM. Eventually, I gained momentum and enjoyed the day, but do you see what I did there? I planned every second of my mornings pretty much like this, and there were problems.

“The devil fools with the best laid plans.” ³

I love to see my time used well. I’m also a creature of habit. I made the assumption I could plan this kind of morning for effective use of time, to build a perfect routine, and to create new habits that were lacking at the end of the last decade. (This is why my resolutions are resolved quickly most years.)

I planned, but I ignored the most important things in life.

God

I planned without considering the wisdom He offers. He knows what I need each day from one minute to the next—what my body, mind, and soul really need. I planned my own way. His way would be better.

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts, there is no room for God. Proverbs 10:4 (NIV)

God is good. His plans and purposes are good. All. The. Time. What would have happened if I had leaned into God’s wisdom and whispers when I formed a plan? I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been completely exhausted reading it! Don’t get me wrong, we are made to work and create with excellence. But work looks different governed by wisdom and led by the Spirit. I may have missed both in my process.

Laws of Nature

Sunrise happens at a certain time of day. I didn’t consider what time that might be, so I ended up at a fork in the road: follow the plan or realize it conflicted with sensibility. Walking my dog in the wee hours isn’t wise when I know the neighborhood skunks are still ambling around the drainage ditches before the sun comes up.

“The universe obeys certain rules—laws to which all things must adhere. These laws are precise, and many of them are mathematical in nature.” ⁴

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

Sunrise is mathematical. My phone offers that information…if I search for it. Otherwise, a life lesson is given as I stand at the back door, baffled at the early morning darkness. There is also a “right time” for everything. That means, for example, it may be time to write or reflect, and it may not be time to publish the manuscript. (I’m always thinking about writing…)

Rhythms of Life

The body and mind are created for work and rest. I need both. Poor planning—scheduling my mornings without breathing room—resulted in a sense of failure, and a train wreck that morning and every morning I tried it. (I took a run at this schedule for a whole week of “fun”!)

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, Deuteronomy 5:13

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, Hebrews 4:9

The Bible reminds me I need a day of rest, which I’m usually very good at. My mind and body remind me I need mini-breaks along the way. When I was a full-time sign language interpreter in the schools, a funny little “brain glitch” reminded me at busy times that my threshold was 20 minutes. A little “hiccup,” and I could continue, but it happened no matter how much experience I gained. The research says it’s perfectly normal. That’s what the majority of brains will do, for good reason.

I assumed that, because I picked most of my favorite things, I would move seamlessly through the alerts. Wrong-o! My mind desperately needs quiet and rest. In fact, the overbooked schedule made me crave silence before 10 AM.

“Uncle?”

I wrestled with a question my husband and I tossed around: How do I know if it’s a bad schedule, or if I’m just not leaning in and choosing to build the habits? If I pick up a thread of perfection in my fabric, I say, “I’m not doing it right. The plan was perfect, and I’m messing it up.” If I decide to be more realistic, I say, “The plan is rotten, not me. But why make any plans if I created this monstrosity?” The worst response could be, “This sucks. I suck. Everything sucks!” There has to be another option!

Opportunity knocks…

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” —Henry Ford

How can I see 2020 differently two weeks in? What could happen if I see the 2020 plan “flop” as an opportunity to start again? What if “more intelligently” means leaning into the wisdom I can access in the Bible, through prayer, and by attending to what my mind and body have to say? What do you think?

What I really want know is—

What’s your 2020 planning process like?
What do you hope for in 2020?
How do you see 20/20 (read: clearly!) in 2020?
How’s 2020 treating you so far?

Thanks for reading along. Pop a comment below or at the FACETS Facebook Page. We’d love to hear from you! And, as always, sharing is caring…

1 L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables.
2 Robert Burns, “To a Mouse.”
3 Neil Young, “Alabama.”
4 Dr. Jason Lisle, “God & Natural Law,” Answers in Genesis.