all things new

many look at new year's as a time to begin anew and most people think firstly, "this year, i will change my body", they look to lose weight or change their body. that's our first thought i think, probably a result of holiday purging and gathering around food for the last three months of merriment and thanks....the immediate focus: the outer. the obvious. the external....and then we think of habits or behaviors that we need to "do better" at or change...something about starting a new year, a clean slate. we begin to think, "if i could just control these areas better, if i could just fix this one area once and for all..."

all of that "stuff" doesn't mean anything if our hearts aren't in line with His. it's meaningless waste if we haven't connected with the One who desires to transform us daily....in our mind.


ian and i were talking this weekend, we both agree with all of the above. yet we realized that the biggest work of change in the new year MUST be our hearts. it's easy to formulate goals and plans and make lists of eating better, exercising more, working on the external....taking care of God's temple, your body, is a good thing. and honoring to Him. but working to be more patient or kind, serve more, be more intentional with our time, to pursue Him more, to pray more, to live life fully in the Spirit, fighting the flesh.....to make every effort to make peace in our marriage, in our parenting and home? that's not on a diet plan.

and it's a for sure cycle of struggle of flesh that we will experience until His Kingdom comes to earth. as a result of the fall, we will fight the flesh over and over. we must realize that we can't control ANY of it and need a loving correcting patient Teacher who does. we look to Him and then we remember, day after day remember, to look back and realize that we need a God who can help, who has a plan....we are not left alone.


this message sunday was amazing and such great encouragement for me for the new year, i highly recommend you listen to it when you have some time. and a desire to forge ahead, whatever season you are in.


making lists of things to do better at are just that -lists. it's just words on paper. to become new, we must be transformed in the mind, and the heart. we must be teachable and willing. ready to be lovingly corrected and refined with a learning and malleable heart and mind. to truly be transformed in the mind, we must fill it with the things that are noble and true and pure. we must direct it and train it, stretch it and conform it to His ways, not our own and definitely not of the world. we must feed the mind with the only food that sustains our weary souls in sojourning....His word. to get "better" at things, we look to instruction manuals and directions. we read up on things and research, we search out advice or people who have "been there" to help us along in our learning. the Lord does not want for us to be "better" or get better at "being better", that is works and does nothing for soulwork. it is mere motions. He gave us an instruction manual for our heart and mind in the form of His word and has BEEN THERE, in the form of His suffering. He has suffered, remember? look back to the Cross...Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only the suffering God can help." He suffered then and continues to suffer with us, in our broken years and heartbreaking trials and seasons...didn't HE come as a baby child, God child to be WITH us? didn't he walk with us on earth and then die FOR us so HE could be WITH us, didn't He leave His spirit WITH us until He returns, until He comes back for us to be WITH us forever? us WITH Him for eternity....WITH. not alone. not without. but WITH. with us.

He longs for our mind to be filled and transformed to His, our spirits renewed with His Joy and Hope. He came to free us from works and motions and meaningless offerings that we strive for to fill the curseFULL garden void. nothing of this world feeds that void, nothing brings new life, back to life, redeeming and restoring the dross of this world's curse on us, like He can. it is likely, no it's a given, that we all had tough years, heartache or hardtimes, trials and suffering, strained relationships, failed expectations, hurts piled upon hurts, revolving door days of black hearts and sin struggles, public or private....a diet and a list of ten things to "do" better will not redeem or restore or renew our tired souls. it is just not enough. only a loving and kind Father who longs to renew us daily, hourly even, can bring us to a fork in the road of heart change. the lasting change that comes from habitual coming to the foot of the Cross and living the lifestyle of confession, repentance and reconciliation. the life-making days of peacemaking and making every effort to make peace with those around you, the goals of putting ON patience and kindness and self-control....putting off the things of the old man that we all struggle daily with. He is the only One who delivers. He is the only one who brings us out of the miry pits and sets us back on dry land to persist and proceed and pursue and press on. things of this world can distract us and keep us busy and form shiny shells over our brokenness but they can't deliver us from it. they can't set us on new paths, new thinking and new heartchange journeys.

"come to Me with a teachable spirit, eager to be changed. a close walk with Me is a life of continual newness. do not cling to old ways as you step into a new year. instead, seek My Face with an open mind, knowing that your journey with Me involves being transformed by the renewing of your mind. as you focus your thoughts on Me, be aware that I am fully attentive to you. I see you with a steady eye, because My attention span is infinite. I know and understand you completely. My thoughts embrace you in everlasting Love. I also know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. give yourself fully to this adventure of increasing attentiveness to My Presence." Jesus Calling, January 1st


whatever brokenness we have experienced in the last year, He can restore it and make it new. make it for His good and His purposes. HE can use it to glorify himself, despite ourselves. He can use it to draw others to Him. He can use it all to bring us closer into His fold and His good plans. He doesn't want to waste one single ounce of pain or tears or ugly heart, He wants to renew it, He wants to shape it into good and transform the dark to light and the empty to full. beauty from the ashes, all for HIS glory. HIS kingdom. He is the ultimate Artist and Painter who can remodel our worst years and begin anew in our hearts...we just have to be willing......



"I will sing a new song to you, O God"....Psalm 144:9