janiemehaffey

The New Eve Is Laser-Beam Focused

Three people I want to follow (in a 1 Cor. 11:1 kind of way) have given me great insight into my current state of self-evaluation:

Liz and Jenina (why are you not sharing your big brains with the world through a blog?) both recommended the book The New Eve within the course of a week. I'm ordering the book today and will let you know how it goes.

Referring to the questions I'm asking about work and life, priorities and purpose, Jenina encouraged me to buy the book, saying:

I was waiting for someone to figure it out for me, but it's so individual. Define your core values first. The rest falls into place ... even work.

I laughed out loud. For years I've coached church leaders about the importance of knowing their church's core values. To stay focused on their vision, they have to have a clear definition of what the church will say "yes" to and what they say "no" to so they can say "yes" to the right things.

After all this time you would think I would have learned to apply that principle to my life.

Then at Exponential conference, I heard Rick Warren speak. I've heard Warren speak at Purpose Driven Church conferences, always in the context of overall church development . This time, he spoke very personally and candidly to church leaders, challenging us to develop our own lives and character before investing in the church.

His talk took me back to my favorite excerpt from The Purpose Driven Life. I share this excerpt with churches I coach. Today I re-read it for myself:

"Knowing your purpose focuses your life. It concentrates your effort and energy on what's important. You become effective by being selective.

"The power of focusing can be seen in light. Diffused light has little power or impact, but you can concentrate its energy by focusing it. ... When light is focused as a laser beam, it can cut through steel.

"If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbling. Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Prune away even good activities and do only that which matters most."

So what are my core values? What are the things I need to say "yes" to; what do I need to say "no" to? How do I develop a laser beam so strong that I can point it in Satan's face and make him blind?

Where Is Your Quiet Place?

Matt and I started reading "The Emotionally Healthy Church" yesterday. I can already tell it's going to rock my world. I so needed to hear Peter Scazzero's challenge for church leaders to strive toward emotional and spiritual health. I want that for Matt. I want that for myself. I want that in our home.

Emotional health is modeled by Jesus through expression and boundaries. Scazzero points out:

"I saw Jesus able to express His emotion with unashamed, unembarrassed freedom ... At the same time, I observed how Jesus was able to separate Himself from the expectations of the crowds, His family, and His disciples. His relationship with His Father freed Him from the pressures of those around Him. He was not afraid to live out His own unique life and mission, regardless of other people's agenda for His life."

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus retreated to a quiet place. Sometime the crowds followed Him, and He delayed His time alone with God to teach and serve their needs. Other times, He dodged them and found His quiet place.

For the past seven years, I have tried to start each day in my quiet place with God. In this home, that place is a big purple chair, the "quiet" administered via earbuds connecting me to some kind of music without words. (My current favorite is Jim Brickman's "Grace" album.) I read my Bible; I journal; I pray.

But many noises try to fill that quiet place ... "I'll just check my e-mail before I start," "Oh, the dog needs a walk," "I'll take this phone call first and make it quick." Some of the noises/needs are valid; many are Satan's attempt to keep me from that place where he knows God will focus me on His purpose for my day. I pray for discernment to know the difference and to protect that precious time.

So, where do you go to quietly retreat with God? And how do you protect it from the "crowd"?

Beth Moore is Kicking My Hiney

Each time I dive into a Beth Moore Bible study I feel like more of the Bible is filling me up. Her forte is getting to the root of scripture’s original content and meaning

In the first half of Beth’s Daniel study, she does an amazing job of dissecting the Babylonian culture . . . a culture I can look out my South Florida window and see vividly. This study was perfectly timed, content-wise . . . and the fact that unlike her other studies, each day was taking only 20 or 30 minutes to do. A nice amount of time in the midst of moving and settling into a new home.

But just as I was getting comfortable with this new pace, she blew my hair back. As Beth rounds the corner to session 7, she tackles end time prophecy head-on with boldness, clarity and, wow, a WHOLE LOT of information.

I honestly considered chucking it. I anchor on the fact that Jesus is coming back, but ouch, all the theories hurt my brain. Beth knows me though . . .

“Many of us have taken Bible study journeys together before. Few of them demanded the steep mind-climb this one will. Remember, we’re giving up the Babylonian approach to Bible study that says it has to be all about me to interest me. Lessons like the ones this week increase our working knowledge of God’s Word and build our faith. If we stick with this, God will give us a view of His glory and His sovereign plan that could well be unmatched.”

I got caught. So I stuck with it. And let me tell you, God is on His throne and in His full glory. I’ll tell you more after I finish up the study . . . only one more week to go.