I received the most incredible Christmas present from my kids this year. It began as a scavenger hunt with many clues. Fortunately, my kids helped me figure out what the clues meant.
The final clue pointed me to my bookshelf in my study. It said to look for something bright blue. They were referring to a book on the top shelf.
When pulling the book off the shelf, I was a bit puzzled by what I saw. I had never seen the book before and it had the title of a sermon series that I had preached a little over a year ago – Prayer Biographies. I said, “What a coincidence.”
They told me to thumb through the book and look at it. I looked first at the table of contents. Another strange coincidence. The chapters looked a lot like the individual sermon titles I had used before. Hmm.
Finally, when my kids couldn’t stand it anymore…they blurted out that it was my book.
My three children and their three spouses had each taken a sermon and transcribed it as they listened to it. Then they personally edited the chapter and then passed it on to another sibling for more editing. Finally, they had the book published and secured some endorsements from some of my spiritual mentors and heroes.
I couldn’t believe it. They had been encouraging me to write for years and told me that this should give me a jump start.
Talk about a huge investment of time, energy, and creativity. I was overwhelmed by this amazing demonstration of love and sacrifice.
I just had to take this moment and share with all of you how proud I am to be the father of incredible kids.
Thanks for indulging me with this very personal blog entry.
And special thanks goes to my kids:
Jason and Amanda Landry
Steve and Beth Browning
Nathan and Michelle Schneider
Most people are briefly encouraged with the beginning of a new year. At least for a moment, it seems like you’re given a opportunity to start over again…and get it right this time. New Year’s resolutions are decisions to walk through the open door of a new beginning.
I mean, who doesn’t want to be more disciplined, more relational, more spiritual, more fun, more productive, more wise, and in better shape physically? The New Year seems like an open door to try again.
But the moment you mess up, again, you feel like it’s back to the “same-old, same-old.” It doesn’t matter that you were making progress and were actually more productive than you’ve been in a long time. At the moment we mess up, it just feels like nothing has changed. But, it did change…you were changing…and making progress.
May I make a suggestion? Don’t stop trying just because you hit another Resolution Speed Bump. Those interruptions and momentary lapses happen to every one of us.
In fact, I want to suggest you try something different this year that will help jump start your New Year and move you beyond the first Speed Bump.
Start on your New Year’s resolutions IMMEDIATELY…before the New Year. Go work out at the gym – TODAY. Call that old friend – THIS WEEK. Take 10 minutes and read your Bible TONIGHT. Refuse to order that piece of dessert TODAY. Start those piano lessons BEFORE the new year. Whatever you’ve been planning to start once the first of the year comes, start it a little earlier.
If you try starting now, before the New Year, you will make some progress. And, I can almost guarantee, that you will fail in at least one of those areas before the New Year. But you will have gotten a jump start on the New Year! When the New Year comes, it will give you just enough momentum to get over that Resolution Speed Bump and continue forward much further than ever before.
Come on. Try it. I know you’ve got excuses about why you should wait. But, do you really want to keep getting the same results you’ve gotten every other year? It’s time to jump start the New Year…before the New Year starts.
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