Whoa, almost a week into Lent at this point. This annual part of the Christian calendar seems to fly by so quickly, even though it is one of the more lengthy time periods of the year. We move, week from week, with Jesus toward the cross, toward the empty tomb, toward the hope and foundation of our faith. And as we journey, we reflect on our need for a Savior.
One of the things that I am doing this Lent season is keeping a log book of my Lent journey. It isn't just a daily reflection, but one that has a greater purpose than that behind it. For those of you who regularly check this blog, you know that I have recently introduced the idea of weaving Gospel threads into the lives of those you regularly interact with. My Lent log book is actually a reflection upon my efforts to do that daily throughout this season.
Every day, I intend to keep a record of my interactions with others in which I weave a Gospel thread into their lives. As accurately as possible, I want to remember and write down what I said to that person. I want to write out the context in which the Gospel thread was spoken. I want to write down my thoughts about the situation and why I said what I said.
Now, why keep a record such as this? I see a couple of good points to doing this. First of all, it actually makes me think daily about weaving those Gospel threads. Instead of simply giving something up and laying it aside, I'm actively working to incorporate something into my life that fits with the sharing the message of Good News. If I want to grow in doing that, well, the best way to learn to do something is to actually do it. So my log book forces me to think about those on a daily basis, especially since I don't want to see many blanks in the book at the end of the season.
Second, keeping a record also helps me to consider the words that I say, and gives me the opportunity to think of other ways to weave Gospel threads. Lets say that I look back on one day where I said something along the lines of, "God has been good to me today." Now, as I reflect back on it, I can think of other ways to say the same thing, or ways to give a bit more of an explicit Gospel thread into it. Having such a practice causes me to expand my repoirtaire, so to speak, so that I have additional things in mind, and don't always have to come up with them at the spur of the moment.
Another great thing is that the log book reminds me of just how often God sends people across my path, into whose lives I can weave a Gospel thread. I've heard a few times where people say that they don't know 10 people in life who aren't Christian. Doing an exercise like this helps me see just how many people I can weave Gospel threads toward, and pray that God's Spirit will be actively working through such words.
That's my Lent log book. I would actually encourage you to keep something simliar, and see where God leads you as you reflect on thoughts, words, and actions this Lent season.
One of the things that I am doing this Lent season is keeping a log book of my Lent journey. It isn't just a daily reflection, but one that has a greater purpose than that behind it. For those of you who regularly check this blog, you know that I have recently introduced the idea of weaving Gospel threads into the lives of those you regularly interact with. My Lent log book is actually a reflection upon my efforts to do that daily throughout this season.
Every day, I intend to keep a record of my interactions with others in which I weave a Gospel thread into their lives. As accurately as possible, I want to remember and write down what I said to that person. I want to write out the context in which the Gospel thread was spoken. I want to write down my thoughts about the situation and why I said what I said.
Now, why keep a record such as this? I see a couple of good points to doing this. First of all, it actually makes me think daily about weaving those Gospel threads. Instead of simply giving something up and laying it aside, I'm actively working to incorporate something into my life that fits with the sharing the message of Good News. If I want to grow in doing that, well, the best way to learn to do something is to actually do it. So my log book forces me to think about those on a daily basis, especially since I don't want to see many blanks in the book at the end of the season.
Second, keeping a record also helps me to consider the words that I say, and gives me the opportunity to think of other ways to weave Gospel threads. Lets say that I look back on one day where I said something along the lines of, "God has been good to me today." Now, as I reflect back on it, I can think of other ways to say the same thing, or ways to give a bit more of an explicit Gospel thread into it. Having such a practice causes me to expand my repoirtaire, so to speak, so that I have additional things in mind, and don't always have to come up with them at the spur of the moment.
Another great thing is that the log book reminds me of just how often God sends people across my path, into whose lives I can weave a Gospel thread. I've heard a few times where people say that they don't know 10 people in life who aren't Christian. Doing an exercise like this helps me see just how many people I can weave Gospel threads toward, and pray that God's Spirit will be actively working through such words.
That's my Lent log book. I would actually encourage you to keep something simliar, and see where God leads you as you reflect on thoughts, words, and actions this Lent season.
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