DNA-D

DNA-D has officially begun! DNA has been running successfully in the UK for over 20 years and has now been launched in Germany.

The training course which bases students with a host church for a year of discipleship, training and hands on involvement in practical ministry situations, also brings students together for intensive and life changing blocks of teaching.

The Jesus-Haus in Herrnhut is a host centre for the teaching blocks and we are delighted to be hosting the very first intensive week. Frank and I are involved in the leadership of DNA-D and along with other team members, have the privilege of teaching this first group of trainees.

We made a commitment to help DNA get launched in Germany because we believe that this course brings together the advantages of the intensity of a Bible School environment (in smaller doses) and the invaluable experience of living out what is learnt straight away in the host church setting.

The DNA-D advertising slogan of "A changed life can change the world" really expresses the heart behind this course. Already, just 3 days into the course, lives are being impacted by a fresh understanding of the Word of God and a willingness to allow Him to grow and develop them into the people He has destined them to be. 

For more information or to apply for 2009, check out

 www.dna-deutschland.org

Rebuilding A Heart of Worship

Some people freak at the idea of being close and vulnerable to God. Others long for that intimacy. All the time, God is waiting. Waiting for us to draw near. Waiting for us to remember or learn how great and wonderful He is. He longs for us. 

For many of us, drawing near to God gets far too complicated. We let so many practical things get in the way. So many emotional things keep us back.

But all the time God is waiting. Waiting for us to remember how much He loves us, flaws and all. He takes us just as we are.

The problem is often that the closer we draw to God, the more we realise how awesome He is. That`s when we notice our flaws. Like the beautiful bride-to-be in Song of Songs who suddenly says "I am dark but lovely... do not look upon me because I am dark...". This isn`t about the colour of her skin. This about the flaws she sees in herself compared to how wonderful her lover is.

It`s natural to become more aware of our own humanity and weakness when we come close to God. The triumph is learning not to clam up and focus on ourselves at this point. But instead to jump over the hurdle of your humanity and take hold of the covering of mercy that Jesus clothes us with so that we can draw near to God. And when we do this, we are changed. We begin to see things and ourselves from God`s perspective.

Remember all those T.V.shows where a team of professionals renovate a house in a weekend? They can only get in to renovate if someone lets them. If someone gets over the "My house is dark" part and instead of keeping their house shut up or just repainting the outside, they let the professionals in to rebuild the whole place.

You know, God is the ultimate professional in rebuilding our hearts. And He does it all out of His great heart of love, mercy and majesty. Are you willing to draw near to Him and to keep drawing near? He`s truly longing to rebuild your heart.

John 7:37/38 Jesus said "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Rivers of living water will flow out of the hearts of whoever believes in Me."

Belonging Together

After a season of weddings in the Jesus Haus, we are heading into the Autumn remembering how precious and important belonging together is.

Every one of us is made to belong. You belong. 

There is a part of us that needs to belong. Because that is the way we were made. God didn`t create mankind to live as isolated individuals. We are made for relationship with Him.

Paul also tells us that we are living stones being built together. We belong together and we belong with God.

The greatest reality of belonging for all of us is the fact that we have all been created to belong together with God. Through Jesus, as we accept His sacrifice for us and surrender our lives to Him, we find peace in a relationship of "belonging" with God. 

We fit. Because there is a place in God`s heart especially for you. A place where you belong.

And like a bride and bridegroom who declare that they belong together, God is waiting for each one of us to live in the reality of belonging with Him. Close to His heart. Together.

"My beloved is mine and I am his." Song of Songs 2:16

Treasure

What do we do with treasure? True treasure? Do we build it a beautiful box and keep it safe from prying eyes? Do we bury it or hide it? 

There are so many treasures in the Kingdom of God. The treasure of truth. The treasure of freedom. The treasure of mercy. The treasure of true and perfect love. And so much more.

But what do we do with them? Do we build a treasure box church with treasure box rules? Do we hide the treasure in our hearts and keep it for a rainy day?

Sometimes we forget that we ourselves are treasure. Treasure rescued by the awesome love that Jesus has for each one of us. Treasure that is close to the heart of God. Living, breathing treasure. As He transforms our lives then we become more and more like Him. Reflecting more and more of His mercy, love and truth.

I love that. The Bible tells us that God is the keeper of truth. He is the keeper of our hearts. We are treasure and He is the treasure keeper, pouring out more and more of Himself, of His treasure into our lives.

But I don`t want to just be a pretty box of treasure all locked up. The treasures of the Kingdom of God are designed for sharing, for increase. They increase in value and substance the more they are shared and poured out. Freely and wisely. Just as our Heavenly Father pours out His treasure into us.

Castles

Ok, so I know that for some people as soon as I say something like "just get on and live the dream", they panic.

"How do I know it`s from God and not me just making it up?"

It`s a question nearly all of us ask at some time. Building sand castles is fine as a holiday entertainment or distraction. But no-one wants to invest their life in building something that will just get washed away with the next tide.

I think the secret lies in our expectations. We have to get to a place of faith and peace as we respond to God. To be ok with the fact that we don`t know every tiny detail of what the dream will look like when it`s finished. To be content to follow God`s heart and let Him build and evolve the dream around us. Because He is the author and the foundation of what we do.

Sometimes it starts with just saying an unconditional "Yes" to Jesus. Like Mary did when the angel came to her. She had no idea what the promise of her child could really mean. She just believed that God was great enough to fulfil His dream and promise for her life. She accepted it.

I love the way God waits for us to say "Yes" and then He opens a door or widens the horizon of our understanding just a bit more. Until we are ready for the next "Yes". The adventure of living with Jesus. 

Why not take one step at a time? One "Yes" at a time. Hand in hand with Him. The adventure of fulfilling the potential He has placed in you. Letting Him show you the full colour of the dream that we just begin to see in black and white.

Time To Soar Again

Waiting for God intrigues me. There are always times and seasons in our relationship with God. There are also different times and seasons of waiting. 

Sometimes God wants us to wait for Him to open doors and move situations on. Sometimes He is waiting for us to just get on with it.

As Christians we can be tempted to over spiritualise so many things. We can sometimes miss things because we are busy waiting for a thunderbolt from Heaven.  

Being close to God`s heart isn`t something passive. It is a place of peace and rest, but it can also involve activity. Whether we are simply engaging in worshipping and adoring Him, studying His Word or being proactive and getting on with something practical.

Whenever I hear the phrase "Let`s wait on God", I automatically think "because He`s waiting for us". Waiting for us to come. Waiting for us to worship. Waiting for us to obey. Waiting for us to get on with the adventure He`s set before us. Waiting with His hand outstretched to embrace us and to walk with us. To scale the heights together.

Maybe it`s time for you to stop dreaming the dream and to get on and live it... with Him.

"Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall rise up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Who will you be?

One of the privileges of pastoring and mentoring young people is that you get to help them take aim. Helping them understand who they are and who they can be. Taking the lid off the boxes in their mind and helping them see that so much is possible for them.

If they learn to aim straight. 

Aiming straight has a lot to do with our relationship with God. It is about allowing our will and how we live to be formed by His principles. It also has a lot to do with becoming comfortable with who God made you to be.

A personal hobby horse and something that makes me truly sad with just a hint of being outraged, is seeing young people giving up their potential and education and hanging around a "ministry". Truly, I think it`s great for a young person to take a little time out and go to Bible School or do a discipleship course of some kind. But that should all be preparation to help them on their journey, not to knock them off course. 

Often it is a mistake to think that by giving up a "normal" life for an extended time, you are steering your life in a more spiritual direction. Ok, so this is a lady who has done all that and moved nations several times and hasn`t done anything in a "normal" way who is talking here. But you`ve really got to know it`s right for you. Because I believe that what God truly wants is not a generation who have opted out of "the world", but instead a generation who are influencing the world. In every sphere and strata of society. In every nation of the world.

So if you`re weighing up your options this summer and you chance upon this blog. Fulfil your potential. Denying your potential is not something that is close to the heart of God.

Check out Mathew 25:14 the parable of the talents. Those talents are practical, not just spiritual gifts and when you develop them then you not only please the heart of God, you also find a rich personal fulfilment. 

The journey to greatness

Of course, for Christians, ambitions and goals are about something greater than ourselves. We don`t live to make ourselves great. We want to see the love and mercy of God become a reality in the lives of those around us. In practical ways. Ways that affect individual lives as well as whole societies.

Our ambition is to be and to become the person that God has made us to be. To excel in the giftings He has given us. To be the greatest expression of the person He has made us to be, so that the greatness of God himself is seen and expressed in our world. 

Every powerful Christian principle, like love, mercy, grace and humility, becomes a tool for God to release the greatness that He has already placed inside us. It is these principles that craft us and inspire us. 

They are not weak principles. They are strong. Requiring and developing inner strength. Developing us as people. People who seek to fulfil their personal potential. 

Many people get lost on the journey to fulfil their potential, becoming self orientated. Others don´t even get started because they think that it is more spiritual to deny themself. But that`s a misunderstanding of scripture. Denying your "flesh" is very different than denying the giftings and abilities that God has placed inside you.

What better way to please the heart of your Creator than to fulfil the potential that He has placed inside you? To place your hand in His hand and find your heart in His heart and to make that journey to greatness with Him. Living for Someone greater than yourself, becoming the greatest you can be with Him.

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." Matthew 13:45&46

Height and depth

It`s possible to be on the mountain heights yet still struggle for perspective. Whether we`re going through a valley or enjoying the adventure of scaling a canyon, there are times when things can seem out of sync. Or simply times when we can`t see the way forward.

But it`s precisely these times, whether stormy or just a bit shadowy, that can help define us. Having a goal is great, but how you get there is vital to the quality of your acheivement.

When we reach for the heights, we have a choice. Do we allow the journey to deepen us, forming our character, affirming our values? Or do we aim for the peak no matter the cost, only losing something of ourself in the process? 

Ambition is so much about height and depth. I believe that having goals is godly. The Bible tells us that without vision, people perish. We need relevance for our existence. But reaching our goals without getting lost on the way is a huge challenge. For Christians, the wisdom in the Bible helps us tackle the journey, it refines us and defines us, it encourages us and continually takes us back to the One who created us to excel in the first place.

In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). It`s who we are and who we become that defines the quality and value of what we do and achieve. Whether shrouded by the clouds or revealed for all to see on the mountain heights.

Seeing doors

Doors fascinate me. In Herrnhut and the surrounding region there are some fabulous thick hand carved doors and gateways. Some set in stone frames, some just rotting away; a pale reflection of the wealth and rich craftsmanship that once thrived here.

But there are also many simple doors to be seen. Some that are easily noticed. Some that are tucked away. In shadowy alleyways or forgotten corners. Some with locks on. Some with old handles and clasps. Some just hanging in their frames.

Jesus spoke about doors. He holds open the door of eternal life to us. He is that gateway for us. The Bible also tells us of the door of hope in the valley of trouble or despair. It`s always there. There is always a way forward, but sometimes we have to look for it. Sometimes we are looking for a door that looks different to the one we actually need.

Often we focus on wanting particular doors to open for us. But sometimes I wonder if we miss our way or waste our energy because we are looking to the wrong door. I believe that one of the secrets to seeing doors open in your life has as much to do with being open minded about which door is the right door for now, as it does with actually seeing a particular door open.

When I feel hemmed in in a particular area and I know that I need to see progress or for something to open up, I start asking where the door is that I don`t yet see. Part of the adventure with Jesus is that the humblest looking doors contain the most breathtaking journeys. Kind of like not being able to judge a book by it`s cover.

It all comes back to learning to see things from God`s perspective and not our own.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7

Labelled or marked?

So let`s clarify my problem with "labels".  It`s the description of a label that I find confining. My heart is much more about our hearts and God`s heart. I don´t want my heart to be labelled. In fact, what I want is my heart to be marked.

Marked by God. By His character. By the things that He builds into my life. I want to be marked by His love. By His mercy. By His joy and His compassion. I want to be marked with a teachable heart. 

When someone looks at me, I don`t want a personal or ministry label or title. I want them to see through the window of my heart and see the colours of the character of God. Depth. Beauty in Him.

One of my favourite scriptures comes right at the end of the book of Psalms. 149 v 4 tells us that God "beautifies" or "crowns" us with salvation. As we lay hold of the riches of what it really means to be a new creation through Jesus, we allow God to change us and grow us in our character. He shapes and beautifies us, sculpting away the old and crafting the person He has destined you to be. After His heart. After His plans and purposes.

Which is why God`s heart is more about who we are than "what" we are. Which is why I really don´t do this label thing so well. As we allow God to craft us as a person, then our giftings come forth and He shows Himself through us in both practical and spiritual ways. It`s also why I feel sad when I see Christians searching after "their" calling or gifting or "the" thing they are supposed to do. We are not defined by knowing that our main thing is this or that, evangelism or prophecy, teaching or administrating. That is not our identity. He is our identity. If you feel bad because you can`t tell others what your main gifting is, praise God! Just get on with allowing Him to mark your life with His character and His heart. Then you will be ready in season and out of season to be the person He wants you to be, wherever you are. Your giftings will become obvious.

So Father God, please continue to craft me after your own heart. Mark me with the characteristics that please your heart. Show the colours of who you are through me. And thank you that you don´t put me in a box and label me. Thank you that the journey continues. 

Ditching Labels

There are some things that really annoy me. Labels is one of them. Sometimes a label is descriptive and helpful. What I don´t like is when we use a label to define a situation and particularly a person.

Personally, God has really set me free from coming under labels that other people put on me. A label can not only be intimidating but also confining. When we label a person, we put them in a box. 

I guess it`s obvious that we inhibit a person with negative labels. But we can also restrict people by giving them labels that we might think are positive ones. You see, God has created us to grow and develop. We are destined to blossom. As Christians we never stand still, caged into being who we are. 

A person who has surrendered their life to Jesus is a person who is on a journey. A journey in which the riches that God deposited in you, even before you were born, are rediscovered and developed. I think that`s why I dislike labels so much. You see, only God can truly see who I am becoming. No one else has really got the full picture on me. And I`m still on my journey.

So if you love me, please don´t label me. Well, if you do, you`ll be missing out on a whole lot of other parts of me. Oh, and why stand still in your thinking when those of us who have chosen to ditch labels are dancing in the light?

Psalm 17.2a Let my vindication come from Your presence

 

Graft & Grace

Having confessed to being a backsliding blogger, my husband pertly asked whether my confession was remorse or real repentance. Good point. If remorse is simply regret or sorrow and if repentance is turning from one way of being or living in order to embrace the right way... well, here is blog number 2, just 2 days later. So let`s call it repentance. Oh, and I`m not a backslidden blogger anymore, so we can ditch that label. 

Sometimes we can have a change of heart about something, but it doesn`t change our lives unless we make the choice to do something about it. Living out our faith and core values has as much to do with choices in the heart as it does with convictions. We can believe something, but if we don`t do anything about that belief, then what is accomplished?

And living out our convictions or carrying a decision through usually involves commitment and hard work. It isn`t always easy sticking to your principles. It certainly isn`t easy learning to think and live a different way after we have come to a point of repentance. That`s why God graces us. 

Grace isn´t something that eliminates the need for us to stick to our principles and decisions. No. Grace is given to empower us so that we can stick to those principles. So that we can put in the hard work needed. So that our characters can truly be formed. So that we become people who endure. 

Titus 2:11&12 The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us to say no to ungodliness.

Confessions of a backsliding blogger

Ok, so it`s been a while! Sorry. Bit of backsliding as far as blogging is concerned. Lots of going deeper with God during my cave time though.

Well, it`s been busy, as usual here. For a small, quiet town in a corner of Germany, we certainly get quite a bit of action. The summer months are full with individuals, groups and larger teams passing through the Jesus Haus and the town. 

It`s such a privilege seeing people go deeper with God while they are here. It`s not always or just in a "spiritual" context that they sense the presence of God. Sometimes it`s as people do practical work, like sanding down doors or splitting logs open. For others it`s just as they are walking around town, sensing the weight of God`s hand upon their personal destiny.

For me, the last few months have been a time of redefining. God has been affirming me in things I have known and walked in for a long time now as well as redefining my take on things, honing and refining and expanding my insight, gifts and vision.  It kind of felt like backsliding for a while, just because He took me through a process of questioning what we see as Christian culture and what really is Kingdom Culture. I`ve looked at the seasons of the Kingdom and the timings of the Kingdom. The Inheritance of the Kingdom and our destiny as citizens of His Kingdom. Just gazing into His heart.

Hmmmm. If that`s all double dutch to you, never mind. Just remember that God has written every day of your life. He believes in you and He has such a rich destiny for you. No one else can live out your destiny. It`s there, prepared for you to walk in. The question is, are you directing your destiny or are you allowing God to shape you for the destiny He has for you?

Psalm 139:16  Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

Sweet Potato Moments

There are moments in the life of a missionary when you miss something specific from another place. It`s natural. A missionary life is a life sacrifice. Even when you enjoy the land where you have "landed", you still miss people and things left behind.

God sees everything. He knows every desire of our heart. And I´m continually and increasingly astounded at the lengths He will go to so that we experience the extravagance of His Father´s heart.  So that we understand that even a silent sigh of longing that isn´t particularly important to us, is an opportunity for Him to show that everything we have given up is counted.  That He not only stores up, but pours out rewards upon us. Some of the more frustrating hardships may take a while to deal with, but there are little blessings along the way.

And so it was that within a couple of weeks of an offhand comment to someone that I had never seen sweet potatoes in this part of Germany and how much I enjoyed them in South Africa, I find myself confronted with a little pile of extravagantly priced, small but perfectly formed sweeet potatoes. I had never seen them in that supermarket before. 

At first, in shock and then secondly scowling at the extravagant price, I was content with the "Well what do you know, sweet potatoes in Germany!". My daughter, who hates sweet potatoes, cried out, "Mummy, get some. You love them!"  She won, of course.  And so did I. I won a new understanding of the Father`s heart.

I hadn´t even asked Him for them. It was just a little wish, deep down inside. A little sigh of longing that wasn`t even particularly important. Just a little sacrifice which I wouldn´t even have listed were someone to ask me what is difficult about moving to Germany.

But God knows our heart. He knows how to spoil us. And I nearly just walked past my treat in wonder. But thankfully I didn`t. Not only does God love us extravagantly, we have to allow Him to do it too.

"O Lord, You have searched me and known me... You understand my thoughts from afar...before I utter a word, You know it completely..." Psalm 139

Days of Wisdom

Birthdays when we are young are mostly full of excitement. Suspense and wonder at how the day will be and how it will feel to be a year older fill the lead up to most children`s birthdays with anticipation.

Some of us manage to maintain the joy of birthdays as we get older. Others dread facing one, for one reason or another. Somehow totalling up the years can make us nervous. It can also make us satisfied, when we look back in the right way and look ahead with the right attitude.

I love the way that God looks at our lives. He sees us as individuals. He knows every hair we have on our head. And He counts our days. Every day we live and walk out is written in His book.

That`s why I find Psalm 90 so cool. Verse 12 says: "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  One of the German translation puts it a little less poetically (thanks Luther) and talks about remembering that we must all die one day. 

Why talk about birthdays and death in one article? Well, a birthday is a celebration of what has been. It is also an anticipation of the great days that are ahead. As Christians we don`t rely on luck or chance to run our days and fill up our years. We know that God is in charge and that we are co-workers with Christ. Together we manage our time. 

Whatever the number of days or years we live, we want to live by God`s principles, close to Him and growing a heart of wisdom for ourselves, our lives and the lives of those around us.

I pray that my days and your days would be lived as days of wisdom. Wisdom to recognise the times and seasons. When to rest and when to play. When to reach out and when to be still. Wisdom that helps us to number our days.

Reconciliation

Reconciliation is a journey. It takes each side to be ready for it. It takes a lot of mercy and a lot of courage. Reconciliation doesn`t leave room for our personal cry for justice. But it does leave room for mercy to truly triumph, freeing each individual from the past. Giving an opportunity to grow into the future.

True reconciliation is at the heart of the Christian gospel. Jesus died on the cross and rose again to take the punishment for our sin. That was mercy. So that we can have a blank sheet again to be in relationship with God the Father. So that we could journey and develop in relationship with God.

Christians benefit from the reconciliation Jesus has given us. Without that, we simply couldn´t be close to God. We couldn´t be free from our past; both our sins and the situations where we have been sinned against. We would be trapped.

Reconciliation with God is one thing. But reconciliation with other people is a challenge for every believer. It`s a tough road and not one for cowards. But until reconciliation has taken place I believe that the grief from the wound remains intense. Even when forgiveness has taken place and people have learnt to "move on", they usually still carry grief until reconciliation happens.

As pastors, leaders, parents, Christians, we have a responsibility not just to help people find personal healing and wholeness at the foot of the Cross. We must also help them to come into a fullness of healing in their relationships with others. Reconciliation. Honesty, mercy, courage all in the right timing.

Jesus said: Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:24

Running for cover

Few things undermine us so completely and in so many areas as betrayal. It penetrates deep and seems to rip us up from the inside out.

Victims of betrayal run for cover. A confusion of emotions cry out inside them. A cry for vengeance and also undermining waves of self condemnation.

So many situations in life cut us deeply. Betrayal by a loved one or someone we have invested time and emotional energy in, happens to us all on some level at some time in our life. Particularly painful is betrayal by those you admire or who are meant to protect you. From childhood playground spats to the complicated forests of adult relationships, betrayal and how to deal with it is an issue we don`t often hear teaching about.

Forgiveness and mercy are crucial. But even after the release that mercy brings, the memory of that betrayal can still be very painful. Every day brings an opportunity to choose: run for cover or refuse to chew on the bitter roots of that act of betrayal?

Acts of betrayal are usually more about what is going on in the betrayer than about those they betray. But the victim cannot afford to remain in a victim mentality. Betrayal hurts. Deeply. But if bitterness sets in, you remain on the run when really the betrayer is the one who is running, from themselves and the responsibility of the consequences of their action. One day God will focus on the issue with them. Leave it to Him and His timing.

Matthew 6.12: Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.

Regaining definition

Sometimes God brings us to a point of reassessing our lives. We think about where we`ve been and where we are heading to. Many of us do this around New Year.

In the Jesus Haus, some of the renovation has meant rediscovering the old treasures in the house. Like beautiful vaulted ceilings that had dividing walls built up into them when it was a hospital.

To enable a room to become the new space it needs to be, we have sometimes had to regain the old definition of a room. To knock out a few walls. Even when the walls have been useful in the meantime.

Sometimes God reminds us of things that we have known or lived before. He calls us back to them, to regain something that has perhaps been missing or crowded out of our lives. Sometimes we`ve moved on from things whilst God is developing new areas in us. But then comes a time of calling back. When He reminds us to regain a particular focus or definition and fuses that with the new things we have recently learned.

It reminds me of something Jesus said: ...every teacher who has been taught about the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old... Matthew 13:52

A new year isn`t always about embracing the new. It`s sometimes also about regaining the old.

Definition

When we begin to answer the question of "Who is reigning" in our lives or in a given situation, we realise who or what is defining us.

Definition is important. Without definition, things get hazy.

Whatever or whoever we allow to reign in our lives defines who we are and how we respond to everything and everyone. 

When we give our lives to Jesus, we make Him Lord of our lives. As we allow His love and power to reign in every area of our lives, we begin to be defined. The person that we were created to be and long to become begins to be raised up. 

When we allow other people`s expectations or desires to reign in our decisions and attitudes, then they begin to define us. We allow them to reign in areas of our lives.

Take a moment to consider the different areas of your life. Your thinking. Your emotions. Your ambitions. Your private life. Your relationships. Your work or study. Who is defining these areas? Who is reigning? And why?

Isaiah 60: 17 "... I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler."

The Door of Hope

The gateway of a new year unleashes different emotions in different people. For some it signifies hope; new possibilities, new chances. For others it`s depressing or frustrating, raising feelings of helplessness or of being trapped.

There is something about the unknown possibilites of a new year that can both excite and daunt people. And of course, looking back over the progress or pain of the previous year often has a lot to do with this.

Some people seize a new year and throw themselves into it, taking control and making new choices. Others continue with the attitude that life "happens" to them and live as someone who "manages" this or reacts to what is happening.

I don´t think it is totally explained by different character types. I think attitude and mindsets have a lot to do with it.

Uncovering disabling mindsets or releasing hope into our thinking can be sparked off by one simple question. "Who is reigning here?". 

It`s a simple enough question in any given situation, individual heart or group of people. Is life simply happening to us? Who or what is ruling? And why are we allowing that?

It raises the questions of responsibility and motivation, responses and proaction.

A new year is like a door of hope. The possibilities are endless. Who and what will you allow to reign in your life this year?

There`s a challenge.

1 Peter 3:15 In your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord