6 January 2008--Epihpany--Habits for the New Year

focusPoints

Habits--steady or regular patterns of behavior. A neutral term as habits can be good and bad.

Just as it is important to develop good habits, it's just as important to develop one's character.

forwardPoints

We can harness spiritual development habit power (St. Paul: "Train yourself to be Godly." I Timothy 4:7). He was urging us to develop holy habits and then reinforce them by repetition (Fookes: Stockwell UMC Worship Message, 6 January 2008).

fellowshipPoints

Possible resolutions for personal revolution:

1. I will take better care of my body. The Bible teaches that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19).
2. I will start each day with God. Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it."
3. I will take on a specific ministry for Christ. St. Paul urged all Christians to "excel in gifts that build up the church (I Corinthians 14:12).
4. I will control my tongue. St. Paul gave us the ideal standard in Ephesians 4:15: "Speaking the truth in love , we will in all things grow up in Christ."
5. I will become a more joyful Christian. The joy of the Lord is strength (Nehemiah 8:10).Developing holy habits is a year-long journey that begins anew each day.

findingPoints

Comparing the Fookes' Quintessential Quintelateral with Jill Crainshaw's approaches from Keep the Call: Leading The Congregation Without Losing Your Soul,

1. Taking better care of my body
Voice Clay, and Fiber: Does "who I am" march "what I do? (Crainshaw 2007, 114)?" Are the spiritual, mental, physical, financial, and social dimensions of my soul "preaching without words?

2. Starting each day with God
Ministry as Transformation/Imaginative Questions: How are our neighbors' voices and stories part of the gospel's tapestry? what can we do to open the doors to shared growth and learning with our neighbors (Crainshaw 2007, 105-106)? Are we willing to acknowledge that our treasured comfort zone, manners, rituals, and traditions are not the only way others have to be?

3. Taking on specific ministry
Ministry as Formation: Who are we as people of faith? What are we to do as people of faith. Who are we as God's church? What are we to do as god's church (Crainshaw 2007, 33-37? Have we given into a veil of passvitiy or are we garnering a volume of proactivity?

4. Controlling my tongue
Ministry as Proclamation/Do You Hear What I Hear? What if Christian proclamation is energized not only by God's transcendent voice but also be God's indwelling voice (Crainshaw 2007, 2-3)? Are we hearing from God only through others or are we hearing from God directly?

5. Becoming a more joyful Christian
A God Who Makes and Forms: How can the Christian story be proclaimed so those listeners respond with the recognition, "That's my story, too"? Can individual and congregational stories also be lived, remembered, and told in such a way that listeners respond with recognition, "That's the gospel story too (Crainshaw 2007, 43)?" Do we love others enough to translate for them that which we take for granted?

faithPoints

Psychologists tell us that it takes three weeks (21 days) to develop a habit. Prayerfully consider commit to beginning/continuing/developing/evaluating "holy habits" to position us to receive god's blessings in 2008 that will equip us to make disciples to God's glory.