Learning Along The Way

Perfectionism Keeps Us From Jesus

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I had something gently pointed out to me three different ways between yesterday and this morning.

All three were foundational and revealing.

Perfectionism keeps me from Jesus.

Yesterday demonstrated what a piece of work I am. Fault finding, critical, irritable about everything. Wanting to have things go the way it should go. And at the time I didn’t mind sharing all my angst with the entire world; most closely noticed by the Hubster and our collegiate son. Not fun for anyone.

Perfectionism is the outer shell trying to appear to have life all together. All the while the inner world is filled with insecurity, uncertainty, and sometimes shame. Perfectionism is me trying to fix myself, control my circumstances and rely on my own understanding.

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Before the end of my emotionally chaotic day the Spirit whispered to me; inviting me to confess my failed attempts at keeping myself together while my toxic feelings leaked out. I took Him up on that invitation, pressing the RESET button for the remainder of the evening after a tearful confession of my internal struggles that impacted the external.

This morning I read Jesus Calling and it reminded me not to try to present my cleaned up self to Jesus; “wounds that I shut away from the Light of My Love will fester and become wormy…they can split off and develop lives of their own…”

Then I also read My Utmost for His Highest entry for today.

‘If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish—His purpose is the process itself.”

The foundation is Jesus. He is here with me and there with you all.the.time. The foundational truth is based in His one invitation:

Come to Me.

That’s it. In the turmoil of unresolved issues that foment emotional upheaval we can find rest for our souls. Click To Tweet

I don’t have to try to fix me or my circumstances. Neither do you.

Whatever you are facing, the Perfect Invitation awaits your response.

Come to Me.

Your circumstances are not likely to change. I know, bummer.

But here’s the miracle: you are offered the opportunity to be changed from within by the Presence of God Himself. That’s what spiritual formation is like. Choosing to say yes to Jesus’s invitation to come to Him, quiet your mind, heart and soul and be at rest in His Presence. The coming to Jesus results in His peace that passes all understanding. This peace is a result of letting go of our idea of how things should be and leaning into the yoke that helps keep us in step and keep company with Jesus.

Relax. He’s got this. His purpose is the process itself.

*Sigh*

Where have you seen perfectionism get in the way of relationship with Jesus and others?

Eating Ice Cream Isn’t Sabotaging a Diet

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We’ve all had them. A day where one unplanned event after another piles on top the over full calendar items already weighing heavy. Juggling it all is improbable at best and sure to cause a stress melt down at worst.

I had one of those today. A little surprising since my day was full only with a few home things like laundry and grocery shopping with writing projects to be my focus. I like to plan little breaks in writing so getting up to move a load of laundry through allows my brain space to ponder.

Idyllic really. No one at home but me, time and space to accomplish these few tasks to bless my husband, as well as our son and niece who are here for the summer.

There were competing forces at work wanting to prevent me from being an effective, gracious Christ-follower. There were several attempts to bring down the stress hammer in effort to shatter my composure. But God.

You know that’s really all we have on our to-do list right? Let go of our need to control. Lean in to the easy yoke of Jesus.

My yoke is easy and my burden is light.

In the middle of all the competing forces the Spirit whispered Truth; reminders of the deep, quiet place in my soul to be still and know that I was invited to retreat to at any given moment.

Including the stressful ones.

I don’t always choose wisely. I want to. I want to be God’s woman in my circumstances. All.the.Time.

However my perfectionistic tendencies have kept me from taking the Spirit up on that sweetly whispered invitation on too many occasions to count. But today?

Today I chose to be still within trusting His wisdom while the waves crashed on the surface.

We make our plans, but God directs our steps.

The stories of Peter and Jesus, their friendship and Jesus’s gentle, yet firm interactions with Peter have always spoken to me. I’m of Peter’s temperament. Quick to speak, slow to listen and quick to become angry. Maybe James had Peter in mind when he penned the opposite verse:

Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

Peter was quick to act before thinking things through. Just like his reaction to seeing Jesus walking on the water in the middle of the night on a stormy sea. Based on the way Peter was portrayed in all the other recorded interactions my guess is he took exactly one nano second to say ‘If it’s you Lord tell me to come.’ I like to think of Jesus with a ‘I know how this is going to turn out yet I want to give Peter the chance’ tone in His response:

“Come.”

You may know how the story turns out, but there is a detail that bears a pause for reflection. Between Peter’s stepping out of the boat and floundering in fear: He kept his eyes on Jesus. The moment Peter looked around at his crazy circumstances and remembered he was defying the known laws of the universe, he started to sink.

As long as he focused on Jesus he walked above his circumstances.  

Peter was still out of the boat, walking on the water toward Jesus. Peter was above his certain death circumstances. The water was whipping and splashing on his cloak. His feet were wet. The wind was still blowing.

As long as he focused on Jesus he walked above his circumstances.

I know this detail is important. There are other places in scripture that tell us to fix our eyes on Jesus. To fix or focus is a way of demonstrating faith and trust. That’s why Jesus asked Peter

‘why did you doubt?’

When I was going through my day with so many reasons to look around at my crazy circumstances in stress and fear that was my choice point. Do I trust the whispered invitation of the Spirit to go deep with Him or do I doubt His Presence or ability and trust myself instead; trying to wrestle my way through the stress and make things turn out the way I planned?

Sounds like an obvious choice right?

Part of peeling off perfectionism is taking the risk to not pretend to be in control.

Part of peeling off perfectionism is making a different choice: to trust God and not myself. Click To Tweet

So that’s what I made effort to do at every new layer that was added today; all the unplanned items that needed immediate priority while still making other prior commitments work. I would have had a meltdown if I’d been operating in my own strength. But listening to the whisper, paying attention and choosing to let go of control & lean into the easy yoke made my day so much better.

In fact, when the obligations were done, My Father and I celebrated by having my favorite treat since childhood.IMG_9295

It wasn’t sabotaging a diet to eat this ice cream. It was a celebration of trust!

Perfectionism is prevalent. You and I can learn to peel it off and choose differently.

Keep an eye out for my e-course launching in August. There will be opportunity to gather with others who are in the same place; desiring to be free of the false perfect way. We’ll celebrate the small victories like mine today. Not always with ice cream, but celebrate we will!

Please share your ‘wins’ in peeling off perfectionism: here or on the Learning Along the Way Facebook page. You never know who needs your encouragement!

 

Being Selfish Doesn’t Work

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There have been dark times for me in the past 9 years. Loss and the accompanying grief were not easy companions. Their presence was disorienting.

As a result, I’ve been stuck in the slough of despond.

 

Being stuck is a place that a coach can speak into a client’s life. Listening to the favorites, the desires and perhaps forgotten dreams all make for excellent material to construct action steps; steps forward away from being stuck.

Now in the messy middle of sorting through what is important to carry forward and what is not, I’ve learned some things about myself that shine light on the dark places.

SO what I am learning along the Way is that being selfish doesn’t work.

I’ve selfishly hidden in pain; hidden from others who would be generous with encouragement if they only knew. That’s the dark side of me.

On the Light side I’ve been wired for change. I’m a learner and activator with a large dose of restorative, with empathy and relator thrown in. I’m an ENFJ and my DISC profile is I/D. My Enneagram result is 3 =The Achiever or The Performer. I’m an inventory junky!

What difference does all of this information make in day to day life?

All these details helped me get to know how God has wired me. I’ve spent the past 9 years wrestling with the brokenness or downsides of life, looking to Him to heal the places where I’ve worked to cover the internal wounds. He has done His work. I am more fully who He has made me to be.

So now I’m writing and reading my way forward. So many great books! I’m currently looking at a classical work, John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress; a work of allegory written at a time of imprisonment for Bunyan and a much used tool of explication of the Bible.

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It’s valuable to see our story within the Greater Story. Click To Tweet

Why? Because we each have a part to play. An important part to play. When we step into the yoke with Jesus and He bears the weight, we step forward and lean in to keep in step with Him. Our part is to follow along the furrows He chooses for us to plow; the relationships He brings our way, the lives He desires us to impact for Kingdom building, simply by being who we are: God’s man or woman in the circumstances where we currently find ourselves.

Being present to our life circumstances and not looking to the sides of the furrows or off at the green grass not quite in our reach is part of our great work. It is a simple life. We’re the ones who over complicate things.

God has given us Himself, His Spirit and power to live out this life which He has provided. He loves us with a never ending love, He forgives us time and again as we gaze longingly at other things instead of fixing our gaze upon the Only One Who loves us perfectly.

Important Reminders.

Whatever is true, whatever is noble,whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

He sings over us.

He is our shield and defender.

He is our provider and protector. 

I speak Truth to myself to bring my gaze back to Center; back to the One Who loves me best.

Loss was my experience. I recognize each of us experience hard companions differently. When I bear witness to another’s loss now, I am quick to empathize where before I knew none.

What about you? How have you gotten back on track after being disoriented? You might speak light into someone’s dark place by sharing what God has brought you through.

Being selfish doesn’t work.

I’d love to hear what you’ve learned!

Why I’m Not Fooling Around Anymore

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Confession is good for the soul. I heard that somewhere.

Here it is: I’m not good at forgiveness. I say that but to clarify I mean forgiveness is not something I can do on my own.   There are people who have done horrible things to me that I have forgiven. I don’t harbor ill will or bitterness toward them. That forgiveness was not easy but it is complete. Thank you, Jesus for working it out in me.

So what am I confessing then? I am terrible at forgiving the little things. I make myself into a martyr who sacrifices so much for so many with so little recognition or thanks.

Ridiculous. 

And you know who suffers most? My husband. The one who has sacrificed so much to make my life, our family’s life, pleasant in so many ways. The one who is Jesus with skin on to me and for me. And my thanks?

Being a nitpicking perfectionist who is never satisfied with anything.

Always more to be done. Always can be done better. My way.

Sheesh.

Well I’m not fooling around anymore.

I’m breaking up with perfectionism.

And unforgiveness.

The result of unforgiveness is a hard heart, a heart that is filled with bitterness, toxic to allowing the life and love of Jesus to flow through me.  My unforgiveness is not more powerful than Christ. But my turning to my own way is like drawing the blackout curtains toward the sunlight. The Light still exists and is more powerful; I’ve chosen to block it with my self-focused ways.

I can’t hold my husband captive with unforgiveness and expect to have a love-filled marriage. Click To Tweet

He is not a puppet with me pulling the strings.

Forgiveness breaks the hard shell of a hard heart like a hammer to a walnut.

And I’ve known for a long time that I am a nutcase.

But to get to the point of recognizing my nutty behavior, I begged God to do some serious surgery in my festering heart.

First confession

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Then repentance

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

Then Hope

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Then reminder

Forget the former things;

    do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

    and streams in the wasteland.

Tomorrow is our 25th wedding anniversary. And true to our whole lives together, we are doing things differently than others who have achieved this milestone: we’re simply going out to dinner.

It’s like how life was when we were first married. Simple.

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We got married behind a bookstore by a justice of the peace because neither of us were walking in a life of faith. Our sons like to say we were married by a shaman because the JoP was a woman and it was a garden behind a New Age Bookstore. No matter. God is in the business of redemption and second chances. A lot of life has transpired in 25 years. Fun. Laughter. Love. Loss. Wounds. Change. Growth. Repeat.

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Forgiveness. Keeping short accounts with each other and with God. Being quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry.

By God’s grace and the Spirit’s equipping I will not live with an unforgiving heart any longer.

It’s like when we were first married. Only MUCH BETTER!

It’s a Swing and a Miss

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The All Star break is over. Whew. This girl is a gamer. Or a poser. I can talk just enough baseball to stay in a conversation. I know the number of players on the field and what positions they play depending on where they stand. Don’t ask me to score the game or tell you what type of pitch was just thrown.

It’s a game and it’s fun to watch and fun to play. You may not be a baseball fan so I’ll try to keep the analogies to a minimum. I can’t pass on this one though.

Conversations in developing relationships between genders often result in a swing and a miss.

The Hubster and I’ve been married 25 years this coming Wednesday. From the lens of the world this is a huge accomplishment. From the lens of a perfectionist it’s evidence of not always getting your way and giving in for the sake of the relationship.

Don’t get me wrong: the Hubster lives up to his nickname’s definition.

Urban Dictionary: Hubster–Nickname derived from hubby however it marks a significant difference from it. This is a man that is not only a husband to a woman but he is a companion. Someone that loves his wife completely and utterly. He understands her in every situation and makes any and all the effort to make her happy. He is truly a best friend, he is that one person whom she finds comfort in and can tell anything to. Not only does he pertain to all these qualities but he is also kind, sweet, loving, and a completely honest person. He is a one of a kind man that all girls want to have, but when he chooses that one girl for him, it is all he can think about. He is truly the best husband a woman can have.

In the 25 years of me giving in for the sake of relationship, the Hubster has had more personal sacrifice to deal with than I am happy to admit. I literally laughed out loud when I heard these humorous and yet pointed tidbits from a text our son received. This long-winded commentary came from one of his college housemates in reference to the struggles of a relationship from a male perspective. With his permission here are his whimsical words (which may give you more insight to the male mind).

“I have to clean the house, bathe regularly, control myself, watch tv with other people, share a bed, buy food and watch other people eat it, look presentable, talk to a woman, not get enough sleep, deal with other people’s questions, deal with it at work, lie about my feelings, be nice to her friends and family, come up with date ideas, deal with an endless stream of questions about my day and what I’m thinking about and probably some more stuff I don’t want to deal with.”

My perfectionist self laughs but there’s also a part of me saying

Although my inner voice may be asserting I’m NOT bossy, I make effort to temper my skills with humor.

The genders come at communication with differing perspectives, expectations and agendas.

Relationship 101.

We can’t change another person. We can only CHOOSE to become a better person. This is where give and take comes in. But a relationship isn’t a baseball game where we keep score or the stats are recorded. In fact, quite the opposite. We need to learn to let stuff go.

The struggle for perfectionists, like me, is placing unrealistic expectations on ourselves and others. The Hubster has worked tirelessly for a quarter of a century to teach me two words:

Oh Well.

These aren’t words of resignation. They’re words of grace. “Don’t be so hard on me. Don’t be so hard on others. And don’t be so hard on you.”

This is a significant part of becoming a “better person”; choosing to give grace instead of criticism. Choosing to show grace and simply enjoy one another’s company without keeping score.

How different might a developing relationship be if there were no hidden agendas or unwritten rules & expectations getting in the way of simply being yourself, of being who God has made you?

Perhaps if we choose to let go of expectations and lean in toward one another, we might experience a greater sense of being a partner, a member of a team.

How have you seen this idea play out in your relationship experience?

Peeling off Perfectionism

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I can’t even tell you how creepy this disease is. I have a vague memory of a scene in a children’s movie where the black goo of evil gets all over the bad guy and suffocates him. This suffocating image expresses  this pervasive covering of perfectionism for me.

I’ve been numb to it for years. I believed perfectionism was someone else’s issue not mine. But the truth is because of shame I have lived with this mindset of perfectionism for as long as I can remember.

Good news!

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(quote credit: Christine Caine)

I’m peeling off the layers of perfectionism. It’s messy. And I will make mistakes. It’s painful to look at the gaps in my way of doing life that used to be covered over by this lie I believed.

But Jesus said all things are possible to him who believes. So my response is I do believe, help me in my unbelief.

This means being honest and talking through the hard places of change; moving toward growth and being willing to do things without having my act all together.

YIKES!!

This vulnerability feels a little like the emperor’s new clothes except where the Emperor thought he had a lovely outfit, I know I’m going to be exposed. (Fortunately for all, this is just a metaphor!)

I choose to be brave and take a tentative step forward in my one creative life.

My heart is ready to risk.  It’s been hidden away, self-protected, falsely secure.

For years I’ve read verses that tell me Truth about who God sees me to be. But I have been like the person the apostle James describes who sees their face in a mirror but then forgets what they look like when they turn away from the mirror.

In other words, I haven’t lived out the words of life and truth. I’ve chosen to stay stuck, allowing the enemy of all that is good and true to hold me captive in an imaginary cell of my own acceptance.

What about you? I know I am not alone in this unfortunate trap. I’ve learned just enough about how to get out and away from the slime of perfectionism that I can hold my hand out to you and say

let’s go this way together!

Here’s what I want to do. Let’s get a group together of those who are willing to drop the facade, who are willing to engage with what we’re all learning along the Way.

I’m starting a podcast at the beginning of August where I’ll share quotes, facts, resources, challenges and connection points.  I will also be launching an e-course (available on my website) focusing on letting go and leaning in. There will be a spiritual component to the activities in the course because I believe strongly that we are all on a spiritual journey while we are here on this planet. Where we are journeying is the important question.  We’ll talk about that too.

In the meantime, let me know either here or on the Learning Along the Way Facebook page that you want to peel off perfectionism too.

Let’s do this!

Be the Change You Want to See

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Not too long ago there were two boys living in our house.

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In a blink of an eye they’re both men living lives of purpose making a difference in their part of the world.

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Time feels relative right?

Our parenting style grew as they did: from teaching & correction, to guidance, to launch & let go. My own upbringing was rough; I purposed to do this parenting thing with intention, hoping for better results. Many voices influenced our thinking but this one stands out:

 

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Mahatma Ghandi: a man of peace. He advocated political and societal change. Ghandi didn’t have the same faith practice I do, but no matter. He believed humanity could change and live respectfully in peace.

That may sound grandiose or fall flat to your ears. I get it. Perhaps your life is hard in this season and you can barely rub two coins together. Or maybe you’re fighting a physical battle that takes all your focus and energy to stay upright. Changing the world is not on your radar now or maybe ever.

Is being responsible for changing the world really what Ghandi meant? Did he want all people to become social activists? What if his thought was for personal, internal change? For you and me to simply be people of integrity, who show kindness to everyone, who care for those less able to care for themselves? Perhaps his words are a call to simple living right where we are, regardless of our means or motivation to change the world?

Each of our sons went through a season of living outside their integrity. We watched and prayed but did not pry. We didn’t lecture or wag our fingers. We knew they would come back to themselves…eventually. Watching and waiting aren’t easy skills in parenting; they’re skills that belong to the Father. We trusted our sons to the Father’s heart for them. In the waiting we grew to love and trust God more. We also grew to love and pray for our sons in deeper ways as well.

We trusted these young men to come back to center in their own time because we trusted God and knew they developed appreciation for Ghandi’s words, thanks to the influence of their great AP English teacher, Eldra Avery. Living outside their integrity wouldn’t allow them to be the change they wanted to see in the world.

 

Be the change you want to see in the world. Mahatma Ghandi Click To Tweet

Change begins with one. For me, change was my parenting. We made conscious decisions that steered our family in a different direction than the one I was raised in. Others might not catch what you’re doing. It doesn’t matter. That you live out the change you want to bring to your part of the world is the important point.

I call this let go and lean in. Let go of the broken ways and lean in to the Arms waiting to hold and help you grow and change. In that leaning you just might learn more about your part here.

What change will you be?

 

Messy Confessions of a Lonely Perfectionist

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It’s not often that I am publicly transparent. There is a small circle who help hold me both accountable and together depending on the issue. But transparent for the world? Yikes!  (I promise I’m not going to say or do anything that will make you feel like I do watching Michael Scott manage The Office. So read on.)

Reading the work of Brene Brown has moved my personal growth forward by leaps and bounds. Her second book, The Gifts of Imperfection jolted me into the hard journey forward out of shame.

I am slow to integrate and apply what I learn. I read that in 2010 when it was published. Sheesh. You think I’d have moved on by now.

The Hubster and I joined her e-course this spring: Living Brave. The course is based on her two latest books: Daring Greatly and Rising Strong.  (The course is more than worth the tuition, compared to the quality of the content.)

Enough back story. Why does this matter?

I learned that I am a Perfectionist. (A therapist told me that years ago but I didn’t believe her because I’m not perfect. I didn’t quite get the concept obviously.)

Being a Perfectionist is a broken way of living causing me to isolate, resulting in loneliness. Here’s the deal: when I am struggling with something I keep it to myself rather than ask for someone to listen to my heart. I tell myself things like I don’t want to be a burden or they don’t have time for me or they don’t need to hear all my issues.

It’s been almost 3 years since we moved to a different region of the state and I found myself needing to build community. I am typically a there for others kind of person; when they need something I make myself available to listen. But I rarely let my guard down to share how hard life is for me. (Ridiculous I know)

Is it pride that makes me a Perfectionist? Probably in part. It goes deeper than that.  As a child and teen any mistake I made was met with harsh ridicule and a command to do better or be better.  Less than an A or being president of every organization I took part in was tantamount to failure.

Hard to be vulnerable under pressure like that. So I developed the habit of “soldiering on”.

Not only is being vulnerable hard, it’s risky. People might not accept me if I have needs. This soldiering thing is a lonely burden. And I’m tired of it.  I want to be free of the mindset of needing to appear like I have all my ducks in a row.

Brene tells me that I need to Dare Greatly. Which is to say, be Vulnerable, which means Risking and Braving and probably Falling and all kinds of messy yuck.

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I already know the alternative. Loneliness. Isolation. Shame. Living in the land of Not Enough.

Blegh.

Risk Vulnerability or Stay Lonely.

I know I’m not the only one dealing with this dichotomy.  This is messy business but I’m daring to share this confession here.

Breaking the pattern one piece at a time.

 

 

Why Seeking Clarity is Like Hunting Unicorns

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I’m ending an eight year search for something illusive and perhaps mythical—clarity for my next season of life. The search began when Deep Grief bullied its way into my life. I’ve written about that here; no need to dwell there. Today’s focus: learning along the Way.

Clarity isn’t a thing to pursue, a place to arrive or a point on your calendar. There aren’t six steps to accomplish or a course to take with a certificate of completion.

Clarity searched for in those ways harkens to looking for unicorns.

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Clarity dawns when taking an action step. The steps look different for all of us; moving forward, trying something new, remain the critical factors.

In 2008 I began the illusive search for clarity. I made a rapid and unplanned exit from my position as teacher and co-director at SLO Classical Academy.  Disorientation and lots of questions overwhelmed me. My search for clarity took a circuitous route; listening to two voices of therapy and coaching helped uncover common threads in my life that I clung to in my disorientation. I used those threads to begin a new garment for the new season.

After two years of pursuit I gained certification as a life coach. This accomplishment didn’t usher in the clarity I sought.

I sought purpose; not something simply to keep me busy in the impending empty-nest season. I battled internal gremlins voicing lack of worthiness for my out of the box choice career choice. Yet as I worked with clients, common phrases began to surface; phrases affirming the presence I offer them and the gift of listening well.

I love working with people as they seek next steps in their journeys.  Inner life questions of purpose and calling can feel mysterious. Learning to ‘let your life speak’ as Parker Palmer so eloquently writes, allows search and discovery of common threads woven through your life.

Seeking clarity is not the same.

forest(photo cred:https://unsplash.com/@samscrim )

We’re promised light for the next step; a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path. We will hear a quiet whisper that tells us this is the way walk in it.  But clarity is a modern construct and remains illusive like the hunt for unicorns.

I spent years seeking clarity; crying out to God for discernment, not wanting to waste the precious time I have left here. No beacon illumined my path; no voice from on high spoke light into my darkness.  Had I missed a memo? Was my faith fractured?

Clarity showed itself as I took one step at a time. Clarity revealed itself as I climbed steep paths, looking back to see the evident clues along the Way.  Clarity continues to show up as I take a step of faith on undefined paths following the Leader as He calls me forward.

Clarity is not impossible or imaginary like hunting unicorns.  But similar to the mythical unicorn, clarity is not a thing to be achieved; it reveals itself rather than submitting to a dogged pursuit.

In what area of your life have you been hunting for clarity?

Purpose? Career? Relationship?

I’d love to help make your search shorter.

Why 10 Isn’t Enough

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This summer I’m engaging with one passage of the gospel of Matthew. Yep. Just one.

For 10 weeks I have purposed to dig deeper into one passage, phrase by phrase.

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Context

History

Audience

Original Languages

Cultural References

Cross References

All in effort to unpack what Jesus told His listeners (which includes us).

Sometimes the most familiar is overlooked.  We know but we don’t see.

Like Mall Confusion. You see everything and nothing at the same time. Lots of noise, people, lights, smells and it’s all overwhelming.  Reading through a familiar passage of the Bible can be like Mall Confusion.  All and Nothing at the same time.

Unless you slow. your. pace.

10 weeks. One phrase a week. Working to memorize in a different version than I know, to be able to see it again.

Week 6…”learn from Me…”What does that even look like? Learn from Jesus? Of course the curious among us do this:

google it.

Learn from Jesus. Google has some interesting hits with that one.  The top 3 were very helpful giving me a total of 36 different things I can learn from Jesus right off the bat. If I take one a day starting today it will be 5 weeks from now when I’ve finished just looking at the things I can learn from Jesus.  That doesn’t include the time it will take me to actually learn them. To get each thing into my bones kind of learning.

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That’s why 10 weeks isn’t enough. I’m pretty sure I can spend the rest of my life learning from Jesus.

Oh. Right.

Learning Along the Way.

Want to join me? I’d be happy to share what I’ve been learning. Let me know in the comments. Or message me on Facebook.

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