New Year, Fresh Focus — Finding Something REAL

Sitting here, watching the Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Lois Evans, also watching the snow fall down, glancing up to see my four and six year-old children eating their lunches extra slowly- because they’re trying to delay their nap times.

It seems kind of ironic that we went a whole Christmas break here without snow and now today, on the day when the older kids went back to school, the flakes are falling like a postcard scene.

I’ve been catching parts of the livestream of this memorial in-between laundry and other tasks this morning. I’ve always admired the Evans family for their faith and after meeting some of the family members in October, my admiration has only increased. And so today, I watched as over and over, people have declared the goodness of God and the victory of Jesus through the life of the family matriarch, Lois Evans.

Legacy.

It didn’t happen by accident. And it’s something to ponder.

One by one, Lois’ children arise and called her blessed. If you want to be encouraged by their strength and faith, you can watch the service here. I especially love when her son, Jonathan shares how he struggled with questions around the 3hr:25min mark.

Jonathan also mentioned how just like in the Book of Acts where it talks about King David. "Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep,” so each of us are called to serve God’s purpose in our own generation and we will too, someday fall asleep.

Sometimes I get caught up in focusing too much on my self and my purpose instead of focusing on God.

And as I sat down to record a couple new podcast episodes for this new season last week, I came across a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer that challenged me, “Seek God, not happiness – this is the fundamental rule of all meditation. If you seek God alone, you will gain happiness: that is its promise.”

How many times do I actually seek God for His sake and not for my own selfish desires? How many times do I actually believe that by seeking Him I’ll find something so much greater and better than anything this world has to offer? When I find myself striving to do, instead of resting in what He’s already done, I know it’s time to pause and re-evaluate.

So I paused a bit these past couple weeks. And the truth is, pause is important every day. This morning, my children and I paused to stretch and take deep breaths, and consider Scripture before getting in the van to head to town. Just those few minutes in the quiet together- they mattered somehow.

And as for 2020…

I am still on a quest for finding something real. For redemption, eternity, authenticity and love. I am after a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. I want clarity this year on certain areas I struggle in- and I invite you to join me on this journey.

Are you sick of letting detours and disappointments completely derail you?

Or are you tired of pretending perfect because it’s just exhausting?

My plan for 2020 is to talk with people who’ve been through their own struggles and want to encourage others with things they’ve learned in their journeys. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say and to share their stories with you. I won’t pretend to be perfect and I promise I won’t interview any perfect people.

But I will be talking with people who love Jesus and want to share what He’s done in their lives. People who are about purpose and legacy because they’re about Him.

During this Series, I’m sharing a free power sheet of resources and practical ideas that have helped my friends and me find clarity in the day-to-day crazy. Basically- how do we pursue loving God and loving people and focusing on what matters when life is just plain messy? The power sheet is just an ideas starter. Each month, I’ll also be creating reflective study sheets with questions related to each month’s topic. If you’re not already on my email list, you can access all of that via my website, just click on “Clarity 2020” at the top of the page.

I’m after finding something real and the clarity to be encouraged.

And I hope you’ll join me in the journey. Follow along by subscribing to the “Finding Something Real” podcast on Apple or Spotify. And check back here or on Instagram/Facebook for updates.

Blessings friend. And Happy New Year!