In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear says the best kind of will-power is the kind you never have to use. Meaning, it’s a lot easier to resist whatever it is you’re trying to resist if you are able to avoid it all together. That’s why those who are trying to lose weight will remove all the junk food from their house. Sure, they could run out and buy more, but if it’s not there, that’s one less temptation lingering in the cupboard.
The point of all this is that we can attempt to fix something but unless we get to the root of the problem, it will continue. We might fix it in the short-term but no lasting change will come unless you tackle the problem head on. This is true when it comes to our actions and behavior. What we do is always motivated by what we desire and think. Our desires can be positive or negative but it is what motivates us. Jesus helps us to understand that to experience the life-change of the Ten Commandments and the Gospel, we must look internally before we try to correct the external.
I don’t find myself caught off guard on Sunday mornings all that often, but there were two moments this week that surprised me. The first was the wave of boos and moans and groans when I said I was praying for more snow. Based on the weather reports, you seem safe this week, but I will keep praying! The second surprise was the number of hands that went up when I asked people to commit to taking a break from all social media and news this week. I confess I had low expectations, assuming just a few hands would go up, because I know it will be a big commitment. But wow what a response. I don’t know the exact numbers, but it seemed like a fourth of the crowd put up their hands. That is a big response. And I think it shows that our church is hungry for a change and hungry for freedom.
Last Sunday we wrapped up our “Know Thyself” mini-series. This week we return to 1 Peter for the next six weeks. Read ahead in 1 Peter 4:7-11 as we prepare to focus on the power of prayer. If we want to see God move and Grow Valley View in the South End of Louisville, our starting place in 2025 is prayer. May He guide you to find more moments of prayer this week.
About a year ago Kevin Brian, a student pastor here many years ago, stopped by to visit and brought with him twelve framed prints. These prints used to hang in the hallways flanking the sanctuary and included symbols representing some of the spiritual priorities of the church. One has in the center of the print two Greek letters overlaid on one another: Alpha and Omega.
No matter your feelings about winter weather, one thing is the same, we had no control over it. We all had our plans for the last few days. Church was scheduled for Sunday, Monday was supposed to be the start of school, AWANAs, students, and D-Groups were all supposed to start Wednesday. I’m sure you had your plans as well for family and work, and yet when winter weather shows up, things necessarily must change. Our plans must submit to the dictates of the weather, and, ultimately, we must humble ourselves to this reality that we are not in control of something as normal as the weather.
What is your word for 2025? If you could look back and have one word true of you at the end of the year, what would it be? Choose that word now and begin praying for God to be at work in your life. Most mornings I begin the day praying for genuine joy to be pervasive in my life. I read Psalm 40 and reflect on the truths in it, like verse 8, “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
I’m guessing that most of us were rather generous yesterday, giving gifts to many friends and family members. Find some time today to simply discuss as a family some of the ways you are grateful for Christ in your life, how He has forgiven you and loved you even when you felt you didn’t deserve it. I think the more we focus on how much we’ve been forgiven, the more naturally generous and serving we become.
Not too long ago I was riding my bike down a lonely country road. Normally I would be enjoying the crisp morning air, the beautiful scenery, and moments of prayer and reflection. But this day I was struggling to turn the pedals, trying to find the willpower to keep pressing forward, feeling kind of alone in my misery. At least I thought I was all alone, but then out of nowhere I felt the presence of a car looming behind me. Normally people zoom past or stay pretty far back, but this person kept inching closer and closer, eventually coming alongside me. Their window was down, and I thought, “Oh no, they’re going to yell at me for getting in the way and making them slow down.” I tried pedaling faster but the body wasn’t responding. So I waited for the verbal barrage to come, and as I glanced over at the woman, seeing her take in full lungs of air to yell her loudest, I heard an energetic, “KEEP GOING!!!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!”
I remember a time when I felt probably the most in need in my life. It was my first year of college. I had just wrecked my dream car, a 1981 Malibu low-rider with custom paint and interior. The car was totaled but somehow I escaped serious injury. I was in between jobs and low on cash. My spiritual life was struggling as well. I was living at home during college, so my dad was able to take me to school. As he was dropping me off one day when I was feeling particularly low, he stopped me as I was stepping out of the car and handed me a crisp $20 bill. That may not seem like much now, but it felt like the keys to Ft. Knox to me at the time.
