The One Benefit of A Bad Habit
It was a terrible habit. Easily avoidable, yet often repeated. The semester was winding down and once again I found myself slipping back into the same pattern of “selective deferred prioritization,” otherwise known as procrastination. But as one friend often said, “If you only have a minute, it only takes a minute,” a phrase which often summed up my final week of school.
And so here I was again, with another paper due the next day that I had not started, had not even given a thought. With the computer labs closed for the night, and no computer at home, I called my Life Group leader (another excellent reason to be in a Life Group); he offered his for the night. So there I sat in his spare bedroom for eight hours straight, hammering out what I would consider to be less than my finest work (my professor agreed). But the exercise did highlight one positive thing, and only one: The incredible power of focus.
The Power of FOCUS
There are few things like the power of focus in life. When you have it, time flies and work feels effortless. Some call it the “zone,” where everything just clicks.
There’s power with personal focus, but also with collective focus. That’s why Valley View begins the year with a new vision statement, a fresh focus for the coming year. Last year it was “Hungry and Dependent.” This year, we launched the theme of “Free and Fearless” at the annual Vision Banquet. Focusing together on a central theme increases our shared burden to see God move in that area. To get a better picture of where we’re headed in 2023, you’ll want to watch the message, or read the letter (printed copies will be in the lobby Sunday).
Free and Fearless
Free and Fearless are all about being free from sin (Galatians 5:1) so that we can fearlessly proclaim the Gospel (Philippians 1:14). I ended the night with four main action points toward this end, one of which was invite: Pray for opportunities to invite someone to a Life Group. One member confessed to me, “I had no idea who I would invite. I was praying for God to open a door, and literally the next day the person sitting near me at an event opened up about some challenges in life, so I invited their family to church.”
The powerful part of this is that God opened this door. It’s not about our striving, it’s about seeking His face and asking Him to open the hearts of our neighbors, family, co-workers, and classmates. You never know what God might be doing in the hearts of those around you!
Last Sunday we studied John 6:22-40; this Sunday we’ll continue in chapter six and see how Jesus interacts with those who have a hard time accepting what He has to say.
We have many exciting things planned at Valley View this spring, a few of which are listed below, like the men’s conference, student discipleship weekend, women’s retreat, Kevin Hamm coming to speak, Super Start, and many more. As exciting as those things are, my prayer is that we all become increasingly more Free from sin and Fearless to proclaim the gospel in Southwest Louisville in the coming year!