NovemberBlogfest
What on earth have I gotten myself into?
That is the question that continues to flash through my head as I contemplate the journey ahead of me. I had always read on Twitter about some of my friends endeavoring such feats, but always mused silently to myself that I was just too busy to take something like that on. I’ve got work, discipleship, FLEE, and writing a book to worry about. Challenging myself in that way would just be irresponsible.
I must admit, I’ve gotten pretty good at convincing myself that I am disciplined and responsible.
The truth is, though, that I am not disciplined. I am not responsible. In the midst of stress I try to cope by shutting down parts of my life; I unplug, and drop the ball. My walk falters. My relationships become more distant as I become reclusive. My work suffers. My ministry suffers. I suffer. And yet I march proudly down this road imagining that I’m on another. Well convincing—lying to—myself and others that I am hard at work accomplishing all that God has set before me. It’s just not true. A week ago, the scales were ripped from my eyes and light flooded in exposing the recesses of my life and expelling the shadows that I’ve hid behind. Standing, blinking, trying to cover my eyes, I saw the truth: I am undisciplined.
Enter God, stage right.
My friend and old teacher, Sean Durham, for reasons unbeknownst to me (and probably to him) mentioned me on Twitter, and posed to me a daunting proposition—a dreaded question.
hey man you should do NovemberBlogfest with us…write a blog everyday for a month?
Almost immediately I recoiled at the idea, and then just as quickly, I jumped at the chance. I didn’t want to start because it would be hard and I was afraid I wouldn’t finish — because I lack the discipline to. All of a sudden, like a gust of fresh wind on a hot summer’s day, God hit me in the face with His soft-spoken yet thunderous words for my life. The message was received. He didn’t want me to be irresponsible. He didn’t want me to continue to live in a lack of discipline. He wanted to teach me discipline, and there was no time to waste thinking about it.
Now, do I think that by deciding to partake in NovemberBlogfest I will magically grow a disciplined streak in my character? Hardly. Do I believe that I will discipline myself to actually write a blog every day for the next month? Hopefully. Can God use something so foolish as a blog challenge to teach me how to be a better man? Undoubtedly.
So I invite you, friends, to share with me on my journey toward discipline this month. Come read my blog, if you like. There will be a fresh one every day. Write with me, if you think you can take the challenge! Either way, and no matter what, I have resolved to learn discipline, because that’s what my Dad wants for me.
NovemberBlogfest, Here I Come!
