June 30 - 60/60

I'm making a special, focused effort to notice the grace and glory of God in the small things today. Things like the taste of good food, the glory of a beautiful sunny day, the smiles of my children, and the love of great relationships. They are all gifts and our observance of them is part of a life that is fully awake to the glory and presence of God.

Hope you notice Him in the small things today.
Grace and peace - PE

June 29 - 60/60 challenge

June 27 - 60/60

Posting a little later in the afternoon - Saturday was filled with responsibilities. My family had a yard sale and they were all so excited with the money they received from getting rid of their junk. I couldn't be happier to be rid of the stuff. I'm so tired of moving boxes of junk and keeping track of the stuff and getting it out of our way. Not only did we get rid of some junk, but we made a little bit of cash in the process.

There's a huge lesson there spiritually.

See sometimes there's junk crowding up our lives...stuff like fear, worry, addictions, guilt, regret, shame, and the list goes on and on. It's life controlling. It's constantly getting in our way of moving forward and toward freedom and wholeness, and just like the yard sale, getting rid of it is a win-win situation.

Maybe for the next couple days of the 60/60 we could ask God if there's anything that needs to be cleaned our of our souls. If we take the time to do it, we will profit much more than any yard sale could ever produce.

June 26 - 60/60

Fridays are 'biscuit day' at our house. We have 'made from scratch' biscuits every Friday morning and the kids love it. They look forward to it. The biscuits are nothing special in and of themselves, but it's a regular rhythm in our home that brings a sense normalcy and stability. Doesn't matter if it's been a rough week, or a great week, every Friday morning there will be homemade biscuits and six Millers around the table eating and talking and having a good time.

I think our personal time with God can be the same way, and hopefully you look forward to Sunday mornings in that way - a sense that no matter what else happens in the week, God is still God, and we'll meet together and worship Him whether it seemed like a good week or it seemed like a bad one.

Hope you have a great weekend doing the 60/60 and I'm looking forward to seeing you Sunday.
(any implied comparison of biscuits and God is absolutely unintentional...:)

June 25 - 60/60 - teaching moments...

The other day I’m at the book store with my 10 year old son trying instill in him a love of reading as well as some hangout time with Dad. He’s looking at football magazines and constantly making comments and asking questions. What I find is that there are teachable moments everywhere. He’ll read a quote from a great football player and I’ll reinforce a life-principle. My son doesn’t realize that there are all these things to learn simply from the things right in front of him.

I have to wonder if God doesn’t think the same about me.

The truth is that there are teachable moments all around us. That’s one of the great things about the 60/60…stopping long enough to say ‘God, what do you want me to learn in this situation?’
Keep in mind today that our Father is constantly seeing teachable moments in our lives…we simply need to listen for what He’s saying.

What's He saying to you today?

June 24 - 60/60

One of the great things about a discipline like the 60/60 is that after a while it becomes part of your life in a way that you feel strange if you miss it. 5 months ago I started going to a gym regularly (everyday except Sunday) and this morning I went and there was some kind of gas leak (police, fire trucks, UGI were all there) in the Tighlman 8 plaza where Planet Fitness is and they wouldn't let anybody into the whole plaza. So, I turned around and went home but it felt strange not to have worked out this morning. That's the way it should feel, perhaps exponentially more uncomfortable, when we miss our connection with God whether it's hourly, or prayer and scripture daily, or whatever it may be.

My prayer is that part of what the 60/60 does is make connecting with God frequently such a regular part of your everyday life that your really miss it if it doesn't happen.

Grace and peace to you today as you passionately pursue becoming the person God created you to be!

June 23 - 60/60

I'm getting so encouraged from how everyone is applying so many of the things we're talking about to their everyday situations. It's exactly what God wants us to do!

Here again are some powerful thoughts from the letters of Frank Laubach - he's writing about his intense desire to be led by God. Check it out:

"I am disgusted with the pettiness and futility of my unled self. If the way out is not more perfect slavery to God, then what is the way out? Paul [the apostle] speaks of our liberty in Christ. I am trying to be utterly free from everybody, free from my own self, but completely enslaved to the will of God every moment of this day."

Well said Frank. May that be our prayer also today. We don't always get it perfect, but the important thing is that we're striving and growing in the right direction.

How is it going for you today?

60/60 - June 22

Yesterday we talked about living wisely in our Basic Training series and concluded that one of the great questions we can ask ourselves when it comes to decisions is, "What is the wise thing to do?" It's so important that we keep in mind that wisdom begins with a recognition of who God is, and who you are. (Proverbs 1:7) If this is in place, then wisdom doesn't always mean safety - sometimes it means trusting God as we step out in faith. There are times when that's the wisest thing we can possibly do!

Have a great day connecting with God and once in a while when your timer goes off pray, "God, show me what the wise thing would be in this situation."

What's your experience today with the 60/60?

60/60 - God is good and gracious...

God is so good and gracious. One of the great things that the 60/60 CHALLENGE brings to light is how gracious God is and how His desire is not condemnation, but that we grow. I’ve messed up resetting my alarm so many times it’s pathetic - and yet when I realize it, I simply turn my heart and mind toward Him once again and take another little step of growth toward Him. It’s such a great picture of exactly how we are to live our lives everyday.

What's God speaking to you through the 60/60?

60/60 June 19th

Frank Laubach was a missionary to the Philippines in the 1930's. In his letters he wrote while he was there, he included this powerful reflection:

"Living in the atmosphere of Islam is proving - thus far - a tremendous spiritual stimulus. Mohammed is helping me. I have no more intention of giving up Christianity and becoming a Mohammedan than I had twenty years ago, but I find myself richer for the Islamic experience of God.

Islam stresses the will of God. It is supreme. We cannot alter any of His mighty decrees. To try to do so means annihilation. Submission is the first and last duty of man. That is exactly what I've been needing in my Christian life."

Reading this begs the question...Is the will of God supreme in my life? Am I passionately pursuing it? Something to think about today as we do the 60/60 CHALLENGE.

60/60 - June 18th

Frank Laubach lived in the 1930's and was one of the foremost proponents of seeking to fill every minute of his day with thoughts turned towards God. I will quote from his letters that were compiled in a book called "Letters by a Modern Mystic" pretty often in during the 60/60 CHALLENGE. Here's a thought of hope for us on a rainy day in June:

"To be able to look backward and say, 'This has been the finest year of my life' - that is glorious. But anticipation! To be able to look ahead and say, 'The present year can and shall be better!' - that is more glorious!"

Let's make the next season of our lives the best so far. Make it your goal to be closer to Christ than you've ever been before. Come on, what can stop you?

60/60 June 17th - Dangerous temptation

After you've done the 60/60 for a few days there are a few dangerous temptations. One is to fall into just the routine and reset the timer without connecting with God. Another is to say a short prayer without really connecting. I've found that one of the foundational elements I sometimes need to remind myself of is one we went over on Sunday. Sometimes I need to fan the flame of my desire to become like Jesus. The world around us distracts us and tempts us with the desire to want to become a lot of things, but only becoming like Christ matters both now and for eternity.

Fan the flame. Every hour. Jesus I want to be more like you.

60/60 CHALLENGE - June 16th

I didn't get a chance to blog about how incredible the School's Out celebration went yesterday. It was incredible. The weather was perfect until everything was over and packed up. Throughout the whole day it really seemed like God was smiling on us. There were hundreds of kids, lots of food, good connections made, and we made a positive impact on hundreds of kids. Throughout the day as my 60/60 CHALLENGE timer went off, I would find myself thanking God for the day...praying for the kids right in front of me...and humbled and grateful to be able to spend a few hours of my life this way.

I haven't been perfect in the every hour thing...sometimes when I stop the timer, I forget to start it again for the next hour. The interesting thing is that it's not too long before I realize "Hey, I haven't heard the timer lately!" Then I start it again and get back on track.

How has it been going with you? Is God speaking anything to you as you continue to turn your attention toward Him?

Now that everyone knows I'm doing this...

It was kind of interesting when I started the 60/60 early last week and didn't tell anyone about it. I just got to sort of ease into it, seeing the little changes and things myself. Now that my whole family knows, especially my children, it's kind of different. It's like I have this built-in accountability group! It's a good thing and it keeps me on track because I know my kids are watching me closely.

I hope you have an awesome day with the 60/60 challenge! Praying that our School's Out event goes well and that we demonstrate Christ's love in an attractive way.

How is your challenge going?

Beginning the 60/60 CHALLENGE!

Did you ever have the nagging sense that there has to be more to this ‘relationship with God’ thing than you are currently experiencing? Chances are...you’re right. Unfortunately many of our attempts at spiritual growth resemble short stints with fad diets or trying and failing to stay on a budget. That's why at Valley Church we're starting the 60/60 challenge. The challenge is that for 60 days, we would stop every 60 minutes of our waking hours and remind ourselves that wherever we find ourselves at that time, God is with us and desires to give us His grace for that moment. The goal is simply to cultivate a minute by minute conversation of openness to God. Don't be too hard on yourself if you miss a few times, just start again. Jesus said in John 15 that if we 'remain' or 'abide' in him we can bear a lot of fruit - fruit of the Spirit - and that this bearing of fruit is the defining characteristic of a disciple of Jesus Christ.

So come on, what do you have to lose? Nothing! What might we gain? A life of connectedness with God and finding ourselves becoming more and more like Jesus Christ in our everyday situations. Go for it! Let's do the 60/60 CHALLENGE!