One time, when Bill Murray was still making funny movies, he made a movie where the main character woke up over and over on the same day: Groundhog Day. Serving as both the date and title of the movie, I’m always reminded of it when February 2nd rolls around. Since Bill Murray lives out the same day every day for pretty much the whole movie, it’s interesting to see how he uses the repetition first for his own gain and then, finally, to the benefit of others, eventually finding love.

Awww.

We often live repetitious lives. Some of us may be longing to get away, to live a life that is full of excitement everyday and not have routine become our mainstay. Seeing as how most of us are unable to drop everything and run away to a life of excitement (and that option is full of just as much routine, I might add), I would encourage you to use and live your routine to the best of your ability.

Take a moment to think about your daily routine. Now think about the parts that are:

1. beneficial and worthwhile (for yourself and to others)
2. unnecessary
3. detrimental and worthless (to yourself and to others)

There are things in our day-to-day lives that are good and should be focused on and amplified.  Prayer is the first example that comes to mind and is something that Paul brings up again and again in his letters to various churches.  In 1 Thessalonians, he sums it up best: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess. 5:16-18).”  So perhaps prayer isn’t a daily routine for you.  Focus on changing that and praying everyday, bringing your praises and concerns and petitions to God.  And let’s not forget some other good and beneficial and worthwhile things to do everyday: reading the Bible (Justin has a resource for you if you need a place to start), doing something selfless for someone else, spending time with your family, spending time with your friends, fulfilling your responsibilities (in school, to your parents, to your friends),  spending time being creative, eating, taking care of yourself through exercise and activity.  The list of good and beneficial things is long and we ought to focus on doing those things everyday, with priority being given to things that involve loving God better and then loving people better.

With such a long list of activities that should be part of our daily routine, there should be less time spent on those unnecessary things that suck away our time.  My personal struggle is spending too much time in front of various types of media on the television and computer.  There is value in relaxing and taking part in something creative on the internet or watching a television show that stimulates our mind to learn, but there is no need to spend hours and hours playing video games or watching a marathon of shows all day.  I’ve caught myself doing it at times and it should be our goal to never let those unnecessary things become part of our routine.

Finally, we need to be on the look out for hurtful and detrimental things that are a part of our daily routine.  I think these include all the times we do something out of selfishness.  Sometimes these things are also lumped in with the unnecessary routines, but unfortunately there are probably many that are just plain bad for you without mentioning how worthless they are.  I’m talking about sin, sin that recurs day in and day out and it happens with such frequency that it can sadly become routine; maybe not daily or even weekly, but our returning to this sin can so often be labeled a routine and it’s one that we need to weed out in a hurry.  I’m not here to see what sin it is that you struggle with and there are too many things out there that people do out of selfishness to list them all.  I only encourage you to look hard and see what sins are consistently popping up and keeping you from loving God better and then loving people better.

We all tend to live lives of routine.  Sometimes it feels like we’re waking up and living the same exact day everyday.  Well, if that is the case, let’s use routine as a tool to benefit our loving of God and of people.

P.S.– He really did see his shadow.  I guess that means six more weeks of winter.   That means plenty of time indoors for you to refine your routine.

I get to preach this Sunday. It is stressing me out just a little bit. But that’s okay.

We’ll be talking about prayer. This is a broad subject. But we will zero in on how participation is key.

So, pray this week. Pray today. Pray this hour. Pray this very minute. Pray for what is on your heart, pray for your friends, pray for God’s will to be done.

Participate.

Pray.

“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”
–Ecclesiastes 12:13

I have mixed feelings about New Years Eve and the celebration and the resolutions that are made. Specifically I wonder if we don’t take resolutions serious anymore. I mean, it’s definitely okay to make whatever resolution you want this new year and I certainly hope you keep it (especially since a resolution is “a firm decision to do or not to do something”…so if you make a firm decision you should probably stick to it).  But I wonder if we just make them to make them sometimes and if we make most resolutions about stuff that isn’t the most important thing.  Like, it’s probably good to resolve that you’ll eat less chocolate or stop smoking or loss five or ten pounds–heck, I’m hoping to lose some weight this year–but that’s not the one thing we should resolve to do.

Last Sunday we were encouraged to look at our past year, see what we had messed up with and decide not to go back to that kind of behavior or thinking because that’s like a dog going back to puke.  It’s gross.  And as we enter the new year we should think about what the author of Ecclesiastes is saying and how it can apply to us:

Everything has been heard.  Maybe you’ve been rehashing all your mistakes over this past year and beating yourself up over them.  Maybe you think you don’t mess up and that you’re a pretty good person.  Fine.  Each have their faults.  When it comes down to it, it’s time to make one resolution this next year: Fear God and keep His commandments.  That’s the most important thing.

What will fearing God and keeping His commandments include?  I’ll keep it brief:

Realizing you’ve sinned and you need God.  Realizing He is perfect and He sent His perfect Son to die on the cross for your sins so that you wouldn’t have to pay the penalty for them.  Then setting out to accept Jesus’ sacrifice and actually live as if you did that and let the Holy Spirit continue to sanctify you and help you to do God’s will (His commandments).

So.  Even with my uneasiness about resolutions and the like, I will always think that one resolution is worth making and keeping:  Fear God.  Keep His commandments.

My sense of eagerness has been growing steadily for the past 24 hours.
There are several factors:

• It is my first Christmas as a married man and I’m so incredibly stoked to wake up next to Emily and enjoy our first Christmas morning together.
• There is a Winter Storm coming in and I am very excited (though bummed for the people that are going to be unable to travel to see their loved ones).  I just think that inclement weather puts me more in the mood–Christmas is during the winter season so it should feel like winter outside.  If it looks like it, too, then even better.
• It’s Christmas Eve and I’m always super excited on Christmas Eve.  It’s a tradition in and of itself.

While looking over that list I can easily see why my level of excitement and anticipation has grown and blossomed into a giddy explosion of energy.  And I’m disappointed in myself that I don’t immediately think of and remember Jesus in my eagerness.  In some respects, it is understandable that I’m excited to have my first Christmas with my wife and have her open her presents and (hopefully) play in the snow–those are, after all, tangible things.  Jesus being born 2,000 years ago, while very very real, just isn’t reach-out-and-touch tangible.  And His imminent return, while very very real, isn’t something that has a concrete date and time for us to get excited about.

But we are still called to anticipate.  We are still called to be eager and to be ready for Jesus.

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky?  This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
–Acts 1:11

So by all means, get excited, get feverish, get ready for Christmas!  I know I am!
But, let’s just try, together, to focus that energy and direct our ultimate anticipation for Christ’s return.

Merry Christmas!