Last night in our second class on discipleship I put a bullseye target on every table. The picture above is the finished product.

First as a class we made a list of the things Christians/churches are about or what they do. If you go to church you can imagine some of the responses. I asked everyone to be honest. So we ended up with such responses: worship, share Jesus, uphold traditions, fight/fuss, encourage, show off, and even resist change and get stuck in a rut.

After creating our list I explained that the bullseye in the target symbolized what is most important to us. The class had to write items from the list on a post-it, then place them on the target.

The discussion that followed was difficult, yet refreshing because of its honesty. We are choosing to spend our time and energy on many things that are far from center. Christians and churches would benefit and grow from this kind of conversation and must work diligently to make the most important things of Christ our focus as Christians.

This kind of practice will move us from believers to disciples. You can give intellectual assent to Jesus, but Jesus didn't call us to simply believe. He called us to follow. Following Christ is the bullseye. Now everything I do must move me to that journey.

It is a new year and I have a picked a new word.  I begin to think about what word I will pick a few weeks before the new year begins.  I typically wrestle quite a bit to get any word to pop into my head.  This year wasn't all that different.  The word, "perspective," popped into my head, but I decided not to listen.  I had a conversation with God and told him that that was not the word and I needed a different word.  I don't really like the word.  It's not all the fun.  Couldn't I get a word like dream, joy, laughter, vision, or even life?
I know this is the word I need, though.  Life seems to get muddled at times and we always need a fresh perspective to make good choices.  In ministry I have the opportunity to minister through study, writing, serving, visiting, praying, and casting vision.  I'm not sure any of these are ever in full balance.  The key it seems is to keep a good perspective.  Sometimes banging out a great sermon has to play second to someone who is fighting for their life in the hospital.  Another thought is that sometimes I get to the end of my week and think about all I have done and wonder:  "Did I do any good this week?"  "Will anything I did this week change the world or even just change one person for one second?"  

I always want the things I do to mean something and be productive.  I desire to be good at what I'm doing.  Okay, if I'm being honest, I desire to be perfect at everything?  It hurts when I feel I have done something that hurt someone else or as my boys say, "It makes my heart blue."  So I have to keep a perspective that this isn't about me and what I can do, but about God and what he is already doing and how he wants to use me.

Perspective for 2014 will mean keeping the right view of the importance of family, work, and extra-curriculars.  It will mean allowing for God to show me some things.  It will mean that sometimes I will need to stop and ask God how I should really see this.  It will mean that I will do my best to focus on a balance and that at times being out of balance to one particular area is the right perspective.

I'm looking forward to what God wants to do with my life this year.  I am submitting to him and his will.  I hope that he will give me a divine perspective.  I pray that he will change me to look more like him.  And it is my desire that while I'm on this journey that I will be given the right perspective for my path.

What is your word for the year?
How will it change you?