Summary Post: Connecting the Dots--the Series
One of my deepest desires as a believer is to become transformed to become more like Christ. The older I get, the more I realize how far I have to grow. This used to discourage me, as if I was chasing after a goal that kept moving.
Now, this has actually been a moment of worship. Instead of interpreting this as “I need to try harder,” I am learning to see this gap because I am growing in my amazement at the greatness of God. Not that he is getting greater but that my awareness of and appreciation for his greatness is increasing.
Of course that means the gap between belief and practice does widen. I see how much more I need to grow. I need more and more help, not less, to connect the dots from what I am recognizing in Him and my daily life. And that is actually the way it should be. I am growing up into being His child—dependent and trusting—even as I deal with ever more troubling adult issues.
In a way, this series has been my way of looking back where God has taken me these past years as He forms my foundation as a writer. I’ve collected the posts and series that I’ve written on and tried to put them together.
Though this is not a course of study, it is a way I understand how we begin to connect the dots between what we say we believe and how we live. There are so many more angles and directions, but here, I share my own journey of how this looks.
Posts in this series:
Connecting the Dots: I begin with a reflection of what God has been doing in my life.
The Story God Has Written: Walking in His Purpose: My life only makes sense when I see it through the lens of God’s Story. He’s going somewhere—therefore, so am I.
Walking in His Story: Living Out the Gospel Every Day: The good news of Christ is what transferred me from the kingdom of darkness into God’s wondrous kingdom of light. But it is also the power that helps me to live in joy despite difficulty today. Connecting the dots is not about my willpower or strength but being strengthened by the Spirit to walk in a new path.
Growing in Christ: God's Ordinary Hidden Ways: Though we might wish God would wave a wand and transform us—poof!—into the image of Christ, He opts to use more ordinary ways to help us grow. These are the building blocks of how we connect the dots.
Six Spiritual Practices That Help Me Stay Present with Christ: Bible reading and study, meditation, memorization, prayer, rest, and worship—all these are practices I have incorporated to keep me anchored to Christ, who is the one who helps me connect the dots.
Learning From Faithful Voices: Reading as a Disciple: The Bible is an ancient book with truths for all time. But God has also graciously gifted his saints to help us with more modern applications. Here are some voices that have spoken into my heart as I desire to connect the dots.
Made for Community: Biblical Friendship for Everyday Life: Connecting the dots is not meant to be a solo effort. God has placed me in the community of the saints. Together, we help one another to live faithfully.
Investing at Home: Loving Those Closest to You: What we learn about God is meant to be poured out and invested in real life. It is how loving God links with loving our neighbor. And the best place for us to start is with those closest to us. For me, that’s my family at home.
The Ministry of Influence: Bringing God's Wisdom Into Everyday Relationships: One of the ways we love others is to disciple them in their walk with Christ, sharing what He has done in our lives and helping them to connect the dots wisely in theirs.
Time Well Spent: Stewarding Your Time for God and People: Managing how we use our time is one of the ways we make space for God and others, not merely be more productive. This is one of the ways I also connect the dots so that I have time to actually live out what I say I believe.
Embodied Theology: Turning Biblical Convictions Into Daily Faithfulness: The ultimate goal in how we live is worship. May our plans and lives be a way we worship Him—which is the ultimate way we connect the dots.
What’s Happening Personally
As I write this post, I am embarking on a new season of life: one as a student. Though I am closer to my 60s than not, I am returning to school to get my Master’s degree in counseling. I have always enjoyed learning and am finally in a season in life to do so. As we prepare our youngest to enter college this fall, so I am entering into a new season of study myself.
This blog, even if no one reads it, has been a place for me to process life, think, try out new teaching ideas, flesh out and explore different angles on the things that matter most. I plan to continue to do so, but it might look a little different. As much as possible, I am trying to coordinate as much of my life as I can, to help me focus instead of being scattered in many different directions.
So there may be times when my blog series may simply be the way that I am working out what I am learning in a particular term of study. My desire still will be, however, to connect the dots. That is the question for my life: how can what I am learning in class help me grow in Christ—not just in knowledge, but in faith?
I hope you’ll continue to join me on this journey of discovery of our good and great God and how we might become more like Him as we rest and abide in Him.
