picture this

I’m not interested in hearing the resolutions you’re making for January 2011. I want to hear what your life will look like next December.


A few years ago I stopped listing the activities I would start or stop in January and started thinking about how I wanted my life to have changed in a year’s time. I quit thinking in terms of “vows” and began thinking in terms of “vignettes.”

For instance, last December I asked myself what would improve my life in 2010 and how it would feel to experience those moments.

Some happened: making new friends, planting a garden, jogging, saying no to a few clients, and saving more money for retirement.  Because I chose these things, 2010 included scenes of laughing and talking with fun people, picking fresh vegetables, running in my neighborhood, enjoying more free time, and feeling more financially secure.

Others didn’t: I grew my hair out longer, then hated it. I am still not much better at unitasking. I did not consistently volunteer or cook from scratch each week.


But this was still one of my best years ever, and this week I get to decide which scenes I want to live in 2011.

The unitasking one will be back, for serious this time, with a mental picture of feeling more productive and less scattered. Trying to stay on schedule with the daily chronological Bible made the year worse, not better; when I got behind I felt guilty and the pace didn’t allow for serious reflection or study of anything. Instead of picturing the “win” of finishing Revelation on New Year’s Eve (not gonna happen Friday, by the way) I’m thinking about ending next year more knowledgeable about a few issues that especially matter to me right now. I spend most of most days sitting and stressing in front of a computer screen, so 2011 will include a lot more stretching and hiking and I will motivate myself by picturing a stronger, healthier and more flexible me next Christmas.


As a new year approaches, you can either resolve to make abrupt changes (which are unlikely to last) or gradually rewrite the trajectory of twelve months. What will you choose? What moments do you want to create in 2011?

go (far away) and tell it on the mountain

Merry Christmas, friends.

new to you friday—hot topics

My original post sparked a great discussion so I planned to revisit it at some point. I chose this week, however, because of an article the Barna Group posted on Monday with the six megathemes emerging from their research in 2010. These include “The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate” and “Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for life.”

Should these realities affect the way we plan services and sermons? Do we give churchgoers what they want or what they need—and what is that, anyway?

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I prefer to study an entire book of the Bible instead of topics.

However, judging from most church web sites, I’m in the minority. Most churches do series after series—sometimes on practical issues (finances, marriage), sometimes more theological ones (the names of God, Jesus’ parables).

I agree it can be important to study topics occasionally, especially if they address real issues going on in the life of the church or the larger culture. (A study of the biblical qualifications and expectations for elders enriched my own church’s elder-selection process last summer.)

But I wish topical studies were the exception rather than the norm. I much prefer working through a book, Old or New Testament, chunk by chunk. I want to learn about the author and historical context, the meanings of words in Hebrew or Greek, the way the original audience would have interpreted the text.

I want to get a sense of the Biblical story, not its application—in verse-size bites—to the much less interesting narratives offered by our culture.

I wonder why most preachers (at least in our churches) don’t do this. Is it easier to preach topically? Do we think audiences (um, I mean, church goers) aren’t biblically literate and mature enough to benefit from it? If the latter, how are they going to grow to maturity through a steady diet of Bible sound bites?

Pastors, what influences your preaching calendar? Educate my ignorance about your strategy.

And pew people, am I alone in this? Which type of message do you prefer?

merry christmas to me

Earlier this year I wrote about my desire, at the late age of 34, to finally discover who I am and what I really want. “Is it too late to backpack through Europe?” I wrote. “Can I be an honorary Millennial even if I have a mortgage?”


It’s a cliche to talk about “finding myself,” but this spring I’ll at least find myself someplace new………..because Sunday I booked a flight to Europe!


In May I’ll backpack through Paris, Munich and Berlin with my friend Bree. We’re going to stay in hostels, travel by train, and occasionally forget we are vegetarians.

One (wonderful) trip isn’t going to magically answer all questions about my purpose and future goals, but it will scratch the itch for adventure and fun that I’ve ignored for too long.

“I want to want something,” I wrote in June. Well, I identified one thing I want and I’m taking steps to make it happen. Now to get a book deal so the whole thing is deductible…….

new to you friday–unitasking

I’m only slightly better at this now, a whole year after the original post, so it’s a goal that’s carrying into 2011. And it’s even more necessary; with several new clients and three more email accounts, I just don’t have the luxury of wasting time. But even more importantly, I enjoy my work more and do a better job with it when I’m focused.

So I’m closing down the windows currently open on my laptop—the one for Wendy’s new fries with sea salt (anyone tried them yet?), the one for a kinda cool video of synchronized diving, the one for Facebook (yes, I know, the profiles are new, let’s all take a deep breath) and the one with a digital copy of Neue Magazine. Time to work.

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It’s a cliche this time of year to talk about “Christmas presence”—i.e. giving the gift of time or attention instead of something bought in a store. But like many overused phrases, it’s a popular idea because it’s a good one, and this year I’m giving that gift to myself.

I live my life as a multitasker. Some of it’s harmless, like paying bills while watching a favorite movie (I’ve seen “Clue” so many times I don’t even need to look up at the screen to know what’s going on) or dusting my bookshelves while talking on the phone.

But much of it’s not so positive. I routinely open six or seven web sites at a time (some of my nine email accounts, a few blogs, Twitter) and waste huge chunks of time flicking from one to the next instead of doing real work. Or I’ll start an email only to be distracted by a flash of brilliance (very occasionally) on a current project and will leave the note half-finished while I chase the next thought. I’ll start to vacuum the house only to be distracted by dishes in the sink, which I’ll start to load into the dishwasher before noticing the pile of mail on the counter and remembering I should pay the water bill, which takes me back to the computer for three very important minutes reading a Facebook quiz about the girl who sat behind me in 7th grade.


In many ways, this multitasking reveals a lack of discipline. And while it affects my productivity to some extent, it also affects my personality.

Constant shifts of attention, and the constant re-focusing required to finally finish things, leave my brain and spirit more weary than simply focusing on one project for an hour or two. I find myself chronically restless and scattered.

So I’m slowly and painfully moving toward unitasking—doing one thing, doing it well, then moving to the next. This pic provides my inspiration, although I check email every hour to avoid the “I’m just calling to leave a message to see if you got my email message about my phone message” craziness.

(A public service announcement: don’t be that person.)


This is less a resolution than a lifestyle shift. As we enter the busiest time of the year, you could also think of it as a sanity strategy for yourself. Many of us will spend this month managing our demanding lives by multitasking. As a result we’ll spend most of this season distracted, trying to do more but actually experiencing less.

This December I’m going to enjoy the present of being present for my life. Want to join me?



what’s your 20?

My life is completely about me.

It’s an occupational hazard of being single and childless; from spending my time to spending my money, I rarely have to consider anyone else. I even work at home, so I “miss” the conflicts and compromises of office life.

This can be fun, of course (yes, that was me buying a $4 peppermint mocha on Saturday) but it can also create a very self-centered existence. One way God grows our character and maturity is through living in a family or community; although I have lots of friends, I don’t have a daily responsibility to sacrifice for someone else, and I’m probably worse off for it.


So this year I’m participating in Restore Community Church‘s “Big Give.” I heard about the project when interviewing church leaders about their Christmas outreach plans for a future Buzz. (Read all about it in the December 19 issue.) Restore’s “20 for 20″ challenge seemed like the perfect way to intentionally think about others this Christmas.

On Sunday, the church asked members to give a gift to someone—money or time, pricey or not—each day from December 6-25 and share the stories on the Big Give Facebook page.

Yesterday I began by donating $20 to buy a Bible for someone in the CCSI program; in future days I plan to donate to some local causes, randomly pay for other peoples’ $4 coffees, sing carols at a Salvation Army kettle with friends, and just stay open to what opportunities each day brings.

In fact, I’m torn between keeping these to myself (because the only thing less attractive than self-centeredness is regaling others with tales of your sporadic generosity) and sharing them (because the only thing more fun than helping other people is reliving it with a good story).


So how about this: join me!

If you start today, your 20 days will end on the 26th, and it’s high time we began observing Boxing Day in this country, anyway. Then share your stories here and on Restore’s site.

I can’t wait to hear how you bless your neighborhood and your city this month. Or even your office. Now there’s a big give.

new to you friday—give a little

Here are some startling statistics: Americans spend $450 billion each Christmas, lack of clean water kills more people every day than any other cause, and the worldwide water crisis could be solved for just $10 billion.

Starting with those facts, the Advent Conspiracy movement encourages people to spend time with loved ones instead of purchasing gifts and to give that money away in the name of Christ. AC partners with Living Water International to dig wells and provide clean water in Africa, India, and South America, and churches across the country are collecting special offerings this month to benefit Living Water.


Here are some more numbers to get your attention: the amount of money spent just on candy, during just three months of the year, is more than the annual budgets of The American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association, and Habitat for Humanity combined. Redefine Christmas doesn’t ask you to stop all gift-giving or redirect your candy money toward clean water (although it does add a whole second layer of guilt to that Snickers bar, doesn’t it?). Instead, they urge you to give to family, friends, and charitable causes at the same time by donating to organizations reflecting the interests and passions of the recipient.

For instance, Jen Gherardi, a Christian Standard reader who wrote to tell me about Redefine Christmas, suggests you honor the parent or grandparent who read you countless bedtime stories with a donation to First Book or another charity dedicated to improving literacy and providing books to needy children. Your sister who loves to cook might be touched with a donation in her name to a ministry dedicated to alleviating hunger, your animal-loving brother would appreciate a gift to the ASPCA, and your best friend who adores So You Think You Can Dance could enjoy knowing you made a gift to the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation.

(If enough of us gave to that, these reality shows might eventually go off the air—and that’s what they mean by a gift that keeps on giving, folks.)


Redefine Christmas provides links to all these groups and hundreds more and provides a personalized card for you to announce each gift. You can also purchase gift cards for the recipient who might enjoy choosing her own charity and “gift baskets” with assortments of charities united by a topic like mentoring children, planting trees, or working for peace. The site even offers ecards for you to request donations to your own favorite organization in lieu of gifts for yourself.

My family stopped giving gifts to each other a few years ago. While I’d like to say this decision was driven by philanthropy, the more pressing reasons were the cost of buying them and the hassle of schlepping them around the country. (A holiday tip: If you ever have the opportunity to check a bag and fly the red-eye at 12:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve from LAX to Cincinnati, just……don’t.)

But it’s not too late to redirect some Christmas dollars toward improving the world, and this year I plan to join the conspiracy and redefine my Christmas by giving to a worthy cause. I may start with Alvin Ailey.