The Perks of Summer

Summer is here!!!  It’s amazing, isn’t it?  Today our church had a picnic and later we’re going to our neighbor’s 1^st birthday party cookout.  This is the beauty of summertime.

Before visions of endless hours of videogames or Crocker Park window shopping fill your head, I want to encourage you to see another opportunity.

This summer, you could be different.  What if you picked a goal about something you wanted to grow in spiritually?  You’ve got so much time available.  You could really do something.

Here’s some ideas:

-start spending a consistent time with the Lord

-read through a book about God from the library or bookstore or online

-write some poetry or song lyrics that connect you with the Lord or that would be an encouragement to others

-write a letter, message, or text to someone that the Spirit has encouraged you to write.

-spend time in a special place (a park, the Metroparks, etc.) with God.

-read a part of the Bible

-talk to a friend or family member about your relationship with Christ

-make a plan to work on an issue that has really held you back (anger, worry, fear, negative sarcasm, forgiveness issues, whatever) by journaling, talking with someone you respect, reading a book about it, finding help from online resources, doing a study of parts of the Bible that relate, etc.

-start finding a consistent time to just talk to your Abba and pray.

-take time to sing or make music to the Lord

-find an event related to a cause that you believe in and participate

-go on a mission or service trip

There are so many things you can do in a summer and still have plenty of time for lounging.  Wouldn’t it be cool to enter the school year again in August and feel like your spirit changed over the summer?

For me I am working on writing my life story.  I want to record my thoughts and how God has worked in my life so that I can one day give that to my kids.  I’m also working through some great books about God.  My wife and I are reading some books together.  Also, she and I are leading a marriage conference in June. 

When I think of that Perks of Being a Wallflower book I think of all the crummy choices a lot of the characters make.  They all come down to having a “today” mentality instead of a “future” mentality.  Instead, I want to live today in a way that tomorrow will be what I long for it to be.  I want to be working on stuff today that will make me the kind of person I want to be 2 years from now. 

…and I want to eat lots of ice cream with my kids and go on fun dates with my wife.  But, actually, that too is part of who I want to keep becoming.  I love that part of a letter that Paul wrote where he said the Lord, “who began a good work in you, will bring it to completion all the way to the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ.”