Thanks for participating!

The challenge is officially over and I've gotten feedback from the majority of participants. The consensus is as follows:

Most people participated to grow spiritually, whether focusing more on prayer, Bible reading, or just growing closer to God.

Most people were unable to complete the readings in 12 weeks.

Nearly everyone who participated in Karen Barber's Personal Prayer Power Bible study as part of the challenge had something positive to say about it.

Many people felt it was hard to stay focused on both prayer and Bible readings for 12 weeks.

Several people wished there was more time to discuss Bible readings.

Quite a few people liked the opportunity to participate and felt it had been a help to them.

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Where does the challenge go from here? I'm not sure yet. The fact that most people weren't able to complete the readings doesn't discourage me. If that were a criteria for something beneficial, just about every diet and exercise program would be thrown out after its first trial! I do know that Karen Barber's Bible study is excellent and I highly recommend it to those of you who did not participate in this aspect of the challenge. I also know that I will keep praying about what the future holds for the NLC! The challenge was a great learning opportunity and I know I was blessed by it. Thanks again for agreeing to be challenged.

Settling for Less Than the Best

I've never been one of those ultra-organized moms who always has the box of crayons and Jesus coloring books at the ready on Sunday mornings. Instead, my children would pick up the children's bulletins and cry that they had no crayons. I got into the habit of borrowing the pencils from the attendance books or from the prayer request table to quiet the crying.

I've been doing thing for so many years and this past year I noticed something odd. Although for the past year, I've had a nice plastic box of crayons for my children to use with the children's bulletins (or the Jesus coloring books packed neatly in the church bag), my kids have absolutely no interest in using them. They want pencils!

I could put a positive spin on this. Maybe I've unintentionally trained my children to be content with the simple things in life. Maybe they won't be first in line to buy the latest unnecessary gadget or gizmo. But most likely, there's something else going on. I think we get used to settling for second best. Sure we cry for the very best for a while, but give us less-than long enough and we like it that way.

During this challenge, my prayer is that we won't settle for second best when it comes to our time with God. Why do life in drab, dreary pencil when you can have it in full color? Don't use a rote prayer when you could pray from your heart. Don't read the Bible like a dictionary; read it like it's the most exciting book you've ever read! Unlike me, God never forgets to pack His Word with something wonderful for your life today.

His Yoke Is Easy

At Disney World, the youngest was dying to have his picture taken here (no pun intended) while we visited last month. His older brother had to hold him up and he enjoyed being shackled immensely!

Unfortunately, with all the demands on our time, we can come to think of prayer and Bible reading as a burden. It seems like there are a hundred things we'd rather do. Yet in our spirits, we know that this "yoke" is easy and we truly want that time with the King of Kings.

Like my son, we need some help getting that yoke on. If your desire for time with God isn't enough to get you through this week's prayer and reading times, ask God to give you a passion for it and for Him. The Holy Spirit will lift you up, and though you are yoked, you'll feel like you're flying through the day.

Jack Frost Nippin' At Your Nose?

I recently watched Santa Clause 3 for the second time and gained a new spiritual insight for our upcoming challenge. In the movie, Santa finds that absolutely everything is going wrong at the North Pole. Understandably, Santa gets really frustrated and overwhelmed to the point that he is practically ready to give up.

Unbeknown to poor Santa, Jack Frost is behind the signs wreaking the chaos. Santa wasn't responsible for the disasters, but he clearly felt he was, especially because everyone around him seemed to blame him. If only he had known that Jack was the one working for evil behind the scenes.

Certainly we are called to recognize our failures and confess our sins, but sometimes, especially when we are seeking a big goal or change, we are too apt to blame ourselves for the obstacles that appear in our path. Getting angry at ourselves isn't motivating any more than having someone else get angry with us. It's more likely to make us give up than to get going.

When Santa discovered who was really behind his troubles, he was able to take action to make things right, and yes, even to take responsibility for his part in the mess. During the New Life Challenge in 2009, know that you will have your own "Jack Frost" working behind the scenes to foil your plans. Instead of blaming yourself and giving up, pray for the power to overcome the evil one. If you do, God may very well permit you to meet your goal, as nothing is impossible with Him!

Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed

I was browsing online tonight and saw a picture of a mustard seed. I was struck all at once by how small a mustard seed is! Matthew 17:20 says, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

If you are feeling like your faith in your ability to meet your goal in the New Life Challenge is small, that's a pretty good starting point! I'm sure the Lord's choice of a mustard seed in making this point is no accident. The expectation for a mustard seed is that it will grow. If your faith is small now, plant that seed of faith by participating in the challenge. Feed and water it with prayer and Bible reading and watch your faith in God grow.

Join the Club!

My 12-year-old participates in a weekly literature discussion group. He's a voracious reader and loves discussing things, so it's a good fit for him. Getting the books read before his group time hasn't been a problem, fortunately. If it were, I'm sure the leader of the group would recommend he find something else to occupy his time.

Sadly, there are many, many people who belong to a literature discussion group for a book they've never read: the Bible. I'm not just talking about those who don't believe in God (although many of these dismiss the Bible without reading it), but those who do believe in Him. I tried to find statistics on how many Christians have actually read the entire Bible and couldn't find anything research-based. If I had to guess based on my own experience, I would guess less than 15% have. I may be too generous in my estimate.

The majority of Christians read a verse or two of Scripture as part of a devotional and fewer read larger passages of Scripture as part of a Bible study. These are good practices, to be sure. But using our literature group analogy, it's like reading cliffs notes before class. It's studying a book we haven't read! For many years I was guilty of not reading the Christian club book selection. And it's no wonder I didn't. For me, the Bible was a reference book like a dictionary. You only used it to look things up; you wouldn't actually read it. It wasn't until I attended a seminar with Becky Tirabassi that I became convinced the Bible was a book worth reading.

And is it ever! It is like every kind of literature rolled into one and like no kind of literature you've ever read. I hope you'll join our book club beginning January 5th, 2009 and you'll actually read this life-changing book. We can enjoy discussion on the forum at www.newlifechallenge.net and no one has to sign up to bring snacks.

Getting Ready!

Yes, we're getting ready for Christmas around here, but we're also getting ready for the New Life Challenge starting January 5th, 2009.

Every year, we spend so much time decorating, shopping, wrapping, baking, and entertaining in preparation for Christmas, that we can end up disappointed when it's all over and all that stretches ahead of us are more cold winter days. This year, we already have the first three months of 2009 planned! In just 12 weeks, our family will "read" the entire New Testament by watching the WatchWord videos and will find 100 answers to prayer. Successfully devoting 30 minutes a day to this time together and with God will be a major goal met! We're all excited to see what God does in our family as a result.

We're looking forward to doing the challenge as a family, but we're also looking forward to doing it with you. We can't wait to see what God does in your life, your marriage, your family, your workplace, your small group, and your church. Research shows that we are more successful in achieving our goals when we have company. Share the New Life Challenge website with your friends and you can have fun getting ready for 2009 without the after-Christmas let down.