2024: Grab Your Parachute!

 

“Maybe sometimes it’s riskier NOT to take a risk. Sometimes all you’re guaranteeing is that things will stay the same.” Danny Wallace

 

In 2024, I want to be like Dorothy Hoffner. Last October 4^th this 104-year-old Chicago woman jumped 13,500 feet from a plane to take a chance of becoming the oldest person to tandem skydive. She ditched her walker to skydive, and it wasn't even her first freefall. She first skydived four years ago on her 100^th birthday, but she wanted a redo because, she said, she didn’t want to be pushed out of the plane…she wanted to lead the jump. On October 4^th, she did just that. Hoffner tumbled out of a plane while 13,500 feet in the air, strapped to an instructor. White hair billowing in the wind, she parachuted down to a grass landing area. “Age is just a number,” Hoffner told a cheering crowd. After cheers and congratulations from friends and family, she was handed back her red walker.  

  Unlike Dorothy Hoffner, too many of us essentially live in a rut. Someone defined a rut “as a grave with both ends kicked out.” Here are some risks that I wish people would consider taking in 2024.  

  Get out of your safe zone and check out if what the Bible says about God and going to heaven is true. I have many friends who’ve decided that they don’t believe there is a God, and that this world is basically a machine. They believe that this life is it…when you die, you die. Many of them are well educated and very intellectual. Most of them are good people who sincerely care about others.

  Maybe they have but if they haven’t, in 2024 I wish that they’d check the evidence out for themselves. What I’m asking isn’t big, it’s just reading the four biographies of Jesus in the New Testament for themselves – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. My concern is that so many have swallowed what they have been taught and never checked it out for themselves. If they did, maybe they’d come to the same conclusion…yet I know of so many that once they actually read the Bible for themselves with an open mind, were overwhelmed with who Jesus is, how much God loves them and that He cares for them and their deepest needs. So, if you’re a skeptic, in 2024, please take a risk – take the time and check out the evidence for yourself.
  Get out of your safe zone and check out whether what you believe about going to heaven is what God says in the Bible. One of the most frightening statements you’ll ever hear is: I think that God is like… And when someone dies, most of their friends and family aren’t honest about where they actually are. Someone could have blown off God all of their lives. Often the only time they mention God’s name is as a swear word but in the end, according to the conventional wisdom no matter how you live, everyone goes to heaven. Listening to these conversations, you’d almost think that they’d give Hitler a pass.
  Yet, since heaven is God’s Home and He created it, shouldn’t He set the standards for who lives in His Home. God is loving but He’s not stupid.
  What Dad would sacrifice his only child for someone else, particularly an enemy. Yet, that’s exactly what God did when He sacrificed His Son, Jesus, on the cross for the sins of the world. Do any of us really believe that we could somehow pay God back for such an unbelievable sacrifice by being good, going to church, being a nice person…at our best we’re all still a big mess. So, if you’re religious but trusting what you think or have been taught, yet never checked out what God actually says in His Word about going to heaven, check out whether you are right.
  The Book of Romans was written by Paul, a very religious guy who believed he was going to heaven because he was so religious. He found out he was dead wrong. Why not check out what Paul wrote and see if you’re right? In 2024, do some biblical fact checking for yourself.
  Get out of your safe zone and take a step forward spiritually. Isn’t it amazing that those of us who know that we’re going to live with Jesus for eternity are often focused on temporal changes rather than spiritual and what are eternally significant changes? Perhaps it’s a sinful habit that you’ve been rationalizing about. Clinging to it is causing you to limp spiritually and withholding God’s best for your life. This is the year to repent and replace it with what God wants you to do.
  Perhaps there are some spiritual habits that you know that you need to make part of your daily life, yet you keep procrastinating. Maybe it’s regularly reading your Bible, instead of just on Sundays when you’re at church. Maybe it’s committing to increase your prayer life or becoming more faithful in your church attendance or even joining a small group Bible study. So, if your spiritual life is like a rocking chair and not really going anywhere because some things need to change, make 2024 your year!
  Get out of your safe zone and make what for you is a leap of faith. One of my heroes in the Bible is Caleb. When everyone else was shaking in their sandals in fear of the giants, Caleb with Joshua was singing a duet of “We can do it! We can do it!” When God finally brought Israel into the Promised Land, Caleb was 85-years-young. Rather than sitting out and saying, “I’m old. It’s someone else’s turn,” Caleb is biting on the bit to take new territory. Even though there were giants there, Caleb said, “I want that mountain.” Caleb was a man of faith who’d have gone after Moby Dick in a rowboat with a bottle of tartar sauce.
  That’s who I want to be. That’s what I long for our church to be. Maybe for you it’s inviting that neighbor or co-worker to church? Maybe it’s sharing the gospel with that one you’ve been praying for that they will come to Jesus…and God is sending you? Maybe it’s giving so it tightens your budget a bit? Maybe it’s serving in a ministry where you’re not a natural or you’re nervous? It’s time for the people of faith to step out in faith. It’s time to dream big because we have a BIG God and go big!
  In 2024, I’m packing my parachute! How about you? Let’s stop playing it safe and take some risks!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

Some of the wealthiest, healthiest resolutions you'll ever make...

“Resolutions are popular because everyone feels they could use a little improvement.” Marilu Henner

  Okay, I’ll admit it – I’m a dog person. If you’re a cat person, I’ll pray for you J. Since it’s that time of year when everyone is making behavior modifications, I thought that our big chocolate lab, Ernie could use a little behavior modification. So I’m going to suggest to him that in 2015…

  * He stop trying to find the few remaining clean pieces of carpet in the house when he’s about to throw up.

  * He won’t lick family members faces after eating animal elimination or his own regurgitation. (Door-to-door salesman are of course, open season).

  * He won’t chew pens or markers, especially red or pink ones.

  * When in the car, he won’t insist on having the window rolled down when it’s raining.

  * He’ll remember that the sofa isn’t a face towel. Neither are family members’ pants legs.

  * That his head doesn’t belong in the frig or his nose on the counter, and that he’ll stop staring at anyone eating like he’s a starving 3^rd world child.

  * And that he not shake the rain out of his fur after coming back inside.

  It’s that time of year. Have you made some New Year’s resolutions? You’ve probably made some health and financially related ones. Can I suggest some resolutions you might not have considered? There not in any particular order, just something to think about.

  To spend more time in actual conversations rather than on social media. Want extra money? Put $1.00 in a jar every time you’re out for a meal and see people sharing a meal with someone but they’re on their phone. Put $5.00 in a jar for your spouse if you’re the one doing it. I know sometimes there are emergencies, but most of the time that’s not the case. We don’t always need to be connected. If you’re in the car with someone, talk to them, not on your phone to someone miles away.

  To spend more time having significant conversations. Sometimes days can go by with the conversations we have with our friends, family members and co-workers going no deeper than surface-level chit-chat. Though there’s nothing wrong with joking around, theorizing about the latest episode of your favorite TV series, or even strategizing about the Packers. But if we’re not intentional about regularly engaging in deeper conversations—that challenge us spiritually, intellectually and socially—too often, those types of talks become rare or non-existent.soci

  To do more and complain less. Ours is a complaining culture. There’s seemingly always something wrong. We need to ask ourselves, “what good will this do other than raise my blood pressure?” Complaining may give some momentary relief from frustrations, but working on solutions to the problems in our world can actually take steps forward in fixing things that are broken. While we may not be able to “fix” it, often we can take proactive steps that we have control over. And we can always pray!

  To spend more time thanking and less worrying. Every moment spent worrying is wasted, not to mention, it’s counterproductive. Francis Chan said, “Worry implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of the what’s happening in our lives.” We worry about that which we have no control over but we rarely thank God (or others) for our many blessings. Maybe it would help to keep a diary or log of your daily blessings.

  To spend time getting to know God better. Be honest, when we feel rushed, what’s the first thing we cut back on – our spiritual life. We skip reading our Bibles, our prayer life becomes little more than a quick verbal text, we skip church and can’t ever find the time to be in a small group. If we wait until we have time, it won’t ever happen. Spending time with the Lord, like spending time with a close friend has to be intentional and scheduled. J. Oswald Sanders wisely observed, “It is impossible for a believer, no matter what his experience, to keep right with God if he will not take the trouble to spend time with God. Spend plenty of time with Him; let other things go, but don't neglect Him.”  

  To try something new every week, if not every day. When is the last time you tried out a different ethnic food. With the Internet recipes from around the world at right at your fingertips. Break out of your routine. Do something different and new. Listen to new music. With Spotify and Pandora, keeping up with new music releases and styles has never been easier. If you read fiction, read a biography. If you read serious books, switch to fiction. If you’re always watching TV or surfing the Net, turn it off and pick up a book. Even switch where you sit in your family room or at the dinner table. Try a different version of the Bible. If you watch one news channel, watch one from the opposite spectrum.

  Cut yourself and others some slack. Most of us are wound too tight and far too stressed. If it won’t matter next week, it probably doesn’t matter today. In this social media era, where everyone’s opinion gets a platform, it’s easy to fall into the trap of getting angry at our friends over things they say that we don’t agree with. Outrage is way overrated. Commit to being offended less and reserving your anger for issues that really matter.

  And when you make a mistake or even sin, remember, it’s ALL died for. If you’re good at beating yourself up, please make sure that you also affirm yourself and tell yourself what you’re enjoying. Thank God for His grace! For some reason, dark and negative self-talk is acceptable but self-affirmation, gratitude and enjoyment is psycho babble. It’s not and we need more of it. It may result in us not looking like we suck on lemons. God doesn’t expect perfection from us and we’re silly to expect it of ourselves.

  To challenge my own opinions and presuppositions more often. These are polarized days. Being able to take a stand for what you believe is admirable, but so is listening to the other side and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Even if we don’t change our position, questioning our own long-held presuppositions doesn’t just challenge our beliefs—it can actually strengthen them.

  To spend more time with people you care about. While it’s often more convenient to go to the drive-thru, eat lunch at your desk or use dinnertime to catch up on Netflix, it’s not good for us. There’s nothing wrong with doing this occasionally, but when eating on the run becomes a lifestyle, we end up depriving ourselves and others in our life of moments that could be used to build deeper relationships. At the very least schedule to meet a friend for coffee or lunch. If you don’t schedule it, it’s not going to happen.

  God has given us everything we need to enjoy life (1 Timothy 6:17). So are you? If not, why not? Maybe it’s time for some significant change.