Resolutions

Kopp Disclosure

(John 3:19-21)

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January 1, 2015

            Whenever I think about making New Year’s resolutions, an old story and two quips come to mind.

            The story.

            One of two notorious evil brothers died.

            The survivor went to a pastor and said, “I am very wealthy.  If you agree to preside at my brother’s funeral and say he was a saint, I will underwrite your church’s budget for a decade.”

            The pastor, notorious for telling the truth no matter who/what/where/when, prayed, pondered, and then preached at the service, “He was an evil man.  He abused his family.  He was selfish.  He did not share any of the wealth entrusted to him by God.  He did nothing for God’s sake.  He was an evil man; but compared to his brother, he was a saint.”

            The quips.

            Anonymous: “I will stop smoking this year; and I know I can because I’ve stopped a thousand times before.”

            Mark Twain: “Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual resolutions.  Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.”

            Well, here goes for RRK in 2015.

            First.

            I know if I’m ever going to be a better partner, parent, pastor, presbyter, or person, I’m going to have to get closer to Jesus; so that more of Him wears off on me.  While I have so far to go in my relationship with Him, my goal is to begin approaching the apostle’s identification through increasing intimacy with Him: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Jesus who lives in and through me.”

            Counsel on first resolution.

            Tony Evans: “Let me make this bold statement to every local church.  The fuller of the Spirit you are, the fewer ‘programs’ you need.  Because no program on earth can match the filling from heaven.  Counseling would be cut short if more people who are being counseled were instead being filled.”

            Rhonda Hughey: “If we aren’t longing for Jesus, our ministry activities will be routine and hollow.  There is certainly no shortage of ideas, plans, methods, books, teachings, programs, and activities in the church.  What we are suffering from is a drought of desperation for God!  Desperation is the underlying fuel that ignites our hearts for unity, prayer, worship, and repentance.”

            Chuck Legvold: “I’m going to learn to care less about what the ‘saved’ think and more about what the ‘lost’ need.”

            Gary Beets: “If we meet and you forget me, you’ve missed nothing.  But if you meet Jesus and forget Him, you’ve lost everything.”

            Second.

            My inlaws and outlaws are upper octogenarians.

            As an undershepherd aka pastor – I only use the “p” word for alliterations – I often tell children, “You only get one of each.  It’s like my friend Eric Felack says, ‘Love ‘em while you got ‘em!’”

            I’ve decided to make the circuit to visit ‘em for 3-4 days every two-three months until…

            It has nothing to do with feelings of guilt, nostalgia, sappiness, need, angst, or anything other than esteeming ‘em, loving ‘em, and modeling something better for my sons and…

            Counsel for the second is the same as the first.

            Annnnnnnd because I’m not thaaaaaaat different from anybody else wanting to want to want to be increasingly His in all things at all times in all places with all people, I’m thinking my resolutions may prompt others in a Colossians 4:6 kinda way.

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Blessings and Love!