2013. Simply

I used to be more fervent about celebrating that moment when one year ended and another began—sometimes with a kiss, a prayer, or a bang on my pots and pans, (a practice my children and the neighborhood dogs failed to appreciate). 

But since there is a strong possibility I will fall asleep in one year and wake up in another, I’ve been preparing for how I want to start 2013.

Simply.

My visual: Clear pages of a new Moleskin. Tidy blank squares on my calendar. Creamy white rose petals.

A life uncluttered, presentable as a living sacrifice.
A heart ready to receive a word from the Lord.

I’m not so much a collector of things as I am a hoarder of information—study notes, snippets of this or that which I might use someday but haven’t yet, stacks of books I’ll consume and forget.  However, in my end-of-the-year zeal to simplify, in the process of throwing my desktop ballast overboard, I dumped some files and bookmarks that I meant to save.

One such file was an interview I did with Jeff Goins a while back about his book Wrecked. Jamie, his assistant, graciously resent a copy of the interview, which I am delighted to present next week.

Wrecked is a call to action for those seeking to make a difference, seeking to find their place in the life story. Dismantling the idea that purpose can be found in the pursuit of self-fulfillment, Wrecked puts a face on Jesus’ words that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

It is a challenge to do the hard things, the messy things, the things that don’t necessarily feel good when they’re over. A challenge to become undone in order to be reconnected with the purpose God wants to work through you.

Fear isn’t the enemy—inaction is.

Seems like a good way to start a new year, when we’re full of resolution and determination, to “present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is [our] spiritual worship.”

So stop on by Wednesday, January 2, to hear what Jeff has to say about living the life you were meant to live.

And meanwhile, dear friends, wherever in the world you are, whatever 2013 holds, may you stand fearless in the knowledge that your life is hidden in Him, Jesus, Messiah, the Lovely One, Mighty Warrior. 

Blessings,

Marcia

Photo credit Kozzi.com