If you haven’t heard Delyn or I talk about our trip to Portland as one of the most peaceful and spiritual experiences we’ve had in a while, here’s the quick rundown. The tone was set for the trip on our first morning at Westside: A Jesus Church through worship, revelation, and a truly poignant message. We walked away challenged, refreshed, and called to action. We were reminded of God’s promises over us, and filled with hope and a much needed revival of sorts in our spirits that had previously been a bit downtrodden.
Fast forward to Sunday, January 1st, 2017. On our car ride to Keypoint, Delyn told me that he had heard from Holy Spirit the night before that “We can start off our year the same way we started off our trip to Portland. This can set the tone for the year.” I smiled.
As we stood for worship, my spirit stirred with the familiar chords to “The Lion and the Lamb”. I smiled again. This time I leaned into Delyn and whispered, “This is the same song that was playing in Portland.” Is it a common worship song? Sure. Do we normally sing it at KPC? Not really. Did I feel a prophetic connection in my spirit? Absolutely. God will do that. He’ll connect things and people and places in a way that remind you of the unique and personal relationship He has with you.
And while that one song set the tone for a great time of worship, it paled in comparison to the tone that the sermon set for the year. We welcomed Chris Dierberger, the new Student Pastor, with excitement as we witnessed his amazing passion and perspective bring life and challenge us with his first message. Check out Keypoint Church on Facebook for the Live message. Around the 30 minute mark, he starts to dive into the life of John the Baptist. Tune in. One of the greatest examples of humility in the Bible, aside from Jesus, can be found in the records of John and the setting aside of his ministry and profession for the sake of the Savior. The message was delivered in this way: When I decrease, Jesus can increase.
Each year I choose a word over the year, and while this concept had been a conviction on my heart, it wasn’t until I heard the word “decrease” that I was captivated to the point of wanting to embrace that challenge. I’ve decided to break the word down into a few categories I want to deliberately focus on decreasing.
1. Possessions
If you’re interested in a Christ Followers’ version of minimalism, check out Radical by David Platt. This was the first book I read in my early twenties that convicted me that I was living for the American Dream, a dream that didn’t line up with Jesus. The book is about abandoning everything we’re conditioned to love-- money, possessions, security, etc. for the sake of the gospel. It really helped shape my “new” world view and convict me to see what I was living for versus what I wanted to live for.
All in all, this will be a year to scale down on possessions we already have, and be mindful of future purchases. I want to stop holding on to things out of regret, or guilt, or excess but focus on the concept from The Minimalist of “What adds value to your life?”.
2. Self
I think 2016 was a pretty humbling year for my husband and me. I walked away from the job world that I had known for six years to become a nanny. Based on my educational background and work history, people might assume that as a failure. But when I began to think less of myself in terms of how the world viewed my success, it opened up room for God to show me how He was working. And guess what? I started smiling again. And I found an atmosphere of friendship and respect from my employer. And I started telling happy stories about work, and the funny things and sweet things and sometimes stubborn things that the girls did that day. Lisa Terkheurst states that “The only difference between humility and humiliation is that one chose to bow low while the other tripped and fell there.” (Uninvited, pg. 108). I had to reevaluate my motives in 2016. And I want to do that again in 2017. Who am I living for? It sure better not be the world. Because the world has proven to me time and time again that it cannot give me lasting, let alone eternal satisfaction.