As the hours go by we are getting closer to the beginning of 2015. It is typically in these moments that many of us are reflecting on important events, moments, and lessons learned in the past year. I’ve always loved history and I am strong advocate of studying history in order to ensure that we don’t make the same mistakes of those that came before us. The same principle applies to reflecting on our own history in order to learn from and avoid making the same mistakes. So here are three important lessons that I learned this past year.

1. Time management is more important than we think

As you’ve read before on this blog I’ve done over 150,000 miles of air travel. Life has gotten more busy, there are more conferences than I could ever imagine, my kids are getting older and seemingly growing up in front of my eyes. This year I’ve learned the importance of time management. I’ve also learned the importance of being effective and efficient. Things that I wish were taught in more detail in school. Building effective time management skills will pay dividends to you in every area of your life. Its important, and something that I wish I learned and valued earlier on in life. Today, the most important area of my life is being a husband and dad. Learning to intentionally prioritize and be there for my family is of utmost importance, especially since I travel so much for work. You can read more about how I pursue this here.

If you want to read a great gospel centered book on being effective and efficient I recommend “Whats Best Next” by Matt Pearman. This book has been a lifesaver for me this year on so many levels!

2. Be the light and defend the light

I recently read a quote by a well known pastor that said, “our job is not to defend the light but to let the light shine through us”. I understand what he is trying to say but I believe the implications of this type of evangelism are detrimental to the believer. It is our responsibility to both BE the light AND defend the light. Using our mind in the defense of the gospel while living the gospel is always the most effective method of evangelism.

Using our mind in the defense of the gospel while living the gospel is always the most effective…
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I’ve seen this play out every time I am in an airport, shuttle, hotel room lobby, or restaurants eating. It is a given that I should treat those that I meet in a christlike manner. But more important, is for me to verbalize and clearly communicate the gospel to them. Lets not assume gospel, but be intentional to communicate it. An easy way to engage our culture with the gospel is to leverage what is happening in our culture. Recently, I wrote a post about Exodus: Gods and Kings. I was a little “edgy” with the title of the post and called it “Why I love Exodus: Gods and Kings“. Let me put it plainly for those that may have been upset with that title and didn’t take the time to read the post. The reason why I love the movie is not because of the movie but because of the opportunity the movie provides for us to engage our community with the Gospel. One critic commented and said, “why would we want hollywood telling the story of the Bible?”. I think the bigger question is why don’t Christians have non believer friends in their life so they can both be Christ and communicate the truth of the gospel to them? You can read the post here.

3. Don’t stop learning

One of the things that I love about working for Faithlife is the emphasis that is placed on ongoing education. Every year we have a program where employees are encouraged to read books that deal with their area work and we get paid for each page that we read. 2014 has been filled with reading for me. I find my self getting sucked into books and “binge” reading. I love focusing on different categories and genres of literature. Here are the categories and books that I’ve read this year (not including books I’ve read for seminary).

• Theology – Desiring God, To Live is Christ, Religious Affections, Edwards on Beauty, Authentic Christianity, Recovering Redemption, Spectacular Sins.
• Fiction – Lord of The Rings, The Hobbit, Chronicles of Narnia, Game of Thrones (books 1-3)
• Biography – Bonhoeffer, 7 Men, Phil Jackson: Eleven Rings

2015, see ya soon!

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