Your “trellis”
Posted by Mark on 06 Jan 2010 at 10:09 am | Tagged as: Uncategorized
The first step in forming a “trellis” that makes room for the work of God to take place in our lives is to engage in candid reflection on our current status. I said Sunday that we all have a “trellis” because we all have a set of things we do regularly. Some patterns may be relatively recent ones adapted because of some change in our life or schedule, while others may be established from long habit. As you ask yourself these questions, don’t be hard on yourself. Try to be as thorough as you can, without any prejudgment. Try to be neutral. That way you won’t “fudge on any of the answers. Are you ready?
1. How much sleep do you get each night? (Do you have a regular bed time or get up time?)
2. What are your weekly commitments? ( Appointments, work schedule, trips to the gym, the grocery store, coming to our Sunday worship, Life group, anything you do weekly.)
3. Reflecting on 2009, what project or projects did you accomplish outside of your job? ( This could be anything you did to your home, or volunteering, or as a member of a team. Anything you would consider as “done”.)
4. How much time did you spend in regular activities. (reading, watching television, going to the movies, meeting friends, sports,)
5. How are your finances? Do you have a budget and a financial plan or not? What kind of pressure are you experiencing in this area?
6. What is the balance between “work” and “play” in your life? Do you always have to be doing something productive, or can you ever just rest.
7. What is our current plan for spending time in the word and prayer? What spiritual disciplines do you practice regularly? Do you have some goals in these areas? Do you have some prepared materials, study guides, etc. that you are using in this area? Do you use some kind of prayer list? What are you doing now to grow spiritually. List anything you are currently doing.
7. What “rules” guide your life. My family told me that one of my rules was that when the traffic light turns green, it means go, and I get to say things to the car in front of me I would never say to the person’s face if they don’t go. Maybe you have some “governing” rules that shape your behavior at different times.
8. After you make a list consider these numbers.
24 hours in a day
7 days a week
168 hours in a week.
Now, take the answers from the previous questions, and anything else you observed about your life this week, and make some kind of list or chart that shows how you are using the time God has given you. Is there any room in your schedule? Are you overbooked? Do you have lots of free time?
The main purpose behind this exercise is to bring you to this point. Having a “rule” or a trellis just may give you a new found permission to say “NO”…. I can’t add that to my life right now, thank you anyway. Wouldn’t that be a relief? For some of us, before we can say Yes go God, we may have to say no to a few things, just so we have breathing room.
Please feel free to make comments on this post, as your thoughts may be helpful to others. And be sure to e-mail me any insights you have. I ‘d love to know what you are learning.
on 08 Jan 2010 at 4:52 am 1.Jill Botham said …
As I’ve thought about how I spend my time this week… I realize that I often feel the need to be busy. Not with anything in particular… just busy.
This week, I’ve taken a step back and realized that everything doesn’t have to be done… right this minute.
I took a nap twice this week (which is unheard of!) and it felt great just to commit to doing nothing for the afternoon.
This week, I’ve also realized that I’m totally addicted to playing Scrabble on Facebook. so my little goal over the next few days is to cut back how many times I sign onto the computer.
baby steps. baby steps.
thanks for challenging us this new year!
on 08 Jan 2010 at 6:20 am 2.Mark said …
Thanks for sharing Jill. It is amazing to realize that God isn’t asking me to be frantically busy, and that a nap might be one of the most holy things I do in a given day. I can be a much more forgiving and kind person when I am rested.
on 10 Jan 2010 at 8:57 am 3.Barb said …
I now have Step 1 for my retreat. The results should be interesting and revealing! Good sermon last week, too.
on 19 Feb 2010 at 11:38 pm 4.Jill Botham said …
hey mark.
I recently made the decision to cut Facebook out of my routine.
I just posted a blog with my explanation… and I was just reminded about your challenge for us to examine our “trellis”.
I think I’m heading in the right direction
looking forward to more of our your trellis talks
Jill
http://jillbotham.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-explanation.html
on 19 Feb 2010 at 11:39 pm 5.Jill Botham said …
(more of your trellis talks)
sorry for the typo…
on 09 Apr 2010 at 1:08 pm 6.Jenny Arnerlöf said …
Alright Mark, did you give up on blogging? It’s been a while. Just a note to say I’ve been so blessed that you took up Lent and brought us listeners to EASTER and RESURECTION! My only complaint was that you mentioned the song by Scott Baker and then the sermon was cut off so I didn’t get to hear it. What a heartache! Maybe you can post the lyrics to the song in a new post. I would be so grateful.
Peace of our Lord.
on 01 May 2010 at 8:47 pm 7.Vangie said …
Flesh and blood cannot receive
The glories of a heavenly King
How may things that cease and fade
Inherit these that never pass away?
Though it has not yet appeared
What we shall be, yet, I tell you a mystery
In the twinkling of an eye
The dead will rise in victory!
Keep in memory - hold fast
To this good news, unto the last
He is RISEN and must reign
The crucified who comes again
It is God who justifies
It is Jesus Christ who died
He, the grain of wheat that falls
Firstborn, the fruit, the hope of life for all
Do not fall back into fear
when all creation waits in
longing to be here
With the sons of God, now healed
When He appears we are revealed
Keep in memory - hold fast
To this good news, unto the last
He is RISEN and must reign
We’ve not believed these things in vain
on 10 Jun 2010 at 8:03 pm 8.Jobell said …
“The main purpose behind this exercise is to bring you to this point. Having a “rule” or a trellis just may give you a new found permission to say “NO”…. I can’t add that to my life right now, thank you anyway. ” Thanks for the sharing. Nice post.
on 21 Jun 2010 at 10:47 am 9.Karen Brown said …
A little over a year ago my small group worked through Andrew Murray’s Abide in Christ, in conjunction with a series our larger church family was working through. We talked a lot about The vine and the branches, the vinedresser, the seasons of the vineyard, and the science of the growth of the vine. My husband and I really connected with the series and when the teaching team moved on to more action oriented topics we weren’t ready to. It felt like a piece was still missing, there was more yet to learn along the same vein. We are seeking a deeper faith.
So, we started looking for more teaching related to this abiding faith and one Sunday morning ended up at Grace. The exploration of the trellis is one of, if not the, missing piece for us.
We both grew up in church environments that, to us, emphasize an outside-in approach to following Christ, rather than inside-out. Spiritual disciplines like solitude and meditation were not emphasized, partly I think because they come close to New Age and Eastern religious practices.
Taking some time to examine our trellis’ has really assisted us in better understanding the purpose of the spiritual disciplines and their place in our lives, and we have begun moving to incorporate some of them into our lives with Christ.
I am reading Foster’s ‘Celebration of Discipline’ and ‘An Alter in the World’ by Barbara Brown Taylor to better understand the spiritual disciplines of the Faith and how I can incorporate them into this life in a relevant way as motivated by the Spirit.