Practicing Gratitude

Biblical gratitude is recognizing and expressing thanks for what Jesus is actively doing in us and through us - that by grace through faith, He’s given us His presence and His love and His life so that we might live out His Kingdom here on earth.

This is why Philippians 4:4-8 puts it like this, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” The passage then goes onto to say that through ongoing gratitude we push back against worry and experience deeper peace in Jesus. So no matter our circumstances, we’re called to think about the goodness of God and His gifts towards us daily. And this passage tells us something pretty important about gratitude: that it’s just as much a mental practice as it is anything else. It’s about intentionally directing your attention to recognize God’s presence and activity in your life, even if on the surface there doesn’t seem to be anything to celebrate.

So to practice biblical gratitude, we want to encourage you with a few ways to cultivate this practice:

1 - List out daily what you’re thankful for

First set aside a time and a place each day and take a few minutes listing out what you’re thankful to Jesus for. So maybe you have a gratitude journal by your nightstand so that either when you wake up or before you go to bed, you can spend some time listing out those things. Or you can download the One-Second app on your phone, and make an ongoing video journal of the things you’re grateful for.

By having a record of these things, when times get difficult, you can look back on your list and see all the ways God has provided for you and blessed you.

And learning to fight for joy means fighting to be thankful in the moments that are less than ideal too, knowing that no matter the circumstances, God loves you and sees you and is using even the hardest moments in your life so that you can look more like Jesus. So as you list out the positive things you’re thankful for, thank God for the hard moments too, knowing that our God is good and faithful and at work in your life no matter what.

2. Write down Gratitude Verses

So on a post-it note or Index card, write down Philippians 4:4-8 or 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 or Lamentations 3:22-24 or Romans 8:28 and place it in a prominent place in your house or your office or car. That way when you see it, it becomes your cue in that moment to meditate on those passages and give thanks to God throughout your day.

3. Share with Others

And as followers of Jesus, we don’t follow Him on our own, but we share our joy with others. So as you work through these practices, talk about what you’re thankful for ongoingly with the people in your life. Or when you share a meal with someone, pray and share something you’re thankful for even if it’s just the food in front of you. Because when we share our joy - we actually increase our joy. 

And when we practice gratitude more and more, the Scriptures tell us we fight anxiety, we push back apathy, we multiply our joy, and in the process, the Spirit uses our gratitude to look more like Jesus.

For more on the practices, go to FollowingJesusTogether.com

Resisting Anxiety in Historically Anxious Times

“US surgeon general warns ‘This week is going to get bad’.”

“Coronavirus: Young people are not ‘Invincible’, WHO warns”

“The Coronavirus Recession could become a Depression”

These are just a few headlines that seem to be circulating everywhere. It seems impossible to go a few hours without a new update that includes news that will drastically affect how we live. Google feeds are littered with information and stats about each state's growing caseload. Check your social media, it seems like every other post is a shared article or opinion about what’s going on (and for some reason they’re all unhelpful). 

Internally, we’ve got dozens of unanswered questions: 

Am I going to make it financially?

Have I been exposed? 

What happens if I get sick? 

When will it be normal again?

We’re in a pandemic. In the past 100 years, there have been a handful of pandemics, but this one is making history. Everything has been affected. The situation seems to shift daily. Even though pandemics are not a new thing, we are experiencing something for the first time in our lifetimes. It’s impossible to know all of the answers, but the cumulative effect of our questions and climate spell out one thing:

Anxiety.

For many of us, this is a nightmare. We don’t have the answers, so we imagine all of the possible outcomes, many of which are not good. We fear what may happen if our hours get cut even more or if we’re unemployed for a season. Graduating students don’t know what comes next. Parents are at a loss as their family’s routine has been shattered, kicked, and thrown off a bridge. For others, this season reminds us of the frailty of life, and that’s really scary.

At the heart of our anxiety is the question, “Am I going to be okay?” In a pandemic like this, we literally have no idea what tomorrow brings. We don’t know when it will be normal again or if we will get sick. We don’t feel secure. We don’t have control and we don’t have the answers. 

But we do have something. Christians have a God that is present. We have a God who knows all of the answers. He is in control and He cares.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Our response in a pandemic is to draw near to God. A Christian’s hope and peace doesn’t have to be founded on answers. Nor does it need to be rooted in our circumstances or in the amount of control we have over them. We cast all of our anxieties on Him because He cares for us. 

The beauty of the Gospel is displayed during anxiety-filled seasons. God doesn’t just say He cares, He shows us. We have a story. The God of the universe lowered Himself to the form of a man, lived a perfect, sinless life, and died the death that we deserved. Jesus was abandoned by the Father on the cross, an agonizing event that He could’ve turned away from. But He didn’t. He stayed.

When Jesus stayed on the cross, He showed us how trustworthy He really is. On the cross Jesus purchased our eternal security. We’re His people, forever. 

We may feel insecure today, but our eternity is secure. We may not know if we or those we love will get sick, but we do know the God who will be there with us. We may not know how long this season will last, but we do know that God is unchanging and loves us. We may not know where the next paycheck will come from, but we do know that God can and will provide. 

We take our anxieties to Him. We pray. He knows everything. We ask Him for what we need. We can trust God to take care of us now because He has already taken care of our eternity. 

We have a foundation to stand on and we have steps to take. Jesus has not only given us truth to cling to, He has also given us real ways to fight our anxiety. We fight our anxiety by bringing the Gospel into our daily lives. The way we do this is through spiritual disciplines and practices[1]. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to “cast our anxiety onto Him.” We have practices that help us live out what the Scriptures are talking about. Here are three ways that we can go to Jesus in our anxiety:

1. Pray - Talk with God. Although it may feel like He’s distant, His word tells us He’s not. He’s with us and loves us. We can be honest with Him, wherever we’re at. In our anxiety we may want to turn away from Him, but He invites us to come to Him. Tell Him how you feel. Tell Him your worries. He knows them all and cares for you.

2. Lectio Divina - This is a practice where we read and meditate on God’s word. We enter into God’s presence by reading, reflecting, responding, and resting. Take a passage like Psalm 23 or Matthew 11:28-30. Lectio Divina allows us to sit in the truth. We get to pause and let the reality of who God is sink into our hearts. We can let His word guide our minds in this difficult season. When anxiety hits, we forget and doubt the character of God. We forget the Gospel. Practices like Lectio Divina allow us to sit in God’s word and let Him remind of us who He is. You can find the specific instructions here.  

3. Daily Examen - The examen prayer is meant to be practiced at the end of each day, looking back and discerning God’s activity with an aim to grow in deeper awareness for the next day. In our anxiety we can lose sight of where God is. We start to only think about what we can do. In practicing this daily, we’re able to see God’s presence more clearly in our lives. The examen prayer can allow us to see the reality that God is active in our lives and this is exactly what our anxious spirits need. You can find specific instructions here. 

In our anxiety, what we actually need is the Gospel. We need a faithful God to cling to, because everything else will not hold. We need a God that we can trust. The Gospel is our proof. We had no hope and no security, but Jesus delivered when we needed Him most. We can turn to Him now, casting our anxiety onto Him, because He cares and will never change.

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[1] For more on spiritual practices and formation, go to FollowingJesusTogether.com

Practical Guide for Worshipping at Home

Each week we are providing a Worship Guide for you, your family, and your LifeGroup to walk through. To familiarize yourself with the Sunday Worship Guide, consider the following tips before you start:

Review the content beforehand

Take a few minutes to look over the content so you can lead well.

Pick a time

Schedule ahead of time when you’re going to do Sunday Worship, place it on your calendar and stick to it.

You Need a Screen

Even if it’s a laptop, make sure the screen is viewable to everyone in the room

You Need Internet

Make sure to pull up all links and have them ready (sermon and songs)

Put Away Devices

Assign Roles

Plan ahead for who will lead each part of the guide. The Worship Guide is simple enough, all they need to do is read that portion out loud.

Have a Plan for the Kids

If they are old enough, have them lead/read appropriate portions of the guide.

If they are too young for that, have them listen for key words in the sermon, like "Jesus", and tally the number of times they hear those words. If they are too young for that, just do your best!

Do you have other practical tips? Share them with us!

Developing a Daily Rule of Life While on Lockdown

Print/Download Daily Rule of Life template - (Google Drive | PDF)

...we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul...

Hebrews 6:18-19

In light of the global pandemic that is COVID-19 and the recent limiting of all gatherings over 10 people, it’s easy to get bored, burnt out, or stir-crazy. Hebrews 6 reminds us though that one thing we can hold fast to is the presence and power of Jesus.

One ancient tool to hold fast to Him is a rule of life. 

A rule of life is a practical way to schedule the coming days around what matters most: the teachings and practices of Jesus. One author calls developing a rule of life as living with “a well-ordered heart.” Right now when it feels like everything is disordered and the world is shifting every day, one thing we can bring into order is our inner lives. Keeping a rule of life is one way we do just that.

Note, these are not “rules for life,” with an emphasis on “if I don’t do this, Jesus will love me less.” Rather, a rule of life is grounded in the reality that you are already loved and accepted by the God of the universe, and this tool simply creates a framework to build spiritual practices into your life so you can experience His love in your life every day.

While this tool slightly varies from tradition to tradition, developing a rule of life typically includes three main things to anchor your day: [1]

• Abiding: how you will spend time with Jesus (Bible reading, prayer, confession, singing)

• Resting: how you will rest (sleep, Sabbath, exercise, limiting screen time/escapist tendencies)

• Community: how you will spend time with others (family, LifeGroups, missional friendships)

It’s also important to note that a rule of life is meant to work for you, with lots of flexibility to accommodate your season of life. So, for example, if you’re single and live alone, your rule of life will look different than a college student, or parents with young kids, or an empty nester. Likewise, your wiring will impact how you write your rule of life. If you think more big picture, this will reflect itself in your rule of life. If you’re more detail-oriented, it will be more helpful for you to get very practical as you write your rule of life.

A final word on rule of life, try not to introduce too many new practices at once. Instead, create small “wins” that are attainable to create both momentum and sustainability in your spiritual formation. After writing your rule of life, ask your LifeGroup to give you feedback.

Below are some examples of what a daily rule of life can look like during the quarantine, followed by a template to help you get started. Once you’ve written out your daily rule of life, put it somewhere visible - your bathroom mirror, your fridge, your phone’s lock screen - and email us here so we can share our ideas with one another.

Lastly, if you’re new to the spiritual practices, check out FollowingJesusTogether.com

Print/Download Daily Rule of Life template - (Google Drive | PDF)

Daily Rule of Life for Singles - Example 

Abiding

• Wake up at the same time every day, make coffee, spend time with Jesus in Scripture and prayer (currently using the Lent Guide) before looking at my phone 

• Examen Prayer before bed 

Rest

• Limit entertainment - social media two days a week (Instagram Mondays and Facebook Fridays), watch TV and movies with friends -- try not to binge TV alone 

• Put my phone in the kitchen before I get ready for bed, try to be asleep by 11pm

Community

• Daily walk with a friend who lives close 

• Porch dinners with my neighbor

• Call, FaceTime, or Marco Polo with a good friend

• Check in with someone from LifeGroup

Daily Rule of Life for Marrieds with Kids - Example

(see also Parenting Resources)

Abiding 

• Wake up before kids to work through the Lent Guide 

• Spend some time praying for our family to make it through the day

• Examen Prayer with spouse each night

Rest

• If possible, 7-8 hours of sleep, try to be in bed by 10 - wind-down away from phone for last 30 minutes 

• 20 minutes of exercise each day - jog or walk around the neighborhood

• Check the news once a day 

Community

• No phone when with kids from 4pm-bedtime

• Sync-up with spouse for 15 minutes without screens each day

• Play with all the kids for at least an hour to give spouse time to abide and rest

• Check-in with LifeGroup 

A great book to familiarize yourself with rule of life is The Common Rule by Justin Earley.

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 [1] You can find a full version of a rule of life template with categories here - midtowncolumbia.com/blog/developing-a-rule-of-life

Shepherding Your Family Through COVID-19

Dear Midtown Parents, 

As you know, our vision for Kidtown is to partner with and equip parents as the primary disciplers of their kids. Now, as we find ourselves unable to gather on Sundays and with our LifeGroups, the importance of you discipling your children is more apparent than ever. 

For families who already have built-in rhythms of discipling your kids, great! Keep doing what you’re doing and tweak your rhythms as you need to. We hope the resources included are helpful as you navigate this time.

For those who don’t have healthy discipleship rhythms built yet, the present situation is actually a great opportunity to begin. All of your normal rhythms are being restructured. While this chaos can lead us to feel frozen and not want to do anything extra, the truth is it’s a perfect time to add in new rhythms while everything feels new to your kids anyway. 

What we aren’t asking you to do:

• … magically transform into a seminary professor

• … have answers to all the questions your kids might ask

• … suddenly have kids who want to focus and pay attention for a 3-hour inductive Bible study

What we are asking you to do:

1.  Maintain your own spiritual health - Spend time abiding in God’s Word and in prayer. Use the Lent Guide. Fight to stay connected with your LifeGroup in every way you can. Your spiritual health is vital as you shepherd your family.

2. Spend time together with your kids in God’s Word and in prayer - This should have some formal weekly and/or daily rhythms as well as some informal, “as you go about your day” rhythms.

• You can listen to Pastor Jon Ludovina teaching on all of this during the main session of Milestones Weekend 2019. (That link will take you to 21:22 when he teaches on Deuteronomy 6 and family discipleship rhythms specifically.)

RESOURCING YOU TO SHEPHERD YOUR FAMILY:

Weekly Family Worship:

We will be putting out weekly Family Worship Guides for you to be able to host a version of Kidtown at home for your family. These will follow what your children would be learning in Kidtown normally on Sundays and can be found on the weekly teaching page for adults. There will be versions available for Toddlers/Preschoolers and for Elementary-aged children. 

Daily Family Devotions:

If you don’t have something you’re doing already, try these simple daily family devotions based on the Lent Guide. (get the e-version of the Lent Guide here)

Morning:

In the morning, read a kid-friendly version of the Scripture reading (try the International Children’s Bible). Ask your children if anything stood out to them, share something that stood out to you, and then pray together, thanking God for what He showed you and asking Him to help you apply it today.

Evening:

In the evening, walk through the Evening Prayer prompts together. This is a great opportunity for you to share first and then allow each child to share.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Parenting Resources for Covid-19

Midtown’s Parenting Resources page

Music for Family Worship

Books for Family Worship