Here are five things which are on my mind this week...
1) I was recently helped by a Christian brother who brought to my attention the way some of my social media posts were hurting my Christian witness (the posts were too political). It took a lot of courage for this brother to share that with me. Admittedly, it was a hard truth at first but I prayed for God to make me teachable and the accountability ended up being a huge blessing this week. I was able to re-think how I am using social media, was able to have a phone conversation with a ministry mentor who gave me a new vision for my presence on social media, and I was even able to write some "ground rules" for how to use Twitter and Facebook. And it all started with a brother who cared enough for my ministry to take a risk and help me be better in this crucial area: social media presence. If you are a minister, let me recommend this podcast on pastors and social media, to help you get started being better, too.
2) This week I read something I've never tried before: a movie novelization. I chose to read the novel based on the movie Flywheel. It's been very good. The novel is based on the first movie by Alex and Stephen Kendrick, which is also very good - and they only spent $37,000 to make it!
3) This week I was reminded of how much we need to be praying for teachers, parents, and students as the children in our community return to school this Fall. If you know anyone in that category, reach out to them this week and see how you can be praying and supporting them this year!
4) Movie recommendation: Ask my family and they will tell what a sucker I am for watching all kinds of Christian movies. I have a subscription to PureFlix and love it because it gives me a chance to indulge my Christian movie watching. Of course, not every Christian movie made is good, and some are pretty cheesy, but it doesn't matter to me: I will give it a try. One that I did watch this week which I thought was good was Do You Believe? Here's the trailer...
5) Finally, let's talk about communication and our spouses. Struggling to talk with your spouse meaningfully once you get home from work? “Rituals of connection” are an important tool in nurturing successful relationships. Create a daily ritual where you intentionally reconnect each evening, whether it’s over dinner or after the kids are in bed. To get you started, here are five questions to ask instead of “How was your day?”
What made you laugh out loud today? This might sound like a silly question, but more than likely it will lead to sharing a story, whether it’s to provide context or explain what happened. Out of this you might learn more about your partner, increasing your connection.
If your day was a meal/song/color, what would it be and why? Here’s another question you can have fun with, but that can actually give you insight into the flow of each other’s day
What gave you a sense of accomplishment today? Sure, you might find out about a big work project or the third day in a row of hitting their step goal, but the conversation might take a deeper dive as well. Maybe they don’t know how to answer because they’ve been struggling with balancing work and home responsibilities, and that’s okay. The goal is to have a more meaningful conversation or at the very least give yourselves the opportunity for one.
How would you like today to end? Maybe their day was so busy they didn’t have a spare moment to catch their breath, and now all they need is some quiet time to relax. Maybe it was a bad day and they just want leave it all behind them and play games with the kids. Either way, it gives them an opportunity to tell you exactly what they need – and an opportunity for you to help make it happen.
What did you learn today? Sure, this might sound more like something you’d ask your kids after school, but hey, we adults learn new things, too! Maybe it’s an interesting factoid from that new podcast they’re listening to. Or perhaps they learned they shouldn’t stay up so late reading (they were dragging today) or to always make sure the blender cover is on tight. Whatever it is, you can hopefully also learn something new about each other.
