Resolutions

by Kevin Tillman | Jan 2, 2025 | Thoughts

“New Years and such things are extraordinarily valuable. They are arbitrary divisions of time; they are a sudden and ceaseless cutting in two of time.”

“Death is a time limit; but differs in many ways from New Year’s Day. The divisions of time which men have adopted are in a sort of way a mild mortality. When we see the Old Year out, we do what many eminent men have done, and what all men desire to do; we die temporarily.”

– G.K. Chesterton

I can’t be the only one … Every year as the final few minutes click down I sense a bit of anxiety. I mean, it is mixed with an anticipation of new things, but there is also a small bit of apprehension that this past year is gone forever. In reality, it’s just a number. January 1st is basically the same as December 31st. But, there’s still this sense of leaving something behind that’s never going to return. I like how Chesterton referred to this passage as a “mild mortality”. In so many ways I believe this to be true. We are laying to rest a past, and we’re doing it with intentions. As Chesterton stated this can be “extraordinarily valuable.”

There are many different views on New Year’s resolutions. Many scoff at the whole concept. I totally get where they are coming from. Anyone who has been a member at a gym before January 1st is well familiar with the influx of new people that suddenly show up in January. The vast majority of those new comers are long gone before February. But, not all of them. Some actually do make a new commitment and stick it out. The scoffers point of view, however, is understood.

Another camp of people claim that a new year is not needed. A resolution can be made any time of the year. This is true. As a matter of fact, that’s a good thing to keep in mind when those New Year’s resolutions start to fail in a few days or weeks. There is always the ability to recommit. This view is also understood.

A third grouping are those that make resolutions every single year. Some of the goals are kept, and some aren’t. But, despite failure or success, a new resolve is sought every year. I believe most people fall into this third grouping. There is just something within us that longs for positive change. It’s rooted in hope. Hope that there is something better in the future. I see nothing wrong with this outlook.

I do, however, like Chesterton’s further explanation…

“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.”

– G.K. Chesterton

Why do some people keep resolutions while others don’t? Why do we keep some resolutions but not others? I guess we could start with the resolution itself. I mean I could commit to eating more chicken wings and burgers this year, and I’m confident I’d meet that goal. But, that’s not the way we typically plan. Instead we give ourselves lofty goals, maybe too lofty.

Chesterton stated, “Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.” He’s saying that the goal itself is merely an arbitrary objective. As a side note, studies have shown that simply setting a goal releases a small amount of dopamine. You don’t have to actually do anything, or achieve the goal. You just need to set it, and you’ll feel a little better. Later in time, set another goal. It’s a vicious cycle that never goes anywhere. Chesterton claims it is much deeper. A “new soul and new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes”. Basically we have to change our thinking. We have to change our outlook.

Time to get practical. How do you change your eyes, ears, nose, feet, soul and backbone? Think of this quite literally. If you desire to change your eyes you need to look at something else. Same for the ears. Who are you listening to? Where do your feet take you consistently? Maybe it’s time for a new path. What about the soul? Do you take time to refresh? I know we talk so much about spending time with God, but is it something that you actually do? Spend time in prayer, spend time in the Bible, and also spend time alone. I think we underestimate how valuable reflection and solitude are. I’d go as far as saying change the smells. This one’s actually easy to prove. If I’m struggling with my diet, I don’t need the smell of fresh baked cookies in the house.

As I’m writing this blog, I’m reminded of an old Vince Lombardi quote. Lombardi was the coach of the Green Bay Packers winning several championships, including the first two superbowls. The trophy awarded to the winning team now is name the “Lombardi” trophy in his honor. Lombardi famously began each fall camp with the statement, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Then, the team began preparations starting with page one of the playbook and working on the basic fundamentals of the game. Was the goal to win the championship? Yes. Was that the starting point? No.

It’s a basic concept, but so important. We accomplish great things not so much when we set out to accomplish great things. We accomplish great things when we work on the basics of our lives. “I’m going to lose weight” can release some dopamine, and we might even believe ourself for a while. But, a better resolve might be, “I’m going to change the way I think about food.” Here’s a another one: “I’m going to read my Bible every day.” That’s obviously a good habit. But, what if we tweak that slightly to, “I’m going to grow closer in my relationship to God.” Do you see the subtle difference there?

As we enter into this new year, I encourage New Year’s resolutions. Chesterton is correct, there is a natural division we place on this time of year. Something has gone, and something else is here. It’s a new day, a new year. It’s an opportunity to make changes. But, sheer will power will only carry us so far. A lofty goal, while sounding good and making us feel better, will likely fall flat at some point. Instead focus on the basics. Focus on those aspects of you that will make drastic shifts. Change your eyes, ears, nose, feet, and soul and you’ll change your life! Start small if you need to. Ask yourself, what is one thing I could quit listening to and something else I could start listening to? What am I looking at regularly that could be replaced by something else? Pick one or two things to replace. Over time that small thing becomes a habit, and that habit will start making a significant difference in your life.

Happy New Year everyone!

The Dysfunctional Family Tree of Jesus

by Shannon Tillman | Dec 5, 2024 | Thoughts

The book of Matthew begins with a genealogy. Some of the names are more familiar than others. Yet, often, these verses are skipped over to continue to the narrative. But by doing this, we miss the story that formed the history of Jesus! It is a messy family tree which makes it all the more interesting.

Let me highlight a few of the people on the list:

• Abraham: Father of the faith, also lied about his wife being his sister (actually, more manipulated the truth since she was his half-sister). This put her in the Pharoah’s harem. Sadly, he did this more than once!
• Jacob: a liar and deceiver. Through four different women, he had twelve sons which became the tribes of Israel.
• Judah: Slept with his daughter-in-law thinking she was a prostitute. He was planning on having her killed when she proved that he was the father.
• Rahab: a Canaanite prostitute that was rescued out of Jericho.
• Ruth: a Moabite, idol worshipper, from a pagan nation that were enemies of Israel. She left her nation and her gods to accompany her mother-in-law to Israel.
• David: a mighty king who also had an adulterous affair, then killed the husband of the woman even though the man, Uriah, was one of the mighty men of Israel’s army. Also, he decided to conduct a census of Israel against God’s will so the nation was punished, costing the lives of thousands of people.
• Solomon: wisest man who ever lived. However, he died foolishly because he married so many women who led him astray after other gods. He abandoned the Lord and became an idol worshipper.
• Rehoboam: listened to his friends instead of wise counsel which ended up splitting the nation of Israel into two kingdoms.
• Uzziah: a mighty king who expanded the borders of Israel. However, he decided he wanted to conduct priestly duties in the temple. The priests had to confront him, and he was struck with leprosy due to his actions.
• Manasseh: an evil king who killed his own children in idol worship. He was captured by Babylon and sent to prison. Yet, he cried out to the Lord in his distress. Amazingly, Manasseh was allowed to return to Israel as king where he spent the rest of his life telling others to return to the true God.

These are just a few from the list. But what encourages me is that Christ still came. The dysfunction, rebellion, perversion, and crime did not stop the plan of God to bring salvation to the world through this family line. In fact, God took terrible situations and turned them in amazing ways over hundreds of years. The perfect Man, Son of God, had an imperfect heritage.

My family is messed up, and so is yours. Our dysfunction may look different, but it is sin just the same. Yet, Jesus can still come forth in our generation. We can choose to be the ones who do what is right, no matter what wrong was done in previous generations, no matter the wrong done to us.

In the list of names are also faithful kings who tore down idols and fought to protect the nation. There are names of heroes who chose to return to build the temple of God after years of exile. There were men like Boaz and Salmon who married foreign women, changed their lives, and brought them into the people of God.

Your generation is now. It does not matter your age. You have the opportunity to “birth Christ” into your family line. When you choose to live according to the Lord, not according to your past, you bring Jesus to your family. It may not be readily accepted by others. They may choose the “old family ways”. But you can be faithful today, no matter what others have done in generations before you.

Jesus still comes to families. The genealogy stops with Him. No more family problems after Jesus shows up. He is the perfect Son. He brings salvation to the whole family!

Be encouraged. No matter your family issues, Jesus still comes; He still delivers; He still redeems. You are no longer defined by your past or your family’s past, instead your present is measured by Jesus. His record is perfect! You have a new family tree; it is the cross of Jesus!

Painful Thanksgiving

by Shannon Tillman | Nov 28, 2024 | Thoughts

I did not know her story, yet without words she touched my heart.

It was a difficult day for me. I had a situation that was tearing my life apart. The pain seemed to never go away. Once again, I was in church and engaging in worship. Tears flowed freely as I struggled to sing, but in truth, I could hardly pray.

At that moment, I saw her. She was on stage singing with the worship team. In the midst of the song, she raised her hand. I do not know how I knew, but I just felt it was a true sacrifice of praise. She was raising her hand in her pain and choosing to believe God despite what she had gone through. And I knew, by her example, I could do the same. My tears stopped for a moment and I began to breathe a wordless thanksgiving from a very broken heart.

Later, I found out her story. She had tragically lost her husband a few years before. The day of her hand-raising in the midst of worship would have been their wedding anniversary. She chose to praise in her pain, to thank God while grieving her tragedy, to worship despite her wounds.

That is true thanksgiving. We often think it can only come out of an overflowing heart from blessed circumstances. But that day I saw what true thanksgiving looked like. It took me back to the first Thanksgiving. The pilgrims celebrated their lives because they made it through winter even though most of the colony had tragically died. It was not from years of triumph, but from years of loss that they chose to give thanks. They survived. They saw another day. They still had breath in their lungs, and they used it to give thanks. In the grieving, they held onto hope.

Friend, I do not know what you may be experiencing. This Thanksgiving may be born out of loss and pain. I encourage you to follow the example of this precious woman who raised her hand to praise the God who comforts us, who is near us, who loves us, who takes care of us in our pain.

Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

May you feel the comfort of God as I did that day, knowing He understands our pain and others can encourage us to hold on, to believe God, to even thank Him on the very difficult days.

God Doesn’t Hurry

by Kevin Tillman | Oct 17, 2024 | Thoughts

“God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which He must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves.” – A.W. Tozer

We live in a world that is in a hurry. It’s just about impossible to not be affected by the busyness. Everything is fast. Anyone remember the old days of dial-up internet? Remember waiting and waiting and waiting for an image to finally appear on the screen? We didn’t think too much of it, because it was all we knew. You could go back further in history. We whine about a package taking more than two days to get to us. Have you ever really processed how quick that really is? I mean you can order something from the other side of the country and it be sitting on your front doorstep in 48 hours. That’s actually pretty remarkable. As I’m sitting here typing this blog entry I could take a break and order a ticket on an airline. I could be on the other side of the world in less than two days. And on top of that, I could sit in a seat that is magically suspended in the air. I mean, come on, it’s really amazing what we can do now.

Against that backdrop is a God that works on His timetable. The things of the heart take longer. Our nerves and our spirit need solitude. They need rest. They need time off from the fast-paced world. God wants us whole. He isn’t rushed in the process. We’re in a hurry, but He’s not.

The old saying goes, “take time to smell the roses”. It’s good advice. Slow down, rest, listen, and refresh. God does His best in us when we finally, yes finally, settle in and listen. It’s then that we are ready to receive. Make solitude and reflection a part of your life. It’s not just good advice, it’s the way God designed us.

Messy Journal Entry: Moses and Jesus

by Shannon Tillman | Oct 10, 2024 | Thoughts

A messy journal entry is straight from my prayer journal. Sometimes, I
write things down that are easier to transcribe from my prayer journal (or fix
some of the grammar and thoughts) then try to “tidy up” and make into a decent
blog post.

Here are some of my thoughts comparing Moses climbing Mt. Sinai and
Jesus climbing Golgotha. Mt. Sinai is where Moses received the ten
commandments. It was on Golgotha that Jesus was crucified.

The meaning of the word “Sinai” is “thorny”. Moses walked the mountain
of thorns. Jesus walked up to Golgotha with a crown of thorns on His head. As
Moses went up a thorny mountain, thorns pulled on his clothes. As Jesus made
His way from the Garden to Golgotha; thorns, whips, and nails pulled on His skin.
Moses conquered a mountain of thorns to receive the ten commandments. Jesus
conquered the curse of mankind who broke the ten commandments. Moses
walked on the curse (thorns) caused by Adam. Jesus, the second Adam, became
the curse for us.

When Moses went up the mountain he held the two stone tablets in one
hand; he probably had his wooden staff in the other. It was this staff that was
lifted up over the Red Sea, parting for the Israelites for freedom and consuming
the Egyptians in the waters that closed back in on them. The stone tablets would
be engraved with the law, the wooden staff would be a symbol of the mercy of
God in helping His people and vanquishing the enemy. Law and mercy come
together to ascend the mountain. Jesus, the fulfillment of the law, carried the
cross up a mountain as well. Law and mercy come together. The ultimate enemy,
Satan himself, is conquered as the cross is lifted up. Lives are forever changed.

The nation of Israel was forgiven at Mt. Sinai; the world was forgiven at Golgotha.
The wooden staff was a picture to the nation of Israel of the power of God.
The staff was raised when the Red Sea parted making a way for Israel to freedom.
It was the staff that struck the rock causing water to pour out, giving life-giving
water to a thirsty nation who came to the waters. The wooden cross is a picture
to the world of the power of God. The cross raised up made a way for man to be
freed from sin and have a relationship with God. It was the pierced side of Jesus
where blood and water flowed out, so the death of Jesus gives life to all who
come to Him.

Pictures of Jesus are found throughout the Old Testament. How amazing is
the Word of God!