The Most Impacting Aspects of 2009 (Pt 2)

The Most Impacting Spiritual Events in My Life of 2009

Short-term mission trip to Kenya – This was my first such trip, and I was blessed to be able to go with my daughter Sarah.  I expected to see poverty and human devastation, but I was unprepared to see the level of faith and raw joy.  It influenced my life by shattering my self-imposed beliefs about God’s size and power, and what it really means to put your life into His hands.

Bible study through the book of Job – As I was dealing with the loss of our grandson, and several other hardships earlier in the year, the book of Job became a haven for me to seek God and ask Him difficult questions.  This influenced my life by reminding me again that God is sovereign and good.

Counseling – As I mentioned in my last post, I went to counseling earlier this year to seek help in my grieving process.  We talked about many things in addition to my grief, and God really used it.  This influenced my life by making me aware of the ‘Little Terrorist’ inside of me that always wants to ask, “Could you have done that any better?”  It helped frame my life from God’s perspective of abundance, rather than the enemy’s perspective of scarcity.

Launching my blog – While this may not seem like a spiritual event, it has been deeply spiritual for me.  The opportunity to share my experiences, thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and even a little humor (very little, my friends point out) has been a spiritual journey for me. This influenced my life by reminding me that God has given me ample gifts to impact His Kingdom and expanded opportunities to use them.

Developing a relational network of close friends – God spurred me on earlier this year to surround myself with four specific people.  I meet with each guy individually and we sharpen one another through accountability, challenges and encouragement.  This has influenced my life by increasing my sense of Christian community and renewing my need for genuine fellowship with others who want to be like Jesus.

These are just a few of the spiritual highlights from this year.  There were so many from which to choose – great sermons, podcasts, times of worship, small group discussions, time in the Word, and great books – but these are the top five.

What are your most impacting spiritual events of 2009?

Next time I’ll write about the most impacting developments in my work at The Chapel.