The Pastor’s Pen

Editors Note: While Pastor Selbo is on sabatical a selection of his previous ‘Pastor’s Pens’ will be published.

This reprint is from June 2004.

Sometimes people make New Year’s resolutions as a way of trying to bring about a positive change in their lives.  New Year’s resolutions can be good, but it’s usually not very far into the year before most of them are broken.

Instead of a New Year’s resolution, how about trying something a little more modest?  How about making a summertime resolution?  A summertime resolution could be anything you will commit yourself to doing during the months of June, July and August.

Need some ideas?  How about one of these?

“During the summertime I will . . .”

… write a letter to a friend I haven’t been in touch with during the past twelve months.”

… take time each day to thank God for blessings he has given me.”

… read the Gospel of John.”

… spend more time than usual with my children or grandchildren.”

… be in worship each Sunday, even when I’m out of town or on vacation.”

… read a biography of a person I’ve long admired.”

… set aside time each week to pray for the needs of others.”

… visit or make a phone call to someone who is homebound or hospitalized.”

… memorize the 23^rd psalm.”

… exercise daily.”

… keep my financial pledge to the church up-to-date.”

… contact my congressional representative about an issue that’s important to me.”

… read a psalm a day.”

… say ‘I love you’ to someone I’ve never said that to before.”

… relax.”

Each moment of our lives is a gift from God.  God wants us to use our moments in ways that are pleasing to him and beneficial to ourselves and others.  If these summertime resolutions help you do that, please use them  or be creative and come up with some of your own.

No matter how you spend your summer, I hope that it’s a healthy and refreshing one.  May you sense God’s presence in everything you do.

Pastor Selbo