Beginning

"But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light." - Ephesians 5:13

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed, The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." - James 5:15

Our family has now been on the "mission field" for about six months now.  I'll be the first to confess that it has been a time filled with ups and downs, but as always the Lord's grace has sustained us.  But I have noticed in my own life too that there have been many ups and downs in my own spiritual disciplines. Things get hectic, I waste time, I make plans to do things and they don't get done, etc.  I know I'm not the only one who deals with these sorts of things, but I know that often I have tried various ways to remedy inconsistency in my own life.  For a while things work, and then they don't, then they work again, then they don't.  

The above verses, I believe, provide a Biblical remedy for sins and struggles in the life of the believer.  The key to overcoming sins, resisting temptation and changing behavior in one's life is transparency with the body of Christ.  So that is the purpose of this blog.  I want to be transparent.  Our being here in Russia is supported by the financial gifts of many, and with that comes a tremendous responsibility to be diligent.  Knowing that people will be reading this blog on a daily or regular basis will help me to stay consistent and be diligent I believe.

So what are my goals?  Let me spell them out specifically.  I don't want to just paste a bunch of generalities up here like "be a better Christian" or "better utilize my time" etc.  There are a number of areas of temptation that I am keenly aware of in my life.  Here they are in no particular order.

1.  Neglecting the Word -  I want to read, study and meditate upon God's word daily.  Not just read it, but learn it.  I want to memorize it.  I have noticed that since coming to Russia this has been an up and down thing for me, especially as of late when the nights got long and the sun didn't come up until 10:30AM.  So here I will post each day what I have read and studied from God's Word along with some brief personal comments.  I will also post what I am currently memorizing from Scripture and how it is coming along.  

2.  Thought Life - We have special programs on our computers to guard against pornography and keeps me accountable.  But Russia is not America.  There are advertisements on the streets, women dress very scantily during the warmer months, and television advertising can be pretty vulgar at times.  Along with posting my daily Bible reading I intend to post how I'm doing in this area.

3.  Time Management - Specifically, I can waste a significant amount of time on the internet just goofing around.  I also intend to post here the amount of time I spend on the internet daily that is not directly work or family related (i.e. emailing a family member, checking our bank statement). 

 

Now, here's what I need from you - accountability.  If I miss a day, then email me and check in on me (keep in mind that I'm 9 hours a head of central time here in Russia). Help me in this regard.  Your help in this area will greatly help me to stay close to Christ and not become a heretic.