Focus 2020

The question we’ve been asking as we plan for this year is, “how do we equip women to live wide awake to the gospel in 2020?”

First, lets be clear about what I mean when I use the word gospel.

Simply stated, it’s “good news,” but I’m talking about a particular, amazingly good bit of news about Jesus: He came as Messiah to restore the brokenness that sin caused by His sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection! He lives within his people right now by His Spirit. And He is preparing a place for us to dwell with Him eternally.

When we know the gospel of Jesus, and we’re wide awake to God at work around us all the time, it puts the rest of the worldly nonsense into perspective, don’t you think?

But there are so many false gospels–less-than-good-news that we can attach our hearts to as well:

• Religion itself with a message of working toward God rather than accepting His gift of grace
• The influence of famous people in politics, entertainment, and even the church
• Techniques for getting to God that focus more on a practice or method than the Object of our affection

Our Enemy is tricky and makes it really hard to tell the difference between the Gospel of Jesus and a false gospel sometimes. What’s a God-focused woman to do?

As you may know, I really enjoy beginning a new year and choosing a new WORD each January. My word for 2020 is FOCUS. Clear 2020 vision seems like the best way to live wide awake to the Gospel.

I was on a beach at the beginning of this year, and I wrote my word in the sand so I could take the obligatory photo to post and make it social media official.

I watched the waves float in and chose the best distance to write it in the sand. But before I could take the shot, the next foamy waves washed over my FOCUS. So there was a rewrite (or two), and as I turned to step back for a long shot of the coast, a giggling little boy ran across my FOCUS and wiped it out with his feet. As soon as he’d done it, he looked up at me with “oops” written all over his face. I laughed to reassure him I wasn’t upset by his boyish fun because isn’t that a great example of how easily we lose focus!?

 . . . A sudden flood of new ideas or better plans washes away our focus.

. . . A selfish or silly person just wipes out our focus.

. . . And if our focus isn’t grounded in anything more lasting than a word in the sand, it’s gone.

As you might have guessed, I have chosen a verse on which to set my 2020 FOCUS:

My prayer as we gather around God’s Word is to be awakened to the truth God has given us in the Gospel of Jesus and that we will be equipped to focus on Him in 2020.