For myself, looking back on January, I have some regrets but mostly I am surprised to find that I think I'm on track with most of my goals.
Our half-marathon running schedule has been a little haphazard with the distractions and busyness of daily life and events, but we are still okay. I've also started memorizing 2 Peter. I can already tell that memorizing this book is going to be a delightful journey.
Aaaaaand I successfully completed January's book!
Gospel Coach - Shepherding Leaders to Glorify God
by Scott Thomas and Tom Wood.
We are studying this book in my a small group with church and though at times it seemed rather inapplicable to me (it is a book geared towards helping ministry leaders coach other leaders), I found many practical, theological, and helpful tidbits to pull from it. Since one of my goals for this year was to be more intentional with relationships and building into people, Gospel Coach, has given me some tools through which to do that in a Gospel-centered way.
Here are some of my favourite quotes from the book:
People have an immense need to be useful, but no one likes to be used. (page 24)
Though a person can believe the message of the gospel, functionally we often reveal a deeper, heart-level belief that our power, approval, comfort and security are more worthy of pursuit than God. (page 47)
The gospel is more than just the power of God to save us; it is the power of God to sanctify us, to make us the very people the gospel declares us to be. (page 59)
We cannot turn a good thing into an ultimate thing or it immediately becomes a bad thing... (page 67)
Success is a false indicator of God's love for us... (page 67)
We worship what gives us our identity. (page 74)
Tolerating sin is a willful leap towards committing it. True repentance loathes sin deeply. (page 89)
Life is sometimes temporarily painful, but Jesus is always eternally glorious. (page 144)There are many more, but let's not get carried away. If you are seeking to be a good "coach" or "mentor" or simply a good leader, this is a great book. The book itself serves as a sort of mentor - convicting, reassuring, inspiring, and teaching throughout its pages. I'm glad I didn't let it continue to sit half-read on my shelf. It was a good one to start the year with.
Now, on to February!
