Jack, Sarah & Graeme from the Table Talk podcast were mad (& kind) enough to have me on an episode to talk about the value of doing a ‘Life Audit’. They ask some great questions and it was a lot of fun to chat it through with them.
If you’ve seen me share about the Life Audit, but you’re not quite sure or it feels a bit full-on – why not give this a listen first.
The Table Talk podcast is brilliant. It’s a bunch of conversations that ‘connect current culture with Christianity’ – and is a great listen whether you’d call yourself religious, atheist, agnostic, whatever. Go subscribe!
New Year is a great time for Christians to take a fresh look at their personal Bible reading & devotional time.
For example, we’ve launched the First Your Word initiative to ‘support each other in a community of Bible reading to grow a culture of Scripture feeding’. Many of us are using the ‘Read Through the Bible’ plan on Youversion’s free ‘Bible’ app, which crucially includes audio Bible!
Over the last week or so I’ve been trying to pick people’s brains for as much advice as I can on making Bible reading a regular rhythm – and I’ve shared 11 ‘tips’ or ways to develop & sustain that habit over at Premier Christianity’s website. Of the 11 tips, #2 & #4 have been pretty liberating for me already this year!
As a guest opinion piece, it’s encouraging for me that Premier have published it. So if you find the article helpful, could you take a moment to pass it on or share it on socials?
If you’re interested in using the same plan as us, just follow the instructions on the graphic above.
For the last few years I’ve produced a simple ‘Life Audit’ worksheet as a self-reflection tool to make the most of the new year as a chance to ‘stock-take’. I’ve had a few requests for it again this year, so I’ve tweaked it and updated it – but also challenged myself to put it into a simplified bitesize format on one infographic-style image.
I think the whole ‘New Year Resolutions’ thing has potential to be an exhausting exercise that ends up burdening people with guilt. But there’s undoubtedly value in using the natural marker of a new year to ‘take stock’.
As I’ve written about before, I think it can be very easy to ‘reason your season’ – to excuse the ‘state of affairs’ in which we find ourselves. Instead, it’s helpful to consider where we find ourselves and the trajectory we’re on. As Christians, we do that rooted in Christ, resting in God’s grace, and reliant on His Spirit for change.
So why not make some space in your diary over the new year period? Save the image below to your phone. Find somewhere you’ll be undisturbed. Put your favourite music on, pour yourself a drink, and grab a pen and your Bible. Just use what’s helpful in the time you have.
And let’s pray that as we reflect on our lives, we’d be more conscious of his grace, more dependent upon his Spirit, more committed to his people, and more willing to ‘abound in the work of the Lord’, knowing our labour in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
If you prefer a 22-page printable pdf with more explanation and step-by-step questions, you can download that here (it’s free, but you can give a donation that will go towards the cost of web hosting my blog): https://robinham.gumroad.com/l/nnwyet
Hello, my name is Robin. Welcome to That Happy Certainty, where I write and collate on Christianity, culture, and ministry. I’m based in Barrow-in-Furness in South Cumbria, England, where I serve a church family called St Paul’s Barrow, recently merged together from two existing churches, St Paul’s Church and Grace Church Barrow.
Available Now: Advent 2021 – Finding Hope Under Bethlehem Skies
A fresh look at Advent through the book of Ruth. Why not order a bunch for your church to read through Advent together here. 100 for £1 each!