The first three parties for this January Challenge will be this week on January 9th at 8:00 a.m. EST, 1:00 p.m. EST, and 6:00 p.m. EST. (If you’re just hearing about it now, it’s not too late to join!)
The pre-party is where the real action will be, when you and Jesus can spend time reflecting on 2019 and preparing for 2020. Jesus lived this type of challenge on a regular basis. He too lived a life of ministry, full of activity, people, and teammates.
Luke 5:15-16 says: “Yet the news about him spread all the
more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
I was curious to see how different versions translated “lonely places:”
- the wilderness
- desolate places
- deserted places
- some place where he could be alone
- the desert
You might not have the luxury of withdrawing to a lonely place to spend time with Jesus working through the packet you receive when you join the challenge. You might live in a concrete jungle, be trapped inside because you are in the dead of winter, or only have noisy teahouses as an option.
While it is not the same, thanks to the internet, you can have a virtual time of withdrawing. I found three videos that last several hours.
So, if you would like to withdraw to a cabin in the woods and watch the snow fall while you reflect on your year and plan for 2020, use this video:
If you would prefer birds singing in the woods on a “summer” day, hang out with Jesus in these woods:
If you are a beach and waves kind of person, Jesus will meet you along this shore:
It really doesn’t matter if you like the snow, the woods, or the beach, several of the versions emphasized the word often in “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Just spend time with the Lover of your soul.
If you haven’t yet, download your packet and spend some time with Jesus this week. Then decide which of the six parties
See you at a party,
Global Trellis
P.S. If you haven’t, join!
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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