![\"baloons\"](\"https:\/\/699cb42a4e-custmedia.vresp.com\/83dd67e5eb\/baloons.jpg\" "\\"baloons\\"")
<\/span>2015 is poised to enter, stage right.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span>It\u2019s a time-honored tradition for many of us to greet the new year with a fresh list of resolutions.<\/div>\n- \n
- I\u2019m going to lose 10 pounds.<\/li>\n
- I\u2019m going to run a marathon.<\/li>\n
- Skydiving \u2013 it\u2019s\u00a0gonna happen.<\/li>\n
- I will purge the basement and garage.<\/li>\n
- I am going to lose\u00a010 pounds\u00a0(I mean business this year.)\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n
- I will read the Bible from start to finish.<\/li>\n
- I\u2019m going to quit smoking.<\/li>\n
- That\u2019s it. I\u2019m joining a\u00a0gym.<\/li>\n
- I will\u00a0volunteer\u00a0in my community.<\/li>\n
- I\u2019m moving. Time for a fresh start.<\/li>\n
- I\u2019m headed back to school.<\/li>\n
- I\u2019m going back to church.<\/li>\n
- I\u2019m losing that 10 pounds.\u00a0(No, really!\u00a0No more white sugar, gluten, dairy or sprinkles\u2026as soon as I finish the rest of these Christmas cookies.)\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Many well-intentioned vows to change are rooted in our regrets. Some are things we hoped to do\u00a0and didn\u2019t accomplish. Others are things we did to excess. In every case, the longing for a fresh start has been wired into us by the One who made us, and who can redeem and repurpose those regrets for our good and his glory.Those well-intentioned New Year\u2019s resolutions occasionally jump start change for some of us, but for the rest of us often see those promises fizzle and fade\u00a0by the third week of January. I\u2019d like to suggest another way to tackle real\u00a0transformation from the inside out in the coming year.![\"flat](\"https:\/\/699cb42a4e-custmedia.vresp.com\/83dd67e5eb\/flat%20cover%20IF%20ONLY.jpg\" "\\"flat")
I wrote\u00a0If Only: Letting Go Of Regret\u00a0<\/em><\/a>to encourage readers to discover that no choice we\u2019ve made in the past is beyond God\u2019s power to transform us. Sometimes the change we want most happens in the process of dealing with our\u00a0regrets, rather than attempting to silence those \u201cwoulda, coulda, shouldas\u201d with a round of resolutions.If Only<\/em>\u00a0won an Award of Merit in the Christian Living category from the\u00a0![\"CT](\"https:\/\/699cb42a4e-custmedia.vresp.com\/83dd67e5eb\/imgres%202.jpg\" "\\"CT")
Christianity Today Book Awards<\/a>. I\u2019m humbled and thankful for\u00a0this great honor, but the greatest joy for me has come as I\u2019ve heard from readers who\u2019ve been moved by the book.\nTo celebrate this honor, and to help launch the upcoming year on the right foot (and the left foot, too!), I\u2019m sponsoring a two-for-one giveaway contest.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
I\u2019ll send one autographed copy of\u00a0If Only<\/em>\u00a0to you to keep or share \u2013\u00a0and I\u2019ll send one autographed copy on your behalf to someone you know who may benefit from having this book: a counselor, a hospice nurse, a chaplain, a volunteer at a Crisis Pregnancy Center, or someone in a church or faith-based nonprofit who works with people dealing with the fallout of financial, relational or spiritual regrets of any kind. I\u2019ll be awarding a total of three sets of books in this contest.\u00a0Such a deal!<\/p>\n
To enter,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>click here\u00a0<\/span><\/a>to\u00a0send me an email with (1) your name, mailing address, email, and the name\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0(2) the mailing address of the person to whom you\u2019d like me to send the second copy of the book in your name.<\/span><\/strong>The contest will end on Friday, January 9th at\u00a0midnight (CST).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\nQuick notes:<\/em><\/span>
\nIf you\u2019re in search of a speaker for your church, retreat,\u00a0book group, MOPS gathering or Bible study who can address themes of regret and redemption for your group,click here\u00a0<\/a>to contact me. To get a sample of the kinds of messages I can offer your group,\u00a0click here<\/a>, then scroll to the bottom of the page where you can get a senses of my speaking style by sampling the radio\/podcast links.I am currently working on a book for NavPress about the Jewish Feasts and the Christian calendar<\/a>, and it would be a joy to bring a presentation to your group about how these holy days shape our everyday walk\u00a0with God.<\/div>\n\n
\n<\/div>\nMy prayer for you and I this upcoming year is found in Psalm 90:12: \u201cTeach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.\u201d As we learn to trust God with our past, present, and future, we will grow in the kind of wisdom that drains regret from our days and reflects his beautiful character.<\/em><\/span><\/span>Happy 2015 to you and your family!
\n<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2015 is poised to enter, stage right.\u00a0It\u2019s a time-honored tradition for many of us to greet the new year with a fresh list of resolutions. I\u2019m going to lose 10 pounds. I\u2019m going to run a marathon. Skydiving \u2013 it\u2019s\u00a0gonna happen. I will purge the basement and garage. I am going to lose\u00a010 pounds\u00a0(I mean […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1449,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-regret","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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