As we near the end of the year, we can often be in reflection about our hopes, goals and experiences of the year gone by. How has 2024 been for you? How has it been in relationship with God? Do you already have specific things you want to shift or change next year? Perhaps there are things you’ve put in place this year that you’re keen to continue to do.
We’ve picked out some snippets from our events and app this year that have encouraged and challenged us, and hope it will be helpful for you as you look toward 2025.
1. Love the Lord with everything you have
This call and reminder will never get old for us, regardless of whether we are looking to a fresh new year or not. At KEC 2024, Tim Blencowe walked us through Deuternomy 6, with this reminder to love God, the perfect Giver:
"You really must love Him with everything you've got because anything else is not love. When He says, 'all your heart', that's the driving seat of your life, the centre. Nothing on the side, please, for God. When He says, 'with all your soul', 'that's everything within me', says the psalmist in Psalm 103. It's your whole of you. Let's be in it, all body and soul ... Whatever power you have, whatever muscle you have, from your bank account to your daily breath - whatever strength you have - pour it all out for Him." (Tim Blencowe, Love the Lord with all your Heart, KEC 2024)
2. Build spiritual ‘rhythms’
Mitch Everingham’s short series on ‘Forming Resilient Rhythms‘ encouraged us to look at how we grow in godliness through the way we approach and integrate spiritual practices into our lives – not just as habits set aside for particular segments of our day, but as a constant presence in our everyday.
"This is why our rhythms are more than just habits. The Scriptures don’t say, 'set aside 10 minutes each morning to read the Bible and that means you’ll grow in godliness and love for others.' Rather they encourage us to move through life with, for example, the Scriptures on our minds as often as possible (Psalm 1), because this is the true path to godliness." (Mitch Everingham, Growing in Godliness by Cultivating Rhythms)
3. Stay in community
One area that can often be overlooked in the busyness of life is the quality of our relationships with others. When Sam Allberry joined us at BASECAMP this year, he instilled in us a real hopefulness for community – that we are not meant to be alone, but to experience the joy and strength that comes from being known and loved (just as Jesus loves and calls us his brothers).
"In 2 John, he ends the letter by saying, 'I have much to write to you. I'd rather not use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.' John is saying, 'I've got a lot to get through with you. I'd rather not use paper and ink.'
It's not because John is a cheapskate and can't be bothered to buy another piece of paper and write on it. John is saying, 'If we talk face to face, if I'm physically with you, our joy will be complete.' There is joy in receiving a letter. There is joy in having a phone call. There is joy in getting a text message, but it's incomplete joy if we're not relating face to face, physically, in person with one another." (Sam Allberry, Brothers in Christ, BASECAMP 2024)
4. Exercise?
Something a lot of us hadn’t considered was the practice of physical exercise in relation to our spiritual walk with Jesus. This series by Amy Townsend on “Should Christians Exercise?” was an eye-opening opportunity for us to consider this – whether we needed to reframe our motivations for exercise, or look to building in physical exercise – for the glory of God and the good of others.
"As Christians, we understand the temporary nature of our bodies. So why spend time and energy looking after what we know is perishing? While there is value in keeping eternity in sight and not holding too tightly to our physical forms, the bodies God has given us have significance and purpose! We were created as embodied beings and will live forever as embodied beings.
Jesus demonstrates this at his resurrection ... it is important we recognise that God has purposes for our bodies—not just in the future but also in the here and now. And so, an appropriate amount of self-care is necessary for us to do the good works God has purposed for us to do (Ephesians 2:10)." (Amy Townsend, Why Exercise?)
Dedicate some time away to sit under God’s Word in 2025
Finally – with all our 2025 events now open for registration, we encourage you to consider setting aside some time away to join us. Dedicate some time our of your everyday; block out dates and come gather with fellow brothers and sisters to sit under God’s Word, worship and grow together in 2025!
Register now, or visit the event websites below!
2 August, 8-9 August
Roundhouse, Kensington & StayKCC, Katoomba
26-28 September
StayKCC, Katoomba
