Time For Something New

This is your life. Are you who you want to be?

These words are from the song, "This is Your Life," by Switchfoot. I got to see them play live a couple of nights ago at the Foursquare Next Gen "Imagine" summit in Anaheim.

Of course, this conference wasn't just bands playing music. There were numerous speakers from inside and outside Foursquare, including Pastor Jack and Glen Burris. The conference was all about investing in and raising up the next generation of spiritual leaders.

So, why the reference to the Switchfoot lyrics? Well, honestly, it's a pretty catchy song and the chorus keeps repeating in my mind. Still, there's more to it than that. (I'll get to that in a moment.)

It's a new year. The time of year when more people purpose to make change and do new things than any other time of the year.

I wonder what God thinks of New Year's resolutions... My hunch is, God wants us to live every day like it was New Year's. After all, He makes it clear in His word that He loves to do new things. Reflecting on what was, looking forward with expectation to what will come, and committing ourselves to a life of continued change is a life pattern we do well to follow. Daily.

Imagine was a God thing. And I'm not overspiritualizing it. Godly men and women planned this conference...and God directed how it went. One of the recurring themes of the conference ran like a thread throughout the 3 days. Desire. Dreams. Ambition. Possibility... Numerous and very different speakers ended up touching on these and other related themes. Created in the image of a creative and passionate God, we are people designed to dream big and relentlessly pursue becoming and doing all God has in mind for us to become and do. Every speaker challenged us on this point.

"This is Your Life" is one of Switchfoot's more well-known songs. I'm guessing that's why they played it... And I also can imagine God smiling as He gazed upon His kids this past weekend, and enjoyed His divine orchestration of things. This is your life. Are you who you want to be? These lyrics could have been the subtitle for the Summit. Can seem like a small thing but I believe God intended for all these things to weave together to paint a wonderfully colorful prophetic tapestry--with varied parts that spoke to the hearts and stirred the imaginations of the thousands attending.

It's New Year's; it's your life. Are you who you want to be? Don't settle for second best. God has so much more for us than that. Let's reach out and chase after it...and not let go of our dreams.