The groundhog has spoken. And it’s bad news.

Punxsutawney Phil has emerged to see his shadow before chilly revelers in Pennsylvania, meaning winter will last another six weeks.

German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.

Of all the holidays, is there one more ridiculous than this one?  We wait on a groundhog to pop his head out of a hole and tell us whether or not we need to pack up our winter clothes or not.

We allow someone’s perception to determine our reality.

It’s a fatal mistake by many.  We let how others view us determine who we are.  If someone calls us stupid enough, we start to believe it.  If someone makes us feel worthless, we begin to agree with them.

When in reality today, you need to believe God’s perception of you.

You are loved.  You are chosen.  You are free.  You are adopted.  You are no longer a sinner but a saint.  You are cherished.  You are no longer condemned.  You are worth fighting for.

You are His.  Now let that be the shadow that determines your reality today.

As the church studies through the True[ish] series, one way you can make each of these doctrines stick with you longer is by utilizing Scripture memory. The Bible repeatedly encourages Scripture memorization. If we hide it in our hearts (Ps 119:11), then the Word of God is with us even when the hard copy of it may not be near our hands. You can memorize and meditate on the truth throughout the day and you will be amazed at how those passages will come alive to you as you study them further.

I was in college before I ever took Scripture memorization seriously. Serving for a month on a mission trip in Japan, I became discouraged with my lack of Bible knowledge. I was sick and tired of being asked a questions about the Bible and responding with an answer such as, “Well, somewhere in the Bible, it says something like this…”

Something had to change. In a Tokyo convenience store, I stumbled upon a keychain with blank note cards on it that local university students used to learn English words. They would place the English word on one side and the Japanese translation on the other side. The students carried them around everywhere because they thought to survive in this world, they needed to speak the English language.

I decided that if I was going to survive in this world, I was going to have to learn how to speak the biblical language. I needed to hide God’s Word in my heart. I began putting verses on one side and the reference on the backside. Everywhere I went for a week, I traveled with that pack in my pocket. When the situation allowed, I worked on memorizing those verses relentlessly. In that week, I was amazed at how many verses I was actually able to memorize.

Jesus stated that one of the major roles of the Holy Spirit is to teach us all things and bring to our remembrance the things that have been taught to us (John 14:26). As I hid God’s Word in my heart, I experienced the Holy Spirit on a completely different level. When I was discouraged, I experienced Him reminding me about verses of encouragement. When I was tempted, I was confronted with God’s standard of holiness. When I was unsure, He reminded me of His clear directions. God’s Word became living and active in my life (Heb 4:12).

So what about you? If you are sick and tired about not knowing God’s Word, there is no better time to change it than right now. Going along with the True[ish] series, we have selected some specific verses for you to begin your journey. Below you will find two passages per doctrine (accompanied by it’s big, impressive theological word) that we recommend for you to memorize. Eight doctrines at two passages each equals 16 verses. That number might be a lofty goal for you, but make a New Year’s resolution to finish this list.

Do it together. In your Community Group, Sunday School class, or just with a friend, work on this list and see what a difference it could make in your life.

The Bible (or Bibliology)

God (or Theology)

Man (or Anthropology)

Jesus (or Christology)

The Holy Spirit (or Pneumatology)

Salvation (or Soteriology)

Church (or Ecclesiology)

Eternity (or Eschatology)

Eli is still weeks away from coming home, yet he has already taught me, his father, so much.  If you didn’t get to catch his story, you can do so here.  The short version is God has called Amanda and I to adopt an orphan from Ethiopia who has some special needs.  Due to severe malnourishment, he has some delayed milestones.

When we thought through possibilities, we became overwhelmed.  When we prayed through opportunities, we became peaceful.  Amanda had been praying to meet the needs of a child that was even more overlooked than other orphans.  I wasn’t there yet.  My line of reasoning was such: “If we don’t accept the child matched with us, that child will wind up on a waiting list.  We don’t know what we are getting into with a waiting child.”

Everything changed when we heard about Eli.

When we began to talk to ourselves, other people, and professionals in their respective fields, I realized something about myself and most people: We all want to see the needs of the world met, yet we rarely want them met through our own hands.

Every one with whom we talked was concerned over Eli’s state.  If you see his pictures in the orphanage, your heart literally breaks in two.  The look in his eyes cries hopelessness.  Anyone who heard his story or saw his pictures became brokenhearted.  His parents died so early.  He hasn’t had enough to eat.  His life has been absent of stability.  Everyone felt pity for him.

But no one wanted responsibility for him.

I have to admit, I would have slept better at night if someone would have told me, “Don’t worry about Eli, someone else has agreed to take care of him.”  I would have uttered a sigh of relief, felt better about the world, and gone about my merry way.

Why?  Because I honestly want him to have a better life, but I didn’t want my life affected in the process.  I would feel better if he was taken care of just as long as it didn’t affect my comfort.  We want peace on earth without it disrupting our lives.  We don’t want to take risks.  We want to help someone without getting dirty.  Meet the needs of the world at arm’s lengths.

Eli has taught me so much already.  He is pushing me to be more like Christ.  I can’t just hurt for the needs of others, I need to hurt with the needs of others.  My hands must begin to match up with my heart.  I want to see the needs of the world met, yet I rarely want them met through my own hands.

God’s will is unstoppable.  If He wants it to happen, it’s going to happen.

Here’s a comforting thought to me today:

If God wants it to happen, there is nothing you can do to mess it up.  If God doesn’t want it to happen, there is nothing you can do to force it to be.

No amount of failures, no insufficient performace of yours can stop something if it is God’s will.  If God is going to bring something into your life, don’t get anxious, He is in control.

But if it is not God’s will, rest easy.  Nothing you can do to try to force His hand will succeed.  You will be riding around in circles wasting energy on the impossible.

Thankful for God’s unstoppable will today.  In a world of people too uneasy to rest, I can sleep well tonight.

Another part of planning for 2010 comes with a Bible reading plan.  If you don’t have a target, you don’t know where to aim.  A Bible reading plan can provide you a systematic way to work through the Scriptures rather than just haphazardly thumbing through the pages.

There are plans that get you to read through the Bible in a year, the New Testament in 2 months, or the Psalms in a month.  There are all kinds of options.

One of the greatest online tools out there is a program called YouVersion that was put together by LifeChurch.  This online Bible program provides way to share insights on the Scripture and keep up in community with others out there.  You can also access it through your phone and all kinds of great features.

One of their best new features is providing a plethora of reading plans.

My personal reading plan is to finish up the Old Testament by the end of April.  I’ve been reading through the Law and the Psalms lately, but I am wanting to finish the rest.  The reasoning is North Side is going through a Bible reading plan the month of May.  We are going to challenge our members to read through the entire New Testament in the month of May.  That will equal to roughly 10 chapters a day.  Get yourself ready – it’s going to be great!

So, what’s your plan?  If you don’t have a target, you don’t know where to aim.