Proverbs 365 - November Review

December 6th, 2010

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I'm down to the last month in my Proverbs 365 project!  The truth is that I'm going to be genuinely glad when I'm finished.  It's a lot of work to try to do anything for 365 days in a row!  Consequently, there is a part of me that will breathe a great big sigh of relief when this last month is finished.  I'll be glad to be able to pick up other reading and writing projects again.  I'll be glad to rid myself of the pressures of constant content creation for awhile.  Even so, considering the fact that I'm down to the last month of my Proverbs 365 project, I also realize and appreciate how much this focus on the wisdom of the Proverbs has enriched my life.  I've learned a lot about the power of my words, the patterns of my actions, the pitfalls of pride, the lessons in leadership -- and the ways that life, love, and faith truly work themselves out in my heart and in the world around me.  I still have a lot of questions, not just wise answers; but I also have a deep appreciation for the clarity, consision, and wisdom that the Proverbs have to offer.

Because another month has recently passed, it's time for another review of the project.  Looking back over the month of November, I notice a very wide range of different types of pieces with markedly different themes.  My best writing from the last month, however, is the writing in which I probe some of my own memories and experiences -- stuff that's still unsettled, stirred-up, and still very much in process, within my life.  I don't know for sure if it ends up being the most satisfying reading for others -- but in any event, it's cathartic for me!  Seriously, though, I expect that the most personal stuff is also the most accessible stuff for others, too.  So here are what I consider to be my top three posts from the month of November:

One of the most powerful Proverbs for me this month came from the second chapter of the book -- the 19th verse.  At first glance, Proverbs 2:19 seems pretty extreme.  It says, "None who go to [the adulteress] return or attain the paths of life." Wouldn't you agree that it sounds exagerated?  Overblown?  Extremist?  But as I thought about this verse, I realized that I saw this very thing happen once, right in front of my eyes -- and I've been permanently impacted by the experience, in a way that's still working itself out in my life and ministry today.  I wrote about my recollections in P219 - Intervention.

On a different note, I also had the opportunity this month to explore my relationship with my mother and father.  For most of my life, I've been a pretty conscientious and compliant son.  As such, it would seem like the warning Proverbs 15:5 doesn't apply to me so much, when it says, "A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence." However, as I reflected on this verse, I was reminded of this one instance when I was growing up, where I directly disregarded my father's advice, and I spent the following decade dealing with the consequences.  In a lot of ways, I'm still dealing with the same issues today.  But God is working on these things in my life!  I wrote about it all in P1505 - Dealing with Crap.

Thirdly from November:  a broader social issue.  Homelessness is a real issue in most urban areas -- including Amsterdam.  But I never know exactly how to handle requests from strangers who are begging for money.  I want to be generous, but at the same time I don't want to feed into problems of addiction or apathy!  So over time, I've come up with a way of dealing with requests for money that's roughly based on Proverbs 17:16, where it says, "Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?" There's no perfect response in dealing with homelessness, but for whatever my experiences and convictions might be worth, you can ready about my standard response in P1716 - Beggar's Choice.

 

Finally, for a complete listing of November's content, here are the titles of all 30 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the content:

I'm super-excited to be down to my last month (actually, now more like 25 days!) of this project.  Following the conclusion of my year's worth of daily blogging, I'm looking forward to some interesting applications of this material in other contexts.  But I'll have to tell you more about that as plans develop and the time approaches.  In the meantime, please feel free to enjoy the concluding days of the project at Proverbs 365!

This entry is filed under God, The Bible, Reading the Bible, Proverbs 365.