One of my mentors sets apart a special chair for personal devotions. He told me that when he goes to his study every morning to read his Bible and pray, he always does it in a chair that he reserves for that purpose.

He found that if he sat in his desk chair, his mind was distracted and pulled towards the work that he had to do that day. He could get no peace to settle on seeking the Lord for his own soul. He therefore got an armchair for his study and always uses that for the one purpose of personal devotions.

This means that when he sits in that chair every day, all the sensory cues prompt him to get into personal devotions mode. There’s no internal argument or discussion. The chair “automatically” puts him in the mood and mind for this indispensable foundation of personal spirituality and ministry faithfulness.

I’ve also found this to be true in my own spiritual life and I’ve usually had my own “personal devotions chair” (or sofa) in my study. My personal devotional life is always much better when I’m at home and in my routine, but it’s much more of a struggle when I travel or go on vacation.

I’d never fully understood this until I came across James Clear’s book Atomic Habits. He explains how “over time our habits become associated not with a single trigger but with the entire context surrounding the behavior” (87). He goes on:

“We mentally assign our habits to the locations in which they occur: the home, the office, the gym. Each location develops a connection to certain habits and routines. You establish a particular relationship with the objects on your desk, the items on your kitchen counter, the things in your bedroom.” (87)

The implication is clear; we can train ourselves to link a particular habit with a particular context.

“Habits thrive under predictable circumstances like these. Focus comes automatically when you are sitting at your work desk. Relaxation is easier when you are in a space designed for that purpose. Sleep comes quickly when it is the only thing that happens in your bedroom. If you want behaviors that are stable and predictable, you need an environment that is stable and predictable. A stable environment where everything has a place and a purpose is an environment where habits can easily form.” (90)

Let me give you an example from the ministry. The same mentor who has his “personal devotions chair” also encouraged me to think of my study as a sanctuary, as a tabernacle in which I meet with God and work for God.

As I was thinking about this again recently, I realized that, over time, I had moved away from this principle and that I was also now using my office to read the news, check social media, book vacation flights, and so on. Not like for hours and hours but even just 5-10 minutes a day (and during my break times!).

However, I feared that this had changed my mood and mindset somewhat when I was working in my study. It was no longer a place exclusively dedicated to being with God and working for God. It was no longer a tabernacle. It was now a contextual mixture of cues. I, therefore, used Covenant Eyes to block access to these sites on my work computer, and now only do these things at home, usually using my home iPad

The result was an almost immediate change in my mindset and spirituality when at work. I am not only more productive, but I believe I am closer to the Lord. When I enter my office or open my computer now, the environmental cues are all saying, “David, you are entering a tabernacle, a sanctuary, and the presence of God.” That changes me and my work.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Did you know that the human body has about eleven million sensory receptors and that about ten million of them are dedicated to sight? That gives a whole new meaning to Jesus’s teaching that, “The light of the body is the eye” (Matt. 6:22). By some estimates, half of the brain’s resources are dedicated to vision.

What we see, therefore, is a huge influencer of what we do and what we are. That’s why James Clear devotes so much time in his book, Atomic Habits, to the importance of filling our environment with productive cues and removing unproductive ones. He urges conscious attention to redesigning our environment for our good:

“Environment design is powerful not only because it influences how we engage with the world but also because we rarely do it. Most people live in a world others have created for them. But you can alter the spaces where you live and work to increase your exposure to positive cues and reduce your exposure to negative ones. Environment design allows you to take back control and become the architect of your life. Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it.” (87)

Clear is primarily concerned with behavior. As Christians, we also want to focus on thoughts and desires. We want to redesign our environment and control what we see in order to maximize good thoughts and desires and minimize evil ones. That may even require us to flee from certain environments and find newer healthier ones.

This isn’t an argument for Pharisaical separation—the Lord can keep us and our eyes even in the midst of multiple tempting visual cues. However, it is a warning to recognize the power of our environment and the influence of our eyes.

And, if we are unavoidably in environments which contain multiple cues to sin, this must prompt us to pray for the Lord to intervene between our eyes and our minds/hearts; to place an obstacle between what we see and what we desire. Otherwise our minds and hearts will be overwhelmed with fighting for purity and peace, and we will inevitably and eventually cave.

But let’s think about this more positively as well. It’s not just, “If your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness,” it’s also, “If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light” (Matt. 6:22-23).

That should encourage us to feed our 10 million visual receptors with all that is true, and beautiful, and good. That may be the true, beautiful, and good words of God. Or it may be the true, beautiful, and good people of God. Or it may be the true, beautiful, and good worship of God. Or it may be the true, beautiful, and good creation of God.

Let’s change or re-design our environment and flood our eyes with light. Then our whole bodies will be full of light!

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Blogs

I’m teaching a Doctor of Ministry course this week at Westminster Seminary, Philadelphia, so the Check out posts may be a bit sporadic.

5 Actions a Counselor Can Take In-Between Meetings: The Counselor’s Homework
“In biblical counseling, we often talk about the pastor/counselor collaborating with the counselee to develop “homework” assignments for the counselee. What can the counselee do in-between sessions to keep the change going? However, we much less frequently discuss the counselor’s homework. What could we be doing in-between counseling meetings with a counselee in order to prepare for our next session with them? Here are five activities I engage in the week in-between meetings to prepare for an upcoming counseling meeting”

Homeschooling Parents in Germany Lose Right to Educate Their Children
“A European court ruled that German authorities are allowed to forcibly remove children from their home if the parents homeschool. Could that happen in the United States?”

What Is the Opposite of Homosexuality? Why Marriage Is Not My Mission
“Holy sexuality consists of only two paths: chastity in singleness and faithfulness in marriage — as defined by God to be between a husband and his wife. Chastity is more than simply abstention from extramarital sex; it conveys purity and holiness. Faithfulness is more than merely maintaining chastity in marriage and avoiding illicit sex; it conveys covenantal commitment.”

What Has the Lord Been Teaching You From His Word? – Tim Challies
“Earlier in the week, eager to be encouraged, I put this question out to Twitter: What has the Lord been teaching you from his Word recently? The responses were quick, plentiful, and encouraging. Here are a few of them.”

I Lost Mom, but I’ll Never Lose the Church
“It’s not hard to find articles pointing out the church’s shortcomings. Our reading streams are inundated with digital fingers pointing out her stains and failures. And yes, the church is frail and frequently falls short of her calling. Yet in all her missteps and imperfections, she met me in my sorrow, and she was exactly what I needed.

Kindle Books

It doesn’t get any better than this. Three Greidanus books for $12!

Preaching Christ from Genesis $3.99.

Preaching Christ from Ecclesiastes $3.99.

Preaching Christ from Daniel $3.99.

There are holy habits and there are unholy habits. How do we tell the difference? Usually it’s pretty obvious, but sometimes there may be uncertainty. How can we tell if a particular habit is good or bad.

In Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, James Clear proposes a question to help us classify our habits.

“Does this behavior help me become the type of person I wish to be? Does this habit cast a vote for or against my desired identity?” Habits that reinforce your desired identity are usually good. Habits that conflict with your desired identity are usually bad.” (65)

From a secular perspective, this is helpful advice. Obviously there’s going to be discord and dissonance if a person’s habits conflict with their actual or desired identity.

From a Christian perspective also, it’s helpful to ask whether our habits conflict with our Christian identity. Do they cast a vote for or against our identity? Do we turn from those that don’t and to those which do?

But, as Christians, we also want to insist that both our identity and our habits are defined by a source external to ourselves. We don’t just make up our identity and then choose habits which work with rather than against that. And we don’t just decide what habits we want and then form an identity from them.

Rather, for the Christian, the Bible is the ultimate source of both our identity and the decision about what is a good or bad habit. And we can be sure that whatever habits God commends in his Word will be consistent and harmonious with our God-given identity. This removes a lot of the guess work and also builds a clear and strong identity. We can say:

God gives the Christian a clear identity in Christ and clear guidance on what is good and bad. When this identity is embraced and this guidance is followed, they will not only multiply each other, but will produce unparalleled inner coherence, harmony, security, and peace.

For more on the connection between our identity and our habits, see Beating Bad Habits with a New Identity and Where does our identity come from?

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Blogs

3 Reasons to Study the Biblical Geography of Israel
Having visited Israel for the first time last year, I can Amen this article

“When we don’t know the land, we don’t really know the whole story. It’s like watching a play without a backdrop or props. Geography drops you right in the middle of the setting of God’s grand narrative and brings it to life. Here are three specific benefits of studying biblical geography.”

5 Leadership Practices Churches Should Adopt From Chick-fil-A
Mark Miller, vice president of high performance leadership for Chick-fil-A, recently addressed a group of pastors and denominational leaders at LifeWay’s Church Partners Summit. Based on his decades-long career at the successful franchise, here are five pieces of advice he gave on how to create an environment where existing and emerging leaders can flourish.

Shelter in the Shame Storm
“Helen Andrews’s essay on online shaming, featuring in the forthcoming January issue of First Things, is the kind of piece that can genuinely change readers. It is a stunningly powerful meditation that is simultaneously personal and sweeping. I can’t even choose a passage to excerpt without feeling like I’m under-representing the quality of writing, so please; if you haven’t read it, stop reading this blog and go read Helen’s essay.”

Church Planter, Redefine Success and Seek Emotional Health
“”Can you brothers pray for me? I’m mentally, physically, and emotionally depleted from pushing all week despite being sick. I’m so discouraged I don’t even want to go to our gathering today, let alone preach.” This was a text I sent a few dear brothers several weeks ago. Gripped by anxiety and physically zapped, I sat in my car and sobbed uncontrollably an hour before our worship gathering began. I’d hit a wall. Most church-planting training doesn’t prepare you for these moments.”

The Art of Dying
I love the moving story at the heart of this article.

A Sympathy for Empathy
Good to see Reformed writers exploring the emotions more:

“May we who know the Lord Jesus mature in our faith such that we are willing to draw close to the heart of the one who’s come so close to us.  May we take advantage of the means God has given us toward that end.  May we have open eyes and hearts to every image-bearer bearing the pains of life in a fallen world, and understand and experience with greater empathy the healing, life-saving work uniquely accomplished in this world by the Word incarnate, the only begotten son of God.      ”

An Open Letter to the Student at the Start of a New Semester
“How do we faithfully approach a new semester as Christian students? How do we steward our studies well and honor Christ without idolizing this vocation?”

But also this: Let’s quit brainwashing kids that it’s a college degree or nothing

Let’s quit brainwashing kids that it’s a college degree or nothing | Chicago Sun-Times“I’ve recently read through a few books to study the topic of stewardship. In the process of reading about the use of time, I was helped by a few resources. I’ll share them below with a brief explanation.”

Is Marijuana as Safe as We Think?
When liberals start warning about pot use, it’s time to be really worried. And here’s another at Mother Jones: This Reporter Took a Deep Look Into the Science of Smoking Pot. What He Found Is Scary.

The Strength of Waiting
“2019 just might be another year of waiting for you. As you ride in the passenger’s seat of life, practice the secret of strength and rehearse the promises of God.  You will not be ashamed. God will renew your weary soul with an enduring strength you thought impossible. He will show you more of Himself. And He will powerfully act on your behalf in the perfect time and with the perfect means.”

Improving Sleep Quality: How is Sleep Quality Calculated?
“It’s no surprise that the amount of sleep you get plays a role in determining your overall health. However, it’s not as simple as assuming that if you were in bed for 8 hours, your sleep is having a positive impact. The quality of that shut-eye also plays a role in a person’s wellbeing; in fact, sleep quality relates more strongly to overall health than sleep quantity. To measure your sleep quality , consider these questions related to the way you fall asleep and how often you wake up during the night. ”

How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation
Long but important article that helps to explain the epidemic of anxiety and depression among younger people.

Kindle Books

Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes by Nancy Pearcey $0.79.

The Privilege, Promise, Power & Peril of Doctrinal Preaching by Thomas J. Nettles $1.99

Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design by Stephen C. Meyer

If we want to increase our success in forming good habits and breaking bad ones, we need a specific plan about  the what and the where. As yesterday’s article explained, the key sentence to complete is:

I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]. 

But if you want to move from the Bachelor’s to the Master’s level of habit change, you need to use what James Clear calls habit stacking. He explains,

“Rather than pairing your new habit with a particular time and location, you pair it with a current habit” (74).

The habit stacking formula is: After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

In other words, it’s using the existence and practice of a current habit to cue a new habit. Using yesterday’s examples, it might look something like this:

• After showering, I will read my Bible in my bedroom.
• After supper on Saturday evening, I will pray for my pastor.
• After getting home from church on Sunday, I will teach my children the Shorter Catechism for 30 minutes.
• After getting into bed, I will read for 30 minutes.

The secret is to use something you do anyway to cue the desired behavior. Here are some examples from Clear’s book:

• Exercise. When I see a set of stairs, I will take them instead of using the elevator.
• Social skills. When I walk into a party, I will introduce myself to someone I don’t know yet.
• Finances. When I want to buy something over $100, I will wait twenty-four hours before purchasing.
• Healthy eating. When I serve myself a meal, I will always put veggies on my plate first.
• Minimalism. When I buy a new item, I will give something away. (“One in, one out.”)
• Mood. When the phone rings, I will take one deep breath and smile before answering.
• Forgetfulness. When I leave a public place, I will check the table and chairs to make sure I don’t leave anything behind. (77)

Get the idea? The key is to identify your current habits and then choose the right habit upon which to stack another habit.

Once the new behavior is established, it can be used to cue another habit, and so the momentum and the stack grows. Think of how many blessed stacks and chains of spiritual habits could be formed with this method.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones