Ministries:
Adult | Teens | Children

Pastor's Pen's:
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Sermon Series:
Following Jesus
Earthly Cross
His Name Is
Apostles Creed
Dealing with Feelings
Jonah
Get Real
Promised Land Living

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Email:
Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2003

Grace Church of Burlington January 12, 2003 This year, I resolve to . . . Gain weight; at least 30 pounds. Stop exercising; waste of time. Read less; makes you think. Watch more TV; I've been missing some good stuff. Procrastinate more; starting tomorrow. Not date any celebrities. Not jump off a cliff just because everyone else did. Get in a whole NEW rut! Spend my summer vacation in Cyberspace. Get further in debt. Break at least one traffic law. Spread out priorities beyond my ability to keep track of them. Wait around for opportunity. Focus on the faults of others. Mope about my faults. Never make New Year's resolutions again. Hopefully, those are NOT your goals for the coming year. In last week’s Pastor’s Pen, I suggested that if you want to accomplish your goals for the coming year then you must: A. Be Specific; B. Be Realistic; C. Include a way to measure your success; and D. Think short-term and long-term.   The final two are . . .             E. Be flexible. Idealists are usually miserable. They don’t know how to cope with the real world. Ideal goals are great but have a back-up plan for life’s curve balls. Otherwise, you will be frustrated. And in a sin-contaminated world there are always going to be curve balls. For example, if you have a goal of having your devotions every day, there are going to be schedule conflicts. You can choose to be flexible or frustrated. If you plan to walk every day, you’ll need an alternative plan for days of inclement weather.             F. Periodically review your goals. Regular review allows us to stay on course, track our progress, and adjust our course as necessary. You might start recording your yearly goals in a planner so they're accessible wherever you go. List out specific objectives by category: personal/spiritual; marriage/family; professional; ministry; house/projects. Then make an appointment with yourself about once a quarter to review your goals. On those "review dates," check off the items you’ve accomplished. (What satisfaction!) Next, I look at what remains, and prayerfully ask the following questions: How am I doing? Am I still on course? Which goals am I encouraged about? Which are frustrating me? Can I be more flexible? Have circumstances changed since I set this goal? Is my goal realistic? Specific? Measurable? If not, what could I change to make it more so? Is this the right season of life to work on this? Have I prayed about this goal? Based on your answers, make any necessary changes, sometimes crossing off objectives that are too ambitious or impossible to fulfill because of changing circumstances. Then, finish your review time by prayerfully committing remaining goals to God. Regular review helps us to not only to stay on track, but to guard against over-commitment and burnout. Sometimes reviewing our goals with our spouse or a wise spiritual friend can help us be more realistic. They may notice where you are either overly ambitious or unambitious.             If you're a resolution dropout, take heart! Goal setting is a liberating alternative. It helps you realize objectives are simply tools, not promises or laws, and tools are something we can implement anytime. God wants to use us and see us be successful. Don't let getting off track keep you from your goals. Dust yourself off and get right back on track. Leave yesterday's failures behind, and treat today as a brand-new beginning. You'll be glad you did. May each of us truly know what it is to be more spiritually successful and productive during 2003 for His glory!