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Setting Goals for 2012

I hope everyone had a very, Merry Christmas and that you were able to spend time with your family and friends over the holiday weekend. In less than one week, we will be celebrating the New Year so today I want to give you a few tips on planning and preparing so that  2012 can be a great year for you and those closest to you.

For the last week, I have been taking a few minutes out of each day in order to plan and set some goals for 2012. Over the years, I have gathered a handful of tips that have helped me set and achieve goals. I have come across these tips in books or at conferences or from practical experience. It is my hope that at least one of these tips will help you. Nelson Searcy talks about living a philosophy of “Learn & Return.” He says that anytime you learn something significant you should gladly return it back to the Kingdom by sharing what you’ve learned with others. It is my hope that by sharing some of what I’ve learned about setting goals that your life will be impacted in such a way that you will want to share this with someone else.

Begin and End In Prayer
When setting goals you definitely want to begin with prayer. You want to make sure that the plans you are making or the things you want to accomplish are firmly set and find their meaning within the purposes of God. When I am in a season of setting goals I often start by praying through Psalm 139. Asking God to search your heart and to test your motives is a difficult but crucial task if you are going to do anything of real significance for God this year. The psalm ends by asking God to lead you in his way- his will for your life. You can pick some things to do this year or you can ask the God of the Universe to help you accomplish great things that will have a lasting impact on you and those around you. To me, the choice is easy. Spend some time praying before you just start listing things you’d like to do this year.

Also, make sure to end your planning time in prayer. Thank God for the wisdom and insight he has provided. Pray that he will give you the strength and focus you need to carry out the goals he has given you. Praying before and after your planning puts a Prayer Parenthesis around your goals.

Think in Categories
In 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey encourages you list out the various life roles you play on a daily basis. For me, I have about six roles and relationships that I do life in every day. I am a Disciple of Jesus, a Husband, a Father, a Minister, a Friend, and a Son/Brother. Each of these roles call for a different set of responsibilities and growth happens differently in each of the realms. I have a different set of goals for developing my relationship with Jesus and I have different goals to help me be a greater spiritual leader in my home as a husband and father. There is a sense where growth in one area will impact the others but I feel like God calls me to list specific goals for each of these separately.

You can also break up your goals in to areas such as Emotional, Spiritual, Relational (What are my goals for my relationships this year?), Influence (Who do I need to influence this year and how?), Physical (What are my goals for my physical health this year?), Financial, and Intellectual (How am I going to grow intellectually this year?).

Breaking you goals up into categories helps you see what areas need growth and it can help you be specific about what goals to set.

Be Specific
Often, our goals are pretty vague. Getting specific helps us craft a plan for actually achieving the goals we set before us.

“I want to grow closer to God this year.” Ok. How? What steps are you going to take to grow closer to him? Will you spend more time reading your Bible? Will you make it a goal to pray more consistently? Be specific with this goal by stating something like this:

It is my goal to grow closer to God this year. In order to do this I will start my year off with a fast and I will read one of the gospels each week for the entire year.

“I want to love my wife more deeply.” What are you going to do to achieve this goal? Will you write her a love letter each week? Will you arrange a babysitter each week so that you can treat her to a weekly date night? Specific example:

It is my goal to love my wife more deeply through daily sending her a text message telling her how much she means to me, weekly sending her a card by mail, and monthly planning a date night to reconnect as a couple.

Don’t set vague goals. Vague goals do not change lives.

Tell Someone
Accountability is setting goals is a must. Tell someone your goals. Share with someone you hope and plans. Let a friend celebrate your victories and lift you up when you fail. Goals set in community impact a greater number of people. Don’t keep your goals to yourself.

Pray Hard, Work Hard
A phrase that I have always loved is “Pray like it depends on God, Work like it depends on you.” I have been using this phrase since I first heard it in college. This idea of Praying Hard and Working Hard recently popped up again because it played a big role in Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker and Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership (two of my top 5 books for 2011). Batterson writes that too often we set goals, pray to God about what we want,and then fail to do anything because we want God to just give us what we’ve asked for. We shouldn’t simply pray and walk away. We should pray and entrust our needs and desires to God but then we should be faithful to get after it and work toward that end. Sometimes God is gracious and drops things in our laps. Most of the time though God answers our prayer when we are obedient to him. You aren’t working to curry God’s favor so that he will give you what you desire. You’re work is carried out as an act of faith and trust in the One who truly determines every outcome. God delivered his people from the hand of Pharaoh but Moses still had to travel to Egypt. God gave Jericho to the Israelites but Joshua still had to march. Jesus prayed that God’s will be done but he still had to go to the cross. Praying hard and Working hard are not at odds. Both are acts of faith and both are needed when you set out to plan and achieve godly goals.

Celebrate
There are 366 days, 52 weeks, and 12 months in 2012. Celebrate little victories along the path of achieving your goals and celebrate big time when you are able to cross a goal off of your list. Two passage that will help you celebrate small and large victories are Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Lamentations 3:22-24.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV)

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:22–24 ESV)

God wants to accomplish great things in and through your life this year. It is my prayer that you will set aside some time in the next few days to plan and dedicate your time, talent, and treasure to following after the goals God sets in your heart.

For more on prayer and setting goals, check out The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson which helped inspire and give structure to today’s post.

Vision > Resources

You don’t have to have resources in order to have VISION.

You don’t have to have cash flow to focus on your VALUES.

You don’t have to arrive in order to live out your CORE BELIEFS.

Too many sit around and bemoan the facts that they can’t do anything with the little that they have.

If you chase after a VISION from God and live out those VALUES that are consistent with your CORE BELIEFS than I would be willing to bet that soon you won’t lack any of those resources you want.

 

 

Never Enough

Bring it everyday.

Dave Ramsey said that from the stage at Catalyst 2 weeks ago and I have refused to let that out of my head. I’ve scribbled it in my journal. I’ve written it with a Sharpie on colorful Post-it notes. I’ve hash-tagged it in several texts and tweets. I love the motivation and clarity that phrase has given me.

We all need reminders and calls to persevere and endure all that life throws at us. Left to yourself, you’re prone to give up and lay low. How do I know that about you?

I’m the exact same way. I need a phrase or a song or a verse or a challenge to remind me to keep pressing forward, to keep working hard. I don’t want to bring it every once in a while. I don’t want to  bring it whenever it is convenient. That’s not for me.

I want to bring it everyday.

I hope the following video can inspire you today. It is a video put together for the basketball team for Harding University, my alma mater.

Whatever you are doing today, whoever you do it for… Don’t quit. Keep up the fight. Press on. Bring it. Everyday.

New Focus

In an effort to clarify and draw into focus exactly what I hope to accomplish with this blog I’ve come up with a new description I want to share with you.

If you spend any amount of time reading this blog- THANK YOU! I appreciate you more than you know.

The best way that I can continue to thank you for reading and coming back is to step up my game, give you some razzamatazz, and deliver to you some great content that will be meaningful to you. So, I’m clearing away some clutter and narrowing my focus to laser intensity.

Kicking at the Darkness is about my experiences and focuses on what I’m learning in relation to leadership as a young minister, husband, and father. I write for other young leaders to help encourage and equip them to live lives of significance and impact.

There you go. That’s the new focus of Kicking at the Darkness.

Welcome to the adventure.

Present at Catalyst 2011

I just returned from my 9th Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. Hands down, this is always my favorite weekend of the year. It is an opportunity to hear new voices, reflect on my calling, and cast vision for the future. This year was no different except…

Now I’m no longer the youth minister but now I’m the team leader. I’m the senior person on staff. I’m responsible for other leaders and volunteers now. The game changed since last October. It’s a freeing, scary, awesome, terrifying place to be. I am loving it.

What I love about Catalyst is that I don’t return with a series of new plans or programs that I’m ready to implement this Wednesday. Catalyst isn’t the kind of conference where you change everything about your ministry and programs 10 minutes after stepping off the plane back home.

Catalyst is a slow burn. The thoughts, concepts, challenges, and exhortations go to work in your own heart and mind first. Then, over time the things I have heard in October will begin to guide and change my approach or thinking. The change has to start within me as the leader.

Here are a few of the thoughts or concepts that are currently marinating in my soul from this weekend. I don’t know what they all mean for my context right now but I’m trusting that God will use them to make a big change in me so I can lead where I am more effectively.

  • Don’t be fair, be engaged. – Andy Stanley
  • Go deep rather than wide. Go long-term rather than short-term. Go time, not just money. – Andy Stanley
  • Life is people. – Jim Collins
  • 3 Behaviors that allow leaders to thrive: 1) Fanatical Discipline, 2) Empirical Creativity, 3) Productive Paranoia – Jim Collins
  • The Signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change, innovate, or grow; it’s chronic inconsistency. – Jim Collins
  • Fire Bullets, then Cannonballs. – Jim Collins
  • What is my “20 Mile March“?
  • Learn to marry creativity with discipline so that disciple amplifies creativity. – Jim Collins
  • We live in a world that is holding on for dear life to straws. – Joel Houston
  • An incredible team in a culture of excellence matters. – Dave Ramsey
  • Bring it everyday. – Dave Ramsey
  • Readdress your calling everyday. – Dave Ramsey
  • “If I could get a transcript of your prayers over the last month, what would be the one thing you kept praying for?” – Francis Chan
  • We make the things we are afraid of functional gods that we worship. – Mark Driscoll
  • Fear makes us false prophets. We predict a future that will never happen and cause ourselves fear, stress, and anxiety over these things that will never happen.- Mark Driscoll
  • Fear is vision without hope. – Mark Driscoll
  • FEAR NOT! Fear not, your Daddy is with you. – Mark Driscoll
  • Hatred of injustice is not the same thing as a love for everyday people. – Cornel West
  • Love is about going on the offensive. – Cornel West
  • We are who we are because somebody loved us. – Cornel West
  • Messiahs are crucified; prophets are assassinated. – Cornel West
  • Be intentional about pouring into those leaders that are coming behind you. It’s not about filling their cup. It is about emptying yours. – Andy Stanley
  • MEDs- Model, Explain, Demonstrate – Andy Stanley
  • Success is ultimately measured by whether or not you leave your responsibilities in capable hands. – Andy Stanley
  • Let’s hand the church better off than it was handed to us… to those who can do it better than us. – Andy Stanley

These are just a few examples of the leadership challenges and questions that are currently running laps around my head and heart. I walked away from Catalyst 2011 just like every other year thinking:

I am so blessed and honored to have experienced what I just experienced. Thank you Father for the Catalyst Team and for all that they do.

It is my prayer that God will give me the wisdom I need to do something with what I heard and experienced.

See you in Dallas, Catalyst Team!

 

 

 

Change Equation

Yesterday I teased a new weekly feature here for the blog where I plan on writing about some of my favorite Leadership Axioms that have impacted me personally and professionally over the years. I define a Leadership Axiom as a short, concise phrase that conveys a leadership truth or principle. These axioms also need to be memorable and applicable to everyone. The first Leadership Axiom comes from Pastor Mark Batterson from National Community Church in Waschington, DC.

Pastor Mark believes that from time to time a leader and/or the leadership team should get away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day ministry for a time of reevaluation. In fact, if it is possible step away from the office, get out, and get away. Or as he says it:

Change of Pace + Change of Place = Change of Perspective


photo

What a great equation! I love it because I have benefitted from it time and time again. Without fail when I unplug from my normal surroundings and schedule I see a huge benefit all the way around. Getting outside of the normal routine does wonders for my creativity, my focus, and my productivity.

Examples of how I put this axiom to work:

  • Going to the coffeehouse. As you can see from the picture above, I never go to the coffeehouse alone. Sometimes, I just have to get away from my email, Twitter, and phone calls to spend sometime reading or taking notes. I strap on my headphones and start up my study playlist and get to work. 30 minutes in a coffeehouse equals at least 1 hour of uninterrupted focus.
  • Attending conferences. Attending conferences offer both a change of pace and a change of place. Next Wednesday, we are piling into Edna, the church van, and hitting up the Catalyst Conference in sunny Atlanta, GA- or the ATL as I like to call it. This will be my 9th Catalyst ATL appearance and my first as a lead minister. The normal routine will be thrown out the window in order to make room for a couple of days of being challenged and pushed with new ideas and fresh thoughts. Love, love, love it!
  • Longer lunches. Much like my coffeehouse trips, I never go to lunch empty handed. I always take a book or my Moleskine with me to capture new thoughts and notes. Sometimes I just need to sit with my thoughts and big ole soda to get unstuck or experience a creative break through.
  • Bookstore Crawl. Remember Borders Bookstores? (Too soon?) I get some of my best ideas while “wandering” up and down the aisles of my local bookstore. The pictures on the covers, the titles, philosophies, display stands, you name it feed my creative juices and help me clarify my thoughts.
  • Retreats Nothing helps you change your perspective like getting away from it all on an extended retreat. I am actually working on scheduling some time away before the end of the year. In fact, in the next 3-6 months, it is my hope that I can take a personal retreat, a ministry staff retreat, and a church leadership team retreat. These don’t need to be a week long excursions into the woods where you forage for berries armed with only a flashlight and your Bible. You just need to get away for a set period of time (usually 24-48hrs), unplug your phone, and spend an extended period of time focused on listening to God. That’s it.

Change of Pace + Change of Place = Change of Perspective

I’d encourage you to incorporate this great Leadership Axiom into your routine and it is my hope that you will benefit from this truth as much as I have.

Next week’s axiom will be about Vision. You won’t want to miss this one.

Truth Bombs

Leadership Axioms are short, concise phrases that convey a leadership truth or principle. Over the years I have collected quite a few of these little sayings and tried to incorporate these concepts into my leadership philosophy and practice. Often times I wish that I had come up with some of these myself. After talking with a friend about some of these Leadership Axioms, I’ve decided to write about a few of the ones that I have benefited from the most. It is my hope that these leadership concepts will help you as you lead yourself and the people God has entrusted into your care.

There are 2 great things about Leadership Axioms:

First, they are short and memorable. In his book, Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs, Bill Hybels compares these short statements on leadership to many of the proverbs found within scripture in that they can serve up “a truckload of weighty wisdom in bite-size chunks.” If something is going to make it’s way into my busy schedule it has to be short, sweet, and deliver maximum life-change goodness. Leadership Axioms fit that bill.

Secondly, these truths are transferable. You don’t have to lead 1000 people or work in a mega-church to learn from and incorporate these truths into your leadership. They work because they are true not because you have a huge budget or a giant platform. That’s the great thing about values and principles- everyone can afford them.

To kick off this series, I’ve chosen one of my favorite Leadership Axioms from Pastor Mark Batterson. I’ll be posting these on Tuesdays from now on so please check back tomorrow for the Greatest Leadership Equation Ever. (Math and Leadership rarely overlap so this axiom is extra special.)

What are some of your favorite Leadership sayings or truths? Join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.

I (Heart) My Church

IHEARTCHURCHbumper Starting this week, I am sending out a personal email message to the men and woman of our church. Here is a glimpse at this week’s email message:

1) I really do LOVE my CHURCH! I don’t want you to think I’m being corny or clichéd. I get FIRED UP when I think about what God is doing there and what he will do as we seek to follow Him and lift up the name of Jesus to those around us. God created the church to be the vehicle where the Good News of Jesus is SPOKEN ABOUT and DEMONSTRATED to every generation of people. And WE GET TO BE A PART OF THAT TOGETHER!!! What’s not to love about that? I LOVE THIS CHURCH and my prayer is that YOU LOVE THIS CHURCH TOO!

2) In an effort to communicate with you about what is happening at here, the plan will be to send out 2 emails each week.

Each week I want to send a letter to you recapping the weekend and casting vision for what is coming up for us. Consider this email a personal letter from me sharing with you what’s on my heart. One of the reasons for this is because I REALLY want to invest some time in being focused on some things that we’re going to be doing this fall. It is my prayer that this coming season will be one of THE most fruitful seasons of ministry we’ve EVER had!

The other email will be a newsletter and will include announcements, prayer requests, and event information. You should have received this email already this week. Think of that email as an extension of our Sunday bulletin.

The whole point of this is not to flood your inbox with a ton of information but we want to make sure we are COMMUNICATING with you on a regular basis. These two weekly email, I believe, will help us do just that.

3) This Sunday, we will continue the “I (Heart) Church” series. We will be talking about what real biblical COMMUNITY looks like and I don’t want you to miss it! In preparation for this Sunday’s message, take some time to read through some of Jesus’ words concerning his church…

Matthew 5:13-16
Matthew 11:28-30
Matthew 16:15-19
Matthew 18:19-20
Matthew 22:36-40
Matthew 25: 34-40
Matthew 28:18-20

4) School starts back next week and I want to challenge you to be praying for our STUDENTS and for our TEACHERS. The pressure on our students can be pretty overwhelming for them- the pressure to perform and excel can leave them believing that their IDENTITY is wrapped up in WHAT THEY DO not WHO THEY ARE IN CHRIST. I want everyone in our church to PRAY that God will COVER these students with his blessings this school year, that He will STRENGTHEN them to stand tall in their FAITH, and He will PROTECT them from a culture that wants to destroy them.

I also want all of you to PRAY FOR OUR TEACHERS. As the school year begins, many people of Lakeside will be in the classroom or on the field GUIDING and LEADING students. They are on the FRONT LINE of helping to lead the next generation. They need your prayers for ENCOURAGEMENT, STRENGTH, and PASSION. Please pray for the teachers at Lakeside AND I want to challenge you to daily PRAY FOR YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER BY NAME for the entire school year!

5) I am so proud of those of you who have been reaching out and serving the residents of the retirement community next door. I heard that the Bible study last night was a PACKED HOUSE! The time spent loving on and caring for our neighbors has not gone unnoticed. I appreciate your desire and heart for service! Many thanks Ladies!!! Keep up the great work!

Who Are You For?

While reading through the book of Joshua yesterday I was challenged once again to answer this question:

Am I going to live my life concerned with who is FOR ME or AGAINST ME or Am I going to be consumed with who I AM FOR?

In Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua encounters a man who has his sword drawn standing in front of him. God has revealed to Joshua that they will take the heavily fortified city of Jericho captive but it seems that this man is standing in Joshua way.

Joshua asks the man, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

The man quickly replies, “Neither. As Commander of the Army of the Lord I have now come.”

Joshua falls to the ground and with humility in his voice asks, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

Joshua initial posture towards the man was a defensive one. He wanted to know who was for him or against him.

Isn’t this the age-old  question for those of us who lead people?

Do you trust me or them?
Am I your man or not?
Who’s side are you on, anyway?!?!

These questions breed a sense of fear into the heart of a leader. As as Master Yoda says, “Fear leads to suffering.” He couldn’t me more right. When a leader begins to make decisions and lead out of a sense of fear everyone suffers. Worrying and always looking over your shoulder wondering who likes you or who is after you is no way to live or lead.

The Commander of the Lord’s Army challenges Joshua by telling him that he doesn’t serve the big city, the mighty king, or even Joshua. The Commander is for Yahweh and Yahweh alone.

It is obvious from this point on Joshua was no longer concerned with who was for him or against him. Joshua had settled in his heart once and for all who he was for.

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14–15

What about you? Today, will you be more concerned about who is for you or against you? Or, will you decided to be concerned with The One you are for?

Vacation Reading List

Last month, Jon Acuff posted a picture of the 15 books that he was taking with him on vacation to the beach. I loved looking at his

I also wanted to share a picture of all the books that I will  taking with me on our vaction. I”m only bringing 11. I guess that’s what separates me from a best selling author. 4 measly books.

IMG_1285

As you can see, my picture isn’t as interesting as Jon’s. One hardcover book and my Kindle don’t really engage the imagination but the picture does tell a larger story. It seems that over the past two years I have been making the switch to digital. I love the convenience, the price, and the extra shelf space. The down side is that I miss out on some really beautiful covers like the book on the left. The real upside for this week will be that I won’t need a separate bag at the airport to carry all my books.

So which books am I taking with me to California? Let’s take a look:

Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is one of the premiere comic book writers out there today. I don’t always like his stories or his particular take on certain characters but he understand the medium. I saw Morrison interviewed for a documentary about All-Star Superman (his voice sounds like Uncle Argyle and he looks like Lex Luthor) and have been interested to hear him talk more about storytelling and the Man of Steel. I am also looking forward to getting into this book since I just finished re-reading Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces earlier this year. I love reading about mythology, story, and culture- I am hoping Morrison delivers.

Untitled: Thoughts on the Creative Process by Blaine Hogan
Sundays come once a week. Every 7 days, another one arrives. In Untitled, Hogan offers hope and encouragement for those of us who have to turn out new content on a regular basis. The cover features a blank notebook- the bane of many writers and the thing that scares many of us from producing anything. I like the description from the book’s ad: Blaine Hogan “walks you through the creative process of attacking the blank page, executing vision, finding the importance of contemplation, fighting the battle with resistance, and learning from your failures.

Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down by John P. Kotter
I’ve had my eye on this book for a while now. One of the biggest tools I have to use as a leader is communication. If there are any insights I can learn in order to communicate better I am listening. I am hoping this book will help me learn to anticipate questions and push-back while giving me the knowledge to communicate vision and my thoughts in ways that invite people to come alongside me.

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Re-reading Switch in conjuction with Buy-In.

Move: What 1,000 Churches REVEAL about Spiritual Growth by Greg L. Hawkins & Cally Parkinson
The 3rd book in the REVEAL study promises to help church leaders understand what spiritual growth looks like in the hearts of their people so they can maximize their efforts behind things that are actually leaving a lasting impact. I really enjoyed Reveal and Follow Me and I am very much looking forward to Move.

Small Groups With Purpose by Steve Gladen
I have some high hopes and big plans for the Small Group ministry at our church so I’m taking along a few books on the subject to help me think through what steps we need to take in order to impact our people and the community around us.

Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture by Andy Stanley & Bill Willits
Re-reading Creating Community in conjunction with Small Groups With Purpose

Creating a Tech Sabbath Habit by Bryan Brooks
Can I read about creating a Tech Sabbath on Tech itself? Will this cause a hole in the Space-Time Continuum? Great Scott, this is heavy!

Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die by Bobby Conway
So I’ve learned that Love Wins. I then went about Erasing Hell. Now, I’m onto a couple more books about Hell and the Afterlife. In case I thought I was escaping the heat of Texas (110 today!!!), a little light reading on the subject of eternity should set me straight.

Is Hell for Real or Does Everyone Go To Heaven? by Various Authors
Reading in conjunction with the above.

Leadership Prayers by Richard Kriegbaum
I desire to be a leader who depends on prayer.

So, there you go. I have been looking forward to this week for quite sometime. Beach, here we come!!!

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