New Year's Resolutions

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19)

A boy told his father, "Dad, if three frogs were sitting on a limb that hung over a pool, and one frog decided to jump off into the pool, how many frogs would be left on the limb?" The dad replied, "Two." "No," the son replied. "There are three frogs and one decides to jump, how many are left?" The dad said, "Oh, I get it, if one decides to jump, the others would too. So there are none left." The boy said, "No dad, the answer is three. The frog only decided to jump."

Does that sound like last year’s resolution? Great resolutions, but often we only decide, and months later, we are still on the same limb of do-nothing. We may not even be able to remember our “inspired” resolutions after a few weeks. Or you may be like Dan Mahan who boldly states, “Last New Years, I made 6 resolutions and I am proud to say that I kept them all year long. I kept them in an envelope in the top drawer of my desk!”

As we begin a new decade of opportunity, I am going to approach my resolutions with a winning attitude. When I struggle to achieve a few, or even if I fail in every area, I refuse to scrap them. In fact, I am going to share my resolutions with you, today, in hope that you will love me enough to help me see them through. Here’s my list:

Spiritual:

· Start every day in the Word and in prayer

· Lead my boys to spiritual maturity

· Listen to at least 2 sermons a week from someone else

· Lead our staff by example in serving others

· Read 2 books a month on personal leadership development

Personal:

· Lose 10 pounds

· Ride my motorcycle at least once a week

· Enjoy the adventures of raising boys

· Take a Faith Riders trip to The Dragon’s Tail

Family:

· Date my wife

· Spend more time with my boys

· Stay off the computer when I get home from work

· Turn off my cell phone when I get home

· Realize my family is my #1 ministry

Church:

· Lead my church without apology

· Pour my life into our staff

· Become more dogmatic about our vision

· Love and appreciate our volunteers more

· Lead our members to crazy acts of servanthood

· Continue our mission in Honduras and NY

So, will you help me achieve some big goals? Will you invest in my life as I march toward sanctification? Will you share your resolutions with someone who will love you enough to help you grow in Christ? As we attack our new resolutions, please remember the three key ingredients to success:

· A Servant Heart

· A Winning Attitude

· A Sanctified Life

Until Next Week,

Dr. Derek