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2015 Goal Setting

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Here it is, one of my resolutions for 2015 for all to see. I would love to write more blogs. I know I am about 15 years late to blogging being remotely cool and I'm definitely not interested in being popular or elevated among all the other bloggers out there. I simply want to become a better writer and I've been told several times that blogging helps those aspiring to write books. I am currently mapping my first book with the desire that it would be published this year (another goal for 2015)
 
I thought it'd be a great exercise for me to use this blog post to give resources I discussed this last Sunday and also use this resolution to generate new content as an example. 
 
In order to develop this resolution I had to go through the steps I outlined Sunday in establishing a life plan for the new year. 
 
Step 1: Where are you currently?
Answer: Nowhere. I think I have written 2 blog posts in the 4 years I have been in Knoxville, bringing my pace to 1 post every 24 months. I think I can improve. I also have read hundreds of books and have never written one even though I have threatened to write one several times. This last year has very little content generated by me to lead and serve others. 
 
Step 2: What values are the most important to you this year?
Answer: Devotional Life, Family, Health, Leading Legacy, Coaching Leaders, Creating Content for Leaders
 
Step 3: Write a Vision Statement for the values. 
Answer: (I am only doing this for Creating Content, but I have one for Health that was in the sermon Sunday)
 
I am a curator and creator of content that will help those and guide those who lead others whether they be business leaders, church leaders, or church planters. I enjoy teaching and coaching and feel that it fills my tank and places me where I truly enjoy my calling and glorify God effectively. I am spending adequate time polishing, nurturing, and getting coached on how to do this better than I have in the past. My heart is to produce material and methods that will outlive me and go further than me. This will means I am protecting this value and  saying "no" to many things that take me away from this goal. 
 
Step 4: Being specific, list some realistic metrics for these values. 
Answer
(1) Generate 25 blogs in 2015. They can be written anytime, but must come as close to 2x a month as possible. I must link to them in social media in a way that serves people well. 
(2) Write no less than 3 hours per week, to be done mostly if not exclusively on Mondays and Fridays. 
(3) Have my book's first draft finished by April. Have the revisions finished and totally edited by August.
(4) Develop longstanding content for the planter residency that can be used and taught by others. 
 
Step 5: Review weekly and even monthly.
Answer: For me this falls on Monday mornings
 
Step 6: Employ accountability for perspective and help.
Answer: I'll have Chris Harris as accountability in blogs as he supervises Legacy's blog content. I'll have Matt Norman coach me through the emotional challenges of writing and birthing a book. I'll need Kevin to help me keep it all in perspective. 
 
There you have it. I will re-examine this not only weekly but on the week of the 4th of July I'll take honest appraisal and make sure these goals were wise and on track, making changes where I need. 
 
I hope this helps - feel free to leave comments and ask questions. 
 
As promised on Sunday
 
Link to Richard Swenson's work "Margin"
 
Link to Brian Howard's Blog post on setting up a life plan and defining priorities. He has been super helpful to me in balancing how I set resolutions and goals. 

In the Valley

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Paul the Apostle sets forth an unusual turn of phrase in Ephesians 5:19. He says that we should "address one another with psalms". We tend to think that psalms are to be used to address God, and they are. However, we now see that they can be used to address one another. The phrase "one another" is seen throughout scripture, and it always relates to our community and fellowship with other Christians.   

So I would like to attempt to address you here with a Psalm. I specifically want to address your worries, stress, depression, and panic with the Gospel found in the Psalms. Let me try probably the most well-known and beloved psalm of all time: Psalm 23. This Psalm begins with David writing, meditating and singing about God. Do you notice how, at first, he speaks about God (not to God) in the third person? He says, "The Lord is my Shepherd...He makes me lie down in green pastures...He leads me...He restores", etc...  

First, the Psalmist starts out with acknowledging the great care that the Lord takes in the guiding and leading David. It is right (and encouraging) to acknowledge and thank God for the pleasant places where he mercifully leads us. David the shepherd is first thinking about good things that the Lord gives. He sings about His provision, the rest, stillness and peace that God causes to happen in David's soul. He proclaims how God sovereignly guides David to walk on the path that God wants him to walk upon, "the paths of righteousness."  

Then David gets real. He doesn't gloss over the bad stuff in His life. His mind (inspired by the Holy Spirit), begins to think about other paths that God has led him through. Not every path that David walks upon is lined with roses, rainbows and ice cream sandwiches. He remembers a time where a lion tried to kill him. He remembers being alone in the wilderness when he had to fight off a bear. He recalls how a man he loved and honored pursued David with a spear, intended to end his life. He describes these ugly places simply as "the valley". These paths are not so pleasant to David. They are nothing like the bright, happy paths that he just described. They are so dark, painful and lonely that David paints a picture of the valley being darkened by the shadow of death itself. Death is near. Life is ebbing away. As David walked along this path, fear stood at the door of his heart.   

Have you ever been in the valley?  

Me too. 

Hopefully we can learn something from David's poetic description of how the Lord handled his heart in the valley. Something changes. Something shifts in David's relationship and communion with God in the valley. Even the way he talks about God is different now. He no longer speaks of God in third person. Notice, he now speaks to God directly, not about God indirectly. He now says "You are with me, Your rod and staff...comfort...You prepare a table before me..." He is now in deep communion with God. Going through the valley was difficult. It was not a place he would have chosen to go. It was the place that God chose David to go, however, and David was the better for it. Why? Because now David knew in reality what he had formerly known only in theory. Before, he knew about the goodness of God, because the Rabbis taught him well. Afterward, he learned firsthand that God is so much better, because He is near. He is the One who came down from His lofty throne, and descended into David's little universe. He descended even further, by going into the valley with David, as a good shepherd should. Why was David unafraid? He said it himself: "...for You are with me." If the shepherd is with his sheep, they have no reason to fear.  The apostle Peter (quoting Isaiah 56) said: "For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." How did we return? Did we pull ourselves out of the valley of our own sin? Nope. We were unable. He did it. Our Shepherd Jesus (the One we should have been following but instead went our own way into the valley) followed us into the valley to set us back on His paths of righteousness.  

If a good Shepherd would do that for you when you first ran away from Him, how much more will He be with you in other valleys that you walk into, now that you are His? Are you anxious, worried, depressed, angry, or fearful? I beg you to find your comfort in knowing that God loves you, and is with you, even in the valley. Come to speak to Him directly. He hears and will comfort you. You will be so full that you will say along with David: "my cup overflows."  

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