Planning for the New Year

"I have labored most of this day on my message for the weekend. I am supposed to give vision and bring out what the year is to look like. It is tough because I have so much in my heart and yet I am finding it hard to make clear. There are no easy steps to make this happen. There is heart, faith and following the Lord."

The Bible says that there are many plans in a man's heart but the answer comes from the Lord. Looking at a new year can bring on a host of emotions. Sometimes the task ahead can be daunting. Other times the prospect of the unknown can be exciting. We may also find that having a clean slate to work with is a relief and there is a peace that comes with the new year. 

I think the sentiment from my thought from last year is still the same today. No matter how you feel as you approach 2017 know that it can be your best year. The reason is that when you have God giving direction and laying out the vision of what is to come it makes life an adventure. Adventure doesn't mean easy. I couldn't give you three easy steps to the best year of your life. But I can give you encouragement that you can have the best year of your life. 

How can I say that? Glad you asked. 

I have a question for you. 

What is in your heart? 

Do you really want to have a great year? You can have it. God says that if you delight yourself in Him that He will give you the desire of your heart. That shows me that if you really want it you can have it. 

Beyond that what can you believe God for? How big is He to you? What is He able to do? My Bible says God is an exceedingly abundantly above all I can ask or think God. That means my desires and my ability to ask will always come up short of what He is able to do. He will always exceed my expectation! So my faith needs to rise to new levels to have a better year. 

Finally we need to realize the simplicity of just following God as our leader. Again, this is not always easy, but it is simple. 

There have been many times that I have lamented over a member of my family, who will go unnamed (you know who you are), and their inability to make boxed macaroni and cheese. If they could just follow the directions everything would turn out right. But rather than boil the water before they add the noodles I see them dumping the box in water that is just starting to warm up. Oh I warn them that soggy macaroni noodles are on the horizon but do they listen? No. Not until they are eating mushy mac 'n cheese. 

All joking aside I know that God's plan is better than mine. If we could just catch a vision of what God has planned for us and follow His will we would have the best year of our lives. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for a look in to what He desires for your year ahead. Press in, fast, pray and find out from the scriptures and your personal time with the Holy Spirit what that is. 

My 2016 ended up being an amazing year that when I look back on I am blown away. God is faithful. We can see it behind us and we can believe for it ahead of us. 

Day 361 - Looking Ahead

"It is a good way to get going on the new year."

I have tried to approach life in many different ways over the years. Before I had the responsibilities I currently have, or have had in recent years, it was easy to go with the current. The relaxed approach and last minute planning worked well enough. 

When I married my wife it drove her nuts. Having kids made us prepare like crazy so I had to change. Thankfully kids require less as they grow older. 

As my responsibilities increased at church I found myself planning services and series. The seasons helped as well as having a team of people who had gifts and abilities that I didn't have. My wife helped me with this as well. Thankfully we have been able to work at the same place since we have been married. 

Eventually I was overseeing everything at the church and I found I was at the end of myself. It was at this point that I had to pray and ask God for the administrative gifting. Thankfully He is gracious and blessed me to have a mind to oversee and look ahead. The planning became a part of me. I actually would go home thinking I was a month ahead. It has made for some funny conversations. 

Looking ahead to the new year I think it is good to try and see a new vision of what we want our year to look like. Simple questions can help in this process. What are you unsatisfied with? What would you like to change? What are your goals? If money wasn't an issue what would you do? Why are you letting money stop you from it? 

I guess the whole point is to get some sort of vision. Allow yourself to dream. Part of the Holy Spirit's job description in the book of John is to show us things to come. Pray and ask God to show you what is ahead this coming year. Why wait until New Year's Eve to make a resolution because someone asks you what your resolutions are? You can start looking ahead now. 

Do you have any dreams for next year? How do you plan to accomplish them?

Day 267 - Refresh, Renew, Revitalize

"From Spurgeon: “If old plans will not answer, we must try new ones, for fresh experiments sometimes achieve more than regular methods.” 

This is a good leadership and ministry lesson. We cannot expect the same thing to work with changing culture and generations. Set about in a fresh way or look for a new ministry opportunity. Refresh, renew, revitalize."

I have been living in a transition time of leadership for the past five years. With the transitions I have found that some things are working well. The old saying "If it ain't broke don't fix it" still applies. Also as we ride out the transition there are some things that are not working. With these is where we focus and try new things. 

We often have to refresh. Not just a new coat of paint (though that is not a bad idea sometimes). We need to remind ourselves of purpose. If it no longer applies then what is the purpose? How will you achieve that purpose? Is there a better way to do it? 

If it doesn't just need a refresh then maybe it is time to renew. Start over. Start something new. We never like to shut something down but maybe there needs to be a closure to open something else. 

One of my favorite moments from a recent conference was from Dr. Jim Reeve's message. He passionately asked "How long will you mourn over Saul?!" The question comes from the story of Samuel who was to anoint a new king but was still sad about the previous dynasty and was holding on to the past. Often we keep a death grip on things that we like but need to change. Time to renew. 

The best is last, revitalize. It is time to breathe new life into our business, home, church, and whatever other endeavors we are involved in. This comes with prayer, passion and pursuits. If you have let things get cold then some fresh prayer and passion as well as the pursuit of it will heat it up! 

What are some other ways we can do something new that I didn't list? Have you seen this principle work in business or ministry? 

Day 173 - Same Same

"What else is new?"

To answer the question: nothing. There is nothing new under the sun. We would like to think we are so smart and so cool that we are the first, the original and the best. Really all that we are doing isn't new. It may be a spin off of something that was already there but it certainly isn't new. 

Take a moment and think about the evolution of social media. Everyone was all excited about MySpace for the longest time. But I remember that AOL had pretty much the same thing in a different platform years before. But it was 'new'. Then Facebook and Twitter and Foursquare, Vine and Instagram and now Periscope. New? It is the same thing only a different emphasis. Boil it all down and it becomes a way of sharing snippets of your life with others. 

When we see this playing out it directs us to love and honor the one who created it all. Rather than getting caught up in the world's latest and greatest let's go the The Great One who alone is worthy of being in awe over. God is the only one who has had an original thought. And, by the way, He is the best!

How do you feel about all the 'new' stuff that is out there? What moves you to wonder and awe when you think about God?

Day 167 - The Maiden Voyage

"...the maiden voyage..."

The idea of something new is often fun and exciting until you take the maiden voyage. I was writing about an experience with a kayak last year. The idea of it was great until that initial ride. My friends who took the first ride had a hard time getting in and out, steering was tough and the person in front kept getting the person in back all wet.

Thankfully when we get past that first try things get easier and we get better at it. Now whenever we go out on the kayak we are able to turn and have more fun with the kids than that first time.

The excitement of something new can overwhelm at times. I remember going snorkeling for the first time and felt as though the entire world was closing in on me when I put on the mask and got in the water. I actually had a moment of panic. Thankfully I prayed and calmed myself down and was able to overcome the fear. Now I love to go snorkeling and look forward to going.

We all encounter these experiences and have the "maiden voyage" of things like a new job, relocating and moving into a new place, meeting people for the first time and many other life experiences. The most memorable of these being the day of salvation, the wedding day and the day your children are born. Talk about launching into new adventures!

Life is a lot of fun and there are experiences waiting for us each day. The 'firsts that we encounter may bring with them fears and uncertainty. Let's meet those fears with faith and as we experience new things enjoy the ride of the maiden voyage.

What are some memorable 'firsts' you have had in life? Can you prepare for a new experience?