Goals

Jennifer and I have been searching for a good church for the past few months.  We thought we found one then something just didn’t feel right about it.  At the same time we got a flier in the mail from some small church in a corporate district right around the corner from my house.  The timing was impeccable.  So we decided to give it a shot.  This was different for me.  I am used to mega-churches.  If there is not more than 1000+ that attend, then I won’t feel right at home, or so I thought.  Its not that Im trying to avoid interpersonal contact, but a lot of these mega churches allow you to come and go without being noticed.  Even the church I call home while I am in Houston, Lakewood Church, can be characterized by this.  Lakewood is the largest church in the U.S. at approximately 40,000 members per weekend…plus all the millions of television viewers.  I know Pastor Joel Osteen comes under a lot of criticism, especially within the Christian community.  But Lakewood remains one of the best churches that I have ever attended, and I’ve attended many churches over my 43 years.  What made Lakewood so great is its infrastructure.  I was involved with various men’s groups and small groups.  The relationships I established were lifelong very close friendships.  For about a three year stretch I would go and virtually every week I would see someone I knew.  That’s pretty remarkable for a church as ginormous as Lakewood. 

So the church we got the flier for was a start-up church.  We were there right at their one year anniversary.  There was probably around 30 people total there when Jennifer and I attended our first week.  It was obvious that we were the new people as everyone else knew each other.  Instead of feeling uncomfortable, we felt right at home, immediately.  The pastor was a graduate of the Assemblies of God theological Seminary in Springfield, MO, and his wife was a graduate of my alma mater, Evangel.  Jennifer comes from a more traditional, conservative Lutheran background.  So all these Charismatics make her a little nervous.  But still we both agreed that this is home.  We have already established several very solid relationships.  That is what the church is all about…relationships.  Iron sharpens iron so we want to associate ourselves with strong people spiritually so that we ourselves will grow stronger as well.  My friend Wayne from Lakewood said it best. “Show me who your friends are and I’ll show you what your destiny is.” 

I jumped in headfirst into this church and immediately got involved with a men’s group.  Unfortunately this group meets at 6:30 AM on Wed. mornings.  I say unfortunately because I always go to trivia at the pub on Tuesday night and usually don’t get back til midnight.  But still, Im glad I make the sacrifice to get up.  Getting together with Godly men has already stoked my spiritual fire.  I think its human nature to get a little lazy with our spiritual walk from time to time as we get comfortable.  That is why it usually takes some sort of crisis for God to get our attention.  But I’ve been through enough crisis to last two lifetimes.  So Im getting involved early as a preventive measure.  I was asked to lead the group last week, as our normal leader was away for work.  We are studying Today Matters by John Maxwell.  It’s a really good book in the line of “Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren.  Its all about making the most of your opportunities on a daily basis.  Since I was in the rut of getting comfortable and a bit lazy, the timing was perfect for me.  I challenged the other guys in our group to write a list of goals they want to accomplish.  There is just something psychological about writing out your goals.  Here are some stories I found about it on the net:

In 1964, all members of the Harvard Business School graduating class stated that they have, at graduation, clear goals that they want to accomplish in life. Among them, 5% took the time to write it down on paper. In 1984, a follow up study was done and it was discovered that 95% of those who wrote down their goals were able to achieve them within 20 years. Among the “lazy” majority, only 5% of them were able to reach their expected goals.
An earlier study in Yale University also had similar results. This time, only 3% of the 1953 graduating class made written goals. Twenty years after, in 1973, it was found out that this 3% of Yale graduates were able to accomplish more goals than the rest of the other 97% combined.

I am not sure if these stories are verifiable, but they make sense to me.  So I encouraged the guys to write down the goals they had and to share them the next week.  I thought I would share my own personal and professional goals with you.

11.     Spend at least 30 minutes a day reading the Bible, praying and listening to God.

22.     Continue to provide for my family emotionally and spiritually .  I want to be the best husband and father possible.

33.     Make enough money so we can live comfortably so Jennifer won’t feel as if she has to work  I want to be a good provider so that if I someday get cancer I won’t have to cook Crystal Meth. in order to provide for them ;o)

44.     Be reconciled with my children in Texas. (this one is mostly out of my control, but I can still pray, hope and dream)

55.     Exercise and get fit.

66.     Write more in this blog (this has become a real ministry outlet for me)

77.     Inspire others with both my words and deeds

88.     Finish my current screenplay and sell it

99.      Pay off the mortgages for both of our houses

110. Continue to be a man of integrity

111.  Travel to Paris, Finland, South Africa, and the Caribbean and a few other cool places.

112. Teach acting classes again.

113. Waste less time. 

Now what I need to do is examine this list add more detail and dates to when I want to accomplish these things.  By God’s grace, I think I will be able to accomplish everything.  What are some of your goals?  I would love to see them.  If you are comfortable share them in the comments section, be as brief or detailed as you like.