Sunday, January 3, 2016

Goals for 2016 and a Challenge for You!


Happy New Year to you!!! I hope this year is a great one for you. That it will be a year that you grow ever closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

  I always get exited when I face a new year. I like setting goals and dreaming dreams and I also enjoy reflecting on the year gone by and contemplating how I can use this year even better.

   I was working on this post yesterday and in it I shared a lot about last year and the successes and failures that happened. Somehow that post disappeared however and I have decided I am not going back there anymore. It was a year of learning and growth and much more but now we will move on.

  So here are some of the goals and dreams that I have been thinking about for this year, 2016:

Spiritual Goals
  • Last year we really worked to add more Bible reading to our schedule. That was such a blessing! This year we want to continue in that and we are specifically trying to read through the Bible in one year. Bible reading is a goal that I really want to encourage others in as well. I intend to do quite a lot of encouraging of that here on my blog. :-)
  • Being more devoted to prayer! Things I will be working on is keeping even better track of prayer requests that I hear about, truly praying for them and then checking up on what happens too. Encouraging my children to pray diligently. When someone brings up something that needs prayer (when a child is struggling with a math lesson or a friend mentions a need or someone tells me of someone who is sick) I want to make a habit of stopping right then and there and bringing it to God in prayer. I want to pray more through out the day (not just at my time that is set aside and mealtimes and bed time). An idea for doing that is to have certain activities such as showering, making my bed, washing dishes, getting on the computer, driving, etc serve as something that triggers me to pray.
Time Management Goals
  • Getting up a little earlier and making sure to go to bed on time and then using the extra time in the morning to work on some business goals.
  • Getting a cleaning schedule made for the kids and I.
  • Faithfully menu planning.
  • Not wasting time on Facebook. Limiting my time on their to once a week after other computer "chores" are done.
  • Making sure to allow and extra 5 to 10 minutes to my travel time so that I am sure to get places either on time or early with no temptation to speed on the way.
Blogging Goals
  • Re-doing my blog look. I would like it to look simpler and cleaner and I want to make a new header. If you have any suggestions for a nicer more use-able blog, I am all ears.
  • Linking up to several blog parties every week.
  • I would like to do a series or so based on this theme:
  • I really want to spend more time meditating on Proverbs 31 and then have posts that really fit with that theme.
Homemaking Goals
  • Go through our home carefully,working hard to get rid of clutter and things that we don't need.
  • This year it is my goal to spend time mending and fixing things up that we have such as clothes, shoes, books and more. I am exceedingly grateful for all the God gives to us and am happy to have many used things and I would like to have them in the best condition possible.
Financial Goals
  • One of my dreams is to pay off our mortgage early (we were blessed to get a 15 year loan -instead of a 30 - but I would still love to pay it off faster than that). We have some other financial goals before paying off the mortgage so I am looking for various opportunities to earn extra money to help with those goals. It is a fun challenge for me. That is part of the reason that I opened up an Etsy shop last month.
  • This month I thought it would be fun to try not to spend any more money (that means me going grocery shopping, buying gas, etc - but not the paying of electricity or the normal expenses that Ken takes care of) then I was able to earn through selling things either on Etsy or Craiglist and places like that. When I mentioned the idea to the kids they kind of groaned so I decided I would try to do it without them knowing it. I am excited because this evening I listed a couple of items on Craigslist (I have never sold on there before) and I already have people lined up to come and look at both items tomorrow. My goal this month is to list at least one item for sale per day. We shall see how it goes. :-)
There have been other goals I have been thinking about too but since getting to bed on time is one of my goals I don't think I will have time to talk about them now. :-)

I did want to leave you with a challenge however!

I believe God's word is Truth and that it has the power to change lives. It can only change your life however if you are hearing/reading it and letting it work in you. I realize that many people simply hear little bits and pieces of God's word as it is shared in a sermon or in a devotional book. Though those things can be good I truly believe that it is important for each one of us to read God's word in it's entirety so that we understand the context and don't miss important parts.

   I would like to challenge you (and perhaps you do this already) to read God's word every day! An even bigger challenge is to read the whole book in one year. Then listen to it, apply it to your life and let it transform you. We are working on that here at our place and I would love to have you join us! 




4 comments:

Jennifer said...

Happy New Year! I read through the Bible in a year last year and it was so rewarding. It included the OT and NT at the same time. It drew me so much closer to the Lord. This year I'm reading through it again only I'm using a read through in chronological order. I'm so excited to start again. Best to you on your year goals.

Anonymous said...

I would like to read the Bible more but don't know where to start. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Please pray for my family that our finances will improve. I need to spend time this week and figure out ways I can increase my income. This summer we are hoping to sell our home and move. I love where we live now but our taxes and mortgage are beyond what we can afford. I am trying hard to remain upbeat but there are days when it is tough.

Unknown said...

Hi! Go to, Bible study tools.com they have a plan for reading your Bible through in chronological order. The plan is for daily readings, finishing up in one year! Also, I'm praying for your financial burden. I can empathize, its not an enjoyable place to be. I hope you have a strong Bible teaching church that you attend regularly and a loving church family.

Abbi said...

Jennifer, I hope your new year is going great. That is really neat that you are working hard to spend time in God's word too. It is so encouraging to hear about others that also think that is important.
The Chronological order sounds like a fun way. Since we are having specific books that we are encouraged to study to be prepared for classes and sermons at church each month I decided not to follow any already prepared plan but instead printed off a chart that shows every chapter and after I read I am marking off the chapters that I have read. I have a chart for each of the kids too and we are having fun with it.

Anonymous, That is really neat that you would like to read your Bible more. My suggestion if you haven't really read much before is to start in the New Testament and just read it straight through. I think that the record of Jesus life, then Acts that tells about the starting of the church and then the letters that were written to the churches that tell us how we should live as Christians are fairly straightforward and obviously very important. I do however very much recommend reading through the old testament at some time too. Understanding how everything began (in Genesis) and then the history of the Jewish people is pretty important to understand too. The Old Testament will help you understand the New Testament better and also really teaches us about who God is and His character. As Brenda mentioned there are tools out there that will give you ideas on how to read through the Bible.
I am praying about your financial situation. May God bless you and give you wisdom as you seek to care for your needs. May He give you the strength you need to face each day.

Brenda, Thanks for joining in the conversation with your encouraging words!

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