My 2016 Resolutions
I say this every year but I absolutely adore the start of a new year. It’s like a fresh slate. It’s an opportunity to dream and set goals and reinvent yourself if you want to. I’m all about simplifying these days so I don’t want a long list of resolutions to overwhelm me. I think three is a good number and that’s what I’m going with for 2016.
1. Read through the Bible. The ENTIRE Bible. I’ve tried to do this a couple of times before but I’ve never made it through the whole thing. This year I’m trying a new technique that I think might finally be the ticket. I purchased The Books of the Bible for Kindle (currently on sale for $1.99). It’s the Bible only the chapter headings and verse numbers are removed so that it reads more like a book. I’ve heard wonderful things from people who have read the Bible this way. They rave about it! There is also a hardcover edition if you prefer a physical book.
2. Take more photos with my friends. I allow very few people into my inner circle and I cherish them like jewels. Three out of 4 happen to live in different states so that makes my in-person time with them all the more special. When I am with them, one would think I could manage to snap a photo to commemorate the event but I seem to fail miserably at this. It occurred to me that I have surprisingly few photos of me and my favorite people. I guess we are too busy catching up or snapping photos of our children. Or maybe we don’t want to look cheesy taking selfies but who cares. Hey peeps, you’ve been warned. We are gonna selfie it up in 2016!
3. ABC Bible Verses. This idea just came to me yesterday at the end of the TDF sermon. We had such a good experience last year with our scripture memory program and I want to keep building upon that progress. We heard a story about a man who was deeply impacted by a teacher who taught him a memory verse to correspond with each letter of the alphabet and he can still recall them. We are going to work on the full verse and not just a partial verse. With 26 letters this gives us 2 weeks for each verse. I think that’s probably doable. I’m excited about this. We started back to school today and I incorporated it into our morning.
I have several other goals that I’m working towards but I wouldn’t exactly call them resolutions. They are hopes and dreams kind of goals. That’s a different type of list and I’m not quite sure I want to share them just yet.
Regardless if you have resolutions or goals, public or private, I would encourage you to write them down and put them in a place where you can regularly check in with them. I’m notorious for going strong the first 90 days and then tapering off. If you need some good motivation, I would encourage you to listen to this sermon (start at 25:05). If nothing else, read the notes. There are some great tips for changing your habits and making 2016 your best year yet. I was very encouraged to keep going even when I get off track!
What are your 2016 resolutions?