Setting New Year's Resolutions That Stick

Getting ready to drive Grace Pointe's float
 in the Christmas Parade

Fitness fans, beware. In about one week, you are going to be invaded by throngs of people who think they are fat, who wish to chisel their bodies into something along the lines of Dwayne Johnson or Jillian Michaels. Good luck finding an open treadmill, but expect high turnover on the ellipticals.

I wouldn't worry about it, though. By the end of January, half of the invaders will be gone. Almost all will be gone by the end of February. All will fall victim to the errant "New Year's Resolution."

New Year's Resolutions like, "To lose weight," "To be healthy," or to "advance my career" often sound good at the time, but with no real goal, and no real plan, they are doomed to fail. There's no concise vision, no plan of action, and no measure of success. Faced with un-measurable progress, and no endgame, the average person gives up on their New Year's resolutions before the ice begins to melt in Southern Colorado.

The key to setting New Year's Resolutions that stick, resolutions that you can successfully keep, is to have a vision for the future. Who do you want to be? Where do you want to be? Granted, your vision may take longer than the next calendar year to realize, but having that vision is key to setting benchmarks for the coming year.

Once your vision has been set, then evaluate how much progress you believe you can achieve toward that vision over the coming year. This is your goal.

Finally, devise a plan to reach that goal. Goals without plans are nothing more than wishes.

With those concepts in mind, let's use the ever-so-popular "lose weight" resolution as an example. Bill weighs 300 pounds. The doctor says he has to reach 180 in order to be healthy. Bill is really concerned about his health, and desires to restore his health back to where it should be. Bill has set a vision to lose 120 pounds, and live life as a healthy, muscular 180 pound man. That is his vision.

Bill understands that in order to reach this weight in a way that restores his health, he must be willing to lose the weight in a way that is slow, yet sustained. He realizes he cannot lose 120 pounds in one year. He has the vision, but the 120-pound goal cannot be met in one year. So, Bill sets a goal to lose 70 pounds over the next year. His goal is to weigh in next New Year's at 230 pounds.

Bill has the vision and the goal, but still no plan. Without the plan, he will drift without making any real progress. So, Bill devises the following plan... (1) No fried foods, (2) Don't drink your calories, and (3) walk a mile a day.

So, Bill's New Year's Resolution is to get healthier by losing 70 pounds by cutting out the fried foods and sugary drinks, and by walking a mile a day. If Bill minds the plan, the goal will be reached, and the resolution will have stuck.

This concept can apply to anything, not just weight loss. You can apply this to your career, relationships, and personal enrichment.

Personally, my vision for what my life will be like New Year's Eve 2016 is as follows... I want to influence people to have faith in the Lord, and I want to preach a watch-night service in what will be Grace Pointe's new worship facility. Those are the vision. The goals and the plan... well, they're being developed.

What's your vision for where you want to be a year from now? Would you like to share your goals and plan?

My desires for Mission: Brownwood

The following is a list of my personal desires for the new church in Brownwood. Many times, my desires do not line up with God's desires. We'll have to wait and see what God does.

I would like to see Grace Pointe MBC reach people of all ages, but I see a great need for churches to reach people 20-45, and parents of small children (which make up almost 1/3 of Brownwood's households.)

I would like to see the people who join my first Bible study go on to start Bible studies of their own.

I want Grace Pointe MBC to become a church that is active in missions, not only a financial supporter of the state, interstate and foreign works, but actively involved through short-term missions trips, and sending out missionaries of her own.

I would like to see Grace Pointe spin off sister churches in the Brown County area.

I would like to see Grace Pointe take on a major mission project (send out a missionary) within six years of my arriving on the field. My vision is to see Grace Pointe sponsor a state missionary to a certain city in West Texas (about which I am already praying).

I would like to see each one of my goals met ahead of schedule.

I would like to see Grace Pointe host a Southwest Association mission rally.

I would like to see Grace Pointe host the state meeting.

I would also like to see Grace Pointe become a training ground for missionaries. Not that I have much wisdom to share, but I wouldn't mind letting interns come out for hands-on experience.

First thing's first, I have to get to Brownwood.

Mission: Brownwood, formula

Here's an inside look at the planning stages of Mission: Brownwood.

The name of the new work will be Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church. The name "Grace Pointe" is a shortened version of "Point of Grace" which emphasizes our desire to bring people to the point where they realize God's grace and accept Christ as their Savior.

Vision statement- Our vision is to start a community-minded, people focused church with emphasis on evangelism and discipleship.

Mission Statement- People focused, community minded, Gospel driven.

Core values-

The Bible - God's Word. It is through the Bible that we get to know Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is through studying the Bible that our faith is increased. (Romans 10:17). The Bible, being God's Word, thus becomes all sufficient as the basis for our beliefs, practices and Spiritual growth.

People - Jesus did not say, "Go ye therefore and build a multi-million dollar organization." He said, "Go ye therefore and teach..." God's focus is on people. Therefore, Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church is a people-focused church. Our goal is to introduce you to Christ, let you get to know Him, accept Him, trust Him and follow Him. Then, our role is to help you become all you can be in Christ.

Discipleship - Many religious organizations focus on the numbers? "How many can we get in our services this week?" At Grace Pointe, our focus is on the individuals. We desire to bring people along side of us and follow the Lord together. Those being discipled will then, in turn, disciple others. This involves a strong teaching and Bible study ministry. This also involves personal interaction. If you have ever wanted a friend you can count on and share all of your struggles with, we at Grace Pointe want to be that friend. We also want to help you know Jesus better.

Outreach - Because the Lord commissioned His churches to go, teach all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and teach them whatsoever things Christ commanded us... it is our prayer that Grace Pointe be a church focused on reaching the unreached people of Brownwood, Texas. It is also our prayer to be a strong supporter of missionaries, both around the world and at home.

Community - Grace Pointe seeks to have a strong community within the church, and hopes to be actively involved in the community outside the church, impacting as many lives as possible.


I've launched a blog for the new work, Grace Pointe MBC, which is mostly dormant now, but will be used in conjunction with the teaching ministry once the new church is launched. I would also like to use tools such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube to connect with the younger generation.

I have also been informed of a really cool Web hosting service that has easy Web design software/templates that is available at a nominal charge.