A new year calls for new and renewed goals.  If you are not purposeful in life, you will get swept up in whatever is around you and before you know it years will have passed by, patterns will be set, and unwanted results will be occurring.  We find this can be true in our lives so we are challenged to be purposeful and want to challenge others to do the same.

As a family we have purposed to step up to the challenge of learning to love one another better in 2010.  Now, that would be a nice traditional resolution, but to make it effective, we have given it more specifics. (read fellow blogger, Michael Hyatt, about making resolutions “stick”)

So we have chosen 1 Peter 4.8-9 to guide us through this year.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

In a family of 6, love, hospitality, and not grumbling are great necessities for a well functioning team.  So our goals all carry this focus with them.

• We will memorize 1 Peter 4.8-9 as a family, and use it as a springboard for prayer throughout the year.  Mandy will be dedicating time throughout the year studying the ways God loves.
• Brian will increase daddy-dates with each child to happen 1 time per month on the date of their birthday.  So Emma, who has a birthday on November 5th, rejoiced that she gets to be the first one under the new goal…she is already making plans for what we will do on Tuesday, January 5th. (Owen doesn’t start yet because we start them on their 3rd birthday)
• All the family will each read at least 20 books this year (Isabelle and Owen will have to be read to).  Our blog readers will for sure be kept up to date on what books we are reading and how this goal is progressing through the year
• Mandy and Brian will run a half-marathon this year (Kuddos to Greg & Allison for the marathon/half-marathon they will be running in a few weeks!)
• Brian will submit 3 articles this year to a magazine for publication consideration

As we listen to the direction of God and walk with him through this year of loving, there will be more goals that we commit to and ways that we will change what we have set out to do.  We look forward to how this year will unfold as we strive to live out this journey of faith, family, and ministry.  May the Lord bless you and your goals in the year 2010…share your goals in the comments!!