If I am being honest, 2017 was a difficult year. If 2016 was relationally difficult, this year I have struggled personally. I have bordered on burnout at times and been emotionally exhausted as the year has come to an end. So, as I reflect on my 2017 New Year’s Resolutions I have to hang my head. It was not a successful year. I had four goals for 2017:
- People Not Projects – I did better at this. We did engage in a lot more relational interactions and made community part of our routine. We want to continue and expand that in 2018.
- Counseling Certification – Nope. I started the exams but I didn’t finish and decided to forgo completion of my ACBC certification for now.
- Expanding Cornerstone Counseling – This was a big success on the year. It didn’t happen exactly the way I thought it would, but we saw lots more counselors trained. We also prepped the launch of two new ministries starting this January: Helps Classes and Divorce Care.
- Increase Personal Prayer – This did not go well and honestly may have been a partial contributor to some of my frustrations and discouragement. I intend to correct this in 2018.
There were some great highlights from 2017, despite doing rather abysmal on my resolutions. I got a book contract with P&R. I also became a regular contributor at The Biblical Counseling Coalition. I have adored life with our new baby girl (now a 1-year-old). I started playing guitar again, more seriously, and have been enjoying some regular jam sessions with good friends.
As I look ahead to 2018, however, I see room to improve. I have made a tradition of sharing my resolutions in hopes of growing accountability. So, here are my plans for 2018:
- Increase My Personal Prayer Life – This is a must! I have experienced enough frustration, discouragement, and exhaustion to know that I’ve been depending on myself way too much. I need to be more intentional about depending on the Lord in all things. Prayer must increase in 2018.
- Home Maintenance Guru – Okay, guru is probably not the right word here, but in light of our new home purchase I want to become the kind of guy who loves his home and loves his yard and works hard to take care fo them. I want to start, finish, and succeed at projects, learn to use tools, and take pride in my property! I think I am going to need a coach!
- Healthy Eating – I need to seriously improve my diet. It’s not an issue of weight, as my metabolism helps me keep the pounds off. It is more an issue of both responsibility and general health. My poor eating has caught up with me this year. I’ve felt more sluggish, anxious, and agitated this year and my diet has definitely contributed to that. I need to eat better in 2018.
- Hospitality – We are planning on our new home to be a ministry! So, in 2018 we really want to up our hospitality efforts. We want to host gatherings and invite many friends to lunch/dinner at our place. This is the next phase of our focus on people.
So, that’s the plan for 2018 and I intend to do much better than I did this year on keeping up with my resolutions. I’d invite your accountability.
Pastor Dave Online 