Every year in January, I take some time to write up some fresh goals for the new year.  I’m a very driven person and I love to set goals for myself and then try and reach them. 

I’ve been doing this for eight or nine years now and the main thing that I’ve learned is to set realistic goals.  I went several years setting impossible goals for myself, only to be depressed at the end of the year when I realized I had fallen miserably short of accomplishing any of them.  Now, I simply try to set goals that will be difficult (but not impossible) to reach.  I also try to be as specific as possible when I’m writing up a goal so I’ll know at the end of the year whether I accomplished that goal or not. 

One last note and then I’ll share a few of my goals for 2008.  I try to set goals in areas where I’m already having some success, but can do better.  In other words, in setting goals, I typically try to build on strengths rather than eliminate weaknesses. 

With that said, here are a few of my goals for 2008. 

·         Read 52 books.  (I’ll probably reach this goal in December if I stick to my normal routine)

·         Begin writing a book (I’ve been saying this the last couple of years, but this year, I actually feel like it will happen.  I believe that God has begun to nudge me in a certain direction, and He’s certainly given me the passion to make it happen.  Now, I just have to ask for some time off.)

·         Eat fruit.  (I know this sounds really strange, but I really want to be healthy and “Eat healthy” wasn’t a specific enough goal for me.  And just so you know, I’ve had at least an apple of banana every day this year.)

Other goals I’ve set for myself include:  take my wife out on date every other week, continue exercising four to five days a week, and take the family to Disney World again.  On top of these, I have other goals as well, but I won’t bore you with the whole list. 

One last thing.  I always try to keep in mind Proverbs 16:9, which says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” (NIV)  Never let your goals get in the way of what God wants you to do.  I know that probably goes without saying, but I know I need to remind myself regularly of the importance of this truth. 

Anyway, have you set any goals for 2008?  If so, what are they?  If not, what are you waiting for?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but coming to a theater near you, is the brand new Veggie Tales movie, “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything”.  This is a must see for all of you who have little children, and it will be in theaters this Friday, January 11th.  I’m all for supporting wholesome entertainment, and you can be certain that this movie will be something you can even take your preschooler to see.  I haven’t bought my ticket yet, but I’m pretty sure I’ll see the this movie at some point in the near future. 

If you haven’t heard anything about the newest Veggie Tales move, you can check out the trailer right here.

One of my favorite shows is MythBusters.  If you have never seen it, the premise of the show is to either confirm or bust a myth.  The people on the show are professional stunt men and very smart math people (I don’t know what else to call them).  In the last 2 weeks they have confirmed two events that I thought were myths…sharks will inherently swim away from dolphins and it’s impossible to do a 360 degree flip on a swing set.  Kind of interesting – or I’m really strange.

Looking back at 2007, I feel like doing some MythBusting Southside style.  When a church takes a step to improve areas many ideas, thoughts and at times rumors run wild.  Here are some of the situations we faced in 2007 and I will “confirm the myth” or “bust it.”