I Resolve To...

On this first day of 2013, it seems appropriate to write about my goals and resolutions for the year. Last year I had about 5 or 6 things I was hoping to accomplish, but was relatively unsuccessful at bringing them to completion. Let's hope for a little more resolve this year. So, without further ado, here are the things I hope to be about in the coming 12 months.
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1.  Be creative

Having been away from full-time vocational ministry for while, I am both excited and nervous to jump back in. I can sometimes error too much on the side of practicality, so, as I begin my new job, I want to stay open to the creative process. I don't know my new colleagues that well yet, but it seems like they are dreamers and visionaries, and I am excited to dream with them about how God's beautiful Kingdom might burst forth with good news for the people of Bozeman.

2.  Embed myself in the Bozeman community

I believe strongly in the importance of place, so with Bozeman becoming our new place, I want to invest fully in knowing and loving this new place. I want to participate in its activities, understand its ethos, and love its people.

3.  Buy a house

Mandy and I have been pretty transient over our 8 years of marriage and while its been a fun and exciting journey, we are very ready to plant some roots and stay for a while. We are planning to meet with the bank and a realtor soon and start the daunting task of purchasing a home. So sweet!

4.  Make some good friends

The hardest thing about leaving Seattle was leaving our friends. We made some AMAZING friends during our 5 years there and were so sad to say goodbye. While these friends will never be replaceable, we are hopeful that we will meet some similarly life-giving friends in Bozeman over the next year. Hopefully we will quickly connect with people of all ages, but especially young families who are sharing our current life-stage and have kids that are Zoe's age.

5.  Read 12 books

This was one of my goals from last year that I actually completed, but I wanted to throw it on the list again this year. Many of my books last year were about the birth process or parenting, so I am excited to read more ministry-related books this year.

6.  Develop rhythmic spiritual practices as a family

Zoe is about to reach the age where she would be able to participate in some spiritual activities, so Mandy and I are going to try to develop and commit to an ongoing way of life where Zoe can learn about the way of Jesus and start to be shaped into a follower of the Way.
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I'm sure I'll be writing plenty about these goals throughout the year, so I'll let you know how I'm staying true to my resolutions. Happy new year everyone and here's to a great 2013.