Though I am not a fan of new year’s resolutions, I am a huge advocate of establishing annual goals.  Ever since my two boys were 5 and 3 we have taken time out on January 1st to talk about the previous year.   We discuss what we liked and what we disliked.  We review the previous years goals (we always write them down at this “meeting” and then check them off throughout the year as we accomplish them); and we set goals for the new year.  My boys love this time with their Dad, but most of all enjoy the pancakes and hot chocolate.

How about you?  Did you have goals for 2009?  Did you accomplish them?  What about 2010?  Life goes by so quickly; it is so easy to get caught up in just existing rather than purposefully accomplishing the things that matter most.  I would like to encourage you today – set some realistic, yet significant goals for this year.  Write them down, review them throughout the year, and then go out to breakfast with someone to talk about it January 1, 2011.  You may be surprised by how much God can do through you when you live a life of purpose!

I love the zeal of my team!  During practice, they get the biggest kick out of running around, pulling each others flags, and even sometimes tackling one another (after all it is football).  They are so aggressive when it comes to playing against the members of their own team, it takes all of my creativity to keep them from hurting each other!  However, game time can sometimes be a different story.  What is it that transforms a raging tiger into a harmless kitty in the presence of an opposing team?

Believe it or not, this type of behavior is not limited to the football field.  I often see members of the same team: (family, church, company) aggressively attack one another.  It is never a pretty sight, and is always incredibly damaging to each party involved.  However, there is more at stake than our personal well-being; when we focus our energy on attacking each other, we forget all together that there is a game to be won!

The next time you are tempted to tackle one of your team members, think about the end result first.  Will it bring your team closer to the goal?  Will it contribute to the overall development of each team member; or will it just make your opponent’s job easier?  We need to get our heads in the game – it’s game time!