Week 12 - #Prepare - “Goals”

John 6:27 “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

Two weeks ago we talked about the difference between “having" a mission and "being on" a mission.

This past week we encountered how important it is for us today to not only have a vision for the teams and organizations we lead, but more valuable is having a personal vision for ourselves and for families.

This week we continue to build upon these ideas, and consider how to prepare strategically, ensuring our mission and vision becomes a reality.

To do this we must set goals!

Without goals our mission and vision literally become a ship without a sail. A target without a bullseye. Simply aimless.

I have always been a goal setter. Perhaps it's because of my athletic and coaching background. Regardless, it has always been the logical next step towards achievement. You could say, my personal GPS.

So how do you prepare your goals and secure their congruence with both your mission and vision?
Here is one formula...

First, simply identify your goals; then write them down; put them somewhere you can see them, set a date; identify those that can help; develop a plan of action, and finally ensure alignment with your mission and vision.

Again, as I shared the prior two weeks with mission and vision not only are goals essential for your organization's success, put even more importantly for your own personal growth and for those you love the most!

Preparing perpetual goals secures a specific plan for growth. Without goals we become “wondering generality,” on our journeys. As it says in Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

When my kids were in elementary, every Sunday night we gathered around the dining room table. My wife, my two children and myself. Every week as a family we each created and set three goals for the week. One goal school or work related, the other two individual personal goals.

Each week we reviewed our progress while each member of the family reported their status. If any of the goals were achieved, we would first celebrate, then create, and replace with new ones. If we were still working on a goal, we were reflective on the prior week’s practices, and redesigned, if needed, our plan of action while resetting a day for accomplishment.

Ultimately, when preparing our goals we must always ask the question "Does it honor God?” For in John 6:27 we are instructed, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

So I ask you: Do you have goals?

What part of your life would benefit from setting specific goals?

Goal-setting is such a great legacy to teach your precious children and others that you love.

DADs, let's prepare our goals Today!

**Did you know we all have a direct line to our Father in Heaven? Next week we discover the power of prayer and how the enemy tries to distract us from our daily time with God. Together we will prepare a plan for prayer!**

Note:*For this new year of 2021, the combination of my age (understanding my own fragile mortality), this current and ongoing global pandemic, and most recently the personal loss I’ve experienced of one of my students, has amplified the need to land on one word... #Prepare.

In this "pursuit to prepare" I am determined to dedicate the 52 weeks of 2021 blogging every Week about one aspect of preparation God lays on my heart. This week 12 we talk about what it means to "prepare” our goals.

As mentioned in week 1, the word “prepare” means “to establish, fix, or apply.” It conveys the idea of deliberate effort over a prolonged period of time.To God be the glory!

Dads “get in the game”…

Today is game day…and so is every day…

God gives you! So…C’mon Men Suit Up!