GOALS

I’ve been back in Columbia for a little under a week, and while I am still settling in, I feel like this is the right time to finally get to the goals blog I have been planning to write for a while. I remember reading a goals blog that my friend Lindsay posted a couple of weeks after she got back from LT last summer. I liked that post so much that I thought I’d steal it and see what kind of challenging goals I could set for myself after an intense summer of growth.

I’ve never really been a guy who has taken the time to set specific goals or the type of guy who has worked really hard to accomplish tough tasks. Honestly, I have relied too much on my God-given intelligence and up until now, I have neglected my spiritual gifts way too much.

I have the type of personality where I like to just go with the flow, but I’m set on changing that a little bit this semester (at least to avoid laziness). I’m doing all I can to avoid post-LT depression that I have heard so much about and I really want God to continue to work in my life and everyone’s lives around me like I saw this summer. There’s no reason He won't do that if we all allow him to, which is the key part.

So, here’s a list of pretty specific goals that I have for my final fall semester as a student in college:

1. 1. Earn a 3.5 GPA in my four classes this semester (3 journalism, 1 religious studies). I have usually hovered around a 3.0-3.3 GPA in my first 6 semesters in college, but I want to finish school strong and actually give a crap about my studies this year.

2. 2. Dedicate at least 15-20 hours a week to my KBIA reporting class. It’s a great opportunity for me, something I really want to do and it would be great to get a good reference (Karen Mitchell) if I end up doing something with my journalism degree.

3. 3. Be intentional in tithing 10% to The Rock every week. That church (and God, really) has given me so much over the last year and I really need to praise God with my money (something I have never done). Should be fairly easy.

4. 4. Seek out a relationship where I can be discipled. If you’ve read any of my last couple blog posts, you know that discipling relationships were a big part of my summer, so I want that to continue into this semester.

5. 5. Once core groups start, I want to be a discipler (even if I’m not technically a leader). I can do this by meeting with each member of the core group weekly and showing that I truly care for each of them by showing God’s love as effectively as I can.

6. 6. See our canvas group grow to at least 30 consistent members. Based on what I’ve seen in the first week, there is no reason this goal should not be attained. We have a ton of capable leaders and if we all do our part, we could honestly see 40 people per week attending (which would be AMAZING).Numbers shouldn’t matter too much and I care much more about touching single people’s lives, but if we can increase attendance, we have a better opportunity to reach more people.

Six goals seems pretty good, doesn’t it? These are the things I will be focused on for the entirety of this 16-week semester and I will pray that God makes me capable to reach all of these goals.