Welcome 2026!

 

2025 -  What a year!  God has been very good to us.  We spent more time in Tennessee last year than we have in almost 35 years of marriage, but it's the right decision.  We have been here since before Thanksgiving and my family cup is overflowing.  We have seen both of Les' siblings, their spouses and all six adult children and one son-in-law.  We've eaten and laughed and eaten and laughed some more.  All of this surrounded Les' dad with so much love.

 

As any long time readers know, I'm not big on New Years resolutions.  I finished reading my Bible through yesterday and started a new plan today.  While I was looking for a plan to follow (here's the one I'm doing this year https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/19038-bible-in-a-year-365-day-reading-plan)  I found a short one that also looked interesting - "8 Resolutions Jesus Would Be Happy With."  Part of the description says this, "In this 8-day journey through the Beatitudes, you’ll discover how humility, mercy, and peacemaking (and more) reshape your priorities around God’s kingdom. Forget the pressure of keeping perfect resolutions — this study helps you start the year grounded in grace."  This was maybe a five minute read, but it was really good.  Doing what makes Jesus happy will make for the best year ever!

 

Happy New Year!  Do you have any resolutions or big plans?  We will be celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary in May and are still deciding where we want to be when we celebrate. 

New Year's Resolutions

 

I didn't make any resolutions to start this year.  That doesn't mean there aren't areas in my life that need improvement, but I do my best not to wait until January 1st (or Monday) to readjust.  I just Googled "how long do new year's resolutions last?" and there were over 300 million results!  Here are just a few:

How long do New Year's resolutions last? 43% of all people expect to fail before February, and almost one out of four quit within the first week of setting their New Year's resolution. Most people quit before the end of January, and only 9% see their resolutions through until succession.

 

Although New year's resolutions are popular, they are not always successful. According to U.S. News & World Report, the failure rate for New year's resolutions is said to be about 80 percent, and most lose their resolve by mid-February.

 

A new poll of 2,000 Americans found that it takes just 32 days for the average person to finally break their resolution(s) — but 68% report giving up their resolutions even sooner than that. In fact, one in seven Americans never actually believe they’ll see their resolution through in the first place.

I know that some people make resolutions as a joke just to see how quickly they can break them.  Others fail because they make unrealistic resolutions or don't have a plan.  Two years ago I desperately needed to lose weight.  I knew what had worked for me in the past and with a lot of patience and determination, I stuck with it.  Last year was about keeping it off and this year is more of the same.  My personal healthy eating journey has always included treats, usually in the form of chocolate.  I'm sure I could have lost weight more quickly, but it was about more than just weight loss.  Any change needs to for a long term difference.

I receive a weekly email from TrainingPeaks and there are a couple of articles I wanted to share. The first one came a few weeks ago. "4 Common Weight Loss Mistakes to Avoid"  The article was actually about weight gain during the holidays, but I thought the information was great for anytime.  The author trademarked an acronym for D.I.E.T. that I really like ~ Disaster Imminent Every Time™!  The disaster happens when we set an unreasonable goal and try to do it in an unreasonable amount of time.

 

The second article is "4 Steps to Achieving Your New Year Goals."  While this article focuses on racing season for runners and cyclists, the principles are applicable.  A key statement, "Remember that great performance doesn’t require perfect preparation; more often, intelligent adjustments in the face of setbacks make the difference."  Setbacks will come, no matter what your goal, but adjust and keep going.

I think Henry Ford summed it up perfectly:

2017: Where Will You Focus?

I've seen a lot of posts about resolutions, goals, and words for 2017.  I don't know if I have ever chosen a word for the year and stuck with it the entire year, but the word that has been bouncing around in my brain for the past few days is Focus:

1. the center of interest or activity.
2. the state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition.

Focus is a tricky concept.  We are all busy and it is easy to lose focus on what matters when we try to focus on too many things.  There are things in life that we need to do, but they can't be the center of our interest.  I can't ignore the piles of laundry or expect my house to clean itself, but it can't be the most important aspect of my life.

Les taught an awesome Sunday school lesson about Jonah to kick off 2017.  The book of Jonah is short and most of the lessons we hear are from chapter two - Jonah's time in the belly of the great fish.  I have always found chapter four to be extremely interesting.  The city of Nineveh had a 120,000 soul revival and Jonah was very angry.  I have never understood what was wrong with him!  He was not only angry, but he sat and pouted.  "It is better for me to die than to live."  

The conclusion of the book sums it all up, "Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:  And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"

Jonah had a greater love for a gourd that provided shade than he did for a city that was perishing.  Les finished the class with this question, "Do we care more about materialism or personal comfort than we do about the thousands of lost souls around us?"

In all our resolutions, goals, plans, and desires for 2017, may be never lose focus of the thousands of lost souls around us.

Ready for 2012!

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~Benjamin Franklin

 

And ye, who have met with Adversity's blast,
And been bow'd to the earth by its fury;
To whom the Twelve Months, that have recently pass'd
Were as harsh as a prejudiced jury -
Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime,
The regrets of remembrance to cozen,
And having obtained a New Trial of Time,
Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen.
~Thomas Hood



People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas ~Anonymous



Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to. ~Bill Vaughn

2011 Bible Reading Plan

The start of a new year always brings resolutions. Here are some of the most popular according to USA.gov:

• Drink Less Alcohol
• Get a Better Education
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Manage Stress
• Quit Smoking Now
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Save Money
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions - it seems they are almost a joke. "My New Year's resolution is to not make any resolutions." "My New Year's resolution is to eat dessert everyday." That is not to say we shouldn't make plans to do better. But our motivation should be for the right reasons, not just to check a little box.

With that in mind, I've changed my Bible Reading plan for 2011. There are dozens of plans that will help you read the Bible in a year - you can find some here. I've tried many of them and have read the Bible through many times. I have also fallen way behind and struggled to catch up, "speed reading" my way through the Minor Prophets and other Old Testament books. I don't think that is what God is looking for in daily Bible reading!

I've prayed about studying the Bible versus reading the Bible this year. I don't want to feel pressured to check a box, I want to immerse myself in His Word. I have started reading the chronological Bible, but I have started in the book of Acts. I've looked ahead and before I finish Acts I will also have read a number of Paul's letters to the churches. I don't have a finish date in mind, if it takes me all year to just read Acts and the Epistles but I've grown in my walk with God, I'll consider that a success!