Prepare for February - Don't Start Yet

If you think you are ready to plant, don't start yet . . . Rob Blackaby, President of the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary and church planter from Cochran said this in the U.S. a couple of years ago. The principle of preparation applies to any goal or project you are facing including church planting. Half the people who make new year resolutions do not have a plan in place to "get 'r done."

So below is a check list of steps to prepare. Feel free to add some of your own. The best idea will probably be yours . . .

1. Invest - Our goals are often doomed before we start. We hope to get great results from minimal effort or investment. On a scale of 1-10, How committed are you at reaching your goal?If you are less than a "5" maybe you picked the wrong goal. If your commitment is exercise related you may need to buy comfortable walking or running shoes. If it is personal organization you may need a new filing cabinet. If it is to organize your garage you may need to rent a truck and so on . . .

2. Focus - If you are serious about change, focus on one thing only. My pastor and one of my best coaches, Bill Howard, fought me four years ago to focus on one big goal. I reluctantly followed his advice. The difference was profound. If you have more than one resolution, part of your preparation process is to decide where to start. Place all your energy there. How do you decide? Pray and talk to people who love you. Here is another radical idea . . . if you decide all of them are important start with the easiest one first. Momentum is great in football and in life.

3. Support - Find someone who has succeeded at a similar goal. That may take some work, but remember, you are serious enough about this goal to invest and prepare. Don't look for a someone as skinny as a bean pole to help you with weight loss, unless they were not always skinny. Find an organized person to help you with organization. Find a praying person to help you with prayer.

4. Audit - We have created ways of doing things over the years. The way we do things is commonly known as "systems." Systems are powerful. Look closely at the way you do things. What obstacles are created by your systems for your new goal? For example, you may have spent years going to bed late and operating on minimal sleep. If your new goal requires a commitment in the morning then address it. The first step is not a morning commitment. The first step is an evening commitment to get in bed earlier. This may include sleep research. This may also include a trip to your doctor or the local mattress store.

If you want to experience a different 2010 don't start yet. Prepare to start. I will have more preparation tips Monday. Happy New Year!

Prepare in January - Launch in February

Take the month of January to prepare. Launch your effort to reach your goal, February 1. Over half the people who set new year goals have no plan in place to help reach their goal.

What if I called you on January 1, 2010 and invited you to hike the Appalachian Trail for a week? "Sounds interesting," you might say, "but my spring is pretty busy, might be summer before I can get the days off." "No, I am going tomorrow," I reply. You think I am nuts. Preparation to research, buy, or borrow the right equipment is needed. People closest to you need to know your plans. You have work and other responsibilities that will be affected. This is not to mention some physical conditioning that might help you enjoy yourself more. An invitation to a journey of that magnitude could only be successful if you take time to prepare.

A serious goal is like a long journey. Think about some ways you can prepare for the long journey of a significant goal.Tomorrow I will give some steps to help you prepare.

How About A Goal Free January 2010?

I will tell you tomorrow why goals seldom work. If you have the courage, tune in! Happy New Year!

Dino

Tiger is a Hacker

I did not realize I had Tiger Woods on such a pedestal until he disappointed me. As a golfer I am quite a hacker (if you have ever spent nine with me, you know I am not overstating here). But I always admired golfers. I would drop almost anything, even a grandson, to watch Tiger play on T.V. His story was (is) so compelling. His dad, his unprecedented success, etc. He played with the greatest golfers in the world for years. No one has come close to matching his overall performance.

I don't know the history of the term hacker. I think it came from the sound effects of my golf game. If you play with real golfers or notice golf on T.V. you know it sounds different when they play. A sweet, whistling movement of wind, followed by a solid click happened when Tiger swung. When I swing it sounds and looks like I am clearing brush from a vacant lot with an axe.

The term hacker has never been used to describe Tiger. Yet today when it comes to playing life he is hacking his way down the fairway. Yep, Tiger is a hacker. But Tiger is not alone. The Bible is filled with stories of hackers. King David was a hacker. Wise King Solomon was a hacker. The woman at the well was a hacker. Wow, Tiger fits right in -- In fact if you find a church today that is really alive you will find a bunch of hackers who discovered Jesus Christ in the middle of their back swings.

Every time I read another confession from a woman in Tiger's past I feel ashamed and sad for him. I am sure they represent many more. The late Wilt Chamberlin, an NBA legend, claimed to have slept with 20,000 women. Probably a bit overstated by Wilt. He did seem more proud than ashamed.

I wonder how Tiger feels right now? I am sure he feels stupid for getting caught. There is a place of love and forgiveness for him (you too) if he wants it. I don't think the place is with Elin or most golfers on the PGA (except John Daily). The media has too much fun with this one to let it go. Tiger has no place to run to but a cross. A place for hackers.