Monday, January 2, 2006

E-VOTIONAL AND ANNOUNCEMENTS


“For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11

This is week two of our series on planning and goal setting for 2006. This week, and next week, we ask you to do some “purposeful daydreaming”. God will help you. Begin by praying the following prayer: God, please show me the plan you have for my life and my family. Thank you for having dreams for me just like I have dreams for me own children. Amen. Now, consider your life in twenty years. Think of where you will live, your health, your marriage and other significant relationships, and your financial situation. Do you have close friends? Will you be caring for parents? What will your children be like? The setting for your daydream could be Thanksgiving dinner, or a vacation, or just a normal day, whatever you choose. This vision can then serve as a means for you and your spouse to set your goals in terms of how you spend your time, how much money you save, and what you choose to teach your children.

Jeff and I have constructed a vision for our future personally and also for our church. We believe that in twenty years Christ United Methodist Church will have 1000 people attending worship weekly and at least one “daughter congregation” in Cabot. Christ Church will have wonderful programming for children and families. We believe over the course of 20 years God will call 25 of our members to become pastors. We believe we will have a sister relationship with churches in third world countries, and that we will have mission trips that go to work alongside our brothers and sisters in other countries. In Cabot our church will be known as a church that cares about people, offering assistance to unwed mothers, the poor and the elderly. These are just a few of our dreams and we plan what our church is doing this Spring with those goals in mind.

Work on your own dreams and talk them over with your spouse. Next week we will talk about specific areas of goal setting, beginning with goals for parenting.
Unitl then... Blessings!
Jeff