2010: The Beginnings of a New Decade & New Goals.

Ahhhh ... the feeling of a new year. Blow the horn, bang on the pans, and give someone a kiss. Another year has passed and it is a new day. 

For some people, New Years is almost like reaching a finish line: Finishing off the business year in the black, making it through the holidays, or simply just making it one more year.

For others, the new year is a chance to start over and start anew – the start of a new race. In any case, as we all know, a lot of new years begin with new goals. Goals  –  for those of you like myself that are new to the concept  –  are things you write down or say that you aspire to accomplish in some set amount of time. ADDITIONALLY (this is huge for the purpose of definition), they are things that you are actually going to try to attain. Thus, they must be realistic. 

That being said, for the first year ever, I'm making some true-to-definition goals. And you know I'm serious because I'm posting them on the World Wide Web. (Because we all know once you take it cyber ... you mean business.) 

Goal #1: Intentional REAL community. Yes. This sounds cliché. However, if I could see a show of hands for anyone that wants more depth out of their relationships, I would be willing to bet I'd see a lot of phalanges in the air. We all crave close community – one in which people truly know you, help you, accept you, and vice versa. We are absolutely wired for it, but yet we are afraid to tap into its power. I am daily surrounded by some of the wisest, most gifted people I know. I want to learn from them. I want to serve them. And I want to stop dabbling on the surface of real friendships. They get us nowhere. We all possess gifts beyond our wildest imaginations  –  gifts that will make demons and the devil stop dead in their tracks. I know that we can use them in true, organic community on a level unprecedented. We just have to start living in a true, organic community. Thus, my goal. 

Goal #2: Design. In my free time, I have realized how alive I feel when it comes to creativity and design.   I don't think I want to make a living out of it, but who says you have to make a living out of absolutely everything you love? What happened to enjoying life's hobbies just because it is enjoyable? I never realized how dangerously bankrupt the "American Dream" was making me in terms of creativity. The constant go-go-go lifestyle, the heavy expectations, and the burdens we place on ourselves are insane. However, with the free time God has graciously blessed me, I have realized that constant busyness, rushing, and stress leads to death ... literally. My health plummeted recently due to those very things and it was essentially a very strong sign to slow down and yield to creativity. Therefore, carving out specific time to create, design, and essentially be a hippie (kidding) is a major goal in 2010. 

Goal #3: Love & Forgiveness. The problem with Christianity today is many of the followers of Jesus do not follow Jesus. Yes, that is an oxymoron and I am 100 percent guilty in this too. The Jesus in the Bible (who by the way is completely different to the Jesus that is purported today) and the Jesus that I want to follow LOVED and FORGAVE unconditionally. That's essentially the theme of His entire life. But somehow, this truth about Him has been so sickly distorted. Today Jesus is now the picture of un-forgiveness and judgment in many people's mind. This perception could not be further from the truth. In fact, this distortion is the biggest travesty and scandal in the Universe (not kidding). 

However, there is a reason there is that perception. It is because of many of Jesus' so-called followers. I myself cannot tell you how many times I have withheld love and forgiveness from others. They deserve it just as much as I do, but yet, sometimes in my head I am unwilling to give it. Sadly enough, you see it everywhere in Christianity and the way the media purports Christians. We have become a people to the general public that is synonymous with hypocrisy and judgment  – completely opposite of Jesus. BUT, on the contrary, there are so many people  – many in my community – that are doing it right. I want to be a part of that  – truly –  and not just on Sundays or at a forced awkward Bible study. I'm done with that. In 2010, I want to be a part of the movement who shows Jesus for who He really is: The embodiment of Love and Forgiveness. 

So, that's it. I made three major goals. Obviously, there are sub-goals that go under the major goals such as limiting our high intake of refined sugar, but seriously, who wants to read that? Who even wants to read this? Who knows. But for the sake of accountability to myself, I've written them down. Which, I might add, is the first step to attaining goals.

Happy 2010 and good luck to you and all your New Year's resolutions!