Resolutions

Happy New Year! Well almost anyway. Today I am finding myself a little taken back that we are well into the second decade of the 21st century. 00-09 went by rather quick and here we are about to wrap up 2010. If you are like most people the flipping over of the calendar can make you feel both reflective of the previous year and hopeful for the year to come.


A new year means setting new goals and achieving new things. If you are making a list of resolutions allow me to toss out a few suggestions for the list.

1. Read the Entire Bible- There are any number of 'Bible In a Year' resources out there for you, heck you might have on in your bible right now. So why not take this year and read the bible cover to cover! And if you have already done so at some point, why not add a little extra to the resolution and read it twice simultaneously by picking up a bible with parallel translations. That way you can read say the NIV and the Message at the same time.

2. Pick Up A Spiritual Discipline- I took the first bit of the month talking about various Christian  spiritual  disciplines. This would be a great time to add one of these to your devotion time. Like I said in those posts the disciplines are great way to slow down and listen for that still small voice of God.

3. Fast One Day A Month or Week- How many of you are planning on losing some weight this year? I know I am! Now fasting is not really a weight loss tool, but it can help to do two things. First it can help realign our understanding of food. We simply eat, when was the last time you felt truly grateful or thankful for eating. Fasting can remind you of that.Second Fasting is a great way to remind yourself to depend on God. Each time you feel a hungry pain you are reminded of what you are doing, and you can treat them as prompts to pray. If you are interested in fasting here is a good resource to help you do so safely.

To True, To True

4. Commit to Tithing- Tithing is taking of 10% of your income and giving it back to God. At its core it is supposed to remind us that everything we have comes from God. Tithing like fasting is designed to help us learn to depend on God. By denying ourself some of our earnings we foster dependence on God. By giving them we away it helps to foster generosity. If you already tithe, now would be a good time to see if there is more you can give somewhere. Remember for the Christian tithing is supposed to be the minimum given. On top of tithing we are also supposed to give special gifts, special offerings, and respond to needs as they came and so on. If tithing is something that is just beyond your financial means try donating your time. Whatever the next level of giving for you is, make this the year you move to it.

5. Take a Media Fast (Unplugging)- I did this one a year ago. For Advent I went on a media fast. That included all non-work related e-mail, TV, video game systems, and other web media. I won't lie it was difficult. The world really is not gear for a person to go offline for a prolonged time. On a superficial level I was remarkably more focused throughout the day, and I had a great time catching up on reading. More importantly I had more time to spend with my family and in my own spiritual disciplines. I did this for a month, but you don't need to do so for that long. A week or so every other month would work just fine.

There you go, 5 resolutions for you to think about as you create your New Years resolutions. I hope 2010 closes well for you and that 2011 will be a blessing to you!