Make Plans, Not Resolutions

Posted byJeremy AmickPosted inMinistry, Training, UncategorizedTags:, , , , ,
            I feel like a failure around the second week of January each year. On New Year’s Eve, I sit down with a notepad and decide what changes need to be made. Thirty minutes later, I am overwhelmed with the amount of things that come to mind. I spend the next half hour whittling down the list to a few things that need desperate attention. Lastly, I resolve that this will be the end of some bad habits or this will be the year I conquer some proverbial mountain. Two weeks later, I am deflated, discouraged, and doing the same things I did the year before.
There are some truths that I need to understand regarding New Year’s Resolutions:
1. True Life-Change Only Comes from God. I may be able to muster up a temporary change in routine, but only God can change my heart. I need to rely completely upon the Holy Spirit to do His work in me and change me from the inside out. Behavior is the result of thinking. As the Apostle Paul recognized, “… be transformed by the renewing of your mind,  so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
2. Start with Prayer and Check Your Motives. The Holy Spirit will guide you into making changes that are honoring to God. Pastor Mark Batterson stated, “If you set selfish goals, you’d be better off spiritually if you didn’t accomplish them.”

3. Set Goals that are Specific and Have an Action Plan. Without a real plan in place, we will default to doing today what we did yesterday. Instead of letting things happen to us, goals help us make things happen. In planning, dream big, chart your progress daily/weely, and celebrate each and every positive step toward achieving the goal.

So as not to be a hypocrite, I am going to unveil my plans for this blog for the next two months. I think there is more to the Spirit-led Connecting concept that I have yet to realize. I believe this concept can help the Church become more of what Christ envisioned and called His people to be. With that said, here is where I am going:

Spirit –Led Outreach 

The Call- Understanding the purpose of the Christian Life
January  1. What is Outreach and what does it have to do with Connecting
January 3. The Role of the Holy Spirit in Outreach
January 5. The Call of Every Christian to Share the Gospel
January 7. A Missionary Mindset
The Enlistment- The Connection to Leadership
January 9. How Jesus trained followers in Outreach
January 11. How to Train for Outreach
January 13. Outreach- You don’t have to go alone
The Confirmation
January 15. Using Spiritual Gifts to tell others about Christ
January 17 . Examples of Gift Outreach from Romans 12 List
January 19. Examples of Gift Outreach from Romans 12 List
January 21 . Examples of Gift Outreach from Romans 12 List
The Result
January 23. Helping Believers See the Positive Effects of Reaching

Book Review (January 27): The Externally Focused Church by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson

 Spirit-Led Disciple-Making

The Call- Understanding the Christian Mandate
February 1: Defining Discipleship (Part 1)
February 3: Defining Discipleship (Part 2)
February 5: The Role of the Holy Spirit in Mentoring
February 7: What it takes to Be a Mentor (Part 1)
February 9: What it takes to be a Mentor (Part 2)
February 11: What it takes to be a Mentor (Part 3)
The Enlistment- Being Mentored
February 13: Finding Your “Paul” and Your “Barnabas”
February 15: How to Train Leaders for Mentoring
The Confirmation
February 17: Using Spiritual Gifts to Mentor Others
February 19: Finding Your “Timothy”
The Result
February 21: Helping Believers see the Positive Effects of Disciple-Making
February 23: A Vision for a Disciple-Making Church

Book Review (February 28): The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch

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