So it is 2010 and the world of resolutions is among us! I used to be against these crazy things because the majority of them were short lived and just frustrated people, but I now just use the beginning of the year to check my priorities and make sure they are where they need to be.
I have quickly learned that starting a church from scratch is a tedious, overwhelming, yet exciting task. But in the midst of it all, I want to make sure I keep things in the right order. So I will use this time of year to make sure the things that are important are still at the top of my list. Here’s a sample IN ORDER of importance:
- MY time with God. Not a time of praying for needs, asking for stuff, or even filling in all the prayer requests I promise people I will pray about. I am talking about Ben and God time. I am not any good to Brenda, my kids, or my church without it. I will have other time to go through the other prayer list stuff, but I need time with God to feel love, give honor, get direction, and just be a “kid.” I am fortunate to live in what I think of as paradise so spending an hour on the beach reading, listening, and praying in the mornings may not seem hard, but when the to-do list is as long as mine is, it is easy to “justify” just getting to the office.
- BRENDA! She needs me. She needs me to be her husband, friend, and dad to her kids. Many of you know how important she is to me, but in 2010, she will know it even more. We will date, we will laugh, we will cry, but we will do it together. I don’t deserve someone like her, yet for some crazy reason, God gave her to me, and I will cherish her like no other.
- My kids. The main reason God trusted me with them is for me to instruct them in a way that they will get back to him when they die. My ability to be a dad is more important that my ability to plant a church. We will have family nights where I will beat them badly in MarioKart and Apples to Apples junior…they need to learn how to lose! Yes I talk trash even to my kids…
- My responsibility as a Pastor and leader. I will lead my staff with love, passion, and accountability. I will strive to make them the greatest leaders I can. They have left everything to follow the vision of Baypointe Church and that is something I will never take lightly. For all the others that God has lined up to become part of this church called Baypointe I will lead them in a way that creates an avenue to get closer to Christ.
Nope, I do not have a top ten list. That’s my list. I believe that if I take care of those things, everything else will take care of itself. Will I work out? Of course. Will I stay on the Dave Ramsey plan? Absolutely. Will I read X amount of books? Yep. These things will be driven out of a passion to fulfill one of the top 4.
I hope that 2010 is a great year for you and your families!
Grace.
Ben
