On Setting Goals and Eyes

Last month, I started to think more about the big picture.
You know, the infamous 5 year plan,
and the seems-far-too-distant-to-think-about-it 10 year plan.

I asked myself:
Where do we see ourselves in 5 years? in 10?
What are our goals? What's important to us?
What do we hope to have been accomplished through us, etc.?

And then I wrote them down.

I listed out our financial goals (i.e. pay off student loans, save $xx,
sponsor a child, live off one income...),
our career goals (i.e. get a promotion, start a new business adventure...),
our life goals (i.e. volunteer with the youth at church, have a baby)
and our travel goals (i.e. see this city and that city, relax here, visit Europe...).

I created a time line.

Of course it's all tentative.
I mean, that's exactly what a plan is.
But it's helped us as we've re-evaluated our budget recently,
our saving strategy and our spending limits.
It's helped us make sure we're being wise stewards
of the time and the resources the Lord has given us.
And it's reminded us
of how richly the Lord has provided for us.

As our "lives" laid out on that sheet of paper,
I lifted it up to the Lord.

Yes, physically. But also in prayer.
I prayed over our hopes and our dreams and our goals.
And I prayed that the Lord would continue to align them with His.
That our eyes would be sensitive to His leading
and that our ears would be quieted to His voice.

For we have planned,
but the most crucial part of that plan
is planning for change.

Sure we've set goals,
but we must also continually set our eyes on Christ.
To journey with Him
and for Him.

It's a daily process.

$ayonara, Ni$$an.

This month, we made our final payment to NMAC.
And I'm pretty much jumping out of my shorts.

That little car is all ourssss now. :)

Baby Steps. Big Blessings

I sobbed like a baby in church this morning.
You know, the entire service.
Start to finish. Without stopping.
Dad, you wouldn't have had a chance!

It was an incredible service
where I could clearly see the Lord's hand at work
both in our church and in my own life.

You see, our pastor's been going through the Book of Luke this year
teaching on the Tales of the Kingdom,
the parables Jesus taught.
And as we spent this sermon series
learning about what it means to be a Kingdom people,
our church participated in what we called the Kingdom Challenge.

The short story is this.
An anonymous {and very generous} couple in the church
donated $25,000 to be split up among 25 home groups.
Each group could do whatever they wanted with the $1,000
so long as they used it locally to further the Kingdom of God.

Some groups volunteered their time to tutor elementary students
while using the money to provide groceries and Bibles for their families.
Other groups revamped children's playgrounds,
and served at places like Mary's House, Serenity House,
and the Ronald McDonald House.

A young girl told us she gave duffel bugs
to families who carry their belongings around in trash bags.
"That's just not cool," she said. "Their stuff isn't trash."

The story I'd like to share with you though
is about the group that used a portion of the money to buy people's groceries.
A couple from the group patrolled their local Vons one afternoon
and found an older woman they were both sure should receive the funds.
For lack of a better word, they stalked her around the store
until she finally gathered all her groceries and headed for the check-out line.

Unfortunately, the couple had been stopped in the frozen food aisle
when asked for some advice on which hashbrowns to buy {random!}
When they finally made it up to the cashier's line,
there were already two other ladies between them and the lady they'd been following.
Bummer. Should they look for a different person?

As they stood there, they heard a call over the loud speaker.
"So-and-so, please come to the ..."
With that, one of the ladies in front of them stepped out of line.
Apparently, she was so-and-so.

Then, the woman they'd been following asked the other lady
if she'd like to cut in line. She only had a few items.

And there they were.
The road blocks had been removed
and they were standing next to this lady in line.
They tapped her on the shoulder
and asked if they could buy her groceries
as they told her about the Kingdom Challenge.
The lady was astounded
as no one had ever offered her something like that before.

They didn't have to stand there in the grocery store
shouting the story of the Gospel at her.
All they had to do was show the heart of Christ, in a practical way.

Baby steps. Big blessings.

Ca-Ching: Spending Money

Speaking of how we spend our time,

I thought it'd be interesting to look at
how we spend our money, too.

Here's the breakdown.

39% Housing (Mortgage, Insurance, Property Taxes, HOA)
13% Loans (Student & Car)
10% Tithe to the church
9% Personal/Misc. (Travel, Entertainment, Gifts, Shopping, etc.)
8% Straight to the Savings
7% Other Bills (Cell Phones, Car Insurance, Cable, Gas&Electric, etc.)
9% Food (both Groceries and eating out)
5% Gas for the automobiles

I'd say that's a pretty good reflection of what's important to us.

I just can't wait til the end of the year,
when that Loans category drops from 13% to 5%.
The extra money will go straight to the Savings. =)

[source]

Yesterday's Change

a new recipe for dinner
the way hubby said hello when he came home
a long and long-awaited phone call with Alana
the shopping center on Pomerado and Poway Rd: Michael's, Joann's ad Scrapbook store all in a row
cinnamon pine cones
caramel apple cider -- getting a grande when i paid for a tall
pay day
crafting
bedtime reading