Happy New Year!

Are you excited about 2009? Have you made your resolutions? I want to turn the tables on New Years resolutions for a minute. Most of us, in years past, have made wonderful resolutions that we forget about or give up on by January 15. Maybe next year…

I think this time of year is a natural time to evaluate where we are and what we are doing. There’s nothing wrong with that. We should evaluate. This year, I want to evaluate from a different angle. Instead of saying, “In 2009, I resolve to…” I am saying, “In 2009, I resolve NOT to…”

What is keeping you from focusing on your relationship with Jesus? What is taking your attention away from the mission He called you to? We are called to make an eternal impact on our world. We have a limited amount of time to do it. Think about the things we spend time on. Are my priorities right?

Make an appointment with God. Let Him help you prioritize your schedule for 2009. He has given us 168 hours each week to make a difference in this world. How are you budgeting those hours? Here are a few things to get your mind going. Some of these are mine, some are from friends of mine…

• How many hours do I sit in front of the TV?
• How many hours do I sit in front of the computer?
• How many hours do I spend driving my kids from sports to practice to hobbies to…

These aren’t all bad. They can be a good use of time. Compare them too…

• Time spent at the dinner table as a family
• Time spent in face-to-face conversation with humans.
• Time spent face-to-face with God

I need to work on my time budget.