Thoughts for the new year...

From Mark Batterson....

Postcompletion Error
Have you ever left your gas cap at a gas station after filling up? Or what about leaving your bank card at ATM machine after making a withdrawal? I know. Most cars come equipped with an attached gas cap so you can't forget. And most ATM machines beep when the card is ejected. But that phenomenon of forgetting is something psychologists call a postcompletion error. It is the tendency, after completing a task, to forget the steps that got you there.
I think the postcompletion error is one of the dangers we face going into a new year. Let me put it this way. I know lots of people who have been Christians for twenty-five years. But they don't have twenty-five years of experience. They have one year of experience repeated twenty-five times. Why? Because God has to re-teach them the same lessons over and over and over again.
What lessons has God taught you this past year? Let's not forget the old lessons so God can teach us new lessons next year.
I think a huge part of discipleship is overcoming this postcompletion error. If you've overcome an addiction, don't forget the steps you took. If your marriage has been reconciled, don't forget the steps. If you've experienced success in business, don't forget the steps. Share the steps with others. That's called discipleship.



Anything you need to double-back on? Hopefully so, as that would be a successful year. I know that I am thinking about this heading into the new year.

Choosing my books for the new year....

Charles Spurgeon counseled his students to be discriminating about what they read, and to bathe in good books "until they saturate you." He said, "A student will find that his mental constitution is more affected by one book thoroughly mastered than by twenty books merely skimmed."
While my goal of 36 books for the year is a good goal...I am not only convicted to ensure I make good choices but to make sure that I am a learner and not just a consumer of what I read.

Goals for 2009

Writing down a couple of the goals I have for myself this year:

1. Last year I read 24 books (12 Fiction, 12 Non-fiction). I would like to improve on that and hit 36 this year (18 Fiction, 18 Non-fiction).

2. Kristen and I did not make it a priority to have date nights and it resulted in us going out once or twice last year....in total. We will have at least 6 date nights this year.

3. We haven't done a great job exploring the New England area unless we have had visitors. We will make 6 local trips to new places this year.

4. I will complete the Old Testament Bethel class in 2009.

5. I bought the P90X workout series a little while back. I will complete this 90 day program in 2009.

6. Learn one cool magic trick for the boys

7. Clean, organize and paint my office

8. Since I have started to create little movies with activities we have done or from trips we have taken, I want something at the beginning of each of these that is constistent and says that it came from us...our own logo. So, I will create a feature presentation logo for all "Moffitt" movies we make moving forward.

9. To do 40 hours of community service


There are still a number of other things I am thinking through...and I need to talk with Kristen on others still, but, at least this is a good start :)

Jude's First Tooth

What a great memory. Jude cut his first tooth this morning. We will try to get a picture posted of it...but Jude is not too helpful with that request so far.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone.
Hope that you enjoy it.

Wish that we could share it with you all. But we are there with you in spirit :)

Time for Christmas

Is it just me, or does Christmas time get busier every year? Seems like things are always so busy right up to the morning of Christmas. Kristen went off to bed and just before going to bed, she was going through the list of things that we still need to do. It will be another late night on Christmas Eve to get ready...just like last year. I don't imagine it will get better, but, it doesn't stop from surprising me evey year.

Goals for 2009

Are you planning for your goals for 2009? I know that it hit me that in about a week's time, the calendar will roll over to a new year and I have to take stock in what I have accomplished in 2008 and what I want to accomplish in 2009.
I had to do this for work and I always struggle with it. It is frustrating to have to work through some things in that capacity...but it also makes me think about what I spend my time on and how I will ultimately justify it to myself and my company....
I have to have that same accountability with my life, my family and my faith.
Am I any closer to some of my goals?
What things do I need to start doing?
What things do I need to stop doing?
Being honest with myself, and really doing this exercise will hopefully make things clearer for the upcoming year. It is way to easy to just keep going and getting through each day without doing this...but then another year will be gone and I may not have any good responses to these questions.

Broncos blow another game

I am almost glad that I can't get the games out here...their slide is brutal.

Sunday and snow

Either I or Kristen will post some pictures from the current snow storm we are having...it is a pretty good one...schools closed down around the state (not ours), people without power, looting in the abandoned homes...amazing stuff.

Luckily, we were able to make it to church and back today despite the conditions and then enjoyed an afternoon at home. Kristen worked on getting our Christmas letters out...she is almost there:) and I was able to finish a book The Marketing of Evil by David Kupelian.

I am doing two sessions at my church on the book and needed to finish it up so that I can write up my talk as soon as possible. I know that the 3 weeks I have to get it done will go by VERY quickly.

Overall, a nice day at home.

Spirit of God and Word of God....

This is Perry Noble...from a church in South Carolina

I love that way he is flat out honest



Spirit of God/Word of God from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.