Archive for Pass It On
Lost: A Battle for Character – Part 1
Posted by: | CommentsThe vision of freedom and equality has been held by so many great Americans like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr — of Abraham Lincoln before him — and of our Founding Fathers before that — and of America’s earliest preachers even before them — and of the Pilgrims and many others before them.
The very idea of freedom and equality came from God. But, many Americans seem to have lost faith in God and in his moral absolutes. We have become a selfish and slothful group; trading in the timeless values of hard work, personal responsibility, sacrifice and duty for what is expedient, convenient and temporary. The character that has determined the successes of our country and churches and families to this point in history, is slowing withering away, and has almost been lost.
The evidence? We have fractured families and failing marriages all around us; racism is still alive and well in many hearts and effects every people group on the planet; abortion on demand through the ninth month of pregnancy; human trafficking; massive consumption of pornography; a government that has lost its way and the list goes on.
In this series LOST: A BATTLE FOR CHARACTER, we will be taking a closer look at the pillars of character that has been shaping our world since God created it. Character are those qualities built into your life that determine your response, regardless of circumstances. And like the brilliance of a diamond, success in every area of your life will be enhanced as you develop each facet of your character. As imperfections are cut or polished away, you can reach your full potential.
You won’t want to miss a single post on these lost qualities of character, so make sure to subscribe to the feed above, and connect with us on Twitter and Facebook as well. In part 2 of this series we’ll look at the first two pillars of character nearly lost on this generation.
Create A Family Goal Board – Part 2
Posted by: | CommentsOur Family Goal Board tradition has brought our family closer. Each year we commit time and energy into strengthening our relationships, achieving our goals together and learning how to dream big dreams. As a result of this tradition, we’ve changed our lives. Our goal board gives us a reason to keep connecting, to keep dreaming and to continually encourage one another toward our dreams. We take time each month during our family meetings to discuss our board and to encourage each member. Our family is committed to reaching our goals. We’re also committed to preserving our family time – not only around the New Year when setting goals is common, but throughout the year.
Our Family Goal Board hangs in our entryway where it’s a constant reminder of where we are going. It’s also instant accountability. Anyone can check at any time to see where they are in accomplishing their goals. Family members can also hold one another accountable for goals not yet achieved.
When we first put up our board we had no idea what would happen. But over the years it has initiated great conversations with guests, been a place to applaud one another and challenged others to set goals for their lives. Here is the step-by-step guide to building your own Family Goal Board….
Supplies Needed:
A Large Frame
Tag board
Markers
Stickers
A Willing Family and a Free Night
Categories: Write 5 to 7 Goals in Each Category
Each Family Members Personal Goals
Family Goals
Dreams
Fun/Health/Travel/Success
Business/Career
Long Term Goals
Etc…
How to Create Your Own Family Goal Board:
Set aside a night with no distractions. Each family member must write out their personal goals and read them out loud. Once the personal goals are done, we then each write down three family goals and share them our loud. We use everyone’s ideas to create our family goals for the year. We then put all the goals on the board, decorate it and hang it in a highly visible place.
*Make your board personal for your family. Add whatever categories you need and then decorate with a style that’s all your own.
Variations/Suggestions:
101 List
Have each family member write down 101 things they want to do with their life. Encourage each member to really imagine what life could be like and what they want to do before they leave this earth. Make sure you keep copies of each person’s list – these are great to review during future goal setting sessions.
Dream Book
A dream book is simply a notebook with pictures in it. To make one you simply cut out or take pictures of your dreams and put them in my book. It’s a visual reminder of your goals and dreams. You can add to it continually – it’s a work in progress. It’s also a fun way to involve younger children in goal setting.
Word of the Year
One year we added ‘word of the year’ to our goal board. Everyone had to think about and choose a word for the year. The word represented the area of life that needed the most work. For example my word was follow-through and my son’s word was discipline. Our word was written with our goals and it served as a reminder of what we needed to work on for the year.
Challenge
Begin now. Write down your goals as a family. Brainstorm with your family about how you can create family traditions around setting and achieving goals.
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