Have you ever read different approaches to get a given result and gotten confused – different steps,  different order…sometimes even contradictory? Think of – recipes, diets, workouts…planning, strategy…and goals.

Over the last few years I’ve spent quite a bit of time studying and thinking about how to clarify mission & vision and set goals accordingly. There are so many approaches and opinions and, to be honest, I’m not sure there is a “perfect one” (even the ones I’ve proposed).

However, given the “goal setting season” (…new year’s resolutions, objective setting, etc.) what I’ve tried to do in this post is zoom out and distill for you the resounding themes most good approaches have in common (I love distillations since they save a lot of time looking at various sources).

(more…)

Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed.” Cavett Robert

1. First, do what resolutions have you set?
2. Are there past resolutions you have given up because you “ran out of steam?”
3. How will you “feed your motivation” differently this year?

I guarantee this is one of the most unusual Christmas messages you’ve ever read…it’s certainly breaking new ground for this blog – it’s about faith, relationships and a unique Christmas challenge addressed specifically to men…and, more specifically, to me.

As I consider Christmas a centerpiece of the Christian faith, it’s interesting to think of it from the perspective of God’s relationship with mankind. For centuries the coming of Jesus was foretold, not only as the arrival of the “King of Kings“ and “Lord of Lords,” but also as the Servant, Savior and Lamb who would die to take away the sins of the world.

Interestingly, many of the most religious people of the day failed to reconcile this dichotomy, expecting royalty and a powerful political kingdom instead of swaddling clothes, a carpenter’s home, and 33 years of living and building relationships with the most average of people…culminating with death on a criminal’s cross. This clearly wasn’t the expected heavenly “executive approach.” Rather, Jesus chose to connect with man in the most intimate way possible – by becoming one, and living a lifetime as one. From this perspective it’s particularly significant that one of His names, Emmanuel, means “God with us.” (more…)