Resolutions, part 5, Family

Well it's taken over a month to get through posting my resolutions, but this will be the last post in the series. It will focus on our family and the things I'd like to see happen in 2011.

1) Go on more dates with Stephanie
It's not often that we go on dates. Some couples have scheduled 'date nights' where they go out for a night on the town. We've usually reserved some time together away from Justin and Katelyn from time to time, but I'd like for that to be more often. Some ideas are: going to a movie, going out to eat, going for a walk in the park, playing tennis, going to a play, staying home and watching a movie, and going camping. I hope to continually look for opportunities to spend some time together. It doesn't have to be a big production involving lots of money, it can be simple and inexpensive, but it won't happen if I don't plan for it to.

I think so many times married couples allow kids to become idols they serve and it destroys their marriage. We love our kids, but we need time to ourselves as well. It's because we love our kids that we will focus on our marriage, not only for ourselves, but for them as well. Going on dates will hopefully show them that marriage matters.

2) Have more 'bro time' with Justin
Okay, first of all, by 'bro time' I don't mean being friends and goofing off. I'm still his Dad and count as my ultimate goal to show him who God is. I am to be an earthly example of his Heavenly Father. I will fail often in that goal, but I will try hard and pray that God will bless my effort with fruit.

'Bro time' can be playing tennis, video games, watching sports on tv, shooting hoops, going to our annual GA Football game, talking with him about school, watching movies (we watched Top Gun a few weeks ago, had to fast forward through a few scenes though), camping, fishing, and other stuff that guys do. I've even thought about going to a flea market or auction with a $10 limit just to see what we could do for kicks. The objective is not to do stuff or get things, but to invest in our relationship. There are many things that compete for his heart, do you remember being a teen? I want to shephard him the best I can. Plus, Justin is an extremely funny kid and he's cool to hang out with.

3) Start going on dates with Katelyn
I've thought about this one for a while. I plan to start taking Katelyn on dates. It may be for a McDonalds happy meal or to the local park to feed the ducks. Time will fly by and before I know it I'll be walking down the isle with her. The thought of that scares me to death sometimes. Other times, I look forward to it. I pity the groom on that day. :) Seriously though, I want to be able to look back on the years when she was under my roof and be able to say that I was an example of the type of guy that I want her to marry. To look back and say that means that I need to take those steps now that will achieve that goal. We've done some cool stuff before from watching Disney movies to playing cards, but I want to take it farther. There's something about getting out of the house that changes things. I'm looking forward to it.

4) Memorize Bible Verses
In addition to my memorizing a book of the Bible (which is going great), we are memorizing a verse a week. We do this at the dinner table each night, well mostly each night, unless we forget. Children Desiring God has a set of cards called 'Fighter Verses' that we use. On one side of the card is the verse and on the other side of the card is a picture that is meant to help you remember the verse. Stephanie, Justin, and I have memorized larger portions of scripture, but have decided to go with the 'foundation' verses so we can involve Katelyn. We'll need to keep reviewing our verses or we will forget them. That's going to be our biggest challenge.

5) More Family Devotions
Over the years we've had different versions of family devotions. We've used some Josh McDowell resources that are more of a "what would you do" approach based on biblical principles. We spent a year in the Westminster Shorter Catechism going over questions and answers about God and man. We also spent some time in a Voice of the Martyrs book learning about Christians who were persecuted for their faith. While the book contained those throughout history who lost their lives, it also contained many are still living today. We often live in a Western Culture bubble and forget about that there are many areas where Christians aren't allowed to worship.

The new book we are using is called "Mighty acts of God" by Starr Meade. It takes us through the entire bible from Genesis to Revelation focusing on how God is redeeming the world that we messed up through Christ, also known as biblical theology. It focuses on who God is, what He has done, and what He is doing. It also has an emphasis on our response to God. So many devotionals focus only on 'doing' the right thing, but they don't talk about 'why' to do the right thing. It is only as we learn and believe the right things that we will be motivated to 'do' the right things.

We haven't had time to do as many devotionals as we'd like, but we've had time for tv and other stuff. Amazing how that works huh. Hopefully that'll change.


Well there you go. That's my family resolutions for 2011. If you noticed, each of these goals has a God pointed aim. My overall goal is to glorify Him in each goal. He is so good to me. My family is a beautiful gift he has given me to take care of and love.

No matter what God may bring our family in 2011, it will be for our good and for His glory. Whether it may be what we call 'good' or not, if it comes from Him it is always good. May we give him the honor and praise He alone deserves and live daily thanking Him for his Grace.

Resolutions, part 4, Physical

I love that video!

I have a few more posts of my resolutions for 2011. This post will focus on the physical aspect of the upcoming year.

I joined a gym in June of 2010. I'll share how I joined and them move on to my resolutions.

There was a flyer that we received at work that advertised that I had won the "Grand Prize of a free 3 year membership". I was thinking "sure, grand prize, a bait and switch tactic.". A few other people had received the "Grand Prize" as well. The catch was that you had to pay an enrollment fee of $39 and annual maintenance fees of $99/year, so my Grand Prize free 3 year membership was actually $336, which was due when you sign up. Now obviously this was a bit of a gimmick, but also if someone goes for 3 years it would be a good deal. It would be under $10/month, while a normal membership month would be around $40. The gym knows that a majority of the people who join will not come regularly or might not come after the first month and most likely they will make a profit. I had heard through another co-worker that they were willing to allow payments. To make a long story short, after meeting with the membership coordinator, I was able to pay $138 down and then 6 months @ $33 per month. After that I would not owe anything for 2 1/2 years. Not a bad plan...if I go for that long. So far I've been for 7 months, so I think I'm doing ok.

Before I get to my resolutions, I have a few disclaimers.

It is not my goal to get huge or to lose weight. I actually want to gain a little weight, but not a lot. I don't have the time or desire to spend endless hours in the gym, I have a family that I love and would rather spend that time with them. The gym is close to where I work and I'm able to go during my lunch break on most days. I view exercise as another way to glorify the God who gave me my body.

These are my resolutions for 2011:

1) Journal my workouts
In the past 7 months while I've had a plan for working out, I didn't record it. Mostly, I was doing weights a few days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri)and cardio the other days (Tues, Thurs). I tried to remember how much weight I was using and how long I ran, but it was hard. Now I have a journal to record the exercises, amount of weight, and reps. I also record all the information on my runs. This will help as I seek to increase my weight, or vary exercises. It will also help my runs. I'm able to see progress, which is encouraging. It really doesn't add time at the gym either, because I record the info between sets.

2) Improve my bench press by 15%
One of the main exercises that everyone does is the bench press. While there are many variations to it, the flat bench barbell press is the most popular. This year I hope to increase my 4 rep max by around 8% in 6 months and another 7% by the end of the year. So many people try for a 1 rep max and they end up in terrible form. My goal is not just to throw the weight up, but to have good form as well. This is why I'm using 4 reps instead of one.


3) Run a 5k in under 22 minutes
If you didn't read about our family and 5k's, read this http://kris-harrison.blogspot.com/2011/01/running-5ks.html.
Now that you have a background, I'll give you an update on our latest race. Justin and I ran the Chiller Challenge 5k in Jefferson on Jan 9th. I did well, finishing 2nd in my age group and placing 18th overall with a time of 22:03, my best time yet. Justin finished 5th in his age group and 58th overall with a time of 27:29. During the run he stepped off the pavement and sprained his ankle. He still finished the race though. After a trip to the orthopedic, it was confirmed, and he's been on crutches for the past week and a half, limiting his basketball activity. I was pleased with my time, I gave it a good effort, but still want to get better. I'm shooting for a time under 22 minutes at some point this year. Here's a picture about 1/2 mile into the race. I'm in the black and gray, Justin is in the red sweatshirt and blue shorts:



4) Run a 10k
These races aren't as available as the 5k's. It's 6.2 miles instead of 3.1 miles. I've extended my runs in mileage and thought it would be good add a 10k race to see how I'm doing. There's one in Athens in February that I most likely will run. In the 5k I work hard to maintain a fast pace without overdoing it. I plan to run the 10k at a very scaled back pace, much like the goal of my first 5k, just to finish.




5) Run a half-marathon
There's a big jump from a 10k to a half-marathon. This race is 13.1 miles long. I became interested in running a half-marathon because of a co-worker who is planning to run one in March. His wife runs them and even ran a marathon last year (26.2 miles). I have wavered on this being a goal for 2011. First of all, I'm not sure my body can take it. I've hurt my ankle/knee in the past by running and I'm not sure my body would be able to do it. Second, it may not even be fun. I exercise because I enjoy it. If it's not an enjoyable activity to do, and if I don't think it'll bring glory to God, I probably won't do it. There's one in March in Atlanta and one in Athens around October. I've been increasing my runs during the week and my long run on Saturday to see if this is even possible. One of my main problems is that most of time when I run, I run at a pretty fast pace. That is impossible for long endurance runs. I'll have to train my mind and body to go slower. If I do decide to run a half-marathon my goal would be to finish. I could care less what time I get.

6) Complete the Currahee Challenge
This has intrigued me this past year. It starts at the base of Currahee Mountain in Toccoa on the Colonel Robert Sink Trail, the training site of the 501st, 506th, 511th and 517th Parachute Infantry Regiments. It was made famous by the HBO mini-series and book "Band of Brothers". This will be in the fall and I might have a co-worker run with me as well. There's a 3 and 6 mile run. If I'm going to run it, it'll be the 6. I might walk a lot up the hill, but hey, it's still 6 miles.


7) Continue eating healthy
I plan to eat mostly healthy meals consisting of good lean protein (turkey, chicken, beef, fish, egg), quality carbohydrates (complex: brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, simple: fruits), and good fats (almonds, natural peanut butter). I'll also use my substitutes like skim milk, fat-free cheese, low-fat mayo, butter spray (yes, I said spray), fat-free sour cream, fat-free cottage cheese, and splenda. Most of the time we drink water at our meals as well.

This won't be case at every meal because:

#1 It would drive my family nuts, Justin would say it already has :)

#2 It's just not possible: sometimes there's not enough time to cook. At some social events it's not available, Sunday night small groups snacks aren't exactly the most healthy, but they are good. Both of our parents cook really good food that I will not turn down.

#3 I like other food too much. I still love having occasional hot wings, pizza, and ice cream. And don't think I'm not going to have some birthday cake.

The point is to eat healthy most of time and limit junk food, without being legalistic about it.

So there you have it, my resolutions/goals for 2011. If I hurt my knee tomorrow and am unable to run or injure a muscle on a lift, I'll be ok with that as well, it will free up time to glorify God in other ways.

How about you? Any physical fitness goals you'd like to share, no matter how small?

Resolutions, part 3, Spiritual...kinda

The first category that I want to share in my resolutions for 2011 deals with spiritual matters. I hesitate to even mention 'spiritual' because so many different people think different things about the word. It's like saying "I believe in God". Unless you're a strict atheist you believe in a 'god' just not 'the God' of the Bible. Or it's like saying "I'm a Christian" without including the 'Christ' upon which Christianity is based. I have much more respect for those who say "I'm not a Christian and here's why" compared to someone who claims to be a Christian and believe in the Bible, but who lives and believes completely opposite.

I admit that many can be spiritual without being a Christian. I have many friends and family that are spiritual, but do not believe as I do.

I find it hard to separate my spiritual category from the other categories, especially financial and family. What I'm saying is that what I believe about God, myself, and the world affects everything I do, or at least it should. Do you live in a way that what you believe affects what you do or do you say you believe one thing but have your actions demonstrate the opposite. In other words, are you living consistently with what you believe? While this may seem like I'm pointing out at you, I'm actually pointing back at myself and evaluating what I say and do based on what I believe. Do you see how to me 'spiritual' means something a little deeper than just a word I want to throw around?

With that being said, here are some of my resolutions for the upcoming year:

1) Memorize a book of the Bible
Yes, a whole book. I will try to memorize the book of Philippians this year, verse-by-verse. I have memorized some scripture passages in the past, but nothing like a whole book. There are many in my church who are doing this as well, which is an encouragement to me.

So why memorize the Bible? Well, I believe that life is found there. Because I believe the God who created me also wrote the Bible and preserved it, I believe that it's more than an ancient document, I believe it's living and active and gives me all that I need in this life. As I memorize, I also meditate. This means I purposely take the time to see what God is saying. Another reason for studying and memorizing a book is that verses are less likely to be taken out of context. For example, the book of Philippians was an actual letter written by Paul to a church at Philippi. While God wrote the book through Paul (contact me if you have questions about this), he wrote to a specific people. There was an author and an audience of the letter, much like if we were to write a letter today. We must understand what Paul meant then in order for us to understand what he means now. The easiest way to do this is to read and the study the book in it's context. You wouldn't read one paragraph that I wrote to you alone, you'd read it along with the other paragraphs, shouldn't we do the same with the Bible? I know this sounds like work, and it is, but it's worth it. I enjoy verse-by-book reading, studying, and preaching of the Bible because you aren't allowed to skip verses you don't like or that are controversial. To me it's being more faithful to the text.

The quick answers for me memorizing scripture is: conformity to Christ, triumph over sin, triumph over Satan, and communion with God. It is amazing how often I will study a passage of the Bible and within the next few days something will happen in my life causing me to reflect on what I've been studying. It's almost like God says "remember what you read in my Word, well here's your chance to apply it". Amazing!

Of course with a goal, there needs to be a plan. Thankfully, I found this post: http://timmybrister.com/2010/12/20/partnering-to-remember-the-2011-philippians-memory-moleskine/. Along with that, I have some in my church and my small group who are doing the same. Taking a few verses at a time and doing a lot of review is my plan. I'm on week 2 so far. While some of it is challenging, I am enjoying it. I find myself dwelling on the verses throughout the day. I don't think I'd be able to make some of the personal application without the work of memorizing and meditating.

2. Serve my church more
While this goal could be used in a different category, I decided to put it here. We're thankful that the Lord directed us to our church. In 2011, we plan to serve more. Initially, that means serving on a set-up team. We currently meet in the cafeteria of Hebron Christian Academy, which means that each week a team needs to set up for the Sunday morning service and take down after the service. This involves chairs as well as all of the children's supplies. Volunteers are asked to serve on one Sunday a month as a team. Practically, this means leaving our house an hour or so earlier and getting home about 45 minutes later. We're not sure how much is involved, but we are glad that we are able to contribute, plus it will be at least one week a month when we won't be late for church. :)

We also plan to serve our church through BASE groups. In general, BASE groups are small groups that meet in homes and live life together. They study the Bible, pray for each other, and serve the Lord together. This is not your typical Sunday school class, it's much more informal and involves people being real, sharing their struggles, and their ups and downs. As you read through the Bible, you'll notice that small groups meet a lot. Do you have this type of community? Even if you're not a Christian, do you have this type of environment to share with others what's going on in your life? As you might expect, this can be hard work, it can get messy. What happens if your child is rebelling against you, your spouse is cheating on you, you just lost your job, your parent just passed away, all those things and more can create a mess in your family. I feel it's times like these that make small groups real. They are having problems as well. To summarize how I view BASE groups is basically: broken people living in a broken world seeking to live in community with each other and the God who made them. That won't always be pretty and nice, but hopefully it will be real and authentic.

We also plan to serve in the children's ministry at the church. We love the curriculum that our church uses for children. Stephanie and I went to a conference a few years ago in Chattanooga, TN where the curriculum was featured. It builds on each year meaning that what they learn this year will help what they learn next year. It is very God centered, rather than man-centered. So many kids classes focus on telling kids how good they are rather than telling them about God. The result is that kids really don't think they need Jesus that much because after all, they are pretty good. The man-centered lessons also focus more on bible stories rather than the application of those stories to their hearts. They may learn about David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, Noah and the Ark, and others, but they don't learn that God fought for Israel through David, Jonah tried to run from God, but couldn't, and that God judged the world with a flood while saving Noah, his family, and some animals. Do you see the difference? The Children Desiring God lessons focus on two main things when looking at scripture, 1. What does this say about God? 2. What does this say about me? If we could apply those two questions to our bible reading, then we'll be doing well. I'm looking forward to studying the lessons and helping to teach them.

Through our small group and the church in general we plan to keep our ears open for areas in which we (as a family) might be able to serve more.



On a side note, I found out yesterday that my Aunt Sharon in WV passed away. She was battling a long fight with cancer and other health problems. I remember visiting my aunt when I was a little boy. The lasting memory of her in my mind was when my grandad passed away and we both were at his house (I stayed there a lot when I was little and we watched wrestling and Braves baseball together). I went to wake him up but he wouldn't. I went on the porch and told my aunt and immediately saw her expression change as she ran to his room. The next thing I remember is the ambulance arriving and my mom hugging me on the couch. While my grandad was older, his death was less expected than my aunt who was battling with cancer for a while. The doctors let everyone know that the likelihood of her surviving was small. I don't know the spiritual state of my aunt before she passed. I do know this though, everything bad that we can think of in this world pales in comparison to an eternity without God after this world. At moments like this, I trust God more than myself. Not because he sees the heart, because there is nothing, absolutely nothing in us that would be commendable to Him, but because He is good and all that He does is good. Please pray for those who are dealing with the loss of my aunt, particularly her husband Martin and her sisters, my mom and my Aunt Doris.

Resolutions, Out with the old in with the new, part 2

Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you keep them? I've never really been big on New Year's resolutions. Not that I don't think they are needed though. To me, they usually seem silly and superficial or unattainable.

Before I get to why I am making resolutions and what they might be, I thought I'd post some information on an old Pastor from 1722, Jonathan Edwards.

Often given the title of America's greatest theologian, intellectual and philosopher, Edwards entered Yale at age 13 and graduated 4 years later as valedictorian and head of his class. He was a pastor in New England and before his death was president of the College of New Jersey, which would later become Princeton. Early in Jonathon Edwards life, around age 19, he wrote 70 resolutions. These are not so much goals to achieve, but rather areas that he had made a decision in his mind and heart to keep by God's grace, hence the term "Resolved", speaking in a past tense. I'm going to post the introduction and the first resolution on this post and the link to the others here: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad's of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.

I only want to point out two things from Jonathan Edwards' resolutions. First,and most obvious, he made them. Don't let this fact escape you. Second, they were both for God's glory and his own good. So many times we separate the two.

Over the next few posts in this series I hope to post some of my resolutions for 2011. First, let me state what my resolutions are not. My goal in resolutions is not to bring glory to myself, but to give glory to God.

Also, there seems to be two "ditches" that we can crash into when it comes to making plans or resolutions. The first is that "I" am my own King of the Universe and it all depends on me. When we do this we make ourselves God, taking Him off the throne and placing ourselves on the throne. I don't want you to think that I feel I'm ruling the universe and in ultimate control. This passage from James 4:13-15 speaks pretty clear in us deciding what we are doing apart from the Lord:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

The second ditch is that we might say "if God is in control, then what I do doesn't matter". This fatalism approach is wrong. What we do really matters! We aren't to sit idle and do nothing. We are responsible for our actions. We are to make plans, set the pieces in play as much as we can, seek the Lord's direction and leave the results to Him. We are responsible for our actions and will have to give an account for them. More than that though we are responsible for our thoughts and motives as well.

While I am going to apply my two ditches to the making of resolutions, I also try my best to live on the road between the two, living and making decisions under the kingship of my Lord acknowledging his authority over my life, which as Edwards has said results in my own good. It gives the most joy and pleasure possible.

I try to make my resolutions attainable, while keeping an open mind that a variety of things outside my control may happen. If things go according to my plans, I'll praise Him, If not I pray that I will still praise Him. With those ground rules in play, I'll be posting my resolutions in 3 categories: Spiritual, Physical, and Family. I have also set financial goals for our family and goals for work as well. I won't share all of my goals because well, it's my blog and I don't have to. :)

What about you, do you have resolutions for 2011?