• Week of January 2:  Phil. 1:1-6
• Week of January 9: Phil. 1:7-11
• Week of January 16:  Phil. 1:12-18

It is certainly not too late to join the fun.  Our goal is to be done by Easter(April 24).

We had several sign up.  Tell me how you are doing!

I challenge you to memorize the book of Philippians.

Humor me for a minute and keep reading.  If you decide to take this challenge, I guarantee instant results.  In a word, your life will be transformed.  Specifically,

• you will experience a greater daily triumph over sin;
• you will experience a daily triumph over Satan;
• you will more effectively encourage and counsel people you know;
• you will enjoy a deeper communion with God.

I know how difficult memorizing Scripture can be.  In our fast paced, over-committed lives, it is so easy to neglect reading the Bible.  We cannot even imagine taking the time to memorize it.  What we need is to partner together and encourage one another in this ancient practice.  We also need a practical system that will open the door to our success.  Tim Brister has developed just such a system.  It is called the memory moleskine method.  The reason why I like this system is that it provides a tool that can help us make the most of free moments we have during the day, moments we can use to memorize the Word of Life.

The goal is simple:  to memorize the book of Philippians by Easter(April 24).

Here is what you need to do.

1.  Purchase a Cahier Moleskine(3.5×5.5) at Border’s in Greenwood.

2.  Download the PDF provided by Tim Brister.

3.  Print and cut the weekly Scripture passage according to the border.

4.  Use tape to paste the weekly selection of verses.

5.  Try to find someone you can partner with for accountability.

6.  Start the week of January 1!! (Yep…you need to hurry!)

Just to show you what I am talking about, I have included some pictures of my Cahier Moleskine.

Below is the inside cover on the left and the weekly schedule of memorization on the right.

Here is week 1 with Phil. 1:1-6 on the left and a note section on the right.

The review section is a place to help me make mental notes as I learn the passage.  The reflection section is where I can write down how this passage applies to my life.

I am trusting God for 10 people to join me in this venture.  Are you up to the challenge?  If you are, let me know in the comment section.

6) Write Down Your Goals:  if you want to remember it, then write it down.  I just downloaded a new computer program call Evernote.  It syncs with my cell phone and my laptop.  I use this note taking software to keep track of everything in my life.  I have my 2010 goals listed in the very place where I will see them everyday.

7)Include Others: It is very important to share your goals with your closest friends and family members.  Our family has a tradition of sharing our goals during dinner on New Year’s Eve.  I also know that at some point, Luann and I will sit down and go over our goals together.  This provides accountability and encouragement.

Celebrate Along the Way: during our New Year’s Eve dinner, I know we will all have the opportunity to share how we did on our previous year’s goals.  Some goals I will have not attained(like my goal to memorize Ephesians); there are other goals I did accomplish(like running my first two triathlons).  We need to celebrate our successes!

9)Think Big: Michelangelo said:  “The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it; but that it is too low and we reach it.”  Goals will always vary in size and scope.  Setting a big goal will make you depend on God like never before.  Even if you don’t achieve the goal, setting a big goal has changed you.  You are depending on God more and that is what being a Christ follower is all about.  And besides, with God’s help, you just might hit your goal!

10)Keep Dreaming: if you stop dreaming, you will stop growing.  And if you stop growing, you start dying.  As long as you have air to breathe, God has a purpose for you being here.  Goal setting is really about living life to the fullest.

One last point.  You might say, “I am not a goal oriented person.”  You might want to become one.  I really believe goal setting is all about being a good steward of what you have…your time, your treasure, and your talent.  As I get ready to turn 40 this year, it is becoming ever so clearer to me that I don’t have as much time left.  I better max out what I do have.  Goals help us to do just that.

Batterson begins with a quote from world champion chess player, Garry Kasparov:  “A (chess) Grandmaster makes the best moves because they are based on what he wants the board to look like ten or twenty moves in the future.”  That is a great picture of what goal-setting is all about…making moves NOW based on what you want your life to look like ten or twenty years from now.  Sadly, most people spend more time planning their summer vacation than they do planning their life!

Listed below is Batterson’s first 5 steps to goal-setting:

1)Start With Prayer:  goal setting is really a stewardship issue because it is making the most of the time, talent, and resources God has given you.  It makes sense to spend time praying and listening to God about the goals HE would like for you to focus on.

2)Check Your Motives: does your goal honor God?  Does your goal make a difference in someone’s life?  Does your goal bring you joy?

3)Get Ideas from Others: other people can inspire you to accomplish what you never dreamed possible.  You can Google Mark Batterson’s goals for a list to help you get started.  I would also encourage you to talk to your friends about their goals. One word of caution:  it is important to remember to set your own goals…don’t set a certain goal only because your friend set the same goal.

4)Think in Categories: organizing your goals into categories helps you to stay on track toward reaching them.  You can use categories like, family goals, travel goals, physical goals, spiritual goals, influence goals.

5)Be Specific: goals are dreams with deadlines.  Don’t make a goal to “Get into Shape.”  Make a goal that says, “I want to run the Indy Mini-Marathon.” Set the goal in a way that makes the goal measurable.

I will share steps 6-10 later.