As January 1 approaches, I’m thinking about my personal growth plan for the new year. Most of the time, we make resolutions and we don’t keep them, simply because we don’t have a plan.

So I’d like to encourage you to think about what you want to accomplish and/ or see happen in your life in 2007 and think through the steps to get you there. You need a destination, but then you need to make wise decisions to get you there.

Most people tell me the want to grow, but have no plan to facilitate that growth.

Here are my suggestions that I think every person, and especially leaders need to think through:

– Personal Relationship with God (Are you going to have a daily quiet time? Will you read through the Bible? Just the OT? Just Proverbs? Decide and then stick to it)

– Relationships with others (Are you going to deepen your friendships this year? How? Are you going to spend more time with friends? Family? As you decide that as you say yes to this, you’re saying no to something else)

– Health (I neglected this one for years and now I have the pleasure of looking at a fat version of myself in every picture during my 20’s. I started getting serious about my health after I taught a church and after the 3rd service I thought I was going to die! That was a sign that if I wanted to be used by God for my whole life, I needed to put down the Twinkies.)

– Leadership (If you’re a Pastor, you need to be serious about growing as a leader. That means reading, being in places where leadership is taught, and then actually leading. So decide what conferences you’re going to attend, what books you’re going to read, what relationship with another leader you’re going to build.)

I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the point. Personal growth is not accidental, it’s intentional. And the more intentional you are, the greater the results we see.