from January 4, 2015 prayer update

Happy New Year! January 1 always provides great opportunities for a fresh start. As I look forward to all that 2015 will hold, I do so looking to a God who delights in exceeding our expectations, but often in unexpected ways.

When I think about areas for personal goal setting, I think about things like character, family, finances, health, school, service, spiritual life, work. I have set personal goals for 2015 in all of the areas mentioned above. The things God has laid on my heart to focus on this year are not new. They are areas that I have been looking to God for growth in for some time. I have decided to focus on a few, with hopes of keeping these central and of making meaningful forward progress. Three I am highlighting in 2015 are:
• my character (dealing with impatience and a critical spirit)
• my health (consistency in exercise – 3x per week)
• my spiritual life (consistency in intercessory prayer – 3x per day).

I turned 60 in October. Entering a new decade of life is a not so subtle reminder of the brevity of life. This important truth is a great reminder of the need to live life with intentionality. This cannot be done well apart from personal goal setting. The apostle Paul states in Philippians 3 that “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” He goes on to say “Let those of us who are mature think this way”.

How about you? What personal goals have you set for 2015? I would love to hear from you. Happy New Year!

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“Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day.”
Denis Waitley

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“If you’re not sure where you are going, you're liable to end up someplace else.”
Robert Mager

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from January 5, 2014 prayer update

2014, a new year! Lots of new opportunities. I am not a big believer in New Year’s resolutions. But I am a big believer in personal and organizational goal setting. I have some great hopes, aspirations, and goals for 2014.

The apostle Paul was a forward focused person. In Philippians 3:13-14 he says, “… forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

As I enter my 59th year, I really want to see meaningful forward progress in my character development. There are three interconnected character areas that I am looking to God to change in my life: anger, patience / extending grace to those who give offense, and critical spirit. These are engrained traits that won’t change overnight. but they can change over time and with God’s Spirit’s enablement. I am looking to God to do a deep work in my life in these areas that will be lasting and Christ honoring.

In my spiritual life I want to carry forward my 2013 goal regarding prayer. I made some progress last year, but not as much as I hoped. I am asking God for consistency and fervency, to extensively claim Biblical promises, and to meaningfully connect with Him. One of my life goals is to become a powerful intercessor. I also plan to continue my practice of reading through the entire Bible each year accompanied with some simple journaling.

Kathy and I celebrated our 30th anniversary last month. I want to see growth in our marriage in 2014. It is easy for unhelpful patterns to develop over time. Kathy and I want to develop helpful patterns that will enhance our relationship and better reflect Christ to our children and to a lost world.

This year will be a year of transition for me with my work and ministry. I will be transitioning into a new role with a new organization early this year. I am looking to God to provide a new venue for kingdom service that better fits the gifts and passions He has placed within me. I am currently praying through three good opportunities and actively engaged in application and vetting processes. I look forward to announcing what this new opportunity will be soon. Associated with this will be extensive new staff orientation and training. Cultivating lots of new relationships. And a renewed focused on fundraising (as I will need to raise several thousand dollars in new monthly support for ministry expenses, medical insurance, retirement, and organizational administrative fees). Fundraising is hard for me, so I welcome your prayers. I am continuing my graduate program in intercultural studies at Columbia International University in 2014. My spring class is titled “Acts in historical, theological, and missiological perspective”. I plan to take a class in the summer and in the fall as well. And hope to complete my graduate program in 2015.

How about you, what goals have you set for 2014? Would love to hear from you.

from January 2, 2011 prayer update

A new year is a great opportunity for new beginnings and for personal / organizational goal setting. There are so many good things to choose from for personal goal setting: spiritual life, character, work, personal ministry, marriage, parenting, health, finances, friendships, education, new skills, and the list goes on.

The things we set our heart on and direct our attention toward reveal a great deal about our values. What personal goals have you set for yourself in 2011? And what do they reveal about what you truly value?

Psalm 90:12 says: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 103:15-16 reads: “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”

I temporarily lost my dad to death 32 years ago and temporarily lost my mom 2 years ago. I am now the oldest surviving member of the McDaniel clan. If I live to be 80 (which is older than either of my parents lived) I have about 8700 days left. If I only make it to 70, that becomes about 5000 days. That is not a long time.

The apostle Paul did not fear death, He welcomed it. In Philippians 1:21 he said: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” As I have gotten older, I too have begun to look forward to living in a sin-free environment in the very presence of God. This world does not hold the same allure it once did for me. But I also recognize that God created me for a reason, as He has every human that ever lived. I don’t want to depart this life without have accomplished what God uniquely created me to do.

Life is not about me asking God to bless me and mine, and to enable me and my organization to accomplish our personal goals. Life is about God and what He is doing in the world (today and throughout all of history). What a joy and a privilege to know that He has designed me to join with Him in His vast, timeless, and very significant mission.

As I embrace this view of life, my thoughts about personal goal setting change. I become less concerned about one year, measurable objectives (although certainly there is a place for these). I become very concerned about life direction, who I am becoming, and who I am living for. Because I am a slow and often a resistant learner, these translate into life-long goals. Four of the biggies that I can’t get away from are:

1) To know Christ more and more intimately as time passes -- thru the exchanged life, thru His Word, thru prayer, and through personal obedience to what I know to be true.

2) To become more and more like Christ as time passes. Boy do I have a long ways to go there (selfishness, lust, critical spirit, anger, . . . ).

3) To fully engage in Christ’s mission, which centers around seeking and saving those who are lost. Both in my natural spheres of influence and among the least reached globally.

4) To invest deeply in the lives of other believers who will eventually share these high level life goals. And to see my life impact multiplied as a result.

Would you pray for me as I continue to press toward the goal? And if you will share with me what God has challenged you to pursue, I would count it a privilege to pray for you. May 2011 be a year in which God receives great glory thru our lives.