Can You Name Five Life Goals?

April 22, 2013April 22, 2013 / Erin Kirk / 12 Comments

St. Andre – French Alps.

I’m reading a fantastic book on prayer called The Circle Maker. Wendy Lawton of Books and Such Literary Agency recommended it, saying when she finished it, she bought 35 copies.

Praying to an unseen God can be really hard – especially if nobody’s ever taught you how or why it matters. This book does both.

Written by Mark Batterson who pastors National Community Church in Washington DC, this book is an anthology of miracles. Batterson tells every story backward, starting with a successful $3 million bid the church made on a rare piece of Capitol Hill real estate. Then he backs up a few years and explains the prayer that started it, which grew into many prayers, relentless prayers, boring daily prayers and an army of on-foot prayers circling the property until the deal closed.

It’s a book of evidence, but one that’s smart enough to tackle “unanswered” prayers or those where God says no. You should pick it up. It’s good.

Reading Batterson’s thoughts on goal setting, I noticed how neglected and mushy my own goals had become. How can you pray circles around things when you don’t even know what you want? He talked about a guy named John Goddard who at age 15 wrote down 127 life goals, ranging from milking a poisonous snake to learning Arabic. By the time he turned 50, he’d accomplished 108 of them.

Batterson writes:

The brain is a goal-seeking organism. Setting a goal creates structural tension…which will seek to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be, who you are and who you want to become…Goal setting is good stewardship of your right-brain imagination. It’s also great for your prayer life.

So, I began writing 100 life goals today – so I can circle them in prayer. Here are five:

Learn to fly a plane.
Live in France.
Build a Dream Center in Santa Cruz, California – (Whoa. Did I just said that out loud?)
Learn to play guitar well enough to play around a campfire.
Write bestselling books.

Nice would be nice.

At least two of those goals are impossible without God, it’s just a fact. The trick, Batterson says, is to work like it’s on me, but pray like it’s on God.

And so my friends, today is audience participation day at Going to the Sea.

Who are you?
What are you dreaming up?

In the comment section please inspire us:

Link up your blog if you like and post five of your own life goals. Be bold.

Roll your works upon the Lord (commit and trust them to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will and) so shall your plans be established and succeed. Proverbs 16:3

Six Steps for Creative Ignition

April 2, 2013April 2, 2013 / Erin Kirk / Leave a comment

The clock is ticking my friends. It’s long past time to do your work. You were put here with a purpose and if you don’t do it, it doesn’t get done. So what is it only you can do?

It may be dormant, but it’s in there. Let’s get busy.

1. Go silent. Then ask. Stop right now. Close the door. Get quiet for 15 minutes and answer these:

What makes my heart beat fast?
What could I do forever even if I didn’t get paid?
“God, what do I love?”

Forget the income potential, just write your answers. They are very likely what God needs you to do here, and if you have the courage to pursue them, the results may surprise you. As Madeleine L’Engle said in Walking on Water, “Listen to the silence. Stay open to the voice of the Spirit. Slow me down Lord.”

2. Own it. Begin treating that gift with a little respect. I wonder if Seth Casteel ever said, “Well this is kinda silly, but I like to take underwater photographs of dogs chasing a tennis ball.” He probably doesn’t think it’s silly now. His goofy dogs landed on the NYT Bestseller list. Find and hang out with people like Seth, let their creativity and enthusiasm encourage you to find your own.

3. Go Outside. Engage your world. People are doing interesting and lively things all over the world, go find them. Yes, it is easier to stay home and watch Duck Dynasty but does it make you more creative and interesting? Probably not, yoga classes and book readings and world travel require effort but the payoff is engaging other humans full of interesting stories. Despite some evidence to the contrary, live humans still deliver better than Facebook and Twitter.

4. Write three small, 12-month goals related to your gift, and stick them on the fridge. So even while fixing dinner, your mind can mull them, prompting tiny adjustments toward their fulfillment. Successful people with big, vibrant lives are often listmakers and recommend the practice. Use Quozio or Recite to make pretty lists and then post them at home and on Pinterest. (Just don’t fall down the rabbit hole and forget to do your work.)

5. Don’t just turn off the tv, turn on music you never listen to and shut the door. Tell your family you are going to paint, write, or digitize aboriginal music for an hour. As the nutty and delightful McNair Wilson says, get your family on board making a schedule that gives you an hour a day to yourself. Even if they have to do their own laundry, teach them to do it, it’s good for them. If you don’t have an hour, get up a half hour earlier and own it.

6. Apply your gift to a specific project then tell people about it. Build an airplane, write a book, paint murals and tell people, so when they ask about it, you will feel like a chump if you aren’t doing step five. Share your art as an accountability measure.