Be it resolved….
Once again, I found myself pouring over power points, folder notes, and lists of goals and objectives from the past years. My favorite time of year with Christmas also morphs into a full three days of reflection and pondering what is to come and how through the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we can serve more and do more. Yes, at times I feel like a Home Depot commercial…
Last year, we set some robust goals and a Vision 2030 narrative I will share. Some goals were achieved, some were partially realized, and some we did not get to and are on the 2022 schedule. I say “we” because many of my goals for ARM are my personal goals as well. To achieve them, I have to have help…lots of help?
How about you? How do you set goals and objectives throughout the year and how do you measure them? How do you define success? What is your process for reflecting on the previous year? I would enjoy hearing how you approach this so please feel free to share!
As part of the goal-setting exercise, I reflected on some of the wave top highlights-some were good and some were not so positive. Here are a few:
The great:
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Many people gave to ARM this year and helped keep us going through COVID-19. We are raising our budget another $75,000 because of new gifts and commitments
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We are two families away from completing the Lee County Tornado Recovery
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We were able to run one summer site for hosting teams and a children’s camp
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We witnessed amazing professional development among our young staff-one is now plugging away in Law School
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Saw the re-start of ARM@AU, the campus organization at Auburn
The not so great
- Some significant personnel turnover-the great resignation happened to us as well
- Could not run all of our ministry sites
- Some of our homeowners passed away
- The strain of heavy workloads on a smaller and newer ministry team
As with any year, there is great celebration and hardship combined. The hardships God helps us overcome certainly magnify the good.
What I know is that God is for us. He never forsakes us. This is why we keep talking to Him and keep inviting Him to challenge us. No matter what we face, He put us here for such a time as this and will be with us when the journeys are hard. To close, I am re-reading a book by Mark Batterson called, The Circle Maker. If you want an inspiring read about prayer and God’s provision, this is a great one! Goals are the essence of our prayers and God loves big, audacious goals (prayers) only He can achieve.
With that, cheers to 2022, the year we pray through!
Stay tuned-next week we’ll share the changes ARM is making as I prepare to deploy!
-Lisa
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