Resolved For 2009!

By Bill Bray

            IT IS TIME AGAIN to reveal my prayer goals for the New Year. Why make such private resolutions public? Why hold myself accountable to family, supporters and prayer partners? Well, I find it helps for three reasons:

·         First, it makes me pray and work much harder to be consistent!

·         Second, friends help me. They encourage me when I slip. They pray.

·         Third, even critics help me by reminding me when I miss a mark!

            Finally, mentoring others is important to me. I always hope that reading my goals will give others ideas as they write out their own lists of New Year’s Resolutions. So here they are—my personal resolutions for 2009.

PERSONAL GOALS:

            FIRST, I resolve to become a man of the Book.

            Vocationally I have always been a man of words, first as a journalist and then as a writer. Naturally, I love books, the Internet and the news. While the Bible has always been my favorite book, I want it to possess me so that I will be a “one book” man. May my ego be dominated by God’s Word in 2009. I want to write out of his mind instead of my own. I renounce my desire to project my own voice, using all my talent and time left to project his.

            SECOND, I resolve to live a healthier, simplified lifestyle.

            My diet has been changing in 2008 away from rich, processed foods to the whole and healthy. Exercise has become more natural and less forced. I resolve to continue this trend and get my weight down between180-185 pounds in 2009.

            THIRD, I resolve to live free from debt.

            For decades now, financial fears and doubt have crippled my faith. Debt or fear of debt has hog-tied me for too long. This includes my “respectable” mortgage debts, credit card debts and perfectly legal fund transfers in the ministry. Instead of debt financing, I want to set and live within budgets, enjoying abundance and surpluses so that I can walk in faith and obey the Lord.

            FOURTH, I resolve to walk in a way that others can follow in my traces.

            May nothing remain in my life that my family, staff, international students and disciples cannot imitate? As I follow the Lord, I resolve to set an example in public and private that can be freely duplicated. It isn’t enough to believe right, you have to live right as well!  I resolve to conform my actions to my beliefs.

            FIFTH, I resolve to reach out in love to all those who come across my path both in person and in my mediated messages.

            In 2008, I was genuinely ashamed of the way that we came off in the media as part of an angry, legalistic and mean-spirited evangelical Christian community. Oh, I know that this is partially a propaganda attack from hell, but I am sad to admit that we have lived lives that let the mud stick! Where there is smoke, there has to be fire.

            SIXTH, I resolve to reach out and network with my peers.

            It is never easy to connect and win support from equals, be they my fellow baby boomers or media colleagues. It is much more fun and productive to reach out to the next generation where I have more respect and speak from a natural platform of power and experience. However, I realize that I don’t have the resources needed to serve my next-generation “clients” unless I learn to better network with “peers” who have the finances and skills I lack.

MINISTRY GOALS:

            SEVENTH, I resolve to write, publish, promote and distribute more books.

            Dr. Finley has a new missions’ book, K.P. Yohannan has a new devotional book, and I have several manuscripts in the pipeline.  Nothing changes culture like books. We re-launched our book table ministry in 2008 with the aid of George Verwer, and I like the results. We need to learn to make it more self-sustaining in 2009.

            EIGHTH, I resolve to make praying in faith the first step in all we do.

            Thank God we have John Henry in Dallas to help us get out the daily 60 Second Pause for Prayer and our other Internet and World Wide Web outreaches which will grow out of the prayer movement.

            NINTH, I resolve to plan a group pilgrimage to Israel and nearby Bible Lands.

            Readers from last year will recall that this was an unfulfilled 2008 resolve! We have such a tight, busy year planned that I don’t know where and when we are going to be able to do this, but I still want to go. This one will take a miracle.

            TENTH, I resolve to become a development coach to new ministries.

            If we can just incorporate two new mission clients a month, we would have 24 new ones in 2009—and our new CIS Professional Communications Network can help us consult with them and provide the skill resources they need.

            ELEVENTH, I resolve to focus all my charity work on the Overseas Students Mission, eliminating or restricting the free time I give to other causes.

            To do this, we have to develop a support team for international student leaders that are determined to go back an organize missions to their restricted homelands. Dr. Finley has entrusted OSM to us and I have to avoid distractions in order to help it become viable within the first three years. Sometimes you have to give up the good for the best.

            TWELTH, I resolve to return CIS to a membership-based program even though we will continue to serve our missionary clients with needed fundraising services.

            For readers who have watched CIS Missions develop over the last 20 years, this may seem a bit mysterious. Nothing will change for you and the ministries you support, but I will incorporate more full and part-time professional communicators into CIS, INC and not try to carry the whole load myself. Plus, we will encourage the missionaries and project leaders to take a more visible role in the leadership of their missions.

            THIRTEENTH, I resolve to better use the real estate assets the Lord has given us such as our time-share interests and Bethel House for the work.

            Ivy and I have been blessed with housing, office space and time-shares. These are assets, as well as expenses. We need to make them self-sustaining. To do so will require better stewardship and a more intentional use.

            FOURTEENTH, I resolve to maintain a much more active schedule of workshops and training events in 2009.

            Starting in January, we are scheduling almost monthly Friend Raising Boot Camps and setting up other formal training opportunities for our missionary staff, the missionaries, international students and project leaders.

            In making these 14 resolutions for 2009, I don’t for a minute think that I have the strength or power to fulfill them in my own strength but rely on God’s grace to perfect and help me walk in paths of righteousness and obedience to him. I welcome the prayers and support of others.