Take hold of 2018

So at midnight, we started a brand new year. People celebrated, reflected and eagerly made hope for the fresh year in front of them. For many, this time of the year is full of wishes, hopes and dreams. All of those things are wonderful and great. For too many, however, those wishes just stay as a wish. There is a breakdown in the forward progress. They neglect to take hold of what they want to see in the coming year.I hope that you have goals and dreams for the year in front of you. Make an intentional decision to take hold of them!Here are a few things that I am taking a hold of that I would encourage you to do as well.SCRIPTURE This year, I've encouraged our church (Life Center Rainier) to do the ReadScripture Bible reading plan. This is available through the ReadScripture App (click here to download the app) or through the downloadable bible reading plan (click here to download the plan). As you start each book there is an incredible intro video to walk you through understanding the structure and content of the scripture that you are reading. If you do this plan you will read through the entire bible, as well as praying through the Psalms 2 times over the next year!PRAYER AND FASTING Starting January 8th, we will be doing 21 days of prayer and fasting. We fast not to get God's attention, but rather to reorient our attention on God.[quote align="center" color="#999999"]We fast not to get God's attention, but rather to reorient our attention on God.[/quote]I would encourage you to join with us over these 21 days. The point is to draw near to Jesus through prayer. Moments of prayer and fasting are not powerful because we stop eating, they are powerful because we start praying! For you, maybe you will fast one meal a day, or a few days. Maybe you will set aside social media or coffee. Every time I engage in fasting, I am always amazed at how God moves in my life.During these 21 days we will have some corporate times of prayer each Wednesday (January 10, 17, 24) at 6:30 am, noon and 6:30 pm at Life Center Rainier. We will meet for a one hour corporate prayer time. I would encourage you to come to as many as your schedule would allow!NEW HABITS Each year I set new personal goals for growth. Some have to do with physical heath and others have to do with spiritual and personal health. Last year I set a goal to publish a resource that I have had in my mind for a while that would help people move forward as followers of Jesus. If you are a new Jesus person, or you are looking for ways to engage your faith in a fresh way, I would encourage you to check out this simple resource! The book is available in both eBook (Kindle) and paperback. It was written with the purpose and passion to help people move forward to greater growth and fruitfulness as followers of Jesus. I hope this short book helps many people develop some new habits that will lead to growth!You can check the book out at amazon.com by clicking here. I hope you have a great 2018! Take hold of it!