New Year

The end of the year is a time of reflection for me. I enjoy reviewing the goals that I set in 2006 and crafting new goals for 2007. This process is a reminder of how short I fall from God's standard of holiness. But it is also a testimony of God's grace that I was able to make progress in some areas.

I am going to share with you the goals I set for 2006 in the areas of whole-life stewardship and how I measured up to these standards. I am also including some 2007 goals. By being transparent in these areas, my desire is that two things would be accomplished:

1. It motivates me further to excel at areas of whole-life stewardship. Knowing that I have made some of these objectives public to the few people that read this blog adds an extra layer of accountability to keep me focused. Paul instructs us in 2 Corinthians 13:11 to aim for perfection.
2. I hope that this will encourage you to set goals for stewardship in 2007. I am a huge believer in the idea that: what you measure will improve. Proverbs 16:9, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

I believe that we should pray for God to lay some areas on our heart that are consistent with His will for our lives and will bring Him glory. This is at the root of what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:7-11. God desires to grow us in faithfulness and usefulness. He delights in all those who fear Him and put their trust in His unfailing love- Psalms 147:11.

My 2006 Stewardship Goals and the results in red:

Money

1. Strive to live on less than $7000/month for housing, auto and living expenses. Our family fell short of this goal by around $700/month. This included all expenses except for taxes, health insurance, savings and giving.
2. Give over $20,000 to the work of Christ in 2006. We accomplished this goal through God's provision.
3. Save at least $20,000 in 2006. We exceeded this goal.
4. Contribute an additional $1000/month towards paying off home. I started strong here, but quit making extra payments in the summer of 2006. Part of my rationale for not continuing was due to an upcoming move to another home. Cash needed to be more liquid.

Abilities

1. Read 12 financial/investment books in 2006. Attend continuing education classes to hone skills and bring practical wisdom to clients. I read 9 financial/investment books in 2006. I did attend two conferences- LPL and CFPN.
2. Pray regularly for clients-souls, health, finances, personal growth, families. I did consistently pray for clients. I pray for 5-6 clients each day so every month I am praying through my client list.
3. Execute vision of Stewardship Mandate- edit book, update website regularly, quarterly newsletters and client events. I did not finish editing the book. But I hope to have a new and improved edition out in 2007. I did update the website regularly and send out quarterly newsletters. The quarterly client events never happened.
4. Quarterly reviews of client assets and a proactive approach to adding value to their lives. I did review every client account quarterly and suggested appropriate changes. I hope to improve on the proactive approach to adding value in 2007.

Time

1. Three hours per day of focused spiritual growth- Bible study, prayer, ministry to others and reading spiritual growth books. Time spent in these areas was closer to 2 hours per day in 2006.
2. Less than one hour per day of television. We accomplished this goal.
3. Invest at least one hour per day playing with, reading to and teaching my son- Hudson. This goal was accomplished.
4. Average 40 hours per week of concentrated work- financial planning and client service. I averaged 37 hours per week of focused work in 2006. This does not include some areas that others might categorize as work- travel time; socializing with clients.

Health

1. Exercise for at least four hours per week. Goal of having a 33 inch waist with less than 10% body fat. I exercised on average 6 hours per week in 2006. My waist starting the year at 36 inches and ended the year at 34 inches. I never measured my body fat. Although my guess is that it is below 15% but not below 10%.
2. Drink an average of 100 ounces of water per day. Limit cola intake to less than 20 ounces per day. I averaged 105 ounces of water daily. My cola intake in 2006 was over 30 ounces per day. Although this has dropped to less than 20 ounces per day in the last six weeks due to my decision to eliminate all diet drinks.
3. Partial fast once per week- less than 1000 calories per day on Wednesdays with no cola intake. I completely bombed on this goal. I think this lasted about 2 weeks.
4. Average at least six hours of sleep per night. I averaged 7 hours per night of sleep.

Goals for 2007

Money

1. Live on less than $8000/monthly for housing, auto and living expenses.
2. Give over $25,000 for Christian work; Save over $25,000.

Abilities

1. Pray for clients daily. Pray for every client at least once per month.
2. Upgrade stewardship resources; offer free version of book through pdf file and create audio version that will be available at cost. Read 12 investment/financial books.

Time

1. No technology from 6pm- 5am. Use this time for family; devotions; relationship building; reading; projects and sleep.
2. Average 3 hours per day of spiritual growth; 40 hours per week of focused work; two hours per day playing with, instructing and loving on our kids.

Health

1. Average less than 300 calories per day of cola and processed foods. Discipline in eating foods that are healthy.
2. Exercise at least 4 hours per week; sleep at least 6 hours per day.

I also want to have some fasting discipline built in, but I need to pray about something I can actually accomplish on that end.

God is good. My New Year's wish is that we would all celebrate His goodness in 2007 by striving to become the most effective steward of the resources that He entrusts to us.

I would love to hear from you. If you have some stewardship goals to share for 2007, please let me know. I would welcome the opportunity to pray for you and ask that you pray for me.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge