This is my first post to kick off 2011.
I read
Tim Schraeder’s blog last week, and I’m going to copy an idea of his here (thanks, Tim!) In his most recent post, he renounced the idea of making resolutions, and has opted to shape his entire year around a theme. I’m going to do the same thing.
I, too, dislike the idea of resolving to do something for a new year. Rather than simply posting a bucket list, I think a fitting theme for my year is DEPTH. (The K-LOVE radio hosts also blogged about the
One Word For 2011 project; consider checking it out).
I’ve lived in D.C. for almost 8 months now (12 non-consecutive months, if you count my NPR internship last fall semester). I have spent the last four years in college with a ridiculous schedule -- and crazy and hectic as it was -- I do not miss the schedule. I want to learn more about myself and God’s role for me in my workplace, my city and in my relationships. This year, I’m all about going deep. I want to settle in, but not settle - if you catch my drift.
Here are a just a few ways I want to “go deep”:
1. Depth: Embracing life as a DC resident. DC is known for its transcience, its brevity. People constantly move in and out. But I love this city, and I want to explore it even more than I already have. For one thing, I'm contemplating getting a DC driver’s license. I'm making a bucket list of places I still want to see, or re-visit. This year, I'm hoping I'll host friends and family from out of town.
2. Depth: Committing to several groups and projects. I'm still finding my niche in the DC community. So far, I’ve discovered meetup groups, talented people in the news, non-profit and social media community that I'm learning a lot from. In January alone, I’m working on two projects:
Spark and
Social Justice Camp (If you live in DC, I warmly invite you to check out both events). I'm excited to see where I can make contributions to DC's civic, tech, blogging and/or faith communities.
3. Depth: Defining my professional goals. That's as much as I'll say. More to come in a future post.
4. Depth: Drawing closer to God. The last year-and-a-half has been really chaotic. I’ve lived in 6 different residences with 10 different women. Nearly overnight, I’ve switched from student-mode to full-time professional. See what I mean? Chaotic. But in the craziness, I have desperately needed routine, desperately needed to draw closer to God. The important thing is to
give God the opportunity to draw close to me. Andy Pisciotti
says in his post that letting God work
through you
...removes all responsibility and temptation to take credit for his work, makes my motivations pure, and brings all of the glory directly to Him…exactly where it belongs. Don’t make the mistake of doing things for God without allowing Him to do things through you. As if God actually needed our work…
I bought my first-ever study Bible (it's a NIV Quest, if you're interested in knowing). I think this will help me tremendously as I dig deeper into God's word.
So that's the plan for 2011. Dig deep, and see what I sow.
