Thursday, January 01, 2009

New Year's Resolutions?

The idea of making New Year's resolutions has always seemed kind of strange to me. I understand the idea of giving yourself a certain starting point, but why only at the beginning of the year? Maybe I overthink things too much. I don't really have a list of things that I need to change, but more of a list of things to accomplish.

  1. Read more books for enjoyment; if possible, 1 per week.
  2. Cook more often and eat less junk food.
  3. Save more, spend less. (I make this resolution at the beginning of every summer and semester. So far it hasn't happened.)
  4. Begin to get things together for Turkey, since it's happening in 5 months!*
  5. Spend more time reading the Bible and praying, instead of just going through the motions.**
  6. Start looking for summer internships ASAP.
  7. Clean up my computer and get it working right (which requires more memory).
  8. Organize all of my art supplies, perhaps even buy a chest to put them in, instead of a cardboard box.
  9. Find an apartment for next year and determine who I'm living with exactly (Sam's a given, but who else?)
If I accomplish these, that would be fantastic. Some of them I don't really have a choice but to do, but when I actually accomplish them, it'll be a major mental load off.

*I'm going to Turkey in May! It hasn't actually dawned on me until just now that I'm actually going to Turkey. I kind of think that it's a waste of $4,000, but we're going to Cappadocia and Ephesus while we're there, which will be awesome. Loans are paying for the trip, which will hurt later. I have my luggage bought, but as far as the rest of it goes, I still need shots, medication, and to get my visa in order.

**My spiritual life in 2008 was pathetic. It's honestly something I need to "work" on, but I honestly don't have the energy sometimes. Is it possible to forget how to pray?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah... it's possible to forget how to pray... I know.

I'd really recommend the new prayer book / devotional that CPH just came out with (put together by guys like Pr. Peterson and Pr. Stuckwisch). It has EVERYTHING in there for every single day, including prayers.

Praying collects, the prayers in the hymnal, the psalms, and hymns are always good things, too. They help teach us how to pray, so that when we finally pray with our "own" words, we pray with the words that Christ has given us.

Just remember, when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he didn't say, "Pray this: whatever is on your heart." He gave them a prayer. If you have a difficult time praying, I would very strongly recommend praying those prayers that Jesus has given us through His church. Through them, we find the words to say what we couldn't, in a way that is good, right, and salutary, with a focus always on Christ Jesus.

And they help us get back into the habit of praying, again.

Oh yeah, "Meditations on Divine Mercy" by Johann Gerhard is another small prayer book that has some of the absolute best prayers I have ever read/prayed. They are very personal, not so good for a group setting, but they will certainly put onto your tongue and lips what you want to pray, but cannot find the words for...

Sorry for the long-winded comment. I've just been in that boat before, and I know it's difficult to get "back into the routine" without making it nothing more than a routine that one haaasss to do. And these were all things that helped me out a lot, things that pastors recommended to me...

Anna Schmunk said...

I've just gotten into the routine of "go to church, think about God during the week" which is really sad, but even my prayers are along the lines of "Dear God, just make sure it all works out."

I've heard of the new prayer book and I might give it a try.