Over the course of the month of October I have just made lists of ten where the order wasn’t set. Lists of ten to ponder over and contemplate. For the last list, however, I thought I’d stretch myself by considering what were my top ten life goals – in order. It’s certainly not an easy task and it is rather revealing to share this. It’s a good way to end the series though.
I realise it’s perhaps best to just stick to a few goals at a time so some of these goals are short term, some medium term and some long term.
You’ll notice in the list there won’t be noble pious goals like ‘praying more’ or ‘reading the Bible more’. That’s mainly because those are core and essential to who I am. These are goals within that framework of ongoing communication with the Father and doing His will. I am sure these will be subject to change as life goes on, but as of this time these are the goals.
10. Get Regular Tickets To Watch Liverpool Football Club
I don’t want to be a season ticket holder, even if I ever live in Liverpool at one stage of my life. That would be a waste as I wouldn’t want to watch every match. I would, however, love to be able to take friends, colleagues and enemies over to matches whenever I wanted. Not just because I support Liverpool, but there’s something about a football match that’s a great occasion to develop relationships – and I might as well do that in the most fitting place!
9. Become A Shareholder/Director At A Football Club
It has bugged me for a while that people don’t see that Kingdom contributions can be made in strategic positions in our society. I would love to be able to be in a position to invest in a football club – not too bothered about the size as long as it’s a professional football team in the locality in which I live. By Kingdom contribution I’m not talking about insisting the manager is a Christian and prayers have to be made on the pitch before each game. I am referring to being a presence for what’s fair, just and right throughout the institution so that it can compete without being a soulless money grabbing, uncaring business.
8. Learn To Drive/Get A Car
For years I have resisted earning to drive. Indeed this particular life goal is not out of a sense of missing out or wanting to catch up with something that you should do in life. I just recognise for a number of goals ahead, being able to drive and thus driving and having the means to transport the team with whom I’ll serve will in itself be a good service.
7. Work With An Animator To Develop And Produce Animated Training Material And Other Resources
I love cartoons and think they are such a brilliant medium through which a message can be delivered. I admire so much the skill of drawing and then creating the movement of the drawings. In as much as I may have the words, I would love to work closely with someone who can turn those words and ideas into a visual format so flexible, creative and diverse in expression.
6. Produce And Participate In Audio Productions
The love of radio and the audio medium has not dimmed in me since my embrace of it in my university days. There are podcasts and other ways in which the word heard can be conveyed. It would be brilliant to get the material in my head and in the heads and hearts of others in recorded form for the ear.That’s something I would love to do on a regular basis. There is a means by which this would be a reality … but that’s another goal.
5. Write Articles For Magazines And Newspapers
Blogging is brilliant, I love it. It’s one, however, of a number of ways in which the written word is formatted and expressed. It’s my desire to be able to write regularly for different outlets. It would be superb to be myself and yet direct it to different audiences and discipline myself to certain word limits and themes. It would be great to do that over the span of interests and passions I have whether for church or for football or for movies or Bakewell Tarts (just in case Mr Kipling’s want to sponsor me).
4. Write Books
I class this as something very different to writing articles and blogs. This enterprise is a different kettle of fish and it’s a kettle I want to put on the boil on more than one occasion. (Like that mixing up of metaphors, eh?) Some say everyone has a book in them, but I’m of the opinion there’s somewhat a bit more than just the one book in my noggin. I understand there are commercial issues to consider in the writing and production of books – someone must be making a penny somewhere. I would still, however, love to just get the stuff down and put in the book form and have it to distribute to anyone who is interested.
3. Contribute To Church Plant Initiatives In Various Stages
I’ve had an experience of being involved in a church plant. It should have put me off church plants for life. It has turned me onto the exciting journey of seeing church plants in different settings expressed in different ways fitting with the call from God in the social context. I love the way that it can be as informal as a home gathering and any other meeting among like-minded followers of Jesus in other Third Places (locations for extended conversations that are not home or work). Having good news to share and a Kingdom to display I guess also means having groupings of Christ-followers springing up all over the place. I want to support those and be a part of them as far as I can.
2. Develop A Training And Media Company
Teaching and words – passions of mine for years. I want to devote my time, energies and resources to these passions. It’s not that I am dissatisfied working for employers in these fields. It is to say that it just appears to be the natural end goal of all this experience to develop a company to practice the passion. This would be the place from which I could best serve, innovate and develop resources to make the key Kingdom contribution I believe God has given as my responsibility. Not only that it would be a great place to support others in fulfilling their own passions which kinda is the heart of the whole enterprise in the first place.
1. Support & Develop Community Initiatives Making Creative Kingdom Contributions
Growing up I thought the gospel was primarily about going out, telling people Jesus loves them, giving them a pamphlet explaining why they were going to hell unless they observed the Seventh Day as the Sabbath. As I got a little older and smarter I realised that the message was contingent on a day. As I got older still I realised that the message was far wider than just repeating a few words asking Jesus into your heart.
As I got older further I realised that giving out pamphlets wasn’t the best to express what was meant by the good news of the Kingdom of God. I realised people were doing it in soup kitchens, debt relief clinics, job clubs, homeless hostels, street pastors and other creative ways in which to make peace and share with the world the great news that the King has come and is coming again and in between those two visits He’s expressing His Kingdom through broken people on the process of being made whole by His love and grace.
That is the sort of thing that consumes the entire being. It’s not the preserve of a few bright and academic spiritual experts – it’s the call to every believer of every age, gender, nationality, ability and language. From supporting someone with putting up a bookshelf to giving away possessions to those in need. It’s one of the things that excites me about following Jesus and it’s a goal to support such creative methods in which this glorious news of the Kingdom can be expressed in word and deed.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 