Author Archives: karen

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God…
- 1 John 3:1 ESV

I am the only Christian in my biological family, so being adopted into God’s family was something that I have known in my head for a while, but feeling adopted into God’s family–belonging in God’s family–didn’t really start hitting my heart until being a part of Garden City Church for the last year(ish).

3 things that I more deeply understand about God’s family:

1. I am known, I am loved.

This church family has seen more of my crap in the year that they’ve known me than most people have in my life, yet they meet me where I’m at and remind me of the deep love God has extended to me through Jesus. I feel safe to come out of my shell, safe to reveal my half-masked self, safe to be “not OK” when I’m not OK.

2. I don’t do life alone.

When my idols are brought to light, I often withdraw, run away, and harden my heart. God has used this church family to chase after me, not let go of me, and pierce my dark heart with grace. They speak truth to my soul, remind me of my identity in Jesus, and patiently wait with me as I try to get back on my feet.

(They also give good hugs.)

3. I want to invite people in.

Now that I’ve tasted and seen what life is like in a family, I want everyone I know to experience it too. For the first time, I’m a part of a family who looks outward and wants to see more people be (and feel) adopted into the family.

Belonging in the family of God pushes me to extend the family of God to my biological family–for them to taste and see the ultimate family they are invited into.

I love my family. :)

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Side Note: The pictures below were taken last weekend at Henry Cowell State Park when I went a hike with two women from my Neighborhood Group through Garden City Church, my adopted family!

This year, I set goals for myself. My process is pictured above.

1. Self-awareness (brain dump).

In order to plan how to get somewhere, you need to know 2 things:

1. Where you’re going, and
2. Where you’re at.

The first step of setting goals is to identify where you are on the map in relation to where you’d like to go. In my world, this is called the “brain dump.”

How I did this — I reflected on my last year and wrote down two or three pages full of things I wanted to grow in and/or do.

2. Strategy.

You may have heard of “s.m.a.r.t.” goals:

S – specific, significant
M – measurable, meaningful
A – attainable, action-oriented
R – relevant, rewarding
T – time-bound, trackable

Here’s an example of a not-so-s.m.a.r.t. goal: Get back into dancing.

Some people also divide their goals into categories: mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, etc.

How I did this – I used the Garden City Church core values: gospel, community, and vocation; and added a “fun” section. (I’m not good at having fun.)

3. strategic brain dump.

Take your categories and re-write your “brain dump” of goals onto the page. Make your “brain dump” smarter using the mnemonic above.

Here’s an example of a not-so-s.m.a.r.t. goal transformed into a s.m.a.r.t. goal: Take 1-2 dance technique classes every month.

How I did this — I wrote what I thought would be my categories, re-wrote my brain dump under the categories, and then re-did my categories. (You can see on the picture above that I didn’t originally categorize into the 3 Garden City core values.) 

4. goals.

Re-write your strategically categorized brain dump, and there ya go! Goals!

Just for kicks, here are a few of my goals. I set these September 1st, 2012.

1. Memorize scripture (at least 2 verses a month). (Gospel)

2. Affirm someone every day. (Community)

3. Write a blog post every other week. (Vocation)

4. Try a new thing every month (i.e. paddle boarding). (Fun)