So, standing on that
diving board, surrounded by that
cheering crowd, just what did
LQ participants focus on as they were looking through their
binoculars?
On the first evening of LQ, Anne Sopiarz had us imagine a BLUEPRINT... a blueprint upon which is written a LIFE PLAN.
Have you ever seen a blueprint? A
blueprint is a plan that is carefully laid out and detailed. In the past architects and planners would use blue paper with white printing to give exact measurements and technical specifications so people could build houses and many kinds of manufactured goods. I think I remember a rolled up blueprint stuck up in the basement rafters of my childhood home, probably left over from the time my dad had the home built in 1959, when I was 3 years old.
Now people use the word "blueprint" to signify any detailed plan. During our LQ week we wrote parts of a plan for our lives. Once we finished writing out some specific, achievable, measurable and motivating goals (Future Focus), we considered the "how to" part.
How was it that we would get
from the "As Is" of our lives
to those "Goals"?
The "How To" involved the writing of plans... life plans... plans that would give some detail about how we would get
from As Is to the future we believe God wants for us. We wrote these in the part of our binders called
Journey.
I appreciated the chance to do that. Planning is not something I've been good at. As to what we did at LQ, I've got much more to do. I got some thoughts jotted down on three of the "
Plan of Action Worksheets" that LQ had provided... and on one I did start writing out a few blueprint like details:
PLAN OF ACTION WORKSHEET
Life Dimension or Area: ______________________
Date: ______________
1. Write Goal: (What, why and when)
2. Identify Resources:
3. Brainstorm how it could be done: (Think in terms of whos, whats, whens, hows and wheres. Be sure to include a system to ensure progress.) Strive to list at least three different ways to reach the goal.
4. Choose the best idea(s) and include who, what, when, where and how.
5. List items to be done and make a timeline.
6. Identify a system to ensure progress.
Each Plan of Action Worksheet was to focus on a "Life Dimension" (for example · Walk with Christ, · Family, · Finances, · Health, · Career, · Community, · Education/Personal Development, · Ministry, · Hobbies) the same Life Dimensions we had used to do "As Is" Life Assessment and Future-Focused Dreams and Goals.
The most successful part of the "Blueprint" (Plan of Action) work was a short session that we had in our "church group." Most of the week was spent with people we had just met during the LQ week but on Friday afternoon, the day before we headed for home, the LQ leaders seated us with the group we had come with originally, Aaron, Brenden, Matthew and I did some quality work running through a plan of action that will lead to high school student led Bible Studies ("JAM" times -- I'll explain that another day).
Because we decided, on the car ride home,
just when and where we would meet to continue our plans, we actually did meet once since LQ ended and have another meeting set now for next Tuesday evening. Whenever we want to move past dreaming, we do need to get organized, and that's one thing LQ has helped us to do.
I'm confident, because we have already had one meeting and have another on the calendar,
that the "high school JAM time" will become a reality. We were successful in that because of the LEADERSHIP SKILLS that we practiced at LQ. Leadership Skills were symbolized by a
FLAGSHIP... and that's our next symbol... Leadership Skills will ensure that we will not just set our JAM time blueprint aside or forget about our plans. I'll write about that next.
Personally, as an extrovert, I do better with the plans I can work on with others. My personal plan of action worksheets are harder for me to stay on track with. This evening I took the three sheets out that I started and I see how good it would be for me to spend some time with them,
prayerfully and
carefully.
I will be asking friends to pray for me so that I won't just leave them
unfinished. I asked a new friend from LQ if I could send her emails with some of my plans for her to review. I'm hoping to get to that soon because I believe God wants to do some good work in me through what He
started during the week at LQ. Perhaps you will pray for me. Thanks.
--------------------
I
started early this blogpost early this morning, went to a school for a few hours for a school bus safety meeting, wrote in the midst of other tasks and now have finished it up before bed. Such is life, and may times that's what happens to our plans. We need to keep coming back to those plans when we believe that the dreams and goals they aim at have come from the Lord... and we need to keep PRAYING and seeking to hear God's voice in the midst of it all, so that it is all done in God's time and in His strength. All glory to our Lord!
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