Happy New Year!!! Welcome 2018! Thank God we are in a new year. Whether 2017 was a difficult one for you or one full of great accomplishments, either way, it’s over. There’s a new season ahead, and no matter what comes our way, trust that God is with you through all of it.

For myself, and this blog, I feel that I have neglected it to a certain extent aside from not writing that much. Plenty of things happened in my life in 2017 which kept me busy, and I will go over them briefly below. I also want to write out some goals that I want for this site, as well as myself. Even if I complete them all or not, isn’t really the point. Many people try to do everything and feel like they failed their resolutions if they aren’t all met. It’s better to have attempted some big dreams instead of hesitating or wondering “what if I could have done this or that?”.

God’s thoughts and ways are higher than our own (Isaiah 55:8-9), so no matter what I consider as too big of a goal, it’s just a very small thing for my God. Without further adieu, here is what I want to see happen in 2018 for myself and this site.

Gaming and God Goals for 2018 

• Write at least 2 posts a month. I don’t have a particular day I want to publish as I have a personal schedule that interferes with that. These posts would be aside from the monthly Something More column I write for Beneath The Tangles.
• Posts don’t have to be very long!  One main reason I don’t write that much isn’t that I don’t know what to write, I just get caught up in thinking how long or detailed it has to be. From the editing to the message that I want to relay, writing becomes more of a chore that I don’t want to spend time doing. Instead, I am going to do my best and just write for the fun of it, not worrying if I have the perfectly edited post or if I put forth a strong lesson at the end.
• Interact with other bloggers/gamers.  So I want to be more open and get to know other bloggers through WordPress, online, through social media and anywhere else. I don’t put much effort to market this blog, so I am going to start with social media and go from there.
• Create more resources!  I want my blog to be a place where people can get information on Christianity and video games, how those two intersect. There are barely any real resources on where to find information for parents on video games, how to deal with the medium as believers in Christ, or how to protect their kids from vulgar content. Aside from the ESRB, there’s nothing else stopping a young kid playing a game full of violence, sexuality, and foul language. I hope to organize the information I have already written into a guide of some sort, or create one in a section on the site that’s easily shareable.

My Personal Goals for 2018

• Continue to exercise and eat healthy: This is something I have been doing for years already, but I want to do it more. I do not have health problems, nor do I want any, so even doing some sit-ups or push-ups in the morning aside from going to the gym would be great. Also, not giving into the temptation of eating junk food when I go out somewhere.
• Travel more!  So after discovering two apps, AirBnB and Hopper, I finally have discovered how to travel without so much expense. I love to travel anywhere, whether it’s here in Florida, South America, or anywhere else. I used to think AirBnB was just a way to book a couch in someone’s house to sleep. Instead, after speaking to a few people I found out that you can book an entire apartment or house for yourself real cheap! It’s way less than getting a hotel room, minus the service that they offer like making your bed or extra towels. I much prefer using this service than going to a hotel, since there are so many choices when looking for a place and the hosts are super nice. Hopper is simpler, in that it helps you find the cheapest flight for the dates you are traveling. This helped me take the guesswork out of which days are cheaper to fly than others since it shows you all the prices of the entire year to where you want to go!
• Finish some Backlogged Games.  Like most gamers, I have a ton of games in my backlog that I haven’t beat or haven’t even started! As long as I take a few hours a week to play, I am sure I can knock some of them off the list. Last year I honestly didn’t game as much as I normally do, considering a few life changes that happened like starting a new job.
• Grow financially.  I don’t want to get detailed with my personal finances on this blog, but I can say that my wife and I have been growing a business that did very well last year! All thanks to God, it has been more of a focus since my wife is working in it instead of a regular job. Aside from that, I want to focus our new income better, so I want to get some training on investing and financial planning for the future. Long story short, we did not get any family help in that area so we are learning things one step at a time. So I want to learn how to put some money in stocks, investments and have my retirement ready for the future.

I have other minor goals for 2018, but I don’t want to write all that out. I hope you’ve taken a few minutes to make some goals for yourself as well. It really does help to see what your vision for this year is, and taking the necessary steps to complete them. Make them practical and small, they don’t havve to be something grand like “graduate from college”, if you’ve never taken a class. It could go like “register for college and choose my first class schedule” or “lose 30 pounds by the end of the year”.

God bless, and here’s to 2018! May His favor and grace be over your life and mine as we take this year, one day at a time.