Monthly Message from the Major – Setting Goals – January 2007

Alice, in the book by Lewis Carroll, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, when traveling down a road and coming to a fork in it, asks the Cheshire Cat which path to take. The Cat replies with a question asking Alice where she wants to go; Alice replies that she does not know. The Cat then says, “Well, then it does not matter which path you take!”

You and I are at a similar fork in the road as we start 2007. If we do not know where we are going, then it really does not matter which path we take. I do not know about you, but that uncertainty leaves me with a very uncomfortable feeling. I would rather have a goal and make plans, knowing that God will intervene in my steps as I move down the path. Proverbs 21:31 tells me that the horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety (victory) is of the Lord. (KJV)

At ALERT Cadets we put together plans each year that will enable us to fulfill the vision of “Turning the hearts of fathers to their young men, and young men to their fathers.” We cannot do everything that we desire in one year, but we can make great progress. So how do we decide what to do? We look at the expressed needs of those we serve, the fathers and sons, and try to discern where the Enemy is attacking those same fathers and sons so that we may strengthen them.

To this end, ALERT Cadets will be focusing on five areas in 2007:

- Father Training – assisting fathers in using the ALERT Cadet materials and program to grab and keep the heart of their sons

- Older Boys – assisting and training those 13 years and older, the LTCs, to take on additional leadership responsibilities in their homes and units

- Internal Communications – taking a more proactive role in letting people know what other ALERT Cadets are accomplishing and how God is working in the lives of fathers and sons

- Program Development – continuing the writing of handbooks and materials to further the development of the ALERT Cadet program and ministry

- External Communications – letting more people know of the ALERT Cadet ministry as a tool in raising young men and developing fathers as well as how they might become involved

This is an ambitious agenda, to be sure, but it is one that will certainly guide our day-to-day activities and planning.

The process of planning and goal setting is not only for programs, like ALERT Cadets, but is also for families and individuals. I’ve found it useful to set personal goals as well and have used the categories listed below to get me started. You might find this helpful as you write goals for yourself and your family.

- Physical (weight, exercise, grooming, dress)

- Mental (books, study, writing, business)

- Social (friends, hospitality, family, accountability)

- Spiritual – divided into two areas, intake (quiet time, Scripture memory, Bible study and reading, Church, Christian books and tapes) and output (witnessing, personal testimony, church responsibilities, discipling new Christians, fellowship, teaching)

Do not make your goals so achievable that they do not stretch you, or your faith; nor make them so large that they are sure to fail and only bring discouragement.

Goal setting, like financial budgeting, can seem a bit daunting at first, but it really does pay dividends and bring great joy. At the beginning of 2006 the ALERT Cadet ministry set 56 individual activities to accomplish the 2006 goals. On December 15, 2006 we looked back and realized that we had accomplished 52 of them and took great joy in all that God had allowed us to accomplish.

May God give you great wisdom as you lead your family well!

Roger Farr

ALERT Cadet Commanding Officer and Program Director