When I start to feel a little bored and unmotivated, I start thinking about projects, goals, crazy stuff, and dreams. I recently made a goal to write out the entire Bible in five years. I read an article that writing, not typing, is really good for your brain. I am getting more interested in brain health as I get older. I did a bunch of research on writing. In the process, I read articles about several people who wrote out the entire Bible and how great a spiritual experience it was. It sounds like a lot of tedious work, but the goal excites and motivates me, and that is what I am looking for in a goal at this stage of my life. 

I am now building a camper for my pickup truck. It is built out of quarter-inch plywood and fiberglass. I am almost done, and then I am going to take some driving trips with Patty and some fishing trips with friends and family. When I finish my camper, I am going to start building a 28ft fishing boat with a cabin that will be very seaworthy, and start doing a bunch of fishing in the ocean. The truth is, the boat is so big and complicated that I will probably die before I finish it. That will be a very fun and challenging race, for sure! I am also working on a goal of climbing Mt. Adams in July and a goal to bicycle 2,000 miles somewhere. These may not happen, but I am having a lot of fun thinking about, planning, and writing about them. It costs nothing but a little time, and the resulting enthusiasm to get out of bed is worth it. My favorite goals are what I am going to do in ministry. Preaching, teaching, and writing goals that God will use. I have a goal that the church I am now preaching at on Sunday mornings will be a church of 100 before long, then 200, then 500, then 1000. Will that happen soon? Probably not, but it is fun to dream; it keeps me working on my preaching and planning, and it costs nothing, and I am not a bored or unmotivated old man.