Setting Smaller Goals

If 2020 taught me anything, it's that we need to hold tightly to the lessons of James 4:13-15:

"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.'"

For most of my adult years, I've set goals, picked words, and dreamed big dreams. When 2020 hit, I was reminded that we're not guaranteed tomorrow, and realized that it might be prudent to spend some time enjoying the smaller accomplishments in 2021 that we would have overlooked prior to this crazy year. For example...reading through the books that are currently on my nightstand.

Yep, those are all sitting on my nightstand, waiting to be read. Some of them have been there for longer than a year...maybe even two. And the stacks keep growing. Which is why, on January 1st, while setting my 2021 Reading Goals on Goodreads, I glanced behind me and saw the stack and decided that would be a good "smaller" challenge for the year: Read through the stack. 

You may recall that back in the day, I used to do regular "What's On My Nightstand" book review posts. If all goes as planned, I'll be bringing a version of those back as I read through this stack. When I shared about this on my Busy Nothings Facebook page, someone made the comment that they wanted to know what was in the stack behind the stack. Well, so do I! So for now I'm going to focus on the front stack, and once it's done...we'll talk about what's behind. For now, here's the list (with Amazon links, in case you're interested in reading along with me)...

1. Boundaries with Teens
2. The Enchanted Hour
3. Agatha: The real life of Agatha Christie
4. Poirot and Me
5. Sugar Changed the World
6. To the Land of Long Lost Friends
7. Is God anti-gay?
8. The Girls of Atomic City
9. How to Raise an Elephant
10. Dear Mrs. Bird
11. The Feather Thief
12. SoulCare
13. Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs
14. What She Ate
15. Hank & Jim
16. Don't Overthink It
17. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (the only one I've read before, but not this version)
18. The Quotable Tozer
19. 7 Men

PLEASE NOTE: There are two rules for this list...

1. Don't judge any book by it's title. 
2. Don't assume because it's on my nightstand, I'm recommending it.

With those rules in mind, and a list a hand, are you ready to start reading along with me, bookworms? I'd love to hear what's on YOUR nightstand, and what smaller goals you're setting for yourself in 2021! Leave a comment and let's use this year to build a community that learns together.