February Update & Goals

In January, I posted my goals for the month. I would love to tell you I completed all of them like a rockstar…. but that would be a lie. I, in fact, accomplished none of them.

(No danger of works righteousness this year)

This is the part where I would normally feel hopeless. The part where I would struggle with depression. The time I would ask God how I can complete the calling He gave me when my head hurts so bad I can’t complete anything.

But here’s the thing.

I didn’t reach my goals, but I still made progress.

And one step in the right direction is still a step in the right direction.

So instead of giving up, I’m going to keep going.

Goals Not Met

1.) Writing Goal

• Goal: Write 20 Devotions
  I love writing devotionals. Writing is hard when my head hurts, but I’m really hoping to get back into writing devotions. I’m hoping if I can make a good start in January, I’ll be able to start sharing them online again in February.
• Reality: Wrote 0 Devotions
  While I didn’t write a single devotion last month, I did write and publish a reflection on Facebook. So I’m counting that a step in the right direction.

2.) Catch Up on Emails

• Goal: Inbox zero.
  I normally try to end the year with inbox zero, but with the severity of my migraines, I didn’t even try last month. Which means I have a ton emails I need to respond to or process.
• Reality: Organized Inbox
  I deleted a ton of emails, responded to important emails, and started organizing emails I need to process so they aren’t in my inbox, but I can easily get to them to work through them when I have time. I still have over 100 emails in my inbox as of this morning, but a lot of them are simply read and file/delete.

3.) Read 3 Nonfiction Books

I’m working on an idea for a new book. But before I start writing, I really need to do a ton of research. Thus, my goal is to read at least three nonfiction books each month.

• I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist – I’m 70 pages in, ready to start chapter 3.
• How to Read the Bible – I read the introduction and chapter 1.
• Evidence that Demands a Verdict – This book has an incredibly long introduction. While I’ve read over 30 pages, I still have a ways to go before I even get to the prolog.

Other Accomplishments

Several years ago, instead of creating a to-do list, I started a done list. I wrote out everything I actually did. Instead of focusing on what I didn’t finish, I focused on my accomplishments. It helped me see that even if I didn’t finish big project, I was still making the best use of my time. So here are a few other things I accomplished in January.

• Signed up to take an online class from the Dallas Theological Seminary and completed lesson one. I also purchased the recommended reading and have read a few pages.
• Sorted through submissions for an upcoming anthology, extended the submission period, contacted authors, and solicited additional material.
• Worked on another anthology that is almost ready to publish.
• Started creating a social media plan for this year.
• Created a Spotify playlist to start my mornings focused on Jesus and getting fired up to do His will.
• I finished the behind the scenes work for all the Candidly Christian posts for February. They are scheduled and ready to go.
• And, of course, I celebrated my birthday during the great Texas blizzard of 2026. We hibernated for days, because snow storms in the south shut down the entire state. No school. No church. No businesses open. Either work from home or don’t work. The sheriff encouraged everyone to just stay home.

February Goals

1.) Complete 4 Seminary Class Lessons

This is an 8 session class. My hope was to finish it in four weeks (2 lessons a week), but I see now that might have been overly ambitious. My goal is to complete at least one lesson a week.

2.) Candidly Christian Posts

This is one of the behind the scenes tasks I do every month. I’ll need to do keyword research, formatting, graphics, etc. for the Candidly Christian blog posts that will be published in March.

3.) Read 4 Chapters from Nonfiction Books

Instead of trying to finish reading the books I’ve started, I’m going to commit to making progress. If I can read at least one chapter a week, I’ll be thankful.

Other Hopes for February

I’m working on the plan for celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Candidly Christian. Mainly making notes at this point.

I’d like to start writing again. I’ve got several book ideas, ideas for devotionals, etc. I just need my brain to function well enough to put them in words.

February Prayer Requests

I have several faithful prayer warriors who pray for me daily. Whether that’s you or not, if you would consider lifting me up in prayer, here are some specific things you could pray for:

• Pain relief from migraines.
• Mental clarity when I sit down to write.
• For God to guide me and help me make the best use of my time.