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Yearend Reflection

3 hours ago • December 12, 2025 • by ourCOG

“Prayer is the alpha and omega of planning. Don’t just brainstorm; praystorm.”

__Mark Batterson

Goal: Take the last week of this year and spend time reflecting and planning on what you can do to increase the odds that 2026 will be better for you and your church than it was this year.

Be clear on the Mission

  • The Mission for your family: Be a provider and protector and leave an inheritance to your children’s children (Proverbs 13:22).
  • The Mission for your church: Find the lost; disciple/mature the found

Be clear on how you are going to allocate the resources God has put in your care.

  • Review your insurance
    1. The .06 rule | Divide the amount your family will need annually to live without you and divide it by .06.
    2. Example: 75,000.00 / .06 = 1,250,000
    3. Average price for 1,250,000 30-year term for a 40-year-old: 40.00 – 60.00
  • Review your spending plan (Shortcut: Are you more in debt now than you were this time last year?)
  • Review your endowment savings (Shortcut: Do you have more long-term savings than you did this time last year?)
    1. You must start saving now! | https://www.benefitsboard.com/
    2. You must start saving more now!
    3. Rule of thumb: Divide what you need to live on (minus Social Security) by .06 and that is how much you need in long-term savings.
    4. Book to read: Simple Wealth, Inevitable Wealth, Nick Murray

Create your 2026 calendar (this is where you create the future)

  • Plan the non-negotiables for your family. (Do this first!)
  • Plan your church calendar to reflect your mission.
  • Note: I have included most of the annual events from the State Calendar.

Final advice:

There is no silver bullet. There is no one idea, program or plan that is guaranteed to work. What worked last year will probably not work next year, but it might if you make adjustments. Bottom line, you’re not planning, you’re betting.

With absolute confidence in the unchangeable character of God (immutability) as your back stop, you are trying to find and disciple broken, unpredictable and sinful people while facing an uncertain future.

So make a bet – the wisest bet you can based on the research and prayer from your time of reflection and then trust God for the outcome.

Either He’s God or he’s not; either He called you or he didn’t. How will you know? You take the cards that have been dealt you – without any complaining or whining – and play the best hand you can.

Michigan Church of God State Events (Details will be on the https://michigancog.org/ website.)

  1. Weekly Prayer Call, Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. | 681.999.0195 (Code: 616350#)
  2. January 24, State Men’s Conference
  3. March 12-13, Prayer Conference (Riverview—Grace Pointe)
  4. March 14, Equip Conference (Riverview—Grace Pointe)
  5. April 18, Teen Talent
  6. May 1-2, Women’s Conference
  7. May 15-16, MIP Commissioning Celebration (Cleveland, TN)
  8. May 29-31, Mission Rallies & Training
  9. June 22-26, Campmeeting
  10. July 6-10, Youth Camp
  11. July 27-31, General Assembly (Orlando, FL)
  12. September 24-26, Upper Peninsula Campmeeting (Escanaba—Harbor Lights)
  13. October 8-9, State Minister’s Meeting
  14. November 5, Credential’s Testing Date
  15. December 4, State Christmas Gathering
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