New Years Resolutions fade faster than the morning mist on January 1st, especially if it entails eating out less, exercising more, and staying away from those midnight twinky binges. Being a skinny guy whose metabolism burns calories faster than a furnace burning wood, dietary resolutions would be a joke. Instead, for 2007 I decided to “take one [a non-believer] to Heaven in 2007.” It doesn’t mean I convert non-Christians, and then kill them, but simply being open for God to use me to bring someone back to Him.
I admit it’s corny, but I thought, that seemed ambitious, especially for me. As the days passed by my New Year’s Resolution faded away in my consciousness.
Then August approached and God put my resolution to the test. At the Angel's Stadium in Anaheim Greg Laurie does a special event called the Harvest Crusade. I invited my mom, my sister and her husband to attend. My mom recommitted her life to Christ, and my sister and her husband accepted Christ. The last night of the Harvest Crusade, my family and I huddled together on the field and prayed together.
“Great, my New Year’s Resolution was met.” But God thought it was fit to take it another step. A few months after our huddle at center field, my sister asked me to baptize her and her two daughters. So, in front of two thousand strangers, I said a few words and dunked my sister and niece in freezing cold water.
You would think God would stop there, but He did one more act that was truly a miracle. On Christmas Eve my father attended church. This is a huge deal since he had never been to church his whole adult life. My dad’s life has been riddled with pain, both physical, and physiological from the war in Vietnam, and emotional pain from a devistating separation from my mom. Have you ever known someone who was so depressed that death seemed like a logical next step? That was my father. But before Christmas Eve service, my dad said, “This could be the prelude to happiness.” His words surprised me. He doesn’t usually speak so positively, and use words like “prelude.” I thought he was referring to the Christmas Eve service. He was actually referring to a newly emerged lump on the back of his head. He is afraid it could be cancer. Throughout the Christmas Eve service my father cried as he heard familiar Christmas songs sung by comforting voices and words of truth from Dave Gibbons. But the evening ended in a beautiful crescendo: my dad raised his hand when Dave asked if anybody wanted to accept Christ. By accepting Christ, I believe his statement about the prelude to happiness was God speaking through him saying, “This Christmas Eve service was to be your true prelude to happiness, Greg.”
Little did I know when I said a year ago, “take one to Heaven in 2007” God had in mind for me to take my whole family. I guess this next year I should dream bigger. I encourage you to do the same.

Have a God sized resolution this next year, not a waist size one.