2023 Year Review & 2024 Goals

Recap of 2023:

1. READ THE BIBLE EVERY DAY: Continuing with the success of last year, I’m going to continue the two chapter a day goal. However, I found that most of the time I would read the two chapters while lying in bed right before going to sleep, and this is not the most preferable pattern for Bible reading. So, this year the goal is to read at least one chapter soon after waking up in the morning. I’m hoping that this change will also help orient my mind and attitude in a healthier way over the course of this next year. Well, I completed this through my PhD trip to Europe in September, but afterwards I was just exhausted by the routine, and instead of forcing it for the sake of forcing it, I backed off and began reading based on contextual need and leading. I don’t regret either decision, and plan on starting it back up.

2. MEMORIZE ROMANS CHAPTER ONE: Still a goal. It’s been a goal for far too many years for me to not have accomplished it yet. I need your accountability on this. Please ask me how it’s going from time to time. For whatever reason, this remains an elusive goal. No progress was made on this goal. I’m obviously not prioritizing it, and that needs to change.

3. PRAYER: For many years I’ve practiced a very fluid form of prayer, or conversation with God. I still believe this to be the essential way of prayer, walking with God throughout the day and having conversations with Him about what is going on in life and lifting up concerns as they come to mind. That said, I believe I need a season of more intentional prayer time, on my knees. There was a time when most churches in America would have Wednesday night prayer services, devoting 45 minutes to communal prayer. I believe we need more of this in our lives again, but it should start with my own personal devotion. Thus, it’s my goal to spend at least 10 minutes of focused prayer on my knees each day in 2023. This was another one of those dailies that I kept faithfully every day until I returned from Europe in September. It was really helpful, and I believe that it made a difference in my perspective and disposition each day. I realize that 10 minutes on the knees in prayer is probably a small matter to some that might spend an hour in that same activity, but even 10 minutes can have an affect on your emotional and spiritual posture.

4. SERVING MY WIFE: Always a goal, but as I stated in my 2022 recap, I need to be more intentional on consistent dates. So, the goal is to go on two dinner/movie dates a month with Ashlee. I also continue to try and use the vocational flexibility I have right now to continue to partner with her in shuttling the kids around and helping with chores around the house. I didn’t specifically track this one, but I feel like I came close if I didn’t actually complete it. This year was a year of many dates and double dates. Sometimes is was just coffee at Starbucks while Cardin was at Awana, but other times it consisted of a nice meal or a movie….not to mention our trip to Belgium and France yet again this year. I feel like I succeeded in the chores and shuttling endeavors as well. I’m sure there’s room for improvement, but I feel pretty positive about this one.

5. SERVING MY DAUGHTERS: As mentioned earlier, this was a complex year in terms of schedules and resources, but intentional time with my daughters should always be a priority. So, the goal is to go on a lunch date with one daughter every two weeks.  Simply didn’t happen to the degree I intended. I got in a few dates, but neither the time nor the money was there to “go out.” That said, Emeri moved back home this past summer and I’ve cooked a whole lot of dinners for Ashlee and the girls this past year. But, that said, I definitely didn’t spend the amount of time that I wanted to with them, and that’s on me.

6. HEALTH-WEIGHT LOSS-WORKING OUT: The weight-loss goals need to be prioritized, and thus I need to get far more intentional about taking steps to insure progress. I’ve found over the past several years that it’s easier for me to add habits than it is to subtract them, so I’m going to attempt to “add” a dietary regimen that will help me avoid some of my habitual struggles in eating. I will be adding 3 DAYS A WEEK of NO GRAINS. I’ll also be giving myself only two days a week that I can drink sugary sodas. In addition to these dietary measures, I’ll continue the minimum 22 pushups a day, and 25 4-count flutter-kicks. Since it’s been a while since I’ve tried to run on the treadmill, I’ll give that another go in the coming weeks to see if my body is still responding in the same concerning way. Here’s where I made significant strides, but not until I had a significant health event. Many are already aware of this, but in an attempt to jump back into running in 2023, I began running at the YMCA a few times a week, and on about my 3rd visit I decided to ramp up the speed because I was feeling good. In full transparency, I was weighing in at about 227 at the time, and I tried to run at a 9 minute pace that particular day. About .4 miles into the run I felt my legs beginning to collapse and I tried to slow the treadmill down, but instead I blacked out for about 5 seconds. The staff called a paramedic. I recovered fairly quickly as I was waiting for them to arrive. They took my blood pressure and blood sugar levels and my blood pressure came back very high. I decided to not allow them to take me to the hospital, but rather went home to chat with Ashlee about it. That precipitated a doctor’s appointment with an EKG and blood work that was sent off to UVA. All that didn’t turn up too much concerning data other than a raised blood pressure level.

So, I swore off running for a while and concentrated on changing my diet, drinking a lot more water every day (I didn’t really drink water at all up to that point), and losing weight. From 227 in February, I got down to 204 in September, which is the least I’ve weighed since 2010. Once I got my weight down below 215, I started walking/jogging back on the treadmill and I slowly increased my average speed over the months. I’m thankful to say that as of last week I got my 3 mile time down under 30 minutes and my 1 mile time down to 8:53. I gained back about 10 pounds, now sitting at about 214, but I’ve been lifting weight 3 times a week and have definitely put on muscle.

As for the pushups and flutter kicks, I stopped doing them daily as well when I got back from Europe, but my gym visits definitely made up for it. I was also blessed to included dry sauna and steam room time in my work outs as well. Overall, I stoked at where my health is at the end of 2023.

7. FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING/MENTORING POSITION: Although I’ve appreciated the flexibility of significant online teaching opportunities, it still doesn’t provide the financial stability or the vocational context that I ideally desire. I’ll still be looking for full time teaching positions in ethics, theology, worldview, and spiritual formation. This didn’t happen, and quite honestly, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Liberty provided me with the closest thing you can get to full-time teaching online, and that has been a huge blessing. The flexibility that it has provided while I attempt to work on my dissertation and invest in the family has been tremendous. I’ll still be looking for residential teaching positions in the coming years, but they will have to be dream job sort of opportunities in order for me to change my current context.

8. WRITING & PODCAST: Although I won’t be writing that many blog posts this year, I’ll be attempting to produce 1 audio podcast at Thoughts from the Glen podcasts every two weeks. I had been producing 1 every week, but as I begin to focus on my dissertation in earnest, I’ll need to be stingier with my time. I didn’t write any blog posts or do any podcasts. With all the health issues, grading, and dissertation work, those things just weren’t high on the priority list.

9. EDUCATION: As stated above, the primary writing goal in 2023 is dissertation focused. The goal is to write the first 3 chapters of my dissertation by the end of 2023, allotting 1.5 hours, 5 days a week. This has been difficult. I grade approximately 80-100 essays with citations every week, and it’s been difficult to make the transition in my brain from my work to my scholastic writing. I hardly wrote anything at all in 2023, and that’s got to change this next year.

10. SACRA DOMUS: Probably not much will be pursued in relation to this initiative in 2023. I’ll continue to look at the possibility for a monthly discussion group as we get settled into a new local congregation and as I experience progress in writing in my dissertation. Just not feasible right now.

11. TRAVEL: Now that travel seems to be fairly fluid again, I’ll expect to attend the 2023 Doctoral Colloquium for ETF. Ashlee’s experience last year has lit a fire under her to try and get back to Europe again with me this year, but we shall see how things work out. I’d obviously love to take her again. Although I don’t see it happening this year, I still have a heart to get back to India in order to encourage friends who have been laboring in difficult circumstances over the past many years. Amazingly, the Lord again provided the means for Ashlee to attend my ETF Colloquium again with me, as they gave me a discount for her work as the photographer for the Colloquium. Our dear friends also allowed us to come stay with them in France for a few days during their anniversary trip, as their Air B&B had an extra room. It was truly a blessed time. India will remain in my heart and mind, but I don’t see that trip happening until I graduate with my PhD in a couple of year.

12. COMMUNITY & CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: We are hopeful to get plugged into a new congregation in 2023, and build relationships that we can invest in. We’ll continue to invest in the relationships we made at our last congregation as well, and continue to invest in our neighborhood. We’ve developed several new relationships in our neighborhood this past year, and we’re looking to engage in more intentional activity with our neighborhood association. I’d like to also get us involved in periodic volunteer work in the area, as that didn’t work out this past year. We ended up joining Bedrock Lynchburg, and it’s been good, but slow going thus far. Our crazy schedule and general exhaustion kept us from finding and committing to a small group, but we did host a meal for the college/young adult ministry over the summer, and I’ve been attempting to get to know the elders over coffee. We’ve been blessed by the encouraging preaching at Bedrock and their heart to serve their community.

13. READ A FICTION BOOK: I barely started reading Kim by Rudyard Kipling at the beginning of last year and then never picked it up again. It’s not that I didn’t find it intriguing, just find it difficult to choose fiction over doctoral research. But I’m committed to continue to try. I gave in and started listening to Kim on audiobook, so no fiction was read this year.

14. RENOVATION: The bookshelves will probably have to wait for another year or two, but someone gifted us money to fix our fence, which is falling over and broken down. Ashlee’s brother will be coming into town this month to help us install it! Transitions and thresholds are still on the list of goals in 2023. Ashlee’s brother, Will, came up and we built the fence! It looks good and I’m incredibly grateful for the generosity and service that made a new fence possible. We also put in some temporary transitions in the kitchen that may end up becoming permanent.

15. LANGUAGE: It’s not imperative that I learn German for my doctoral work, but I would like to pick up a working level of reading German in order to engage primary sources more efficiently. German didn’t happen.

16. HIKING & SKIING: If my health allows, I’d like to hike at least a few times with the family this year. Also, I’d like to continue to look for an opportunity to take our family snow-skiing. Snow skiing most definitely didn’t happen, and we only went hiking once with some friends, but it was enjoyable.

GOALS FOR 2024!

1. READ THE BIBLE EVERY DAY: While I took the last 3 months off from strict daily observance, I think it’s generally a good default for every Christian. So, I’m back on the two chapter a day bandwagon. One in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. And I’m going to try and make more of those readings in the morning than at night.

2. MEMORIZE ROMANS CHAPTER ONE: Still at it!

3. PRAYER: Again, took the last three months off from the daily positional prayer regimen, but I’m starting it back up. At least 10 minutes a day. I’ll try to make more of those moments in the morning than at night.

4. SERVING MY WIFE: Continuing to look for ways to serve her and support her through our challenging circumstances. I’m sure that cooking, cleaning, shoulder massages, and supportive words will be a big part of that. This upcoming August will be 25 years of marriage, so I’m looking to try and celebrate that in some meaningful way. We’ll see what presents itself.

5. SERVING MY DAUGHTERS: Eating dates are pretty much out of the question this year, but I need to prioritize coffee dates this year, as Emeri enters the last calendar year of college, Tyne finishes up her junior year and starts her senior year, Gareth graduates from high school and start college, and Cardin marches on through middle school.

6. HEALTH-WEIGHT LOSS-WORKING OUT: Much progress has been made, but I’m in the “one step back” phase of weight loss. So, I’m prioritizing getting down to 200, and staying under 200 this year. I’ll attempt to work out at least two days a week and get up to running 3 miles at sub 27 min. I’m also back to doing 25 pushups a day. I might do a Whole 30 month sometime this Spring.

7. VOCATION: Unless my dream job comes along, I’m going to be content with the flexibility that my online teaching position for Liberty affords me. But I’m keeping my eyes on the prize of hopefully getting back into the classroom someday.  

8. WRITING & PODCAST: Probably won’t do any blog writing, as my dissertation has to be the priority, but I may produce another season of my podcast, touching on some meaningful topics I’ve had in mind for a while.

9. EDUCATION: The goal at this point is to get the first two chapters of my dissertation written this year. It’s not the pace I wanted, and I’ve had to reevaluate my timeline, but I’m pushing forward.

10. SACRA DOMUS: This one’s on hold for now.

11. TRAVEL: Unless a war or pandemic gets in the way, I’ll be headed back to Belgium again this year. Although it’s our 25 year of marriage this year, I don’t expect Ashlee to come with me, as I’m just sure how it would be financially feasible. But, who knows!?

12. COMMUNITY & CHURCH INVOLVEMENT: Just not a ton of time for much outside of serving the family, grading, and working on my dissertation, but the hope is to get plugged into a small group this year. We miss the spiritual intimacy of a small group that we’ve had in years past, and we will be prioritizing that initiative.

13. READ A FICTION BOOK: I barely started reading Kim by Rudyard Kipling at the beginning of last year and then never picked it up again. It’s not that I didn’t find it intriguing, just find it difficult to choose fiction over doctoral research. But I’m committed to continue to try.

14. RENOVATION: I think this one will have to wait another year.

15. MOVING MOM: My mother is considering moving closer to us, and so we’ll be looking for a way to get her to Lynchburg this year. Helping her move and getting her acclimated to a new city will be a big priority for us.

That’s what I have on my mind at this point. Hopefully it gives you all a small glimpse into our lives and/or encourages you towards your own healthy decision making in the new year. Blessings and Happy New Year!

Jason Truett Glen

I leave you with Alfred Lord Tennyson’s 1850 poem, “Ring Out, Wild Bells”

I’ve included below some pictures from the year. So many of the highlights of this year were experiences with family and visits with dear friends. I wasn’t able to capture all of those wonderful experiences with dear friends and family with a pic, but here is a selection of some of the most meaningful moments.