I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was terrific!
Over the years, several of you have asked me what some of the important ingredients are to raising a family with Christ at the center. One of the foundational elements God has guided us in is what we call the “Corbo Family Goals Night.”
It’s hard to believe that this year is our 15th anniversary of sitting together and sharing our hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. I can remember seeing Nicole’s first goals written in crayon, “I want to help mommy with the laundry and keep my room clean.”
Like most of you, I take goal setting very seriously, as I believe God desires us to steward well what He has entrusted to us individually, and also as a family.
Here’s an overview of what God has spoken to me over the years regarding our Family Goals Night.
Pray for a Word for your family; Pray over your family.
This is one of the things I get most excited about! Starting in November, I begin to ask God through the Holy Spirit to give me a word for our family. I also ask Him to confirm this word in 3 ways:
Sometimes I get this word early in November, and other times it’s been late in December. The key is seeking the Lord’s covering over your family.
Here are a few examples:
2009 Theme: RESPONSIBILITY - The gateway to Freedom is Responsibility.
2015 Theme: COURAGE - The antidote for Fear is Courage.
2021 Theme: TETELESTAI - 3 of the most powerful words ever spoken. “It is finished.” Paid in full.
Dig a bit deeper into what the Word means by asking Him to unpack the Word in Scripture, revelation, dreams, and/or visions. For me, unpacking also includes doing a word search (I use: https://www.biblegateway.com/). Remember to ask the Lord through the Holy Spirit what He would like you to speak to your family through this word.
Capture the key points the Holy Spirit speaks to you so you can share them with your family. This is really an important night, and one that your family will look back on for years to come. Taking the time to prepare your notes with what the Lord has for you and your family will help guide the night and ensure you stay on track. Your family will also look back on these notes throughout the year.
Plan a night that you can focus on sharing the word with your family. We love to meet on New Year’s Eve, but often it’s a few days before or after New Year’s Day.
Preparing in advance for Goals Night (a copy of your notes for everyone including references/resources, etc. Even just the bullet points with spaces for their insights and discussion) is helpful.
Our family goals includes:
A. Prayer and Worship! (it helps having a Worship Pastor in the family!)
Preparing our hearts to hear what the Lord is going to speak to us through the Word for the year.
B. Sharing the Word.
This is the time to share the Word, and what the Lord revealed to you regarding its meaning for your family.
C. Goal Setting - Group Share.
Part of our goals night includes each of us sharing the individual Words God gives us along with our goals.
D. Activation / Illustration.
You don’t have to get too elaborate, but it's been helpful to add an activation or illustration to deepen the meaning of the night. For example, we’ve written our goals/prayers on note cards and nailed the card to a cross. We have also written the lies from the enemy, or our sins on note cards and burned them in a bucket. One of my favorites was the "Certificate of Decrees" we filled out in 2021 to go along with the Word - Tetelestai. Ask me about this one. POWERFUL!
> I've attached a few examples for you
Resources:
2022 Goals - ASK.pdf
2021 Goals - Tetelestai.pdf
E. The Blessing.
Sealing our night by prayer, laying hands, and blessing each member of our family. During the goals nights, each member will share something significant that as a family you can lay hands on them and pray over them. Finally, as the Father I lay hands on each of them and give speak the Blessing over them (Numbers 6:24-26)
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
If you want to join me, I am reviewing the process live via zoom call on Thursday, December 29th 12-1:30PM CST. I’ll record it so if you can’t make it I will send it over.
Here's the link to join me:
Meeting ID: 299 217 9960
As always you can give me a call at (972) 835-7495 or email me at drc@drcorbo.com if you have questions.
Love you,
Frank
PS: You can access the forms for Goals Night here: 7Habits.org
Proverbs 27:17
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
As the father of three daughters and the brother of three older sisters, Frank has been surrounded by women his whole life.
“Growing up with his three older sisters five years apart was certainly an adventure.” From being the original Make-Up Barbie Doll®, to the nightmare of the dreaded price check on feminine hygiene, Frank has been through it all.
Frank and his wife and best friend Wynnie met while working Milan, Italy, and have been married for over 25 years. They have three beautiful daughters, Mikayla, Tori, and Nicole.
When he’s not fighting for his corner of the bathroom vanity, through curling irons, blow dryers, make-up, and hair spray, Frank develops strategic growth plans for healthcare businesses.