What Was And What’s Ahead: Good Practices For A New Year

New year’s always bring reflections on what was and what’s ahead. I want to share some good practices for the New Year.

Even though I wasn’t feeling great yesterday, I made it to midnight with my kids. Our usual house-party tradition held: staying up to watch the ball drop in New York. It’s always a good time together. They enjoyed it more than I did this year—I was pretty under the weather—but I was grateful to be there.

New Year’s has a way of stirring things up. Resolutions. New love. Smiles everywhere. As we stand in the doorway of a new year, there’s often this quiet assumption that the months ahead will be filled with endless hope, joy, miracles, and surprises.

And they will be.

But there will also be hard things ahead.

We’re quick to push one year out and usher another in. Yet good year-changes aren’t simply “out with the old, in with the new.” They’re better when we pause long enough to take inventory—what went right, what didn’t, and what likely won’t go well in the coming year if we don’t learn from it.

Anchors, Not Resolutions

For me, a good new year begins with three things:

an anchoring vision,
a clear set of values,
and a rule of life.

A rule of life isn’t a list of goals to conquer. It’s a pattern of practices that help shape who we’re becoming. It’s about habits and rhythms that hold us steady—especially when life gets chaotic. Think less achievement and more formation. Less striving, more faithfulness.

I’ve written about my own rule of life many times here because I genuinely believe it’s one of the most essential practices for followers of Jesus. A thoughtfully chosen set of habits doesn’t just support our faith—it quietly defines our life.

Alongside that rule, I’ve named nine values for this season:

Loving my family and others
Leaping into adventure with my kids
Living theology at the intersections of life
Looking for the extraordinary in the ordinary
Leading a quiet life
Listening to help others see Jesus and life differently
Learning to pray and live the Lord’s Prayer
Letting simplicity shape my soul and worship
Laughing out loud

I keep these in my office and around my workspace as reminders. This year, I’ll live into some of these well—and I’ll miss the mark on others. Honestly, I’ve already struggled with them during the week I took off between Christmas and New Year’s.

That’s part of the work.

Taking Stock of What I’m Stewarding

When I look toward a new year, I like to reflect on what I’ve been entrusted with—and how I’m caring for it.

Spiritual health.
I need more margin for uninterrupted Scripture reading. And I need to read things simply because I want to—not because they’re tied to sermons, studies, or school.

Intellectual health.
This is a year of writing. My Doctor of Ministry research is complete. Now it’s about finishing well—showing up consistently and doing the slow, disciplined work.

Relational health.
I need friends. I don’t do this well. Whether that’s brokenness or bandwidth, I’m not sure—but something needs to change. This will be a year of growth here.

Physical health.
Living with type 1 diabetes has been harder lately. I did well early on, but frustration has crept in. I need a reset—better care, fewer compromises, more consistency.

Financial health.
I’m working toward a more minimalist posture. Not just dealing with debt, but learning to pause before purchasing.

My stuff.
This includes working through our basement and my books—slowly letting go. Stuff can quietly become identity, and that’s never healthy. The work here is both practical and spiritual.

Spheres of Influence

I also think about the communities and callings I’m part of:

Family: more adventures, deeper formation, teaching contentment.
Water Street Mission: another year serving as a pastor and director—caring for my team with a relaxed heart.
River Corner Church: a small, growing community of misfits still finding its footing. What is God asking of us now?
Lead a Quiet Life Blog: more posts, and deeper ones. More Scripture. More reflection.
Discovering God Podcast: a year of discernment—does this continue, or is something new emerging?
Fuller Alumni: a season that shaped me deeply—what remains to be received here?
Kairos University: finishing this year of writing with focus and integrity.
LMC: discerning my place within a movement I’ve both loved and struggled with.
Vineyard connections: a former home and tribe—what might God be inviting me to rediscover?

Remembering Who I’ve Been

I also ask myself: What parts of who I am have I drifted from?

There’s something about the rough-around-the-edges, dumpster-diving, concert-traveling vagabond I miss. What might it look like to recover a bit of that grit and adventure again?

Gratitude, Not Just Hope

I’m deeply grateful to have read over 10,000 pages this past year on the Lord’s Prayer—a journey I share more about at jeffmclain.com. As that work moves toward completion, the question ahead is unsettling and straightforward: what now?

I’m also looking forward to beach trips, Phillies baseball, and the return of warmth. Winter is hard. These are anchors of anticipation for me. We get about 18 summers with our kids. They go fast. I want to steward them well.

And I’m grateful—deeply grateful—for weekly date nights with Katie. After more than 20 years together, nothing recharges me more. She’s still my favorite person.

Wisdom for the Year Ahead

The writer of Ecclesiastes offers a needed corrective for this season:

“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” (7:8)

Perhaps we need more gratitude and patience this year than lofty hope or spiritual boasting.

Later, we’re reminded:

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” (9:10)

And yet—not striving for more, but embracing faithful work, joy, and gratitude:

“I perceived that there is nothing better than to be joyful and to do good… to eat and drink and take pleasure in all one’s toil—this is God’s gift.” (3:12–13)

That’s the posture I want to carry into this year.