It's a few weeks into the new year. Have you already slipped up on your resolutions?

As fast as we make 'em, we just as quickly forget 'em. We vow to exercise regularly, quit smoking, improve relationships with family or co-workers. You know the routine.

Truth be told, the resolutions we commit to every year are more like a greedy kid's Christmas list: more wishful thinking than realized dreams.

Ever stop to think about making spiritual resolutions? How do the beliefs we profess - the faith we claim to uphold - affect our lives?

Many of us, I suspect, don't put a lot of thought into nurturing our spiritual nature. There's data, however, to suggest that more and more of us probably need a spiritual shot in the arm.

Each year, the Barna Group conducts research and provides an annual overview of the nation's spiritual health. Its end-of-the-year summary for 2004, based on more than 10,000 interviews, offers both discouraging news and hopeful insights into people's faith and spirituality, particularly among those who are Christians.

You can view the "encouraging outcomes, the most surprising findings, the most disappointing revelations, and the most significant challenges" at www.barna.org.

Here is some of what Barna reports:

"Faith has had a limited effect on people's behavior, whether related to moral convictions and practices, relational activities, lifestyle choices or economic practices."

"Most adults admit that children do not get adequate spiritual and moral preparation in life, yet there is no aggressive or strategic effort being made to alter that unfortunate circumstance."

"Half of all adults are so satisfied with their spiritual life that there is nothing at all they wish to change or improve in the future. Another one-quarter listed changes that were quite general or not personally challenging."

"The number of unchurched adults in the United States has doubled since 1991. That growth has been especially pronounced among men, people under 40, singles, and people living in coastal states."

Not all the report is gloomy. There are positive signs:

An estimated 22 million adults have been added to the numbers of churched people in the United States during the past decade.

Almost two-thirds of American adults continue to give "significant amounts" of money to churches and other houses of worship.

The western part of the United States, where there's said to be less spiritual activity or interest, has experienced the greatest increase in the past decade in Bible reading, church attendance and small group participation.

Read into these observations what you want. The fact is, each of us has to decide whether spiritual renewal will be a priority in our lives. (To avoid making a decision is to decide.)

That's why I'm urging you to join me in vowing to make some positive changes this year in how we nurture our spiritual lives - before this new year gets away from us.

Let's start by asking: How will faith make a difference in my life this year? What specific plans could I make to enhance or renew my faith?

Maybe it's rising a little earlier each morning for meditation and prayer or donating some time to help a charity.

Perhaps you have a suggestion to pass on to others: a book to recommend or a retreat you attended that helped rejuvenate your spirit. It can be a simple activity or an ongoing spiritual practice.

Let me know what you plan to commit to and what has been helpful to you by writing me: Tom Schaefer, c/o Knight Ridder Newspapers, P.O. Box 820, Wichita, KS 67201; or by e-mailing me: tschaefer(AT)wichitaeagle.com.

If you're willing, include your name and hometown, though it's not necessary. I'll share some of what you found to be helpful in an upcoming column.

Commitment to spiritual growth often needs a jump-start, followed by a disciplined way to consecrate our days to something greater than ourselves.

Let's resolve today to make this a new year of personal renewal. It is one resolution that can make all the difference in our lives and in the lives of those we interact with every day.

Tom Schaefer writes about religion and ethics for the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle. Write to him at the Wichita Eagle, P.O. Box 820, Wichita, KS 67201, or send e-mail to tschaeferwichitaeagle.com