Why Feb 1st is when you should make your New Year's resolutions

Many people fall into either one of three categories when it comes to New Year's resolutions. 

There are those who year after year enthusiastically commit to various audacious goals only to experience failure a few months in. The meant well, but it just didn't come together. "Well, if the Cubs can try again next year so can I" is the annual attitude.

There are also those refuse to set resolutions. "No one ever sticks with those. Who wants to feel like a failure?"

And then, similar to the existence of Big Foot, there supposedly is a group of people out there who indeed do keep resolutions. I always wondered if such people were successful because they set goals like, "I'm going to make sure to breath every day this year." But if the resolutions are actually more challenging then this, then I need to meet the Sasquatch so I can ask him what the secret to success is.

To set goals is a good and necessary endeavor, a discipline of the successful and prudent. I'd like to offer the suggestion that maybe the reason some fail at keeping resolutions is tied to when they are made: New Year's Eve. 

What a Christian needs to know as President Obama begins 4 more years

Last night our political process played out and by a electoral vote of 303-206 and a popular vote currently at 59,584,661 to 56,959,312 Barack Obama will retain his title of Commander in Chief for four more years.

But you already knew that.

 

I've yet to see the concession and victory speeches, having gone to bed early last night. I'll be honest, I really hope Obama put his arms out and dropped the mic at the end of his. Regardless, skimming through the Facebook news feed this morning I've seen everything from ecstatic praise for the victory to people apparently having a little ancient Mayan in their blood based on their cries of the end coming around the corner.

So what is a person who loves and follows Jesus supposed to do? 

Why 9/12 is as important as 9/11

Yesterday was a post about 9/11. 

But today is September 12th. 

Everyone goes back to the grind, back to the busyness and hectic pace. There will possibly be a few mentions of 9/11 throughout the day:

"Did you see any of the memorials on TV?"

"Did your church do anything special?"

 

Conversation will be sincere, but probably brief. But it's 9/12. We've moved on. 

I'm going to be on Moody radio this Monday

This Monday I'm going to be on Moody Radio participating in the program Midday connection. I'm joining my friend and colleague Christopher Yuan in a conversation about the church and homosexuality. 

Here is the program description for Monday from the program's website: 

Living in a fallen world means we encounter issues we are sometimes uncomfortable with. Homosexuality is one such issue, and on this Midday Connection, Moody Bible Institute professors Christopher Yuan and Bobby Moss join us for a discussion on how to interact with those who are living a homosexual lifestyle and those who struggle with same sex. It’s about homosexuality on this Midday Connection.

Should be interesting.  =)

The program is at noon on 90.1 FM. For more information CLICK HERE.

50 Days of Prayer

We've been doing strategic planning at New Life Lincoln Park this summer and one of the things that has become apparent is that we want to become a church that highly values prayer. We don't want to be people who pray just because it's one of the Jesus things to do. We want to be people who have prayer as part of our core DNA. We are not going to be a church that does a bunch of stuff and then asks God to give it an OK. We are going to seek Him, follow Him, and join Him in what He is doing!

The only way to become a people like that is to develop a daily habit, a daily discipline of prayer. In light of this, today at church we kicked off "50 Days of Prayer"

My Chevy Cavalier: February 1998 - July 2012

The first and sole car I've ever purchased and it only had 11 miles on it when I pulled out of the dealer's lot. That was in February of 1998. This past Sunday we put my beloved Cavalier to pasture.

Last summer I ran into a friend that I hadn't seen in quite awhile and he laughed when he saw the Cav, "You're still driving that thing?!?" Laughing along with him, "I haven't had a car payment in years and it gets me where I'm going with good gas mileage. Why get something else?"

I'm not a "car guy." In my worldview they are just a means to get from Point-A to Point-B, so I've never really cared about them or been overly impressed by any. Yet 190,000+ miles later I have a ton of great memories with this car. Youth group rides, family stuff, late night drives up and down Lakeshore blasting the Pumpkins, and road trips to Indy, St Louis, Florida, Cleveland, Bair Lake Bible Camp (countless times) and a ton of other places from over the last 12 years. My favorite memory is definitely when Jeannette and I drove to South Dakota to see the Badlands and Mt Rushmore.

But on Sunday it was laid to rest. It's in Indiana now at my dad's to be used for parts. The AC doesn't work, the parking brake is shot, the drivers seat doesn't stay up on it's own, the trunk won't open, the cigarette lighter is broke (hence no phone charging option), the headlights only stay on if you keep the control bar on the steering shaft pulled back slightly and even then the front left headlight was out, oh...and this is all separate from the fact the car was actually declared totaled after someone pulled out and hit me back in November. I'll be curious to see what parts dad is able to pull off it.  =)

A few weeks ago Baylee was getting into the car with me and said, "Daddy, your car is nasty." 

"Yes baby, yes it is. It's old and beat up, but it's done us good. Lots of good trips in this car."

"Well why don't you get a new car and we can take that on a trip?"

Pretty soon. Pretty soon. 

Anyone have a good story about my car to share in the comments?

Stop comparing grass colors

Stop looking at other yards!!!

If yours needs weeding, then take care of it!

If yours needs mowing, then take care of it!

If yours needs watering, then take care of it! 

But the energy you spend comparing grass colors is a waste. There's as many weeds and dog piles and beetles in the other place as where you're standing now. You just can't see them from afar. 

Your marriage. Your friendships. Your church. 

Stop comparing yards! Take ownership of where you're at and make it amazing!

Take off your socks and shoes and squish your toes in the grass under your feet.

Stop checking out the neighbor's yard and dance where you're at.

Did you fall for yesterday's Back to the Future scam?

Oh Back To The Future.

You are up there with Ferris, the Breakfast Club and Ghostbusters as movies that inspired my generation's mindset (probably explains a lot about my weirdness). You also inspired us to skateboard more than Tony Hawk ever could and to play guitar before we ever heard of Guitar Hero. And though hardly any of us had ever seen or heard of a DeLorean before you (just admit it), nothing can take your place in our minds when that word is by chance uttered.

So yesterday was a big day.

It started slow but then grew like wildfire on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Yesterday was the day that Doc set the time machine to in Back to the Future II:

Obviously anyone who grew up with these movies would get instantly excited and then share the big news. I did. It was like an instant reaction: BOOM! RETWEET! RESHARE! REPIN!

Thing is...it was a scam.

Don't quit too soon

Seth Godin wrote the following on his blog today.

"I don't even know what I'm afraid of"

This is the fear that kills brands and b2b sales and individual creativity. It's the fear without a name, without a face, without false facts that can be shot down or arguments that can be reasoned with.

This is the amygdala firing, the lizard brain being triggered without rational explanation.

When we are wrestling against the elusive and resilient fear with no name, often the only choice is to live with it, to care enough about forward motion and practical progress that we can come embrace the inner trembling that won't give up.

In market after market paralyzed with fear, this trembling might be the very best sign that you're on to something.

He is speaking about business, but the truth flows into faith and relationships as well.

Life gets shaky at time. Life can bring a ton of uncertainty. Life can be downright scarey. Throw in a side of loneliness or hurt or letdown and things can move from uncertainty to overwhelming in the blink of an eye. 

Living in the red white and blue doesn't like this. We don't like uncertainty nor imbalance and certainly hate the feeling that we have no control. So whenever we find ourselves wrestling with the "elusive and resilient fear with no name" we would rather step away than step up. We'd rather go after balance and wholeness somewhere else than risk facing the unknown outcome of where we are.

So where does faith come in then?

Maybe that shaky, uncertain, scary, lonely, confusing, fearful spot is the most amazing, holy, beautiful, incredibly spot you could be in. 

Maybe you look around with, "God, why do you have me in this impossible situation? 

And maybe God looks around with, "Why not? It's perfect! You get to trust me and I get to show off!"

Easy doesn't produce faith. 

Easy doesn't produce anything.

Imagine what you're on the verge of!

Whether marriage, family, friendship, or church: Avoid backwards. Move forward. Don't give up. Keep on.

Don't quit too soon.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 10:39-11:1

If it didn't...

If it didn't take hard work it wouldn't be worth building

If it didn't stretch you it would be a complete waste of energy

If it didn't make you feel like giving up at times it wouldn't be worth persevering for

If it didn't feel difficult it wouldn't be worth it

 

Ignore easy.

Keep going.

5 Ways To Keep Moving Forward When You Hit A Wall

Before starting to work on my own post for today I checked my email and found the below post from Michael Hyatt's blog. I normally don't just rehash other people's stuff on here but this was too good to not share. Highly recommend you reading this today:

Some of the best reminders about God - Pt 1

Sometimes the best place to be reminded that God is all knowing is in the midst of a situation where you have no idea what is going on. 

Maybe the best time to be reminded that God is in complete control is in the midst of an hour where you have no idea what to do.

The trick is to to not allow your situation to define who God is, but to allow what is true about God to help you define your situation.

Some apostates have come about because they gave the power of definition to their situation and in turn the character and heart of God became misinterpreted and misrepresented. 

Passing on the Star Wars legacy & being a good dad

Yesterday was the unofficial Star Wars day: May the 4th be with you. I wasn't going to get home till late from a work trip, but Jeannette and I talked on the phone earlier in the day and decided it was time for the kids to experience the movies. Being my kids they've obviously heard of them and know who some of the characters are, but they hadn't seen them yet. 

Both got incredibly excited when Jeannette explained what the day was and that we were going to watch the movies when I got home. Evidence of their excitement came in this text that I got from Jeannette during the day:

Two words you can say that will give someone an instant spirit boost

A couple weeks ago I did a message at church that I felt really didn't go over that well. It wasn't my worst ever, but it wasn't as I had hoped. The collateral damage wasn't a huge dark cloud, but there was a mixture of frustration and questioning of self. My sense of perfectionism can be rather brutal at times.

After service a guy from our church asked me if I could send him the notes from a message I'd done a few weeks prior. Out of my mouth came, "Sure, no problem." In my head was, "Obviously not wanting today's stuff." Despite my pity party I emailed the notes later that afternoon. 

In the morning my inbox had a simple message from him saying thanks for the notes. But he also had this post script: 

The pain of miscarriage and the goodness of God

Devastating. 

When talking of miscarriage, I'm not sure if there is a better word that can be used to describe what you're going through. Every person I've ever met who has gone through the experience uses this word when telling their story. 

Good.

When talking of God, this is one of many words we can use when describing Him.  Goodness is part of His defining character. It's who He is...all the time.

How these two words can come together in one story is hard to fathom. Yet, I'm incredibly thankful for my friends Tiffany & Daniel Schaaff. Last week Tiffany shared their story on her blog and beautifully brought these two words together. 

I'd really encourage you to take a minute and read her entry: God is Good...So Good!

Top and favorite posts from 2011

Last year I posted 122x's in this blog, or a third of the year. Looking back over the 2011 entries, I've compiled a list of the top posts. Some of these are on the list because they were visited a huge number of times, some are on the list for the simple fact they were my favorites:

• Bono, the blind man, and the second commandment
  
• Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt's search for the myth
• Everyone Mad Libs
• Critiquing Criticism: a lesson from the Smurf movie
• My two year old and G.K. Chesterton
• "Daddy, can I listen to Justin Bieber?"
• Remember Snowmaggedon?
• "I want to be holded"
• No Slutty Halloweens
• Thank you Steve Jobs for being brilliant
• Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by?
• My answer to "What apps should I download?"

My goal is to blog more in 2012, at least 4-5 times a week. Why? Because this is a huge help to me. This morning I reread this old post from when I first started really getting into doing this:

T-shirt I bought around the time I started blogging.
It's a good reminder of perspective. =)

I had a conversation with a friend last night about blogging - the main point being, "Why do it?" The repeated phrase that we shared was, "processing life." Hence, the renaming of this blog. As I read books, watch movies, experience things with my family and friends, or whatever - I'm going to try and process it here as much as I can, should.
 

Most people I've met who blog fall into one of three categories
1. They think the entire world reads their blog.
2. They think no one reads their blog.
3. Starting out within either #1 or #2 they quickly forget that they have a blog.

I know those are huge exaggerations. Just the same, my goal is to avoid #'s 1 and 3 and just write as if #2 is true.

If someone decides to check back here periodically to read what I write...well, it's your internet bill.

But if you do decide to check back here, I hope it is an encouragement to you. 

Give me some feedback on things. What things that I write about do you enjoy most or are most helpful to you?

If you want to keep up to date with my blog, the easiest thing to do it click above on "Get emailed when I update"

Thanks!  

A New Year's Benediction

This is a New Year's benediction that Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite authors, gave a couple years ago at an event:

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art – write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. May your coming year be a wonderful thing in which you dream both dangerously and outrageously.

I hope you will make something that didn’t exist before you made it, that you will be loved and you will be liked and you will have people to love and to like in return. And most importantly, because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now – I hope that you will, when you need to, be wise and that you will always be kind. And I hope that somewhere in the next year you surprise yourself. 

May we draw closer to Jesus this year, and beg him to fulfill that prayer.

New Year's posts from last couple days:

• Week in Review #16-26 and/or Year in Review
• How to not fail at a New Year's Resolution

 

How to not fail at a New Year's Resolution

There is no middle ground when it comes to New Year's resolutions. You either make them or you hate them. There are probably different reasons for the dislike, but it seems the apathy comes from a feeling that resolutions are never accomplished. Why make them if you are just going to fail.

This is a completely legitimate feeling, but I don't think this assessment should mean throwing out the concept. New Year's resolutions are just goals, and we all need to make them. 

New Year resolutions allow you to reflect back and in turn plan and dream ahead. 

The reason most people fail at New Year's resolution is because from the get go they set themselves up for failure. "I'm going to exercise in the morning for two hours every day!" Hardly anyone does that. And if you have rarely exercised in 2011 then you are going to fail at that resolution in 2012. You have to set yourself up for success. 

Here are some suggestions on making good resolutions that you can succeed at but that will also stretch and challenge you:

Sometimes all you need is an empty box

So apparently a ton of money was spent for Christmas gifts this year (duh). Here's one example:

"According to a news release issued Sunday by comScore, U.S. consumers spent nearly $6 billion during "Cyber Week" which kicked off with "Cyber Monday" on Nov. 28 and ended on Dec. 2."*

6 billion dollars spent...in 1 week! I know there's a bunch of toys in my condo right now that contributed to that amount, plus some clothes and a few gadgets. Many of them haven't even been opened yet. 

Jeannette and I were out of town during the above mentioned huge spending week. My mother-in-law came to our place to watch Baylee and Jaxon. For her time with the kids she didn't contribute anything to the $6 billion.  She just brought a big box. 

Christmas Break - take one

Take a break this week.

Take a day off. Don't work.
If you can't do that, then take a night after work and do no projects.

See a movie.
Look at Christmas lights before they're gone.
Go out to eat.
Watch TV.
Play a game.
Read a book.

Laugh.
Talk.
Chill.
Rest.

You need it.

Yes...you do.