Yeah, I know it sounds like something from a fortune cookie, but it’s the truth: if you fail to plan then you plan to fail.

Every year millions of people make New Years’ Resolutions based on feelings of guilt over what they’ve failed to do in the year that’s passing, or feelings of optimism about what could be in the year to come. So far, so good except that feelings don’t always equate to actions. In fact, the power of those emotions has a way of waning pretty quickly one the Christmas lights come down.

This is why regular attenders at the gym absolutely HATE the month of January. For about two weeks, membership skyrockets and the place is packed with all the people like me who pretty much ate whatever they wanted for the 5 week period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But by the end of January, things are pretty much back to normal again.

Why do so many people fail with what they intend? There are many reasons, but a big one is a failure to plan. In the case of our would-be gym enthusiasts, failure to plan to go to bed earlier the night before so as not to be too tired to get up early to work out. Failure to plan to have work clothes ready to change into so as not to show up to work smelling like gym socks and Old Spice. Failure, mostly, to think through the specifics of what it will take to add a workout regimen to an already packed life.

Weight loss and physical fitness seem to encompass most of what people resolve to do in any new year. Quitting smoking or another bad habit is another popular resolution. But does anyone ever resolve to get out of debt or to handle their money better? Usually not. And the reason? Because people think the only way to get out of debt or handle their money better is simply to get more of it.

Sadly, this usually just makes the problem worse. There isn’t a person reading this who doesn’t like to find a $20 in their pocket from last year, or get a raise at work. But what we need isn’t more cash. What we need is to learn how to live different.

This Winter, you’re going to be given that opportunity at True North. Not just the wishful thinking of a fat guy who visits the gym twice and then quits, but a real, practical plan to help you succeed with your money.

Team, this is no joke. This program changed my life and it changed my marriage. Classes will take place on weeknights and will begin at the end of January. Learn more here. Plan now to Live Different in 2013. You won’t regret it.

Click here for more info.

Peoples,

As you may know, our church just wrapped up a message series called “Troogle.” We opened up an email address and told people to fire off their questions, google style, and that we’d be answering those questions from the stage during this series.

This past Sunday, Pastor Matt and I concluded the series by blasting rapid-fire style through 10-15 of the questions that we wanted to answer, but couldn’t give an entire Sunday to.

One of those questions was: “Is it ok to listen to secular music on Sundays?”

My response to this question was (and still is) that I reject the secular/Christian dichotomy when it comes to music. When a musician plans an A-minor chord, there is no such thing as a “Christian” A-minor chord or a secular one. A chord is a chord, and rhythm is rhythm, and music is music. I believe that all good art honors God.

And I certainly don’t believe that whether or not a song or artist honors God is decided by whether they’re on a “Christian” record label. Those labels are all owned by large companies like Sony and Warner Brothers anyway. But I digress.

I stand by everything I said on Sunday, but there is something else which I omitted in my haste. Someone called me out on it, and I thought it was worth correcting here.

The thing you need to pay attention to is the lyrical content. Someone who knows me well would automatically know that I wouldn’t be endorsing songs whose lyrics were blatantly dishonoring to God. But a new person wouldn’t have any basis on which to infer that, and so it was indeed a significant biff to not spell it out.

Take, for example a song called ‘Tik Tok’ by Ke$ha. I am prepared to dismiss this artist solely on the presence of a dollar sign in her name. But if that weren’t enough, the first verse of the aforementioned song goes like this:

“Wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy
Grab my glasses, I’m out the door, I’m gonna hit this city
Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack
‘Cause when I leave for the night, I ain’t coming back”

My nine year old daughter came home from dance class last year with the news that this was going to be the song they danced to at their recital. Thankfully, Jen and I were not the only parents who took issue with this and the song was changed.

I don’t care how creatively a song is put together, how skilled the musicianship or how dynamic the production. If the content of the song is filthy, it cannot honor God. “Garbage in, garbage out” still applies.

Use wisdom and be discerning with what you dwell on. But don’t rely on someone else’s labels to tell you what honors God and what doesn’t.

Hope that clears up my position a bit. Thanks for reading!!

Bert

This past Sunday at True North, we wrapped up a seven week message series called ‘Heist.’ It sometimes feels like whatever message series I’m currently working on is my favorite, but I really had a great time with this one.

Our Production Team did an amazing job with the music, the stage, the lobby, the lighting, the bulletins and just creating an immersive vibe. Walking onto the stage to speak on Sundays, it really felt like I had a talented team of people behind me who had set me up to succeed. I’m really grateful.

And in case you missed it, our Service Programming Director, Dan Burd, got written up on a church stage design website for his work on the set. Check it out here!

Several people asked me where I got the source material for this series. Like most of our historically based message series’ this one was put together from a wide array of sources. Below is an incomplete gallery of the books and films that helped bring this message series to life.

And in case this material piqued your curiosity, keep your eyes out for two films due out in the next year based on stories highlighted in the Heist series. Skyjack – based on the story of D.B. Cooper and The Electric Slide – the story of Eddie Dodson.

Thanks so much to our team and to our church for your encouragement and enthusiasm. Join us this Sunday for the start of the TROOGLE series!

Bert

This week I headed up to PA for our church’s Mens’ Retreat. And as per my usual habit, I headed up a day early to grab a little solo time before the rest of the guys show up.

This little mini-retreat is something I’ve really come to treasure, but this year taking this extra time away meant that I needed to be on the road instead of in front of a TV for Game 3 of the Yankees-Orioles playoff series. Normally while taking a long trip I’d choose between total silence, some teaching on CD or a couple of hours of shuffle mode on my ipod. Rarely does my radio get much attention from me, and I absolutely never listen to sports.

Last night was an exception. I scrolled through the stations looking for a broadcast and quickly came across our local ESPN Radio affiliate.

I was amazed. I mean, really amazed at how engaging the broadcast was. Listening to the live description of the game over the noise of the crowd, my brain was visualizing every play. This is going to sound crazy, but I actually found it more entertaining than watching the game on TV.

I know that there are many who think baseball is boring no matter how its served up. I get it. I disagree, but I get it. And there are times when I’ve noticed that while watching a game on my TV at home, I sometimes absentmindedly reach for my iPad and start surfing the web or reading something.

Not so while listening on the radio. Yes, I was driving. Yes, that would have made it significantly less convenient to play with my iPad. But that’s besides the point. The point is that given LESS information, my brain was actually more engaged.

It reminded me of how movies and TV have their place. And it’s a good place. But when overused, they only serve to make one lazy. The experience of listening to the game and using my brain to recreate what was happening – made me think for a minute about how sometimes the low-tech approach is mo’ better.

How about you? Ever found an old school 16-bit video game more engaging than the immersive 3-D adventures people are playing these days? You doing anything to keep your brain properly stimulated?

Hollaback.

Bert