I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback on our current message series, ‘Friends on Facebook.’   If you don’t attend True North, we’ve been talking about how our online interactions and behaviors are changing how we think and act in real life.

The NY Times has been publishing some great stuff on this topic lately.  Here’s another article REALLY worth reading if you suspect your internet activity might be compulsive.

How are you doing with this?  Are you justifying the amount of time you spend online?  Are you telling yourself (and others) things like “I can quit any time.” ?

Read on.    And leave a comment with your thoughts on all this.

Read More…

A link to the following article was sent to me by my man Joe Vaughan, who said it reminded me of a sermon I once preached. A message on the biblical mandate to rest for one day a week. To unplug and disconnect and find stillness.

Never has that need been more pronounced. If you understand nothing else about your time on the internet – you MUST internalize the following concept: The time you spend online does not pour things into you – it takes something out of you. Unchecked, internet activity can and will leave you emotionally and spiritually bankrupt.

And yes, I do realize that I’m publishing this on the internet.

This past Sunday at True North, we began a series of messages entitled “Friends on Facebook,” and we spent some time talking about how many of us have grown to mistake digital, surface level communication for actual connection. I felt like this article was particularly relevant in light of that material. Hope you enjoy it.

Bert

  Read More…

A few thoughts that I didn’t get to flesh out in this week’s message…

I’ve never been much for New Years’ Resolutions. I used to make a few each year and for a significant portion of my life, was undeterred by the fact that I usually violated my resolutions within 48 hours of making them.

It didn’t matter. I’d just tell myself I’d do better next time and wait another 363 days.

Obviously, New Years Day is not the only good day to make resolutions. Birthdays, anniversaries or really any old time you feel like making some changes works just fine. But there’s something about New Years Day that draws us in. It’s kinda like the start of the school year, but for grownups.

Read More…

As far as I can tell, houses fall into three categories when it comes to Christmas lights:

1 – Just enough to get by. These people know that it’s not cool to do NOTHING, so they slap up the basic minimum requirement for saying that they have some Christmas lights.

2 – Keeping up with the Joneses. These people watch their neighbors carefully and make sure that what they put up for the most part matches or keeps in step with what other people on their blocks are doing.

3 – Completely Psychotic. These lineal descendants of Clark W. Griswold have fallen over the edge into the abyss of insanity. Propriety and good taste are out the window. They are hated by their neighbors, subsidized by LIPA and gawked at by passers-by.

There are several houses like this in my hood. One or two of them have a donation box out front with proceeds going to a worthy charity. But I suspect something else is afoot. Good causes notwithstanding, I think these people just enjoy the sheer insanity of it. The reckless abandon; the absolute undiluted over-the-top-ness of it all.

We all spend time and effort decorating the outside. Both of our houses and of our lives. Some people go absolutely crazy working out, or picking out clothing or in other ways creating the identity which the world sees as “them.” But an intact exterior identity is no more a sign of a healthy life than a million bulb Christmas light array is a sign of a healthy family. The exterior appearance does not speak truth about the interior conditions.

Somebody said something once about a book and it’s cover. Seems to make sense.

How about you? How are things on the inside? I know you’re looking good on the outside. Got yourself all put together, Christmas lights all in place. Heck, I bet you even have a tan in December. But remember peoples, especially at Christmas time, remember – it’s what’s going on inside that counts.

It’s my sincere hope for each of you that as the year winds down you’ll take a little time to be still and listen for what God may want to whisper to you. I’m praying that each of you will find 2012 to be a year when you grow closer to God and grow more in his likeness. Both inside and out.

Merry Christmas.

Bert