So you vow to stop. Or start. Or do better. You're going to change. You vow, you resolve, you promise yourself (and others). And you try. You really do. Maybe for a week. (Studies show that's about how long 30% of New Years resolutions last! Ha!) Or longer. But then you fail.

And when you fail, you feel lame. Bad, guilty.

So you vow again. You double vow. You're going to try harder. But then you fail again, even worse! And you feel worse.

Round and round we go with that -- vowing, trying, trying harder, failing, failing farther, feeling lame. Until we begin to give up. "Lame" turns into "shame." "What a loser. I'm so weak. Failure. Why can't I get this? Other people can ... what's wrong with me? I just can't ..."

Believe it or not, the Bible actually taps into this cycle in Romans 7.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing!

Can you relate? (You're thinking, "That's in the Bible?! Man, that's the story of my life!") Join us at TerraNova this weekend to discover how to get out of that vow/try/fail/lame cycle.

"The time has come! The kingdom of God is near," he would say. "Repent and believe the good news."

Jesus once actually used the phrase "among you." Like it's all around me. An alternative reality.

What will I believe to be true today? How will I think and see the world?

I want to live as if the most powerful, attentive, faithful being in the universe is my Father. That he is surrounding me like the air I breathe. Guiding me moment-by-moment into my best possible life. A life that brings healing to myself, my family and community, and to the world he loves.

(1) Look back, remember and learn.

(2) Look forward, change some stuff, start fresh.

And that's really what all the hubbub's about at New Year's. Well, that and football. Last year's 10 best of this or 10 worst of that (the looking back part), and this year's new goals, new hopes and dreams.

So as you look back on 2011, what did you learn? How did you grow? What did you see God do that you couldn't have done for yourself?

And as you look forward to 2012, what would you love to see happen? How would you like to grow?

I want to invite you to join us this January for a great new series: (RE)NEW. Check out the link to it here.

It's not your normal "Try harder! Double down! Resolve!" kinda' message that you'll hear plenty of in January (especially from your own inner voices). Instead, we're going to look at some really unbelieveable things God has to say about the life He really created for you to have, the life that Jesus died so that you could have, a life that He can give you and create in you. A life that's totally  ... NEW!

See you this weekend at TerraNova.

(1) Get something to beep, chime, vibrate, ring or otherwise interrupt you at least once every 60 minutes for the next 60 days. Stick post-it notes or reminders in places. Prompt your awareness to turn toward God.

(2) When you're interrupted:

• Acknowledge that God is right here and tell Him you want to be connected to him like a branch to the vine right now, in this moment, whatever you're doing.

• Turn whatever you're doing God-ward. Just talk to Him about whatever you're doing, whatever you're feeling. Ask Him to bless the person you're with right now ... whatever it is.

• Ask Him to lead you into the next moment. Is there anything He wants you to be doing, saying, learning; any person he wants you to maybe engage or help out.

• Listen, look around, and if something comes to you -- DO it! (I know, crazy, huh?) See what happens!

3) Tell us how it's going. We want to hear all about your 60-60 experience -- the good, the bad, the lame. Hit "Comment" right now and pass it on!

This year I had been planning a series for the fall on the Fruit of the Spirit. The passage from Galatians 5 that describes this "fruit" is such a foundational place to turn to reflect on the kind of people God wants to shape us to become. And as I read and meditated on that passage through the spring and summer I really kept landing on that simple phrase that starts the whole ball rolling: "Walk by (or even "in") the Spirit." This is where character and growth and ethics and transformation always begins for Paul. Do that, he says, and fruit happens.

And that's when we decided to bring the 60-60 Experiment back. To make this posture of "walking by the Spirit,"" staying connected to the vine," living in moment-by-moment connectedness and responsiveness to God the beginning point for our discussion of what God wants to do in our lives as that happens. So we hope you'll join us for this series, and especially join us for this experiment.

"Balance."

But what does that even mean?

Our lives are filled with responsibilities, obligations, expectations, demands, desires ... in dozens of different areas of life. Health, love, school, friends, work, home, money, family, God. And sometimes we think, "If I really had it together, all of these areas would be stellar. I'd have 6-pack abs, a great love life, energy and focus, good grades in school. My home would be together; I'd finally fix that cabinet door. My kids will be well-loved, well-guided, well-behaved. My golf handicap would be low. My spiritual life would be alive and meaningful. If I had my act together ... If I could finally get it all balanced."

And many of those desires and expectations are good. Some are even necessary. But often we get the feeling like we're not really fulfilling those responsibilities. Not meeting those expectations. In fact, we're scrambling to meet the most basic demands in each category of life ... and failing at all of them! It's like we're not doing anything well. But you know you're working hard because at the end of every day you're just exhausted.

Is balance even attainable? Or is it a pipe dream? Is there maybe a different way to be looking at this?

I hope you'll join us this September as we start this new 4-part teaching series on one of the most important issues in many of our lives.

The lines that are really grabbing me today are lines that set his physical circumstances and his inner reality side-by-side in contrast: "I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a cry and parched land where there is no water" (verse 1). "I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; and with singing lips my mouth will praise you."

David is saying that, in the midst of this desert experience, when everything in his life has fallen apart (again), God is enough. No ... MORE than enough. "God, with you -- because your love is better than life itself -- I am fully satisfied, like having just eaten this huge, gourmet, 4-course feast. God, you satisfy me more than anything else."

It makes me wonder ... is God enough? I mean, in the desert? When you're having a hard time paying your bills? When your son has betrayed you and run you out of town with an army? When your failures and mistakes come flying back in your face to remind you of how bad you blown it? David says, Yes. David found God in the desert, and it made all the difference.

The Book of Psalms in the scriptures is a collection of 150 prayers and songs of worship that span hundreds of years of Israel's history and experience. Many were written by David, the first "true" king (and arguably the
greatest) of Israel. A man who was passionate for God, but also just passionate, period. He lived life with gusto, and his Psalms reflect that.

Perhaps one of the things that makes the Psalms a great place to turn to get "schooled" in connecting with God is that they are so raw and so honest. Frankly, many of them are flat out disturbing. When the "Psalmist" (the one who's writing the Psalm) is just down in the dumps, disappointed with God, and wondering what's going on, he'll just SAY that (Psalm 27 or 61)! When he's surrounded by enemies, feeling beaten up, he'll cry out to God to break their teeth (Psalm 3) or worse (Psalm 109)! When he's feeling grateful, he let's his praises pour out unreservedly (Psalm 65 or 95). When he feels like God is distant, he writes as though his whole body is about to waste away unless God shows up (Psalm 63).

Some of the Psalms begin with brief descriptions of the historical circumstances that led to them being written (Psalm 3 and Psalm 51). Many were written to be sung as "pilgrims" were traveling up to the city of Jerusalem for great festivals or to worship at the temple. These are called "Psalms of Ascent" (since the city of Jerusalem sits at the top of a hill called Zion, traveling into the city always required "ascending"). As you read these Psalms, you can almost taste the anticipation of being at the temple and worshiping God (Psalm 121 and 127). Other Psalms were written to teach through song (Psalm 1 or 78 -- a great Psalm which begins with the passion to pass on the life of faith to the next generation, and, like many others, tells part of the story of God's people). Some of the Psalms are extremely brief (Psalm 100 or 150). Others are very long (Psalm 119 is the longest "chapter" in the Bible).

Jump into this rich book with us this summer. Go to the "current series" page and download one of the two reading plans and read through the book with us. Join one of our LIFEgroups that are discussing the Psalms. And by all means, join us at our weekend gatherings as we unpack the story and context of a few of these Psalms and apply them to our lives.

I've got a wedding I'm performing this afternoon. And we've got Saturday night services tonight. We're in week 3 of "Staying In Love," and I'm excited about it. My daughter has her Senior Prom tonight. And my younger two kids are playing in a piano recital this afternoon. Lots of life happening today.

And so I'm working on things today and I began to think about this pastor and his community -- people who truly believe that today is the day that Christ returns -- and I found myself wondering: I wonder what he's doing today? I mean, how do you walk through a day that you're absolutely convinced will be your last? How do you relate and work and eat and laugh and pray when you're certain that you'll be face-to-face with Jesus himself any minute?

And here's the clincher for me -- there's a degree to which we're to live EVERY day like that!

The way that Jesus talked about his return, the way that the first Christians seemed to think about it -- it's like it could happen any minute! Even today, May 21! Or maybe tomorrow ... And so they lived with a kind of urgency and expectation that fueled their spiritual passion (and they changed the world because of it!). And yet, at the same time, the were attuned to the possibility that Christ would not return in their lifetimes. So they prepared for both. They lived with a kind of tension -- it could be today, it could be tomorrow ... or our children's children might live to a ripe old age. So we'd better build for the long haul, and yet live with an eager expectation.

I must admit, I have a hard time swallowing the local preacher's prediction. So I've prepared to speak tonight and tomorrow (hope you'll be there too!), and I'm ready for the wedding, and I'm looking forward to hearing stories from my oldest daughter's prom and my younger two's recital. But ... what if Jesus DID return today?! What if this IS it?! Honestly, I want to live this day with that in my mind -- fully prepared to embrace my Savior and Lord in just a few minutes. Your thoughts?