So here’s the thing…new year’s resolutions don’t usually work. They’re generally nebulous, often unrealistic, and most of us make way too many of them for our own good. Despite this, I think change is good, and we should all want to be better people. Why shouldn’t we set goals to motivate ourselves? To avoid the usual disappointment/guilt/frustration that comes with resolutions, though, I’m going for something a little more fine-tuned this year: habits. Why? Habits are specific and long-lasting lifestyle changes that provide more long-term benefit than one-time resolutions. Losing 15 more pounds is a resolution I could make, and it would be good one. Even if I accomplished it, however, what’s that giving me long-term? Not that much really. What if instead I said, “I am going exercise 15 minutes, 3 days a week, after lunch?” That would be a habit. And would be something that would allow me accomplish my goal, and then would carry me beyond that goal to an overall healthier life. So without further ado, here are my 6 habits I’d like to develop in 2010:

1. Weekly Scripture memorization. It’s time I started taking hiding God’s word in my heart more seriously, I think. I’ll be doing one to two verses per week (trying to keep everything attainable and manageable) from the Navigators’ Topical Memory System. My plan is to review my verses daily by placing them on my computer screen, bathroom mirror, etc.

2. Regular work on my aural Skills. Ear training has always been a frustration to me. No doubt, I’m better at it than I used to be, but my skills aren’t at the level that I’d really like them to be at, and as a musician I know there’s only one path to perfection: practice. I’ve got to commit to making this practice part of my life routine. I’ll be using MusicTheory.net, my own collections of CD ear-training courses, and other computer-based tools. I’ll be spending at least 15 minutes on this 5 days per week, trying to get it done right after breakfast–making it one the very first things I do each each day.

3. Once weekly journaling. Journaling is important to me, but I rarely make time for it. I’ve never regretted it when I have carved out the space in my schedule, though, and I really want to preserve the new memories I’ll be creating with my wife and son once the little guy is born. Besides, it takes a surprisingly little amount of time once you liberate yourself from having to write complete sentences. I’ll be doing this each Friday…either in the morning or in the evening.

4. Run 3 times per week. Although I used to hate it, running really is the perfect exercise for me: I can do it anywhere, alone or with Amber, indoors or outdoors, with a minimal amount of equipment or preparation–I even enjoy it now! I’ve really let my running/jogging habit slide, though, and it’s time to take it up a notch. I don’t care what days, but I will be running for at least 15 minutes three times a week in 2010. Of course, I want to do it even more than that, but once again, I’m trying to keep thing relatively easy to accomplish, so I don’t just give up when the going gets really tough right at the beginning.

5. Get up at 6:30 a.m. each day. I’ve been working on becoming an early riser, and even though I think I do pretty good (I’m up before 8 practically every morning now…) I’m far from where I want to be. It begins tomorrow, even though I’ll be up ’till midnight tonight to usher in the new year.

6. Get rid of one physical possession per week.. This is going to be difficult, but at this point I’m pretty committed to a much more minimal life when it comes to physical possessions. Briefly, here’s why: I don’t want to take care of bunch of stuff I don’t use, I’d rather not have to move a bunch of stuff that I don’t use when the time comes, and I want make sure I’m using what I own…I don’t want to be wasting stuff that other people could be using. So. Here’s what I’m thinking…One item per week, until I only own items that I use at least once per week, with the following exceptions: Seasonal clothes (winter coat, etc), seasonal items (the Christmas tree, lights), library items (books, dvds, music), art (sculptures from Africa, etc). I’ll blog about it so you guys can tell me if I’m being stupid or chickening out. I suspect it’ll force me to start using stuff I really want to keep (like my recording rig!!).

And that’s that. 6 New Habits for 2010. Are you developing new habits to inaugurate the new decade?

Photo Courtesy http://www.flickr.com/photos/stage88/ / CC BY 2.0

This book is getting old now, but I just read it for the first time. I’m glad I waited, so I could separate it a bit from the hype that surrounded it on its first release. I found it to be a remarkably easy to read, beautifully written collection of essays on what Christianity is all about. Miller has a way of disarming you with his gentleness and wit, and then stabbing you with the cold, hard truth when you recognize yourself in his portraits of those that have missed the real and simple message of Jesus regarding sin, grace, and redemption. I  alternately laughed (like, out loud) and became very serious.

So much of this book is worth reading and re-reading…and I can’t even begin to talk about all of it here. The part that hit me like a freight train was the section on how we talk about love, beginning on page 218 in the paperback edition. Miller notes the economic language with which we discuss our human relationships: we invest in people, our relationships can become bankrupt, and people are priceless. He says,

“The problem with Christian culture is we think of love as a commodity. We use it like money….This was the thing that had smelled so rotten all these years. I used love like money. The church used love like money. With love, we withheld affirmation from the people who did not agree with us, but we lavishly financed the ones who did.”

As he explained how this is played out on both the church and personal level, I felt my heart sink. This was me. For the past 2, 3, 4 years, I’ve withdrawn from many human relationships–with Christians and non-Christians, family members and friends–because I didn’t think it was worth the effort. I didn’t think it worth the effort because I believed no one would really put in the same kind of work in the relationship as I would…and if they’re not going to be equally as “invested” in the relationship, why even have one?

As I pondered this part of the book out loud with my wife after reading, I had to struggle to keep my emotions in check as the full weight of my own selfishness hit me. Even if my grossly unfair assumptions about other people were true, this is no reason to withhold Christ’s love and grace and commitment to them. After all, it’s not my love to withhold. Any love I can give comes by grace through Christ anyway. The more I thought about it, the more I found this mindset of love and commitment as a trade good to be deeply ingrained in my worldview. I am honestly ashamed, because I can look back now and see why many of my relationships have failed, how I could have been a better husband, and the impact it had on all sorts of personal ministry. To make matters worse, all I had to do was take my cue from the clear example of our Savior, who loves us so much–despite anything we have done–that he died for us, so that we would be redeemed and have life.  I believe this is the kind of unconditional love I should be sharing with all people.

I’m uncertain as to the specifics of what this means going forward–all this happened about 9 a.m. this morning. I know I need to stop withholding friendship and commitment based on a perceived level of reciprocity, and I really need to mediate anew on Ephesians 5, which begins this way:

“…walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God...”