Plan to Move | Thrive This Winter Week 3

No matter where you are right now, all of us want something better in the future. To get there, we’re going to have to plan…AND move. Join us today as Brian talks about planning for the future God wants for us, and then acting on it.

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    The best way to watch Crossroads Church
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    is on your smart TV,
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    because that's where your family hangs out
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    and plus taking a break from your phone
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    and tablet feels good.
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    Download the Crossroads TV app on your smart TV
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    and your TV becomes your church,
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    your community,
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    your new rhythm,
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    your "I finally went to church this week."
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    Set a time to experience church on your TV.
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    Download the Crossroads TV app.
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    It'll give you the boost
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    you and your family need for your week.
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    Winter's coming [birds chirping] cold, long, dark,
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    and it's going to be amazing!
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    Get yourself a shot in the arm of encouragement.
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    Just survive? Hibernate?
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    No way!
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    God wants you to thrive this winter
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    and we'll show you how.
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    A new weekly series from Crossroads.
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    Check it out by download the Crossroads app
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    on your smart TV or crossroads.net.
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    - Hey, everyone, and welcome to Crossroads Church.
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    I am so glad that you're with us for week three
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    of the series called Thrive this Winter.
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    This series we're talking about
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    not just how to survive, but to thrive.
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    I'm Hannah and I'm usually here with my buddy Justin.
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    - I'm here. - Okay.
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    - I'm here. - With a chicken?
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    - That's -- Well, yeah.
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    What do people love to eat on Thanksgiving?
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    - Turkey. - Chicken. I mean, seriously.
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    Last week they made me wear a scarf?
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    - They did.
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    - This week we asked for a turkey
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    and we got a little chicken.
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    - Production is struggling right now.
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    But -- we love our team, but here's the deal,
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    there's good luck in every chicken.
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    Did you know that? - No.
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    - There's a wishbone. - Oh, yes.
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    - Yes, right? - Chickens have wishbones, too?
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    - I thought it was just turkey. - No, no, no.
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    So there is a wishbone in here
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    that you have to get out.
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    - Me.
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    - Yes. Yeah. You feel good about that?
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    - I don't, no.
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    - I've got a knife for you.
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    So the wishbone's right here.
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    And I just say --
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    -We're going to do this live right now?
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    - Yeah. It's only been sitting for a few hours.
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    It's totally fine. It smells great.
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    - Mhm. - How are you feeling?
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    - So where is it?
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    - It's it's hidden right like shoulder blade
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    of this chicken that was alive one time but it's not now.
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    - Is this the neck? Oh, my God.
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    - Oh, all right.
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    - Watch the knife situation.
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    - Come on just break it open. Come on.
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    - How does one go for this?
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    - No don't delicate. No, go for it.
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    All right, you seem like you're struggling with this.
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    - Very much. Yes.
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    - A little bit. You seem a little squeamish.
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    - Yeah. - So we're going to move on
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    to see what Brian has to say about planning.
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    And we'll get back to this little later
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    - Okay.
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    - Hey, welcome to Crossroads.
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    My name is Brian.
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    I want to help you today thrive this winter.
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    Who wants to thrive this winter,
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    not only just this winter, but on into the future?
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    If you want to thrive this winter,
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    you've got to learn to plan.
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    It's got to be important to you.
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    I hear some of us going, "Oh, planning?
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    Oh, I like to plan. I like to plan.
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    I bet he's going to talk about
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    people don't plan to fail, they just fail to plan."
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    No, I'm not talking about that.
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    There's some truth to that.
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    I actually think that our culture
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    has become consumed with plans
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    and it's paralyzed us from actually doing things
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    and it's going to paralyze us
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    from doing anything to actually thrive this winter.
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    The Book of Proverbs 16:3, it says:
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    Plans only mean as much as you work.
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    It's when we work the thing that we planned on
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    is when we thrive.
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    It's been said by a number of people,
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    including a song by Trace Adkins,
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    if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.
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    I think the original is an old Yiddish proverb
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    that says We plan, God laughs.
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    This is true.
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    There is an unpredictability to our lives
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    that our plans can't accommodate.
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    Who would have ever thought
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    we would have dealt with the things
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    in 2020 that we're dealing with?
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    Any plans we had they're just (sound effect),
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    they're upended. It's like 52 pick up.
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    I find it fascinating that I'm the guy
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    talking about plans because
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    I've seen God up end my life again and again and again.
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    I do make plans.
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    I've been able to do some really cool things.
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    And yet historically I've been an awful planner.
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    I just had last night,
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    it's a recurring nightmare for me,
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    things around college.
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    It took me 7 years to get my 4 year degree,
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    in large part because I was an awful planner.
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    Awful at planning what course I should take.
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    Awful at planning how I should study.
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    And so my nightmare is that the college contacts me
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    and I have to go back and complete my degree
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    and take another test that I didn't plan very well for.
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    It's it happens all the time.
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    It's terrifying to me.
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    When I was in college, I used to do work
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    with students in junior high and high school,
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    and I did that as well when I finished college.
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    And when I would go and give talks
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    or give Bible studies, I would always show up
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    having not planned what I was going to say.
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    And I would go, "Okay, everybody,"
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    I would play Bible roulette.
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    I would say, "Take out your Bibles,
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    we're going to look today at Ezekiel 32:13.
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    That's what we're going to look at today.
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    It says this: They shall bring to ruin the pride..."
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    And I would just make stuff up.
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    I would hate to go back and hear
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    the awful things I taught that
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    were probably dead wrong
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    because I didn't prepare, I didn't plan.
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    Even today, one of the things in my family is that
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    I'm last minute in planning for family vacations.
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    Everyone's got to have their stuff together
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    for their events.
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    I'm more of a spontaneous guy,
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    and yet I know how to plan well enough
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    to get me to work things.
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    It doesn't matter what you plan,
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    it matters the work that's coming out of the plan.
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    But the plan is critical this winter.
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    What we're going to talk about is
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    the kind of plan where thoughts and ideas
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    do not substitute for actions.
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    It's spiritual formation.
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    It's what happens when we take our thoughts,
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    our beliefs, and we transfer it into actions.
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    A lot of people have a lot of beliefs about God.
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    A lot of people have a lot of ideas about God.
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    A lot of people love to think about theology
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    and think about all kinds of stuff.
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    That's fine. Have your beliefs,
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    have your thoughts, have your theology,
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    all that's important, but just understand
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    until you work on that plan,
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    until you put it into action, it's lifeless.
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    I want today for some of you to up the ante in your life.
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    I want today to up your game
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    in terms of your spiritual formation.
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    I want today to help you not just see
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    your plans are critical with your business
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    or with your family or with your workout regimen.
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    But I want you to see that there is a place
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    to go with you or God where you have got
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    to connect your plans and your work.
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    When I go on a bike trip, I cast a wide net
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    to a bunch of guys who rides and say,
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    "Hey, how about we go to this place?"
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    And all of a sudden the text thread lights up,
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    guys are like, "Oh, yeah, that'd be great."
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    And then while we're planning,
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    getting the dates and all that stuff,
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    there comes a line in the sand where
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    you have to buy your plane ticket
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    or you have to give your money
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    to the guy who's driving the pickup truck,
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    who's pulling the trailers,
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    and you've got to give him jack.
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    And at that point, the people who love planning,
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    many of the people love planning, just don't do it.
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    And then what happens then is
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    there's then a new text thread
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    for people who actually are in
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    because they're going to actually do it.
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    There's a lot of people
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    who are into talking about Jesus
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    and talking about the kingdom of God
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    or into talking about who God is.
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    When it comes down to putting your life on the line
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    are just not willing to follow through on their plans.
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    We're going to look at this
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    a number of different ways.
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    In one of Jesus classic teachings
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    in the Book of Luke, Chapter 14, here's what it says:
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    Here we see Jesus talk about somebody
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    who just starts working about something,
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    but he hasn't planned accordingly.
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    He hasn't set in his mind the right steps.
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    And why would he plan?
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    He would plan because he wants to build something.
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    Today I want to help you to build your life
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    and build your walk with God.
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    - OH!
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    Well, Brian has some really amazing things
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    to say about planning.
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    And I really liked that when you go in with a plan,
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    you can accomplish something.
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    But it's not what I did here.
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    I actually didn't have a plan and so,
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    I don't know that I would say I was successful.
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    - You tried, I'm proud of you.
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    - So much so, this is how my planning went,
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    because I didn't plan.
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    I did find a wishbone, but I broke it.
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    So does that mean I'm going to have bad luck?
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    - No, no, it's double. That's what it means.
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    So, 2020, your year, it's looking up.
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    It's going to be a strong ending.
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    - Good. That's good.
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    - Brian's had some great things
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    to say to us about planning.
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    One of the places I use planning the most in my life
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    is with this spiritual discipline of tithing.
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    I set a plan and then I put it into action.
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    So if it's the same for you
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    or if you'd like to join us in helping us
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    spread this message of Jesus and hope
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    you can do that with us at Crossroads.net/give.
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    - Let's catch back up with Brian
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    and see what he has to say about
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    how planning is actually just the first step.
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    - In order for us to build something,
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    specifically and especially a great life,
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    we're going to have to have the right plans.
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    I am in a planning center extraordinaire right now.
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    It's an architectural office, Platt Designs.
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    If you want to get something really cool planned out
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    to build, this is the place for you to come.
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    I love -- I feel the energy in here because
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    I've done a lot of building stuff in my life before.,
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    whether houses we build or I built
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    or buildings that Crossroads has been a part of,
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    there's got to be ample time
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    in a place like this where you're doing the plans.
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    But there's also a sense where
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    you can get so extreme in the plans that it's like,
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    "Okay, we've got to break ground now.
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    We've got to go now."
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    God wants us to plan, but He wants us to build.
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    It's been noticed that the millennial generation
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    are some of the most anal planners
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    in the history of American culture.
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    Many millennials have their very hour
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    boiled down to this exactly what I need to do
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    this minute and this hour.
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    There's a whole structure of things you can buy for that.
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    And there's a stress that comes with many millennials
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    so concerned about the futures
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    and planning helps some of them feel
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    like they have a sense of control.
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    One person commenting on this says:
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    There may be pressure to it,
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    but we just have to live it.
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    And we can't -- we can't see around every corner
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    and there's going to be things
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    that are going to pop up that
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    we're going to have no idea how to deal with.
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    That's why in a building project,
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    there's always what's known as a contingency fund.
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    You set aside money that you're planning to use
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    that you can't even foresee
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    what you're planning to use it for because,
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    you know uncertainty is right around the corner.
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    But you have to start building
  • 00:12:20
    and you can't wrestle down every scenario.
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    You've got to just put something in your budget.
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    I am right now in the midst of deep, deep planning,
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    and I'm laying things out to plan right now
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    for an elk hung.
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    Now I can hear the eyeballs rolling,
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    some people going, "Oh, my God, here goes Brian
  • 00:12:40
    talking about his latest adventure, talking --"
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    Yeah, yeah, yes, I am. Yes, yes, yes.
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    I am just talking about some of the things I know
  • 00:12:48
    and trying to help you do the things that you know
  • 00:12:51
    or the things that God wants you to do.
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    Way, way back when I've always thought,
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    man, it would be amazing to go on an elk hunt,
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    these huge majestic creatures
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    and be able to bag one of those suckers
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    and feed my family on that meat for months
  • 00:13:06
    and months and months and months,
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    hundreds of pounds of meat.
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    That would be amazing.
  • 00:13:10
    But I always thought that I just couldn't do it
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    because I couldn't get a tag.
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    That's the permission to get an elk license.
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    Because in Ohio, where I live, guess what?
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    There's not a lot of elk in Ohio, there's not.
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    So you've got to apply for a license
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    or a tag in another state.
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    And there's out of state residents,
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    out-of-state requirements, it costs more money,
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    it's hard to get, all that stuff.
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    And it's very expensive, so I thought,
  • 00:13:34
    because you have to hire some guy,
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    you have to go to some property,
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    pay thousands and thousands of dollars.
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    And I found out that, no,
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    you can actually go to Colorado
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    and you can buy a tag over the counter.
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    I started researching.
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    I started planning and, "Oh, my gosh,
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    that's exactly what it's like."
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    Now, some of you are going,
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    "Oh, must be nice to be you.
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    I like to go elk hunting but,
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    you know I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth."
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    I'm not either and I don't have one right now either.
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    You know what you could do,
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    if you wanted to go elk hunting, just as an example.
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    You could plan for it.
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    It would take you $3-4 a day, for a year,
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    plan out $3-4 a day.
  • 00:14:13
    That would cover your gas,
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    that would cover your tag,
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    that would cover some of your gear.
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    You can do things.
  • 00:14:21
    You can build things right now if you want to,
  • 00:14:24
    but you're going to have to sacrifice
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    something like maybe your Starbucks habit every day,
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    maybe fewer streaming platforms, whatever it is.
  • 00:14:32
    That's what Jesus says.
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    He says you count the cost before you build.
  • 00:14:36
    Are you counting the cost?
  • 00:14:38
    There's possibilities you could build,
  • 00:14:40
    but you have to plan.
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    You have to count the cost.
  • 00:14:42
    I've gotten deep in the weeds.
  • 00:14:43
    It's actually been very, very fun.
  • 00:14:45
    I've told you I have
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    some planning deficiencies in my background.
  • 00:14:47
    I've actually gotten okay with it and I enjoy it.
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    So I had to figure out what is the right gun
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    that I need to take out?
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    What's the right rifle?
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    What is the right ammunition?
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    I chose a gun and the ammunition,
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    for those who are hunting geeks,
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    I chose the most versatile all round ammo,
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    .300 Win. Mag. is what I've chosen.
  • 00:15:06
    And part of how I'm able to do it so relatively cheaply,
  • 00:15:10
    I'll probably be more like a budget
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    of $2 a day over a year
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    because we're not staying in hotels or anything.
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    I'm taking the backpack I use,
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    I've got a dust that thing off.
  • 00:15:18
    I generally don't backpack,
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    but I'll take a backpack to use my stuff
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    heading out into the wilderness,
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    going to be doing hiking,
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    miles and miles of hiking every day.
  • 00:15:29
    Adequate water goes in the backpack.
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    Very, very critical.
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    Needing that backpack as well, because
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    if I happen to get an elk,
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    I'm going to have to take multiple trips
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    hauling out a lot of weight of meat.
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    To find that sucker, to find it I had to have optics.
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    I had this already.
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    And I'll have to sit in the side of a hillside
  • 00:15:53
    just what's known as glassing,
  • 00:15:55
    just glassing to see if I can find where an elk is.
  • 00:16:00
    Oh, I see one.
  • 00:16:02
    And then figuring out, planning out,
  • 00:16:05
    I'm going to have to take this route
  • 00:16:06
    so he doesn't see me.
  • 00:16:07
    Where is the wind coming,
  • 00:16:09
    so he doesn't get a whiff of my odor?
  • 00:16:11
    These are all part of the plans.
  • 00:16:13
    What am I going to be wearing.
  • 00:16:15
    Something that causes me to be a bit camouflaged,
  • 00:16:18
    yet I've got to have 500 square inches
  • 00:16:20
    of hunter's orange as per Colorado regulations.
  • 00:16:23
    And by the way, where we have base camp,
  • 00:16:26
    it may snow up in the mountains
  • 00:16:28
    and I'm going to have to get chains for my tires,
  • 00:16:37
    four of them, because I have four wheel drive,
  • 00:16:38
    because if you get stuck in the mountains
  • 00:16:40
    in the midst of snow, no one's coming to get you.
  • 00:16:42
    And let's just hope just maybe, maybe,
  • 00:16:45
    just maybe, maybe we get one.
  • 00:16:48
    And I've got to have something to carve it up
  • 00:16:50
    to butcher on the spot those elk.
  • 00:16:54
    You're like, "You're carving yourself?"
  • 00:16:56
    Yes, yes, all that.
  • 00:16:58
    But you have to plan, you have to prepare for this.
  • 00:17:00
    Now, this is something that I'm doing.
  • 00:17:01
    You can just see that level of planning.
  • 00:17:03
    If I get an elk, if I get one,
  • 00:17:05
    it's only because of all of these plans
  • 00:17:08
    and all that much more.
  • 00:17:09
    If you want to get something in your life,
  • 00:17:12
    if you want to conquer something in your life,
  • 00:17:14
    and I hope you do and I hope you know what it is,
  • 00:17:18
    you're going to have to plan.
  • 00:17:21
    Now, as Jesus talks about building things, He says,
  • 00:17:26
    "Let me make sure you understand the metaphor."
  • 00:17:28
    He switches immediately from a building metaphor
  • 00:17:31
    to a war metaphor. He says this:
  • 00:17:56
    Jesus says, "Let me make sure you understand this.
  • 00:17:58
    I'm going to give you a building metaphor.
  • 00:17:59
    Let's do a war metaphor."
  • 00:18:01
    There is a importance to counting,
  • 00:18:04
    whether it's $4 a day,
  • 00:18:06
    whether it's your contingency aspect of your budget,
  • 00:18:10
    or whether it's the number of people
  • 00:18:11
    you have to deploy into battle, you count.
  • 00:18:15
    And if you see somebody has more guys than you,
  • 00:18:19
    you're likely going to lose
  • 00:18:21
    and you likely need to change your plans.
  • 00:18:24
    Counting is a critical aspect of planning.
  • 00:18:30
    Mike Tyson had a famous quote
  • 00:18:32
    just before he was going into the ring
  • 00:18:35
    he had a press conference
  • 00:18:37
    and some of the press conference said,
  • 00:18:38
    "Hey, I understand, Champ,
  • 00:18:40
    that this guy says he has a plan for you."
  • 00:18:43
    And he says, "Well, everyone has a plan,
  • 00:18:45
    until they get punched in the mouth."
  • 00:18:47
    Actually, the way he said it was,
  • 00:18:49
    [high voice] "Everyone has a plan
  • 00:18:50
    until they get punched in the mouth."
  • 00:18:53
    Never has there been a more manly man
  • 00:18:55
    with a more confusing cadence.
  • 00:18:58
    Mike Tyson, if you're watching right now,
  • 00:19:00
    please do not be offended.
  • 00:19:02
    I do not want to be pounded into applesauce by you,
  • 00:19:05
    So I'm just using it as an illustration. Sorry.
  • 00:19:08
    So let's use a literal battle quote, if we could.
  • 00:19:11
    Dwight D. Eisenhower, the commander of
  • 00:19:13
    the armed forces during World War II
  • 00:19:15
    and also a US president, he says:
  • 00:19:27
    What does he mean by this?
  • 00:19:28
    He means that while we may be counting
  • 00:19:31
    the troops that we have and we may be planning
  • 00:19:34
    where to put our offensives onto the beachhead,
  • 00:19:37
    things go wrong.
  • 00:19:39
    That's why you need contingency funds.
  • 00:19:41
    Things go wrong, or as the military knows it as
  • 00:19:44
    it's known as the fog of war.
  • 00:19:46
    When you get into war,
  • 00:19:48
    there are confusing things that pop up
  • 00:19:50
    and all of a sudden everything has changed.
  • 00:19:51
    But if you didn't have the plans ahead of time,
  • 00:19:54
    you wouldn't have the flexibility
  • 00:19:56
    to make the possible changes that you could.
  • 00:20:00
    It can be very stressful when someone
  • 00:20:02
    comes into this part of this architectural office
  • 00:20:05
    to figure out exactly what textures
  • 00:20:10
    and what colors to put into their rooms.
  • 00:20:14
    What kind of coverings?
  • 00:20:15
    What kind of stuff should go onto the windows?
  • 00:20:20
    What kind of stuff should go over the couches?
  • 00:20:25
    What about the tile that ought to be on the bathroom?
  • 00:20:31
    What about the really cool stuff.
  • 00:20:34
    Like I don't know what you would do with this,
  • 00:20:36
    but this is just cool. Oh so smooth. So nice.
  • 00:20:41
    I could totally geek out at all of the finishes.
  • 00:20:44
    Some people get stressed out by this,
  • 00:20:46
    some people really geek out on it.
  • 00:20:48
    It's really critical to make your plans in here.
  • 00:20:51
    But here's the thing, at some point,
  • 00:20:54
    you actually have to build,
  • 00:20:56
    at some point you actually have to go to war
  • 00:20:59
    or whatever your planning is,
  • 00:21:00
    at some point you have to actually apply for the job.
  • 00:21:03
    At some point you have to actually ask her out.
  • 00:21:07
    At some point you have to actually
  • 00:21:09
    file the paperwork and start your LLC.
  • 00:21:12
    At some point you have to actually
  • 00:21:14
    put your shingle out
  • 00:21:15
    and announce yourself as a new business.
  • 00:21:18
    At some point you have to actually have sex
  • 00:21:21
    if you want to have a child.
  • 00:21:23
    Hopefully that's not surprising to you.
  • 00:21:25
    At some point you've got to do the thing
  • 00:21:28
    and not just plan the thing.
  • 00:21:29
    Now, I'm going to make a switch here. You ready?
  • 00:21:31
    So far, the spiritual content is real,
  • 00:21:35
    but it's kind of lower shelf, "Oh, planning.
  • 00:21:38
    I need to have it, okay."
  • 00:21:39
    Okay. Here's what Jesus is saying.
  • 00:21:41
    He's not really primarily concerned
  • 00:21:43
    about you building a house.
  • 00:21:45
    He's not trying to give insight to commanders of armies,
  • 00:21:51
    He's drawing on the physical
  • 00:21:54
    to help us to understand the spiritual.
  • 00:21:56
    That's what I've been doing this whole time.
  • 00:21:58
    The physical process of planning and doing elk,
  • 00:22:01
    the physical process of planning
  • 00:22:03
    and building a building,
  • 00:22:04
    the physical process of having a life goal
  • 00:22:07
    of running for office and actually run.
  • 00:22:09
    All that's -- all that's important.
  • 00:22:11
    But here's the thing that it all builds to:
  • 00:22:14
    How are you building your life spiritually?
  • 00:22:19
    Where are you going spiritually?
  • 00:22:23
    What are you not just planning to do spiritually,
  • 00:22:26
    but what are you doing spiritually?
  • 00:22:28
    Some of us are in perpetual seeking mode.
  • 00:22:31
    We're always looking for some new insight,
  • 00:22:34
    some new theological angle, some new person
  • 00:22:37
    who's going to make us feel spiritual,
  • 00:22:40
    Dalai Lama, Gandhi, Jesus, whatever it takes.
  • 00:22:44
    Something that'll just make me feel spiritual.
  • 00:22:47
    "Oh, Dalai Lama -- oh!
  • 00:22:48
    But then he said -- Oh, I didn't know that."
  • 00:22:51
    And I think a part of that's fine.
  • 00:22:52
    Dalai Lama seemed like a great guy
  • 00:22:54
    and said some great things.
  • 00:22:56
    Gandhi set out a trajectory
  • 00:22:58
    for how to get authority's attention that is
  • 00:23:02
    incredibly helpful, healthy, and very wonderful.
  • 00:23:05
    But as I talk about Jesus,
  • 00:23:06
    I want to be really, really clear,
  • 00:23:08
    Jesus is not interested in us getting more spiritual.
  • 00:23:11
    He's not interested in us getting more enlightened.
  • 00:23:13
    He's interested in us building our life on Him.
  • 00:23:17
    He's interested and us saying to Him,
  • 00:23:21
    "You are the fight I'm willing to fight."
  • 00:23:23
    He's interested in us saying to Him,
  • 00:23:25
    "You are the one I'm going to build my life on."
  • 00:23:29
    So as he talks about buildings and wars
  • 00:23:32
    His big closing statement is:
  • 00:23:47
    Any of you that cannot take your plans for your life
  • 00:23:52
    and give them to Me, you cannot be My disciple.
  • 00:23:57
    Jesus is not interested
  • 00:23:59
    in giving us more spiritual thoughts.
  • 00:24:02
    He's interested in us adhering to Him
  • 00:24:06
    and us grabbing Him and us following Him
  • 00:24:10
    and us fighting alongside of Him and behind Him.
  • 00:24:15
    Jesus isn't interested in
  • 00:24:17
    us believing the right things.
  • 00:24:20
    He's not interested in us talking the right things.
  • 00:24:23
    He's not interested in us planning
  • 00:24:25
    to someday get serious with Him.
  • 00:24:28
    No, He wants us to shut our mind, shut our mouth,
  • 00:24:33
    shut ourselves on Him, and to finish.
  • 00:24:38
    The reason why we plan is because we want
  • 00:24:41
    to build something and we want to finish it.
  • 00:24:42
    The reason why we plan is we want to go to war,
  • 00:24:44
    we want to actually win it.
  • 00:24:46
    And the reason we seek spiritually is because
  • 00:24:49
    we want to find the one who is
  • 00:24:51
    and who has always been known as a power
  • 00:24:54
    and a transcendence that surpasses any other person,
  • 00:24:58
    any other world view, any other philosophy.
  • 00:25:01
    Friends, at some point you have to stop
  • 00:25:04
    thinking about things and you start to do things.
  • 00:25:08
    Maybe this is the day
  • 00:25:10
    where you actually embrace Christ,
  • 00:25:12
    where you give your life to Him.
  • 00:25:14
    Right now, you can say it right now,
  • 00:25:15
    I want to do right now, right now you're going to say,
  • 00:25:17
    "Hey, Jesus, right now, Jesus,
  • 00:25:19
    I want to give You my life."
  • 00:25:20
    Just say it, "Jesus, I want to give You my life.
  • 00:25:24
    I want You inside of my spirit.
  • 00:25:29
    Forgive me for my willy-nilliness, my sins.
  • 00:25:35
    Fill me with Your Spirit.
  • 00:25:38
    As best as I can, I will build my life on You.
  • 00:25:42
    I will fight for You and with You.
  • 00:25:45
    I will go a different trajectory in my life."
  • 00:25:49
    When you say that and when you do that,
  • 00:25:51
    you go from planning to building.
  • 00:25:55
    Now it's important to understand as we talk about
  • 00:25:59
    the things we're doing
  • 00:26:01
    and the things that we're building,
  • 00:26:03
    we can't control our life.
  • 00:26:06
    As much as we would like to, we can't.
  • 00:26:08
    And that's part of what gets many of us
  • 00:26:10
    hung up with our plans is we think that
  • 00:26:12
    our plans are a way to control our life.
  • 00:26:15
    And they're not, you just can't control your life.
  • 00:26:18
    I don't care what plans you had in 2020,
  • 00:26:20
    they didn't happen, did they? Most of them.
  • 00:26:23
    I don't care what philosophy you had in 2020,
  • 00:26:25
    it just didn't quite work out that way, did it?
  • 00:26:28
    There's another book in the New Testament,
  • 00:26:30
    The Book of James and it's believed that
  • 00:26:33
    Jesus's brother actually wrote it.
  • 00:26:37
    They had a lot of commonalities
  • 00:26:38
    and they had a lot of shared experiences
  • 00:26:41
    when they were younger.
  • 00:26:42
    In James 4:13 it says this:
  • 00:27:23
    When we know the right thing to do,
  • 00:27:25
    when we're planning on doing the right thing,
  • 00:27:28
    that's wonderful, but we have to do it.
  • 00:27:32
    And when we set these plans up,
  • 00:27:36
    we can't control our future, we can't control 2021.
  • 00:27:41
    God could bring another pandemic,
  • 00:27:42
    sorry to depress you. I hope not.
  • 00:27:44
    God could bring more killer hornets
  • 00:27:46
    or whatever the heck those things.
  • 00:27:47
    He could bring more stuff that we're not willing.
  • 00:27:50
    So I got -- I have to hold my plans loosely.
  • 00:27:53
    I've got to hold my plans loosely,
  • 00:27:54
    but I have to have something to hold.
  • 00:27:57
    I've got to have something to hold.
  • 00:27:59
    But I realize there could be an X factor
  • 00:28:01
    of something changing in these plans
  • 00:28:03
    that they just evaporate. Right?
  • 00:28:04
    You have all your plans
  • 00:28:06
    and you get a medical diagnosis and it evaporates.
  • 00:28:09
    You have all these plans and all of a sudden
  • 00:28:11
    the economy tanks and it evaporates.
  • 00:28:14
    You have all these plans, all of a sudden
  • 00:28:16
    you find that you have infertility
  • 00:28:18
    and those plans, at least for that year,
  • 00:28:20
    may vanish, at least for a temporary season.
  • 00:28:23
    Friends, 2021 is right around the corner.
  • 00:28:28
    It is coming up.
  • 00:28:31
    We need to decide right now during this winter of 2020,
  • 00:28:36
    what do we want 2021 to look like?
  • 00:28:38
    What do we want our future to look like?
  • 00:28:40
    And instead of on the morning of January 1st going,
  • 00:28:44
    "Oh, I need to have some resolutions for the year,"
  • 00:28:46
    which often times don't get followed through on
  • 00:28:49
    because we haven't counted the cost.
  • 00:28:51
    We need to right now be thinking about
  • 00:28:53
    what are the things that I want to build
  • 00:28:56
    spiritually, emotionally, intellectually,
  • 00:29:00
    physically, occupationally, all kinds of -ally words.
  • 00:29:05
    What are the things you want to do?
  • 00:29:07
    And here's my advice. Here's my advice.
  • 00:29:09
    My advice is find one area and go after that area.
  • 00:29:16
    This is this is all the planning.
  • 00:29:18
    I'm not planning much of anything else.
  • 00:29:20
    This is all I've been planning right now
  • 00:29:21
    and I've been focused on that.
  • 00:29:23
    You're probably not going to be able
  • 00:29:24
    to be better read, more relationally connected,
  • 00:29:28
    more physically fit, more biblically literate,
  • 00:29:31
    more emotionally solid.
  • 00:29:34
    You probably are not going be able to do
  • 00:29:35
    all the things that you want to do.
  • 00:29:37
    What is an area you want to plan around and go after?
  • 00:29:41
    And there's no need waiting for 2021.
  • 00:29:43
    In fact as you're doing your plans,
  • 00:29:47
    just start with something, start building.
  • 00:29:50
    If it's physical fitness, just start something.
  • 00:29:54
    What would it be?
  • 00:29:55
    I don't know. You choose, you plan.
  • 00:29:57
    Eliminating carbs?
  • 00:29:59
    A 20 minute walk a day?
  • 00:30:02
    Push ups at commercial time?
  • 00:30:04
    Start, start building.
  • 00:30:08
    If you want to get ahead financially,
  • 00:30:09
    you want more resources,
  • 00:30:12
    okay, right now, start right now.
  • 00:30:13
    What is that?
  • 00:30:14
    Networking with some folks?
  • 00:30:16
    Is that what it is?
  • 00:30:17
    Is it taking a budgeting workshop to be able
  • 00:30:21
    to control the money that God is blessing you with?
  • 00:30:25
    Is it applying for some different job?
  • 00:30:28
    Just start right now. Start now.
  • 00:30:30
    If spiritually you want to feel closer with God,
  • 00:30:32
    what is it?
  • 00:30:33
    One of the things probably is
  • 00:30:35
    I need to actually know what His Words are.
  • 00:30:37
    He planned on me knowing Him, and He knew
  • 00:30:40
    that I needed to understand His Word and His heart.
  • 00:30:42
    So right now, you just start reading this
  • 00:30:45
    or reading your Crossroads app or whatever.
  • 00:30:47
    Friends, don't let your life pass you by.
  • 00:30:50
    Don't do it. Don't do it.
  • 00:30:52
    Don't be one of the ones who are deluded
  • 00:30:54
    thinking you can just think about good things
  • 00:30:56
    and your life can go forward.
  • 00:30:57
    It doesn't work that way.
  • 00:30:58
    Don't be one of the people just think,
  • 00:30:59
    "Well, I'm just planning, but someday..."
  • 00:31:01
    No, when you can hunt elk, hunt elk.
  • 00:31:04
    When you can ask someone to marry you,
  • 00:31:05
    ask them to marry you.
  • 00:31:07
    When you can start a business, start a business.
  • 00:31:10
    Plan about it, but work about it because
  • 00:31:15
    the real fruit comes is when you finish about it.
  • 00:31:19
    Let me pray for you right now.
  • 00:31:21
    God, I'm thankful that You're a God
  • 00:31:24
    that pushes us beyond and You're also so practical.
  • 00:31:28
    God, You know that we need to plan
  • 00:31:31
    and not just run off all willy-nilly.
  • 00:31:33
    And I thank You for the model of Jesus and I thank You
  • 00:31:35
    that He is one who finished His life well.
  • 00:31:38
    He built it and He finished it
  • 00:31:41
    and He counsels us how to do that.
  • 00:31:44
    I pray, God, that there would be a time
  • 00:31:46
    when 2022 comes and there will be people who say,
  • 00:31:50
    "I remember that talk that Jesus gave
  • 00:31:54
    about building things and wars and elk.
  • 00:31:58
    I remember something said there,
  • 00:31:59
    but that started something new for me.
  • 00:32:03
    It started me building something
  • 00:32:04
    that actually got finished."
  • 00:32:06
    God, would You bless all who are on that path
  • 00:32:11
    and keep the sun
  • 00:32:13
    from evaporating the mist of our life.
  • 00:32:15
    I pray this things according to Your name, Jesus. Amen.
  • 00:32:26
    - Man, I needed to hear that, Justin.
  • 00:32:27
    I know that I have plans that I like,
  • 00:32:30
    but I need to put them before God.
  • 00:32:32
    I need to give them to Him. - That's right.
  • 00:32:33
    One of the places for me
  • 00:32:35
    where I put them before God is using worship,
  • 00:32:38
    times of singing, prayers to melodies,
  • 00:32:41
    I get to lay my plans before Him,
  • 00:32:42
    submit them to Him.
  • 00:32:43
    And Scripture tells us over and over again
  • 00:32:46
    that God is for you, He's with you.
  • 00:32:49
    Proverbs 16:3 says: Commit your work to the Lord
  • 00:32:52
    and your plans will succeed.
  • 00:32:53
    We have a Good Father and a Good King
  • 00:32:56
    that we can bring our plans before
  • 00:32:58
    and lay them down before Him
  • 00:32:59
    and trust Him fully in that.
  • 00:33:00
    So that's what we're going to do
  • 00:33:01
    with these songs right now.
  • 00:42:33
    - Man, I've had a great time learning here today
  • 00:42:35
    and growing in my understanding of planning.
  • 00:42:38
    And if you want to know what's next,
  • 00:42:40
    if you don't want to miss anything,
  • 00:42:42
    you can text the word "NEXT" to 313131
  • 00:42:45
    to stay updated on the next episode.
  • 00:42:48
    - Let's be honest, you and I
  • 00:42:49
    have two options for this winter:
  • 00:42:52
    We can either isolate, hibernate, hunker down,
  • 00:42:55
    or we can make a plan and grow in it.
  • 00:42:58
    And you can do that best with other people around you.
  • 00:43:01
    So don't isolate, step into community, find your people,
  • 00:43:04
    find your group at Crossroads.net/give groups.
  • 00:43:06
    - You know, Justin,
  • 00:43:07
    Christmas is right around the corner.
  • 00:43:09
    - Come on. - It is. It's coming.
  • 00:43:10
    And whether you're new here
  • 00:43:11
    or have been around for a long time,
  • 00:43:13
    here at Crossroads we do something
  • 00:43:15
    called the Christmas Gift Drive.
  • 00:43:17
    And that's just where we get physical gifts
  • 00:43:18
    to children to remind them
  • 00:43:20
    how much their heavenly father loves them.
  • 00:43:22
    If you're interested or want to know more,
  • 00:43:24
    you can go to Crossroads.net/CGD.
  • 00:43:28
    - So glad you were with us today.
  • 00:43:30
    We'll see you back here next time
  • 00:43:32
    for our new series called Christmas Time 2020.
  • 00:43:36
    [Cuckoo clock]
  • 00:43:38
    - Is Christmas cancelled this year?
  • 00:43:39
    - Does Santa have to wear a mask?
  • 00:43:40
    - Does Santa have COVID?
  • 00:43:42
    - Am I still going to get presents?
  • 00:43:44
    - This year's a little cuckoo.
  • 00:43:45
    The good news, Christmas is coming.
  • 00:43:48
    A season of hope and light.
  • 00:43:49
    It might just be exactly what this weary world needs most.
  • 00:43:54
    Christmas Time 2020, a new weekly series from Crossroads.
  • 00:43:57
    - Are we still having Christmas?
  • 00:43:59
    - Heck, yeah, we are, kid.
  • 00:44:01
    Check out the Crossroads app on your smart TV
  • 00:44:03
    or go to Crossroads.net/Christmas.
  • 00:44:04
    [cuckoo clock]

Process, journal or discuss the themes of this article - here's a few questions to get the ball rolling...

Welcome to the Weekend Follow-Up. The questions below are for the weekend of Nov 28th & 29th.

  1. Would your friends or family describe you as spontaneous, a methodical planner, or a bit of both? Why?

  2. Planning is an important part of thriving. Read Luke 14:28-30. Where have you seen the benefit of making a plan? And how have you adjusted when things haven’t gone as planned?

  3. All best laid plans go to waste, unless we take action. Brainstorm obstacles you face when trying to move from planning to building.

  4. No matter what this next year brings, you can still go to new places spiritually. But to get there, let’s start with a plan. Take two minutes to think of a part of your life you want to build. Share with the group how you will take a tangible step forward this week to build or act on your plan.

  5. One person read this prayer over the group, “Thank you God for being a God who pushes us to go beyond the status quo. Thank you for the model of Jesus. We ask you God that when 2021 comes around that it is in this moment you provide us the clarity to know what it will take to go to that new place with you. Amen.

More from the Weekend

We have a tool to help you identify a place to grow spiritually next year, check out Wayfinder. This 30-minute experience will help you hear from God in a new place to grow with him.

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Nov 28, 2020 44 mins 8 sec

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