Coming back here after the spotty record of 2008 makes me feel like I've arrived at a home where the occupants simply drifted away, and the place is barren and disheveled. Can we pull up a few boxes, sit down, and have a quick chat?

A good portion of this first day of the year has come and gone. The ball drop became a hangover memory for many, and the revelers gave way to the street sweepers long ago. New Year's Day is ready made for sleeping in, speculations of what will be on the various scenes -- Hollywood, Washington, and the NFL playoffs -- as well as football, some games quite forgettable.

And then, of course, there are those pesky New Year's resolutions.

I'm writing this when the New Year is about 19 hours old, New York time, and I wonder just how many resolutions were already made to be broken? 

Google "top ten resolutions" and you'll find various lists -- some with actually helpful hints at how to keep them like keep your goals realistic and your expectations low -- but the lists have only slight variations to them all.

There is the ever popular "I need to lose weight" crowd which likes to team up with the "I'm going to exercise more" crowd. Those quitting smoking and / or drinking and / or other vices sometimes tag along for the ride. They are met along the way by those wanting to spend less and save more, and born again believers will often add in the ever popular Bible reading plans, Bible memorization plans, prayer plans < and journals! > and of course, the Watchnight inspired evangelists < "Savings souls is fine in two thousand nine!" > are raring and ready to go. 

The concept is simple and laudable: people realize they have been bad or wrong -- or perhaps just not quite as good or right as they could have been -- in some way, shape, manner or form during the last year and they would like to do better. I don't know of anyone who can't empathize let along sympathize since haven't we all been there, done that? Amen.

Some of the timing and logistics never has made sense to me. Let's be resolved to lose weight when we just added 30 pounds since December first? And that blizzard which is just whipping up with lake effect snow is really going to motivate me to start my jogging / walking program, right? 

Some years ago I realized the futility of New Year's resolutions, and I made one I've kept since then: never to make another one. It works for me.

The truth is introspection is good for the soul, as long as it really spurs you on to act, and it takes an act of the will to make it stick. A bad habit takes 30 seconds to form because we are sinners and our Self loves the downward tendency. 

A good habit takes 30 days. An act of the will.

I suppose what it all comes down to is devotion. Do Christians really understand the difference between "having devotions" and "being devoted?" One is an act we do, the other is who we are, or at least who we want to be, and who we are yielding to the Spirit of God to become.

And so it is, really, with anything we might resolve to do this year on her first day. We will approach our goal with what we "have to" do, or who we want to become?

Me? I'm breaking my previous resolution, I hope, at least in one small measure. I'd like to be a better friend to you, here, in this place. Perhaps the entries will be smaller. Pray for me I can make them more frequently?

God bless your resolve in 2009, and thanks for humoring me in this visit, on the first day of 2009,
Timotheus, a brother in Christ