The Right Thing: Bert's Blog

Relaunch Soon!!

Hey, I have not abandoned The Right Thing.

This blog will relaunch soon.

Stay tuned for updates!

Babboon Win!!

Ever have a really really really bad experience at the drive-through safari?

This pic says it all.

enjoy!!



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Update from Anna in Thailand!!!

Hey Gang,

Just got a really cool update for the church from Anna Macukas, Missionary-at-large in Thailand.

Check it out!

Dear True North Fam, 

Sawatdee Kha!  Hello from Thailand!  I must start by saying how much I miss you all, and I pray and hope that you are all well and that God is doing awesome things in each of your hearts and lives! 

So far my Discipleship Training School has been very emotionally and physically taxing, but very rewarding.  It’s all about getting to know God deeper and letting Him shape your life, which definitely is not easy!  But it’s been satisfying to see God working in my life in little ways that I know will be important as I continue on to the next step He has for me. 

My team just got back from a short outreach trip in Cambodia where we not only got to share the gospel with people in the villages, but were able to equip them with tools, like learning English, that can help them get better jobs and not be as vulnerable.  I also persuaded my school leaders to let me give a talk on trafficking awareness to the villagers who came to the Bible study, which I was really happy about!  Praise God! 

It hasn’t been easy being away from home, and this time definitely hasn’t been all that I expected, but God is always so faithful to meet each of us at the point of our need.  Please pray that He will continue to mold me, protect my family at home, maintain my health, and bring opportunities for me to share His glory as well as bring healing to these hurting nations of Southeast Asia. 

When Paul writes to the church in Phillippi, he says that he “holds them in his heart.” I truly do hold True North in my heart, and I miss all of you so much.  Thank you for your overwhelming support and prayers, which are so needed.  Please feel free to contact me at any time.   

Love you all so much,

Anna

Now it's Stuck in Your Head!!

Gettin' Kinda Hectic

Wow. So all my books are packed up and my pictures are all wrapped in bubble tape.

This whole 'moving' thing is getting very REAL. 

People say things like this all the time for melodramatic effect but the truth is, I've just been slammed lately.  Insane busy. 

I know it's just a season though.  Soon enough (God willing) we will have signed on the dotted line on a lease for our new location.  We're not releasing the exact location yet, but it's rather close to MacArthur Airport.  That should give you some idea.

Nothing is final yet, but we are getting close.

Meanwhile, our little home on Terryville Road will soon be in our rearview mirror.  It's hard to believe that 4 short years ago we were in here painting this place, buying light fixtures, sweating and trying to turn this place into a home.

And what a home it's been.  Our church has grown to over 800 in those 4 years and now it's time to move on. This whole experience has been physically, spiritually and emotionally draining but it's definitely not all bad.

Not knowing exactly what our future holds is the most difficult part, but I know that this is where my faith grows.  I remember how scared I was 4 years ago.  Wondering if this whole thing would work at all.  It feels that way again now, hoping all the details work out and that the church isn't somehow run aground by something I forgot to do or some detail I missed.

It's never any fun to have your faith stretched, but I KNOW this is part of God's plan for me.  So, I'm going to throw my hands up and scream like crazy and enjoy the ride!  The One who designed it is really good at what He does.

Hasta.

ps -  Join us Sunday at TNCC for week 1 of a 2 week series called Roller Coaster Faith! 

Buzzard Attacks Jogger....

Ok so in my efforts to reduce personal tonnage, I have actually been spotted jogging a bit lately. 

Not a lot, mind you.  Just occasionally. 

I was warned by some that jogging is actually hazardous to ones health.  Bad for the back and so on.  Whatever.  Such warnings are not an effective deterrent.  If jogging is bad for you, I'm sure being overweight is worse.

The following article though, has me thinking twice.

Checking it out would be the right thing.

Hasta.

Hey!!!

Matt Summers posted this on his Twitter Feed today and I thought it was blogworthy.

Enjoy.

God TXTs the 10 Commandments!!

Been enjoying The Sinai Code  -  our current message series on The 10 Commandments? 

Missed a week and need a brief summary? 

Check out this goodness.

GOD TEXTS THE TEN COMMANDMENTS:

1. no1 b4 me. srsly.

2. dnt wrshp pix/idols

3. no omg's

4. no wrk on w/end (sat 4 now; sun l8r)

5. pos ok - ur m&d r cool

6. dnt kill ppl

7. :-X only w/ m8

8. dnt steal

9. dnt lie re: bf

10. dnt ogle ur bf's m8. or ox. or dnkey. myob.

M, pls rite on tabs & giv 2 ppl.

ttyl, JHWH.

ps. wwjd?

Props to Lisa Goetz and Mike Brennan for the hookup on this!   Peace.

Weight Check

Target Weight:  247
Actual Weight:   249.6

Ok, so obviously I am still 2.6 lbs north of my target, but I have crossed some pretty big milestones in these last couple of weeks:

I broke the 20-lbs lost mark since January 1; and I broke 250.  I haven't seen the 249's in a long time and it feels great!! 

So, I am still optimistic that my actual weight will catch up to the target weight but as long as the scale is still moving in the right direction, I'm cool.

Out.

 
 

Catching My Breath

    Well, I guess by now it’s pretty obvious that when I get stressed my blog tends to get neglected.  Apologies to those who have been wondering about my silence.

    If you were at church Sunday I’m sure you understand and if you missed church this week, we made what we are referring to THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. We should have audio up on the website pretty soon. 

    I feel as if I’m finally coming up for air after what has doubtlessly been the most difficult and stressful month of my life.  Our church is undergoing some incredible changes and it’s all happening REALLY FAST.

    This time of challenge has been made quite a bit easier by an amazing wife who loves me, supports me and tells me when to shut up; a staff of amazing and talented people who are as dedicated as the day is long; and some really dear friends and colleagues in ministry who have stood by me, encouraged me and helped me to remember Luke 6:26 -   “Woe to you when all men speak well of you.” 

    Coming up out of this season of trial though, feels absolutely amazing!! God is teaching me in really clear terms that my love for Him has to be the absolute center of my life and ministry, and that His full intention is and always has been to bring glory to His name on Long Island. 

As long as we have that same goal, we have no need to ask God to bless what we’re doing.  We are already doing what God is blessing.  Cool stuff, no?

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking!!!  7 more Sundays at our current location, followed by 4 Sundays at the YWAM base in Smithtown**.  And after that?  God knows.  And we’re trusting Him to lead us to that perfect spot to spend the next few years glorifying Him and creating environments where its easy for His children to connect.

    Thanks for coming on this incredible journey.  Seems like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but I can’t WAIT to see what God’s going to do next!!

    Peace.

    Bert  

** A big HUGE word of thanks to our friends at YWAM for offering the use of their building to us during our time of need.  You guys are the Cats Pajamas.