Having a plan is not enough; most plans die a few weeks after the planning retreat. Pastor Scott Thom, pointing to the parable of the talents and Jesus' remark that the children of this world are often wiser in planning than the children of light, gives four steps to carry a plan through. First, focus: delete distractions, stop multitasking, jot interruptions on a pad, and work in scheduled sprints of 30 to 90 minutes, breaking a yearly goal into months, weeks, days and hours. That is how his book Discipleship on Fire finally got written. Second, be persistent, like Paul in 2 Corinthians 1: expect failures and more time and effort than you counted on, refine what works and drop what doesn't. Third, build relationships before you need them, for friendship, knowledge and accountability; be generous, ask more than you speak, and learn over meals as Jesus did. Fourth, start now: as General Patton said, a good plan vigorously executed now beats a perfect plan next week. Cross Fellowship is a Bible teaching church home in Albuquerque. Learn more and plan a visit at CrossFellowship.org. Get Trained at Pastor Scott's Bible College Do you have a ministry plan you never quite get to? Most leaders were never trained to turn vision into steps, and between work, family and cost, Bible school feels out of reach. CCF Bible College (CCFcollege.com) closes that gap with self paced, affordable training you can start any time, including Shepherd School, a two year program built for anyone pursuing pastoral and full time ministry roles. Pastor Scott will personally walk you through the next step if you qualify. Text COLLEGE to 505-375-6560 to learn more. Build Habits That Change Your Life Does the tyranny of the urgent swallow your best intentions every week? Most of us know what we should change, but wishing never builds a habit, and old patterns keep pulling us back. Pastor Scott's free ebook, The Habit Revolution, gives you the information, motivation and coaching to change for good, with a video teaching for every chapter, discussion questions, prayer points and action steps. Text HABITS to 505-375-6560 to get it free. You can also catch Pastor Scott's other two podcasts, "No Other Doctrine" and "Navigating Life from the Cross," available on any podcast app. Author Pastor Scott Thom