But I have noticed something. No matter how much I have to do and no matter what time of day it is, I try to sit down and have my quiet time. With that little bit of refocusing (even 10-15 minutes), the rest of the day seems so much more purposeful. No longer am I scrambling because I have so much to do; I’m scrambling because I know that getting the menial things accomplished frees up more time for slowing down and tuning in to what God’s teaching me.

It’s a struggle, but slowly I have more time to stop and chew on some of the ideas that get bounced around my head throughout the school day. One hectic, crazily productive day at the start of a week is worth putting up with in exchange for a smoother, quieter rest of the week. We need to run, but we can’t forget the words from Isaiah 30:15b -

“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength…”

Seek these out, and suddenly running doesn’t seem quite as bad as it once did.

Thanks for your ministry and your time! Changing the world one disciple at a time!

Ray

Believe it or not, I actually showed up at Central and gave the individuals at the front desk a signed copy a few days after I met you, with a very heartfelt message about your genuine heart and passion for God in it,

I honestly don’t know what happened after it left my hands. I hope this doesn’t get anyone in trouble.

But somewhere, there is a copy of my book inscribed specifically for you, feeling lonely, oh so very lonely.

I think you’re right Larry. Yet, the tensions between the generations surpasses ideologies about work and success, especially in the body of Christ’s followers today. The older being usually reluctant, if not a little scared, to relinquish responsibility and ideas to a younger generation they have difficulties connecting with. And the younger, who consequently often feels overlooked and unimportant, struggle to actively pursue responsibility and authentic faith, even though my generation may be earnestly eager to make a difference.

I think we’ll see more and more of this in the coming years. Hopefully though, we’ll actively keep Christ at the forefront of this issue and in the end, better serve and love God and others because of it.

And Craig, Chazown is a tremendous, equipping tool to really allow anyone to see that change and growth can happen, it just requires a lot of…effort, kept in perspective

God be with you all.

That was, in fact, me. I believe John introduced me by my first name and not my pen name…(and right now you’re all wondering just what that is,

Thanks for the support, emotionally and, well, financially!

Also, I enjoy your blog daily as it is a great litmus test to gauge how effective the messages we hear and the lives we share with one another aid us in becoming passionate, reflections of Christ…in the day-to-day reality of life.

Regarding your series, I think it is very interesting to see the seldom seen correlation between our work and our spiritual life, in regards to focus and discipline and the overall health therein. In the end, it simply comes down to priorities and honest, self-actualization.

As discipleship hinges upon desire meeting discipline, our tasks in work depend upon the focus required for the task, the discernment to recognize where we should and should not invest our efforts and, ultimately, the discipline to realize that we are finite creations with limited abilities and limited time. But herein lies the beauty of this truth because I believe it is the beauty of the Church itself.

When we fully realize the full limits on what we can’t do and the amazing extent of what we actually can do, we can then appreciate the role that the body of Christ’s believers play in our lives, spiritually, professionally, etc.

We are here for each other so that we can all, individually and communally, accomplish our utmost for Him, in our weakness and our strength.

Thanks again.

Total Output = hours worked PLUS productivity

thanks!

Thanks for the reply! Marking is really close friends with John at Life.

Not to go on a tangent about the validity of the online medium for reaching others, but I find it really interesting that “A Voice Is Calling” pretty much went unnoticed for a year because of the fact that Marking was 22 when he wrote it, 23 when published, an unknown without a major ministry platform and it was published by a very small publisher, VMI.

Yet, in the last two months it has really started to pick up steam, thanks almost entirely to what….you guessed it:

The Internet. From blogs, to reviews, to discussion boards.

And some people say it’s not a valid ministry tool.

Just like your post topic: It’s all in how you use your time and your efforts for productivity.

Do you know fellow Edmond author, J.G. Marking? I read that he helped your fellowship out with some inspirationals and some curriculum. Anyhow, the reason I ask is because he discusses something similar to this in his book, “A Voice Is Calling.”

The gist of it being that “slow and steady may win the race, but fast and frantic is the pace.

“Where, then, in all of our efforts to ‘get stuff done,’ can God possibly be…unless we make a conscious decision and deliberate effort to put all that other stuff aside and realize that Christ is not something to fit into our schedule.

He is our schedule.”

It’s intense.

(The main reason I ask is because I wanted to know if you had met, a la, Elvis meeting Nixon…not really sure which one of you is Elvis,

Total Output = hours worked productivity

Most people I know focus on only half of the equation - the hours worked part (e.g., I worked an “x” hour day today”). That’s an outgrowth of our industrial age mindset (e.g., working on the assembly line). Knowledge workers - people like you and me - should be focusing on ways to work smarter (raising our productivity). As managers, we should encourage our colleagues to find ways of doing things better with less time. After all, the only truly sustainable growth in the long run is growth fueled by rising producitivity.

ps: I’ve been reading “Soul Cravings.” It’s a wonderful book! Thanks to you and Bobby for the recommendation.