Archive for May 2008
Friday Blog Roundup – May 30
It’s been a long week. I’ve been late getting my posts up but here, for your weekend enjoyment, is my list of Blog links that have caught my eye this past week.
Keith Fletcher at DigiTrail Blaze has a nice post about some applications you might find useful. Check it out.
Tim Ferriss has a post outlining some time management tools and how they are similar or not. He gives a pretty interesting outlook for you to consider.
Dustin Wax writes about how you can more effectively use your cell phone to stay organized. He presents some tools I didn’t know existed. Thanks for the tips Dustin!
Nelson Searcy is giving away another PDF report on Summer Outreach. This helps plug some of his other tools but hey, free is free!
Dustin Wax again. This time on the growing ebook market. Dustin provides some nice tips, locations to download some free ebooks, and how to use your eink book reader (provided you have one) more efficiently.
This is a short list but it’s been a busy week as I stated previously. I’ll be back Monday. Have a great weekend!
Being Fruitful – Part Two
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)
Today I share part two of my thoughts regarding this passage in 2 Peter and the list the apostle gives us. I want to point out that lists are great and give us a road map of some things to strive for but the lists and the practices themselves are merely a way for us to grow in our relationship with God. If we use these types of lists merely as “checkoffs” in a box that we set up, then we really aren’t allowing God to use them to strengthen our life with Him. That is the whole purpose of spiritual discipline. I pray that if this list has touched and challenged you, that you will give it the respect it deserves but do not elevate any higher than God Himself. With all of that said, we move on to the final three traits that Peter highlights…
1. Godliness. Peter is speaking of a reverent fear of the Lord. A magnification of Him in our hearts. Adoration that’s truly heart felt. Do I have this at all times? Do I make it known to others? Remember the first four in this list have to do with preparing our hearts for the outward work we are called to do. Moral excellence, knowledge of good and evil, self-control and patience all help to guide our speech and our actions and keep a check on our emotions which can run out of control if we are not careful. Now, Peter adds a Godly fear of the Lord with adoration. This leads to the cornerstone of what we should strive for in the final two traits…
2. Love for other Christians. Peter speaks of “brotherly affection” here. He is referring to our love for those in the church. As a pastor, I know full well I am called to love the church I lead even if at times, my emotions say otherwise. What about you? Do you love your church? Can you say that you love the people in it even if there are some you may not like? This type of love is necessary if we are to take it, and go out into the world which brings us to the last trait.
3. A genuine love for everyone. “Brotherly affection” brings about a genuine love for people. We are called to witness to them. Do we, as Jonah did, secretly cry for their destruction, or, like Jeremiah, do we weep over the lost and do what we can to love them? This is perhaps the hardest trait of all and I think it’s not by accident that Peter finishes up his list with this one.
To love others is what we are called to do. This is not easy and sometimes, we may feel it to be an impossibility. Peter never said it was automatic. He told us here to work on it, to be adding to it. He tells us that if we do, we will NOT be unfruitful. In fact, later in the passage, he tells us we will not fall if we do this. I believe him. I pray you do to. Take this “list” and seek to grow in these areas. See if God doesn’t bless us. Share with me your thoughts. I’d love to know if you see more to this than I.
Be blessed.
Being Fruitful – Part One
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)
Earlier this month, this passage was one I came across in my devotions. A simple list of traits but in them is found fruitful living for our Lord. In my work as a church planter and pastor, I come across so many books, kits, conferences, and DVD programs designed to give me the information I “need” to grow the church. None of these are necessarily bad but I think sometimes, we can get caught up in the authority of the author or speaker and forget about the one who inspires them. It’s refreshing when God takes a simple passage like this one and implants it in my heart. This week, I’ll divide this passage up into two parts. Today, I’ll look at the first four traits on the list and Wednesday, I’ll discuss the last three. Lists like these are found throughout scripture and form a good basis for spiritual disciplines and growth. So let’s look at the first four as Peter writes about how we are to supplement our faith…
1. Am I supplementing my faith with virtue? By virtue, Peter is writing about excellence. An excellence in valor. Do I make a conscious choice each day to live as a Christian man? Do I model this to my family and, man to man, to my teen age son? It’s easy to let little things slide and get caught up in the busyness that is life but to do so robs us of a wonderful life with God. Excellence is something we should always strive for but how much more important is this when following Jesus?
2. Knowledge comes next. Knowledge of what is good and what is evil. Knowledge of God’s will for my life. This is something we must pursue daily and discernment is knowing how to filter the junk out of our lives as it arrives. If we have that kind of knowledge, our hearts will stay pure and our focus will be razor sharp. What steps will I take today to learn something that will aid me in living out God’s purpose for my life?
3. Self-Control. This one was an issue when I was a twenty-something back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I remember thinking back to a time when I thought others were simply not moving quick enough or that they didn’t say what needed to be said. As a young Christian, I battled self-control in my life wanting to be wise but realizing very quickly that this life with God would be one that would take years to develop. Now in my early 40’s, I thank God for those lessons and for my pastor who was able to channel those emotions into something productive while God prepared me for what I’m doing now. If makes sense that in pursuing virtue and knowledge that self-control would follow on Peter’s list. I think once you have some knowledge of the Lord’s work in your life and you are pursuing excellence in serving Him, learning the fine art of self-control becomes easier. Not easy, but easier.
4. Steadfastness. Patient endurance. Again, Peter puts his list together in a logical manner. The fruit of self-control, developed with the first two traits, brings about the patient endurance needed to serve God over the long haul. We live in an imperfect world and if you are a pastor, you lead imperfect people. Imperfect people will do things to harm the church and your family and if you are not mature enough to practice self-control, amidst other things on this list, you will surely fail because you will react in a way that dishonors God even if you feel you were justified. James builds on this thought when he says:
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
(James 1:4 ESV)
In other words, our character is strengthened and our preparation for service is improved having learned to deal with issues that test our self-control. Our human nature is to retreat when we see something that we know is going to hurt us and we’d rather just avoid it. The bible tells us to let steadfastness have “its full effect” and not seek to remove ourselves prematurely. When we do, we stunt our spiritual growth. Better to go through the trials and endure the hardship and pain, then to remove ourselves and not be hardened for the battle that we are called to be in. So I ask myself, am I avoiding anything? If so, what should I do to face any crisis head on? Am I practicing solid morals and self-control to aid in my patience? How will this help me to grow in the future?
On Wednesday, I’ll flesh out the final three traits as outlined by the apostle Peter. For me, this list was a challenge. I’ve outlined all seven traits and put them in my day planner. My challenge to myself is to look for ways to strengthen them all in my day to day life so that I can be a fruitful servant of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Until Wednesday, be blessed!
Friday Blog Roundup 5/23
Another week has passed and it’s time for the Friday blog roundup. Here’s a sampling of the posts that I enjoyed this past week…
Tim Ferriss shares some tips for being a more effective e-mailer. As much email as I get these days, these tips speak volumes not only to me to be better and more succinct as I write, but also to those who email me. Sometimes, I will delete an email because it just doesn’t look right. I don’t want viruses so I usually just delete if I question it in any way.
Tired of all those catalogs you get in the mail? Susan Sabo of the productivity cafe shares a tip on how you can make them go away!
Lorie Marrero guest writes for “lifehack” on how to declutter your home and workspace. Since reading the book “It’s all too much”, I’ve been gradually doing this and it feels great. I’ve gradually been clearing out my home office of non necessary items. Books I don’t use, old computer gear, junk from my closet, and giving away good usable clothing that I no longer fit into (I’ll but some new as I lose weight).
If you are looking for another system of time management, Dustin Wax writes about “Time Striping” and even provides printable forms that you can customize to try it out.
Be blessed and have a great holiday weekend.
What’s in my “Jack Sack” aka “Man-bag”
In the last year or so, I’ve taken to carrying a messenger bag after years of being a briefcase guy. About a year ago, I began looking for a new briefcase after the one I had been using for the past decade started falling apart. I had used one before that when I first entered the business world in 1987 and it had lasted for about ten years as well. What I found that was many stores no longer carried briefcases and that very few were available by special order. As I started looking for alternatives, I was given sticker shock looking at the bags that were now available. Wasn’t there something out there that was cost effective, decent looking, and functional? Yes there was. As I was reading blog posts one night, I came across one discussing a military messenger bag available on the internet that was under $30. It sounded like my type of bag so after researching them, I settled on this one:
This is a classic military messenger bag similar to the one used by Keifer Southerland in his role as “Jack Bauer” on the hit TV series “24″. In fact, if you search for the “Jack Sack” online, you will be directed to numerous sites that stock these bags. I purchased one in olive drab and received it within a week or so. It has quite a bit of space with a large interior pocket, side compartments, a zippered inside pocket and two nice size pockets up front. The cover is held in place with a sturdy velcro and the shoulder strap is comfortable but well made to last. For the price, I was impressed. I’ve used this bag for nearly a year now and am quite pleased. It has been put through the ringer and has help up well with no snags, tears or rips. So why do I need one of these? What can I possibly keep in here? Well, as a church planter with no office, it’s handy to take with me when I’m on the run as a portable office. I do replace some things depending on my day but largely, what I keep in here consists of the following:
- My laptop
- My Large Print ESV Bible
- A book to read
- My CLEAR devotional magazine
- A leather bound journal for my devotional time
- A pencil case with my writing materials to protect them from marking up anything inside
- A tin of bookdarts to note my books I read
- My MP3 player with some music, an audio book, and some sermons on it
- A thumb drive to save important documents on in case I need to use them on another computer
That’s pretty much it. I do add other things as the need arises but largely, my commentaries and related bible study materials are online now so I try to keep the bag full of the essentials. If you are looking for a low-cost alternative to those other messenger bags out there, this could be one option. If you are truly cheap and want to try something completely different, here’s a link to a video showing you how to make your own messenger bag out of plastic bags and throwaway items. Not sure if it will hold up to a laptop but it could be handy for carrying books on the fly while you bike.
Can A Hot Dog Be Spiritual?
At left is the authentic dog. There are imitations but a real Chicago dog has mustard, relish, sport peppers, pickle spear, tomatoes, onions, and a dash of celery salt. Of course, the hot dog has to be all-beef and housed in a poppyseed bun.
A few years back, we had a local family open a Chicago dog shack close to our home but they had to close down when the city chose to remodel the center they were located in. My son and I traveled to several places before finding a little spot on Colfax avenue in Denver that makes the real deal. Sometimes, when we head to the Rockies baseball games, we will make a quick stop there and grab a few of these since the ball park doesn’t offer them. We stuff them in our carry on bag and enjoy them a few innings into the game. What a treat.
In the early days of the depression, these dogs became famous as a meal on a bun for a nickel. Nobody then knew the masterpiece they were creating that would be carried on for generations. When I purchased my son’s very first Chicago dog when he was a boy he asked why the salad was on top!
Hot dogs have a bad reputation these days because of all the filler that goes in the cheaper stuff. A real all-beef dog is actually quite a treat if you can find a vendor that knows how to cook and prepare one.
It’s early morning as I finish this post. But I do know where I think I’ll be going for lunch later today! All this writing has made me hungry.
Be blessed and have a great week!
Friday Blog Roundup – May 16
Dan Edelen at “Cerulean Sanctum” reviews a biography of the great evangelical leader A.W. Tozer. If you’ve never read Tozer, do yourself a favor. When you’re finished with whatever you are reading now, get some of Tozer’s works and read them. Read them slowly for depth. C.S. Lewis always advised to read a classic in between the new stuff. Tozer fits that profile. The biography looks great. I’ll have to put this on my “to get” list.
With kudos to Armand Frasco at Notebookism, I found this article on the benefits of journaling. From a spiritual perspective, I believe putting pencil to paper helps us to solidify our thoughts as God speaks to us. I never read my bible without a notebook handy. To this day, I still keep a paper journal for recording my deepest thoughts and prayers to God. While this article was written from a secular perspective, it solidifies what I already knew; that regular journaling helps keep our emotions in check and helps us to make wiser decisions.
Dustin Wax at Lifehack has written a nice article about the benefits of being punctual and on-time. As a pastor, I think being punctual speaks volumes about our spiritual maturity. Routinely being late just because we’re “serving the Lord” shows a lack of self-control and integrity. Sure, things really DO happen sometimes but honestly, how many times have we just gotten lazy and arrived at our scheduled destination ten, twenty, or even thirty minutes late? I don’t believe we honor God when we do not keep our commitments.
Adrian Warnock has posted an interview he conducted recently with author Dr. D.A. Carson. It’s a two part series that concludes today. Carson is one of my heroes of the faith. His devotionals on the Robert Murray M’Cheyne bible reading plan are among my favorites to read. Thank you Adrian!
And a quick tip of the cap to Nelson Searcy and Roy Mansfield at Church Leader Insights for giving away copies of their highly successful “Evangelism Seminar” this past weekend. Earlier this week, I mentioned that much of Searcy’s material is good stuff. They don’t have to do things like this but they do. Today, Searcy is offering a free download of a podcast giving tips on keeping church attendance up during the summer months. A few years back, Searcy gave away copies of his sermon calendar planning CD. This is what the internet’s all about. Thanks guys!
Have a great weekend and happy reading.
Stoplight Email Proficiency
communications staple for our lives. A decade ago, would you have ended a conversation with someone in the grocery store by asking them to email you later? I know I didn’t. We may have exchanged phone numbers, a street address, or perhaps made future plans but today, email communication is a vital tool in our lives. There are many reasons for this including:
- It’s instantaneous. Messages arrive immediately.
- It’s brief. You don’t have to get caught up in long phone calls or conversations.
- It’s convenient. You don’t have to worry about running to the post office or putting a stamp on a letter and then leaving it in your car for days trying to remember to drop it in the mailbox.
The problem today is that we get inundated with email. We have to sort out the “junk” that’s sent out by spammers, forwards from your well meaning friends, or advertisements from companies that you deal with online. If your inbox is like mine was, it’s cluttered with an assortment of old emails you want to keep, current messages you need to respond to, and messages you haven’t even had the chance to review yet. What stress! Before long, I had over one hundred messages taking up space in my inbox with more coming every day. Something had to be done. What follows is a simple system I use for keeping my inbox empty at all times. You read that correctly. EMPTY. It’s a system I use that incorporates the metaphor of a stoplight for sorting through every message you receive and tracking them efficiently for future execution.
Here’s what you need to do to get started…
1. Set up your email program of choice with a minimum of four new folders for filing emails. Depending on your email program, you may have the the option of color labeling (as in Gmail by Google).
2. Once you have your folders, you will name them “Red”, “Green”, “Yellow”, and “Reference”. If you have color labeling, now is the time to label them appropriately. Google doesn’t have yellow as a label color but their burnt orange works nicely for the yellow folder.
That’s it! Now, all that’s left is to sort through your inbox once and keep it empty thereafter. How do you do this? Well, here is how the metaphor of the stoplight works in sorting through your emails:
The “Red” folder is for all emails that need to be acted on quickly. Immediacy is the key here. Red means STOP. Stop what you’re doing and check this out. For me, this includes such things as emails regarding reports I have due, bills that need paid, a note from my wife to pick up something for dinner this evening! Anything that requires immediate action needs to be put in this folder.
The “Green” folder should be your main action folder. This is where all of your emails that require action, but not immediate action, should go. Green means GO and items in this folder are items that will help you achieve your long range goals, move projects ahead, and help you keep things moving so that you do not have to have too many red items. Green items are where you should spend the majority of your time when executing emails. Green items can become red items if you procrastinate on them for too long so get them out of the way early!
The “Yellow” folder should contain any emails that have action value to you but are items that can wait if need be. Yellow means CAUTION and items in this folder can become time wasters when other green and red items need your attention first. It’s not that they are meaningless items but yellow items have the ability to be put off until you have some spare time to address them.
My “Reference” folder is colored blue in my email program and contains all of the emails I may need to hang on to for future delegation, receipts, etc. Anything you may want to recall quickly should be put here. One caveat: This folder can accumulate quickly so it’s best to get into the routine of checking it at least every sixty days or so and clear out anything that no longer has value. Another take on this folder is that you can divide it into your personal and work files. For my use, I have a reference folder for my personal items and one that’s tagged with my church initials so I can place church related reference items in their places. The idea though is to simplify. Fewer folders keeps it manageable and easy to find what you need when you need it.
So how does this look in practice? I usually check my email twice a day, sometimes three times but each time I process my inbox I use this system. Here’s a hypothetical email inbox I will see on any given day:
My inbox contains twelve items, five of which are fowards from others. A couple of these are from people I trust so I may give them a casual glance. If any are worth hanging on to, I file them in reference. In this scenario, there are none so these five forwards now go bye-bye in the trash. Now I’m down to seven items.
Two of the emails are notices from companies I deal with. One is a bill and the other a coupon for a free coffee beverage (always a good item!). I file the bill in my “Red” folder and the coupon in the “Reference” folder. Five items left. First is a note from my son’s band teacher about an end of the year concert for the band. I calendar the date and time on my Google Calendar and also make a note to pick up some two-liter bottles of soda as he has requested parents to bring. I send a quick reply acknowledging the note and then delete it. Next up, a note from a friend asking me about a sermon series I preached a while back. He wants to review my ideas for a potential series in six months. I place this in my “Yellow” folder and move on. Next, I have a receipt for a video rental my wife placed a few days ago. I put this in my personal reference folder for later processing. The last two items are from my daughter asking about homework help for some testing she is doing. I calendar some times for her and send her a reply so she’ll calendar them as well. And that’s it! All items sorted, inbox empty, and easily traceable when I need them. The stoplight metaphor works beautifully.
With this system in place, it’s easy for me to track any executable items for me to place on my daily calendar. As part of my planning routine, I check the folders early in the morning and place any items from them in my calendar as I arrange my day. When they are complete, I can go back and delete them from their folders. It’s one component of my daily action planning but for email efficiency, it works great for me. If you have questions, feel free to ask and I’ll try to answer as quickly as possible.
Have fun cleaning out your inbox today!
Systems Thinking in a Church
Last week, I reviewed a book by Peter Senge titled “The Fifth Discipline”. In the book, Senge outlines his method of “systems” thinking in organizations. The book is written for business but clearly has applications in the church world. As a church pastor, systems thinking is a part of what we do whether or not we view it as such. If the church leadership makes a decision about a particular program or ministry, it clearly has impacts that will be felt in other areas of the church. A change in youth ministry philosophy may mean an influx of teens that need leadership. Do we have someone prepared and properly trained? Will this influx of teens mean more volunteers to help with other areas of ministry on Sunday? Who organizes that? Who executes? You see what I mean? Systems thinking truly is something that deserves careful consideration as you grow as a leader.
Senge’s book was originally published in the mid-90’s and was updated just a few years ago. The information presented in this work is still just as fresh now as it was then. That’s because systems thinking is ever changing and growing. the organization (or church for this post) will constantly be looking for ways to effectively reach others and introduce new ideas on one end of the spectrum while influencing systems throughout the entire congregation.
Does this all sound like it’s too much? How do you change your thinking and begin to plan as a true systems thinker while maintaining biblical principles in your ministry? I have links to a few resources to get you started. The first is a podcast that you can download from the “Church Leader Insights” web site. In this 30-minute podcast, Church Pastor Nelson Searcy outlines his thoughts on church systems using an eight system model that he developed. Recently, Searcy released a report you can download that mirrors this podcast. The report is a bit top heavy with advertisements for resources that Searcy links to his model. That is expected when something is free though. Many of Searcy’s offerings through Church Leader Insights are very good and worth the money you spend for them. I’ll be reviewing one of my personal favorites in the weeks ahead.
For me, beginning to think about a systems model for my own church began with a restating of our purpose for existing. From there, I began to think about the “front door” to my church and how I wanted to develop the people as our church purpose indicates. The various systems such as outreach and evangelism, worship planning, biblical discipleship, leadership development, program expansion, and service teams all began to take shape. Comparing these with the rubric of our purpose clarified goals for each area and provided the “teeth” to put these systems together like cogs in a machine. I realize this is a pretty simplistic way to state my own personal model but to discuss it fully would likely require a book. Perhaps one day, I’ll release it as a download but for now, it’s enough to say that I believe the best systems in your church are the ones you develop organically. Take what I’ve given you as a model, read Senge’s book, listen to the podcast, but make your systems very specific to you otherwise you are destined to fail.
Feel free to email me if you’d like to ask questions. I’d love to share ideas and brainstorm with others on what they develop on their own. Whether you develop these for a church or your own business, I’d like to see what you come up with. Regardless, let’s not forget to honor God in all that we plan so his richest blessings will rain down upon us as we move forward in new and exciting ways of thinking.
Friday Blog Roundup
Here a quick rundown of some posts that caught my eye this past week…
Jake over at “AFrayedKnot” has a good piece on “College Grads Delaying Ministry”. It discusses the apparent trend of many to go back to school before entering the ministry full time. He’s asking for input on this.
Travis Penn at “The Sweetest Frame” had a very interesting article regarding Tim Stevens’ latest book “Pop Goes the Church” regarding the use of secular music in worship. For those who do not know, Stevens is on staff at Granger Church.
Michael Quicke, author of “360 degree preaching” and “360 degree leadership” is asking for some input on his speech to pastors at the Moody Pastors’ Conference May 19-22. Quicke is an outstanding pastor and author. Stop by his blog and give him some ideas.
The UK site “Organize IT” has an article on being productive titled “7 Reasons To Ditch Your PDA And Switch To Pen And Paper”. It’s a light hearted piece with some ideas for you to consider. Personally, I made this switch a while back and have never regretted it. I keep a 24/7 Work Life Planner with me to organize my day and a small notepad to write things on through the day that I can process later. I use Google Calendar and Remember the Milk to help with my processing but it’s much easier for me to use paper than it was to consistently use a PDA. I recently sold my old PALM on Craig’s List.
John at “Success Begins Today” has a nice basic piece about jazzing up your PowerPoint (or in my case, OpenOffice Impress) presentations. If you have always settled for the boring stock presentations that come with your software, this post will give you some doable ideas to make your presentations sharper, user friendly, and better remembered. As a pastor, I can certainly use those kinds of tips!
That’s it for now. I hope you enjoy these sites. Enjoy your weekend. Be blessed. I’ll see you again on Monday.
