Notice I did not say “Time Management” but rather “Master”. Time mastery is all important because our lives will always have interruptions. You must plan for these as you plan to improve yourself. Do this..Get a small notebook, I don’t care what kind just so long as you use it, and track your time for one week. When you check email, write it down. Facebook? Yep! Everything. Now, at the end of the week, take a look at where you spend hours of your time and tell me there isn’t a way you could work 30 minutes into your busy schedule to take a brisk walk and/or exercise. Are there some things you could cut out to get you to your goal? I recently cut a majority of my cable channels back because I simply wasn’t watching them. I read a lot and this is a habit that is valuable to me. More valuable than wasting away on a couch with a bag of Doritos catching up on the shows I recorded on my DVR. No, I cut back to only a few programs I truly want to see. I then eliminated the rest and took away the temptation to watch more by killing the extra channels. Not only did I gain some valuable hours for other things but I saved money in the process.

I get up a bit earlier now than I used to. That means my bedtime routine has changed slightly. I still do late night dates with my wife but we try to plan them better to allow for an earlier sleep time for me so I can get up earlier to walk or jog. My quite time with my Bible is still a priority so I had to adjust my schedule to accommodate the jog and my quiet time. After a few months of the new routine (I’ve waited to write about it through the summer), I can now say it’s working fine and because I’m not watching as many shows on the DVR, I have more time for my graduate school work, my family, and my health. It’s about being intentional with what’s most important for you.

What steps can you take right now to change your life? What small changes can you make that will pay big dividends before the trees begin to bloom with the coming spring? You can do it! You have the time to make a plan and go for it. NOW is the time to do it. Just take the time and move forward. You will not regret it.

~Til Friday

More and more though I hear people telling me they have less time to read and for some, they see little value in the expenditure of time for what they perceive is very little growth. This week, I want to focus on simple tips for your personal growth. You CAN find a way to do this and starting small will help pay big dividends in the end.

Let’s start with audio books. These are handy because you can listen while you drive, exercise, do housework, or shuttle between classes at school. If you can carve out 20-30 minutes a day, then you can absorb some great growth material. Here are two books that can get you started…

1) The Art of Influence
This is a great audio book that explains the simple techniques for learning how to communicate with others and to build your leadership skills into a great leader.

2)The Art of Exceptional Living
Jim Rohn is one of my favorite speakers and this condensed audio book is brief but packed with great ideas. There is so much here to learn and benefit from.

I picked these two books not only because of their content but also because they are brief. For someone starting a new habit like allowing themselves time for audio books, these are two that are short but power packed. You could finish either one in a week’s time if you just allow yourself 20-30 minutes a day to listen to them. That means in two weeks time (conservatively) you will have completed two books in your personal growth and hopefully will have a number of great ideas to implement from them. Remember, you must take ACTION to benefit from this teaching. Believe me, there is enough here to take action on within the time you will invest to listen to these books. Better yet is cost. I was able to check out both of these books in audio form from my local library! That’s right, two outstanding books and it didn’t cost me a dime! Even if you did buy them, the price is reasonable enough and the benefits worth it.

There’s no excuse not to take in great ideas. In less time that you will take to watch ONE television show, you can be growing in your personal development and these two books are just a start! Make it a point to listen while you finish house work, wash the car, or take a walk! You can do this and if you do, by the time you finish these two books, I guarantee you will build a habit that desires more!

Give it a try and happy learning!

Radical by David Platt

What if you were asked to give everything you had for the cause of Christ. Everything. Would you do it? Could you? In “Radical” pastor David Platt asks the church to re-think its mission and purpose. No doubt many Christians have heard of this book and it’s companion follow up volume “Radical Together” which outlines a plan of execution. The premise is this: The “American Dream” has clouded the eyes of the Western church to a faith that is comfortable and nice. Jesus however, calls us to take up our cross and to follow him daily (Luke 9:23). Getting our hands dirty in ministry means more than just giving financially to a cause. It’s about sacrifice and living a faith that puts others ahead of yourself.

Platt develops this theme through nine chapters in his first book. He begins with a chapter on our obligations, weaves this theme through a call to think and then lays out the starting points of where we are today. Many have criticized him for this all out treatise on living a “radical” life of faith for Christ but what the book does is challenge the reader to examine their life and its purpose. Are we serving others as Christ told us to? Are we meeting the needs of the least of us? If not, why not? Excuses are easy to give but Platt offers no condolences or ways out of this maze of examination. The author then takes the next four chapters of his book to explain the “Why” of this new way of thinking and then the “How” in terms of what the church today can do to fulfill it’s Christ given mission. By bringing us to a starting point and then showing the reader what they can do to move into a mind set of meeting needs. He then concludes the book with a challenge and some reflection on the real work of the body of Christ.

Many have taken this book over the past year and have dissected it for it’s different way of thinking. Some have partitioned it for the parts they like. Others have responded with rejection rebuffing his words and asking “who does he think he is to question us?” The reality is we need balance in the church today. The church needs times of refreshing and worship and there’s nothing wrong with having a decent place to worship and the time to fellowship with a body of believers. But there’s also a time when the church MUST serve others and do so in a way that is uncomfortable to the masses. Christ called us to this. If we do nothing but meet weekly we are not fulfilling the vision Christ had for us. Likewise, if all we do is meet for social justice initiatives, we will burn out and nothing good will be accomplished. “Radical” was written to challenge your thinking. Platt wants to bring the church back to its first century roots. This book is a good start.

On Monday, I’m bringing back my “energy” series I needed to complete. My Power Nap post from a few weeks ago is the first in that series and will be brought back Monday, October 3rd.

My lover speaks to me, “Get up, my darling, my beautiful one. Let’s go away!
(Song of Solomon 2:10 ERV)

When we start out with our beloved one, our words are likely more in line with this verse of scripture. We are anxious to get up, go away, and live in bliss forever. All too soon, the reality of life sets in. Bills are due, the kids (oh yeah, you had a couple right?) are screaming, the car isn’t running right and your hours have been cut back at work. These are things that happen to everyone and many allow these things to ruin their relationships. In many other cases, we get bored with our spouses or betrothed and think life’s better elsewhere. Some people just like to lie and see how many notches in a belt they can get. Others struggle getting older and wondering if they still “got it”. The excuses are many and the lives shattered are just as numerous. I once had a young woman tell me “Love doesn’t last forever..It never does.” Then she proceeded to tell me “My mom says it’s about 10 years or so and then it’s over..” I had to shake my head and wonder how a generation is being taught these things while I struggle to make sure my kids understand that they should expect better in their relationships as they grow into adults. Several years ago, I came up with an easy to execute three point formula for affair proofing my marriage. It’s worked so far and as of this writing I’m nearing the 24 year mark with my wonderful wife. Do you want to keep the fire in your marriage burning? Do you want to keep passion alive and your sex lives interesting and fulfilling as God intended? Here’s my three point plan. In fact, I’m so committed to it, I write these three things down each day and make sure I’ve done them:

1. Find one thing about my wife I can praise her on. Each day I look for something great to tell her. Thanks for keeping up with the laundry even though you work. Thanks for a great dinner. Thanks for a wonderful date. You are the best mom, wife, servant I know. Find SOMETHING to tell her each day how special she is. PRAISE HER and don’t wait for a return comment. Do it because you love her!
2. Find one thing about her that I love. My wife has these amazing eyes. I tell her often how pretty they are. But I also love her heart for children. She’s a great kids teacher in my church. I love her sense of adventure. The key is I find one thing each day that I love about her and I TELL HER.
3. Find one was to serve my wife. The last thing is to find at least one thing each day (and you can do more than one if you really try!) that I can do serve my wife. Maybe the laundry needs to be folded, put on hangers, etc. Maybe her flower bed needs to be weeded and watered. Maybe she needs a back or foot rub. (Yes guys you can do this). Whatever the need or perceived need, I make it my mission to DO at least one thing for her to serve her and show her I love her.

That’s it. Three easy steps you can take each day to show your spouse how much you love them. If you do these three things each day I will guarantee this..Your spouse will never turn out to be a bore. You may get tired from time to time. The two of you might still occasionally disagree. Yes, you might even have a spat..It happens. But if you take the time each day to do these three things, those tough times are easier to navigate through when your better half knows you love them.

DO THIS STARTING TODAY!

“Dreams are illustrations… from the book your soul is writing about you.” ~Marsha Norman

Dreams fuel our desire for a better life. Not necessarily a life filled with financial security. Not a life that we might consider the norm. But a life fulfilled as only God intended for YOU. There’s incredible creativity and innovation locked away in so many people today that we will NEVER see released. The reason being is fear. Fear of failure, of ridicule, and the unknown. That type of fear is real and paralyzes us in the midst of our dreams. Thomas Edison was probably looked at as a lunatic by many who thought he was out of his mind to go back again and again and again trying to find a suitable ingredient for a filament that would bring light to our evenings. We take the light bulb for granted today because we can buy a box of two for a couple of dollars and always have light on hand. We have Edison’s dogged determination to fulfill a dream for our betterment of life.

Your dreams could make the world better for everyone. Certainly Edison’s light bulb did though I’m not sure he thought about all the people he would impact as he was going through the process. In the end though, one man brought something amazing to each of us. What do you want to achieve in life? Who do you want to become? How will you LIVE your life to fulfill your God given destiny? Here’s how to get started…

• Buy a notebook. Something decent to write in. I like blank pages with no lines for this exercise. Most office supply or stationary stores will have these.
• Open the book and begin to dream. On a single page, write a dream. It can be anything you want but DREAM. I’m a big enthusiast of mind mapping so I write my dream in the center of my page and then begin to let ideas flow from there. I begin to think about how this dream might come about. I allow lines to flow from the BIG DREAM and point to steps I need to take to achieve it. This is very much like goal planning but in this case, you are future casting. You are looking at things that could be years or even a lifetime away but you must see them in the daylight and not just in your sleep.
• What steps do you see that could be made into real, actual goals? Many times a dream consists of meeting many goals. These goals must be considered and contemplated. What actions can you take today to achieve them? You are now well on your way to achieving a DREAM!

Try this. But I will warn you. Some people will laugh. Most will think you’re a bit eclectic or “out there”. The truth is, many will not acknowledge their fear to dream but don’t let that stop YOU. You DREAM. Humanity depends on DREAMERS to hope. Welcome to the minority of culture by having the courage to DREAM.

• I plan to organize my networking for brevity. I was inspired to do this by John Richardson at the “Success Begins Today” blog. A few weeks back, John posted a printable sheet he uses to organize his social networking time and it was the impetus I needed to reevaluate my time online. I asked myself what value anything I posted had for my friends and related followers? I didn’t want to flood Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn with a bunch of useless information. Also, Google+ will likely be added to the mix soon so how would I use that? My friends and followers are too valuable for me to send them “fluff” data so I wanted to make sure as best I could to give value to their trusting me with a “follow”.
• I plan to blog four times a week. I will do this as long as I’m in graduate school. Many bloggers stress daily posting but the truth is I don’t have that much in me at this point with all the additional reading and writing I have to do with academic schedule and actual job as a pastor. When my grad school is complete, perhaps then I will post daily but for now, my plan is to post on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday schedule. My focus will be on personal growth and development, time management, and goal setting through the week with my spiritual side to all of this coming on Sundays.
• I plan to better utilize my social networks for brevity and quality. I already utilize “HootSuite” for my posts on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. My hope is they will soon add Google+ to the mix. I’ve stated before that my Facebook friends see only a fraction of what I post through the day. I limit my Twitter posts to Twitter only except for the few I wish to cross over to Facebook. For that matter, I limit what I post on LinkedIn to items related to my professional life. Facebook for me has become more of the relaxed atmosphere of my social networking life. Twitter is where I share and promote others’ work that has benefited me and also some of my blog posts that might be of use to others. So if you’re now following me on Twitter, you get only a portion of what I post.

That’s my plan moving forward. I want to be somewhat brief, of value to you, and maintain my friendships both personally and professionally. I love feedback so please feel free to give my your thoughts and ideas of what you do to make your time online valuable and more efficient.

1. I love to write. I have since I was young. Why not do what I enjoy right? Others have told me that the things I share have helped them. I’ll let others judge that but if something I share here in my writing helps others, to God be the glory. He gave me the skill and passion. The gift is His given to me.
2. I’ve seen some things work in my life that I think could help others. Now not everything I write about will help every person but perhaps it will help a few (and in some cases many). When I read a book, I tell others I look for what works for me and adapt it. The same goes with this blog. Take the meat and toss the bones!
3. It keeps my mind fresh. Use it or lose it right? Writing for me is cathartic. It helps me in my other tasks; Sermon prep, Bible study, helping my kids with school, etc. Just like the adults who play those brain games on handheld game machines, writing keeps my brain working. It’s a joy and I want to keep doing it as long as God allows.

Now for you! What do you like? What are you an expert in? What motivates you? I’d love to read your thoughts. Blogs are free and easy these days. Pick a service, set up the blog and then network about it on your social network through Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. You might be surprised who reads your thoughts. I’ve been doing this awhile now but I have readers across the world. Many of my readers I’ve never met in person but I’ve become great friends with through this blog. Not only will you help others but you will meet some of the most interesting people in the world through your efforts.

So what are you waiting for? There’s a blog post in you now. Write it before it leaves your mind!

Good plans shape good decisions. That’s why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true.
- Lester Robert Bittel

Many people have dreams. Few achieve them. In my short life I’ve seen both the good and bad in people’s life planning. I look back at my earliest years as a married adult and realize there was more I should have done to plan in advance for where I was headed. In my own experience, I came to the planning party late and wish I would have done it sooner. The bible is clear in “where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18). For several years I floundered around seeking what was next before I finally stopped, began to write some goals down, and put together a plan to achieve them. I started small but then God called me to even bigger goals. I began to dream and put my dreams on paper. More good things happened. Today, I have written down some of the wildest goals ever. Do I achieve every one? No..but I achieve many of them and the fact is I wouldn’t achieve if I never wrote them down. You might think something as simple as putting goals on paper is silly but it truly is a powerful motivator. Try this simple exercise:

1. Write down a few goals you have for your own life. For me these goals generally fall into four areas; financial, personal, relational, and spiritual. See if you can identify just two goals for each area and then look at the eight goals you’ve written down.
2. Now, pick three of them. You can add more later but pick three that have the most meaning to you. List them in any order of your choosing from one to three.
3. Now, for each goal, list a series of actions that will help you get started in achieving them. If you’ve thought about education for your personal growth, the first step will be to go to a college and get the needed paperwork started NOW. Don’t hesitate. Whatever the goal, identify meaningful tasks for it.
4. Put the tasks down on your to-do list and make these of primary importance for your day. If you pick just one action from each of your three goals, you now have three very significant actions to take today to get started in achieving them. DO THEM!

This system works if you really do it. How do I know? It’s how I started years ago. Sure, I’ve added things since then but the basics are always enough for you to get started. Fall is not too far away. August is a good month to start an annual life plan. So far, I’ve identified goals in all four areas I’ve mentioned plus a few! I’ve already put actions down and have my week’s vital actions listed. Once you get the hang of this, it becomes addicting. There is no silver bullet to achievement. You have to do the work. But I will tell you from experience that once you do, your life will never be the same.

Now, GET STARTED!

Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves.
(James 1:22 ERV)

Many people today claim some type of faith. In America, though other religions are growing, Christianity still is the predominant religion of our culture. Ask most people and they will tell you they are “Christian”. Most however are merely giving a default answer. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to judge anyone but if statistics are to be believed we are in an age when true Christianity is seeing a serious decline in its adherents.

It might help to state that I see the practice of claiming to be a Christian as more than just an identity to satisfy ourselves but rather, it’s a label that denotes our devotion to the person of Jesus Christ. When I talk to people about their faith and they willingly share with me that they are a “believer” my conversation naturally turns to how often they are reading the Bible, what has God been teaching them of late, and who are they serving? Once in a while I will get solid answers of daily reading, blessings and burdens, and the ministry they are serving in. In the vast majority of cases, I hear a plethora of excuses ranging from time constraints, not understanding the Word of God, not wanting to be bogged down in a church, etc..

As a business professional I write often here about leadership skills and time management. As a pastor, I attempt to bring this crucial information into the spiritual realm. The reality is our lives reflect what is most important to us. If Christ is important we will find 30 minutes in a day to read God’s Word. We will pray, we will change destructive actions and not be influenced by destructive people, and we will find a way to live our faith practically so that others will see the reality of who Jesus is. The words of the Apostle James follow up on this:

You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless.
(James 1:26 ERV)

Do our actions measure up to our words? Or is our tongue merely being careless? If we never take action on what we learn, are we really making a difference? And how can we take action if we don’t read the execution manual? (The Bible). In business, we would be fired for attempting to do something without first reading the instructions and knowing how it should be done. If we lie on our résumé and say we are proficient in a certain skill we will soon be found out. Yet, many do this very thing by claiming to know God when they’ve never even read His book, hardly pray, and never take action. If you really are a Christian, then let God’s light shine through you as you serve others and glorify God each day (Matthew 5:16)