I often hear the quote by Martin Luther, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”
I think we can all agree with Luther when he said, “I have so much to do.” For those in ministry - there’s always phone calls to make, volunteers to recruit, programs to plan, sermons/lessons to prepare and members to visit. “I have so much to do . . .” is often the mantra of those in ministry today. For those who are stay-at-home parents, business leaders, volunteers or employees, you can agree with the statement “I have so much to do . . .” as well. Students can agree with Luther and say, “I have so much to do . . .” Even children can now agree and say as they finish school for the day and then proceed to sports practice, “I have so much to do . . .” Busyness is now next to godliness. I’ve spoken to Pastor’s who say with pride, “I haven’t taken a day off in two weeks!” Men speak of working seventy hours a week like they just won an award for the most hours worked at the job site. Busyness is now next to godliness. What about the next phrase, “I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” What? Three hours in prayer? Who has that much time in their schedule? Now I will admit, I do not spend the first three hours in prayer. Can you fill in the blank though, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first ________ _________ in prayer?” How amazing would it be to spend three hours in prayer? How wonderful would it be to spend two consecutive, uninterrupted hours in prayer? How special would it be to spend one hour in prayer? How remarkable would it be to say, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first ten minutes before my shift in prayer”? Understand, we are not required to spend three hours every time we have a busy schedule. I believe the point Luther was attempting to make is make prayer a priority! Block time in your daily calendar for prayer. In my Google Calendar, I block off at least an hour for prayer each day. During that time, I have an appointment - the door to my office is closed, the computer is put on sleep mode, and I pray. If I do not schedule prayer on my daily agenda, my daily agenda will never include prayer. This is my attempt of making prayer a priority in my ministry and daily life. My method may not be perfect, but God is glorified when we make prayer a priority. How do you make prayer a priority in your life? Take some time and share in the comments below some methods you use to make prayer a priority in your daily life.
0 Comments
Stepping stone? No!
I did not use Children’s Ministry for a stepping stone toward the Senior Pastorate. Reflecting over the years I can see how God was preparing my heart for the ministry of the Senior Pastorate. I am eternally thankful for God directing my path toward where I am today. Before I transitioned out of my previous church, a mentor who is also a former pastor told me, “The two most important things a pastor can focus on are: Prayer and the Ministry of the Word.” While I understand why he counseled me toward these two tasks and I believe they are Biblical (Acts 6:4), I would like to take time to narrow our focus down to one priority as leaders in ministry. Our priority is simply this: The Glory of God When God’s people were allowed to return and worship God after seventy years of exile, they returned to a temple that was in ruin. God’s people then started to lay the foundation (Ezra 3:10), but became discouraged by their adversaries. For sixteen years, God’s people became focused on other tasks: rebuilding their own homes, farming, work, food, and drink, while God’s House remained unfinished. A prophet named Haggai is called by God to emphasize rebuilding the temple. In Haggai 1:7, God declares, “Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified…” The glory of God was the priority for God’s people. Rebuilding their own home, farming, eating food, earning wages were not sinful. When the priority shifted away from God’s glory, God rebuked the people and called them to ‘consider their ways’. As leaders in ministry, we can be distracted with ministry and easily forget that our priority in ministry and in all of life is to glorify God. With the demands of leadership continually shifting and changing, it’s important that we daily refocus our priority in ministry. With this in mind, follow the links below as I discuss three ways we can give glory to God as leaders in ministry. Share below how you seek to give God the glory in your leadership. Michael Altshuler, a Motivational Speaker and Trainer, once said, “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” The goal of the pilot is to take passengers to their destination safely and on schedule. They know the course and prepare accordingly.
As leaders, you are in the pilot’s seat in how productive you will be each day. In order to help you arrive at your destination (productivity), here are five crucial actions to improve productivity. 1. Utilize a Voice Assistant - As Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa and other voice assistants continue to become popular, it’s time to utilize them for more than simply asking ‘What is the weather today?’ or ‘How long will it take me to get to work?’ Begin utilizing voice assistants for productivity around the office. For example, say ‘Hey Google, remind me to call Fred today at 2 P.M.’ You can also say, “Hey Siri, email Stacey and ask if she is available to meet on Thursday.’ Ask your Voice Assistant to set a 30 minute timer in order to focus on your most important task. From sending text messages to adding calendar appointments to shopping, begin utilizing your voice assistant for productivity. 2. Purchase a Full Focus Planner - Michael Hyatt and Company have developed an incredible planner for leaders to utilize for daily, monthly and quarterly planning. Each morning, leaders write down their daily big three goals for the day, along with their schedule and other tasks. There’s space for writing down your ideal week, annual goals and daily rituals all designed to keep your goals within your reach. Check it out here - https://fullfocusplanner.com 3. Utilize an Online Calendar - The smartphone culture has provided worldwide access at the tips of our fingers. If you are a leader who has not created an online calendar yet, now is the time. While there are many to choose from, Google Calendar has a simple and free calendar you can use to get started. Provide access to your calendar for your spouse, your team, and your Administrative Assistant. It’s important to communicate your schedule to those close to you and an online calendar can provide that communication. In the event you want to use both a hard copy and electronic copy, Michael Hyatt has written an excellent article on how to use the Full Focus Planner and a digital calendar here. 4. Stop Multitasking - Research has proven multitasking is ineffective. Begin training yourself now to focus on one task at a time. When skipping back and forth to multiple tasks, you’re losing time and efficiency. Learn how to focus on one task at a time. It will take time adjust to this new routine, but it will certainly prove to be more productive for you in your area of leadership. The next crucial action will guide you in your start in focusing on one task at a time. 5. Begin Block Scheduling - In order to keep you focused on one task, block scheduling is the method you should take advantage of. Start by prioritizing what area of your work needs most attention or is most important and block a specific amount of time on your calendar (30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, etc.). Then focus your energy and effort on that most important task. Sure, emergencies will always arise - you’re a leader. When this happens, simply schedule another block of time for that one task. All leaders can improve in their productivity. Like the beginning of the article said - You’re the pilot - so take advantage of the resources and tools available and begin focusing on improving your productivity. How do you plan to improve your productivity? Use the comment section below and discuss with others how you plan to improve your productivity. Over the past few weeks we have discussed paper calendars and online calendars. We’ve shared benefits and concerns of each method. Today, we’ll conclude by sharing the method we use and how it’s possible to blend the two options together. Our Personal Preference - The preference for Leadership in Ministry is: Online Calendar. We use the Google Calendar and have separate calendars rolled up into one. We have an appointment calendar, family calendar, blogging calendar, and an Administrative Assistant Calendar. If the calendar becomes jumbled with all of the different calendars, we simply uncheck a calendar to improve the look of the calendar. Regarding distractions, we simply schedule times throughout the day to check email and resist the urge to check an email at every notification. Also, the goal is to limit games on our electronic devices as they can often be a distraction. However, we understand there are emergencies that arise that require an instant response, but those are few and far between. Overall, choosing an online or paper calendar depends on your personality and preference. Our recommendation is to try a few until you find what works for you. If you would like some assistance on what to choose, contact us using the contact page on our website. Blending the Two - We have found a way to blend the two calendars. When you are planning long term and would like to see the ‘big picture’, a paper calendar is the best option. We typically print a yearly calendar and use that paper calendar to look long range. For the short term, like day to day tasks or weekly planning, we use the online calendar. This concludes our discussion on calendars. We would love to hear your thoughts on the discussion from the past few weeks. What methods do you use in your calendaring? Do you have a system that works for you? Last week we began a discussion on effective calendaring and which method is most beneficial. We began by looking at the benefits and a concern of online calendaring. This week we will look at paper calendaring. Paper Calendars We live in a day where ‘paperless’ is becoming a goal of many companies and churches. In one way, this is productive and organized. However, regarding a calendar, having paper may benefit you and your ministry. Here are two ways a paper calendar can be beneficial and one way a paper calendar can be an obstacle. Memorable - Research still proves writing down items can be beneficial in retaining information. (Link). Writing down an event, meeting or appointment can be helpful in keeping the calendar input at the forefront of your mind. This is also beneficial in keeping notes and recording important information. Customizable - There are many different paper calendars to choose from. You can choose which calendar fits your personality. For example: Wall Hanging Desktop Calendar Pocket Size Daily Weekly Monthly Michael Hyatt has an excellent planner that not only includes an appointment section, but also has a place to record goals as well. Check out this wonderful tool here - https://fullfocusplanner.com/ Bulky - The one concern we have with the paper calendar is we cannot carry it everywhere we go. Depending on the calendar you purchase, they can be bulky and can be misplaced easily. While it’s true, writing things down make it more memorable, it’s possible that many other things will cloud our memory and cause some confusion in the event a calendar is lost or forgotten. Next week we’ll share with you our personal preference and how it’s possible to blend the two options together. Share with readers what ways you see paper calendaring more beneficial than online calendaring. What ways do you see paper calendaring less beneficial? |
Archives
March 2023
This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of Cookies |