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Begin the Week by Paying Attention

September 28, 2009 in A New Week, Starting the Day with 4 Comments

Do you ever begin the week in a fog? fog.jpg

I feel this way sometimes. I sometimes begin a new week and am not aware of what is really taking place in my life. Consequently, a few days will go by and I will realize that I have really not been attentive or aware of an important dimension of my life. This lack of awareness can actually intensify conflict or worsen the neglect on my part.

I typically become aware of what is happening in these dimensions of my life by finally paying attention.

There are several dimensions that need my attention. Quite often, the areas that we overlook involve our relationships with people, our emotions, our physical body, our time, and most importantly, our relationship with God. The following are a few suggestions regarding areas of life that need regular attention:

1. Pay attention to what you are feeling emotionally. There are some days when I feel down or even sad. Why? Sometimes I have no idea. At other times these feelings are connected with physical fatigue. Unfortunately, sometimes I do not pay attention to my feelings and consequently allow them to color the way I view other dimensions of life. Instead of being aware that I am feeling sad or down, I start to see all my life as one bleak, dark, gray cloud. Through such a lens, everything looks negative. The reality, however, may be that I am just having a down day.

2. Pay attention to your physical body. Am I aware of how tired I feel? Am I aware of how a head-cold might impact the way I see my week? Am I eating too much sugar or drinking too many caffeinated drinks? Do I eat a heavy lunch and then wonder why I have such difficulty concentrating in the afternoon? Could it be that my sluggishness originates from a lack of exercise?

On the other hand, I have noticed that when I exercise regularly and eat food that adds fuel to my body, I feel better and am more energetic.

3. Pay attention to your relationships. Am I connecting with my wife or husband? Or, are we just functioning in our roles? Am I connecting with my children? Or, are am I just checking on homework and game schedules? What about my friends? Am I paying attention to these relationships?

4. Pay attention to your time. What does your week look like as you survey your calendar? What do you already have scheduled? Do you have any deadlines or due dates that must be met this week? Do you have meetings scheduled? Do you have certain events already scheduled that are energy depleting? Do you have some events scheduled that are energy producing? It helps me to look at my calendar at the beginning of the week and ask these questions.

My energy level tends to be very high in the mornings. Consequently, I block out the mornings for work that challenges me to think and to be creative. I read, reflect, and think best in the mornings. My energy level in the afternoons is much different. I am more likely to schedule meetings, time with people, etc. I have learned to pay attention to my energy level and to adjust the kind of work I do accordingly.

5. Pay attention to your relationship with God. Do you ever get to the middle of the week and realize that you have gone several days without praying or reading your Bible? Perhaps you have had conversations, sat in meetings, gone to church, etc. and have yet to give little more than a polite nod to God.

Question:

What do you need to be attentive to this week?


Don’t Ignore the Obvious

August 31, 2009 in A New Week, Starting the Day, Stress with 4 Comments

I really don’t want to ignore the obvious, and yet I do at times.

I graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in business. I recall taking a variety of classes including some in business management, accounting, business law, finance, statistics, etc. Yet, in spite of these courses, I ignored the obvious.

I actually paid very little attention toward thinking about the kind of work that I might do for the rest of my life. I am not suggesting that I should have known exactly what I was going to do. I am saying that I did not even give it very much thought. Oh I knew what I was going to do when I graduated. I had been working for UPS while in college and I knew that I would be driving and then going into management with them. Yet, beyond that, I gave my future little thought.

Maybe the following is obvious to you. Yet, I need to be reminded to not ignore the obvious.weekly_review.jpg
Am I thinking ahead?

1. In five years, I will be somewhere doing something.  In five years, do I want to be able to say that I have invested in my growth and maturity over these past five years? What will that mean TODAY in terms of the practical decisions that I need to make?

2. At the end of this year, I will be somewhere financially.  If I continue to spend money the way I am currently spending money, what will be my financial condition in January 2010? Do I need to make a change TODAY in terms of the way I spend money?

3. As I begin my week, I am going to make choices about the way I invest my time. Who needs my attention and time this week? Are there significant people in my life who have not been receiving the time or attention the need? Do I need to make a decision TODAY regarding this?

4. In front of me is an unread book.  I can easily say, given what I already have scheduled, “I don’t have time to read a book this week.” Yet, could I carve out thirty minutes each day to read? Could I carve out fifteen minutes each day to read? Do I need to begin this TODAY?

5. In several years, my body will be in some sort of condition.  I might be in good health. I could be in poor health. Am I investing in the health of my body? Am I conscious of what I eat and how I exercise? Or, do I ignore the obvious and choose to avoid thinking about it? Do I need to address this TODAY?

You may be a student. One of the most difficult ways of going to college (undergrad or graduate) is to wait until the day before the assignment is due to begin the readings, write the paper, etc. Far better to look at the time between now and the next class meeting and make a decision about what you need to do each day, beginning TODAY. You may be surprised at the difference in the stress you experience.

Perhaps this is obvious to you. Yet, I have seen so many people ignore the obvious and then a few years down the road wonder what happened.

Am I in control of the week? No. Only God knows what will actually occur this week. Only God in his providence knows exactly the conversations I will have and the people who I will spend time with. That is a given. Yet, at the same time, I have to make choices every week and every day about the way I will use time. For example, this week, I am speaking twice on Wednesday. I speak on Wednesday morning and then again Wednesday evening. I know that next Sunday morning I will preach again. In order to prepare for these times, I will have to make some decisions regarding the way I use my time each day this week.

I am not in control of the week. Yet, I am going to plan a time to go to the gym and exercise. I do this each day after I leave the office. This time each day is energy producing. Besides, I know that it is an investment in my health. Yet, for this to happen, I have to block out some time each day.

Will I read my Bible and pray this week? Will I spend time talking with my wife? Will I connect with my children this week? All of these questions require some time investment. Yet, if I don’t think about this at the beginning of the week, I could find myself at the end of the week watching something mindless on television while I have ignored a significant relationship that needed my time this week.

This is something that I am thinking about today as I consider my week. Maybe you will will find this helpful.

Question:

Do you ever ignore the obvious in your life? What is it that you typically ignore or just not deal with?

  

Learn to Get Intentional About Time

June 1, 2009 in A New Week, Starting the Day with 9 Comments

We all begin the week in much the same way.  We have 7 days this week.  Each day has 24 hours.  Whether you are sitting in front of a computer all day, teaching first graders, or traveling across the country for meetings this week, each day has the same number of hours.  Regardless, you have 7 days, 24 hours per day.

We begin a new week.  Perhaps you create your own schedule.  Or, perhaps another creates the schedule for you (perhaps you are scheduled to come in to work at 8:00 AM and leave at 5:00 PM).   Regardless, you have 7 days, 24 hours per day.

We don’t have time to waste.  Time used is gone.  No more.  Past tense.

Given these realities, it would do us well to think about how we use our time.  Maybe there are some things you just don’t have time for.  Here are a few of mine:

1.  I don’t have time to waste on things that don’t matter….I have plenty of time for the things that count.

2.  I don’t have time to get moody, self-centered, and irritable….I do have time to love my wife and children.

3.  I don’t have time to wallow in the past at what might have
been….I do have time to focus on what God wants to do in my life
today.

4.  I don’t have time to play self-importance games (Who do you
know?  What kind of house do you live in? What have your kids
accomplished? What are you driving?)….I do have time to build up
others and forget myself.

5.  I don’t have time to coddle worldly, immature Christians whose idea
of church is getting their way….I have plenty of time to love fellow
Christians who may have various opinions.

6.  I don’t have time to be a peace-monger (doing whatever it takes to keep others from getting upset)….I do have time to be a peacemaker (loving people no matter what).

7.  I don’t have time to play it safe.  My life will soon be
over….I do have time to risk.  I can trust God who has promised to
never leave me or forsake me.

8.  I don’t have time to whine and blame others for being
obstacles….I do have time to take responsibility for my own actions
and behavior.

9.  I don’t have time to complain and focus on the negative….I do
have time to speak a word of hope to people who are overwhelmed by
heartache.

10. I don’t have time to settle for the mediocre….I do have time to be passionate about what matters most to God.

 

Suggestion

This week choose to put into your calendar some task or action that really matters.  If you are not in the habit of doing this, try intentionally putting such tasks into your calendar or schedule at least several days of the week.

 

Questions

What do you not have time for this week?  What do you intend to make time for?


Do I Ever Cherish Do-Overs!

August 4, 2008 in A New Week, Encouragement, God, Grace, Starting the Day with 6 Comments

coffee43.jpgJust a couple of weeks ago, on July 20, I heard a piece on the radio from NPR’s "This I Believe."  The segment I heard featured a man by the name of Dan Flanagan from Michigan.  The portion of the interview that stood out was the following:

 

 
I don’t know why I came to the decision to become a loser, but I know I made the choice at a young age. Sometime in the middle of fourth grade, I stopped trying. By the time I was in seventh grade, I was your typical degenerate: lazy, rebellious, disrespectful. I had lost all social graces. I was terminally hip and fatally cool.

It wasn’t long after that I dropped out of school and continued my downward spiral. Hard physical labor was the consequence for the choices I made as an adolescent. At the age of 21, I was hopelessly lost, and using drugs as a way to deal with the fact that I was illiterate and stuck in a dead-end job carrying roof shingles up a ladder all day.

But now I believe in do-overs, in the chance to do it all again. And I believe that do-overs can be made at any point in your life, if you have the right motivation….

 
I was particularly gripped by the line that I highlighted above: "But now I believe in do-overs, in the chance to do it all again."  Does that line ever resonate with me!  When I reflect upon God’s redemptive work through Jesus on the cross, I always come away with such an appreciation in the opportunity for a "do-over."  Forgiven.  Cleansed.  Washed.  A chance to come at life again.

 
Far too many of us live with a sort of resignation toward life.  "Oh well."  Yes, I realize that there are consequences for poor choices and bad behavior.  Our blunders, failures, and mistakes can and do impact other people.

 
Yet, in Christ, there really is the opportunity to begin a new day.  I can wake up in the morning, take a deep breath, and step out into the world with the assurance that I am loved by the God of the "do-over."

 
This means a great deal to me.  I have found it far too easy to get bogged down in my own failures.  You can make your own list.  My list would have to include:
 

  • What I wish I had done differently when my children were still living at home.
  • The immaturity and insensitivity I often displayed in our marriage, those early years in particular.
  • Blunders I made in my ministry with various churches.
  • Ways I wish I had handled various situations with people differently.
  • Regrets I have over the way I have used my time in the past.
  • Opportunities that I failed to see or grasp.

How easy it would be to get bogged down in these kinds of things!  How easy it would be to rehearse these failures again and again!  Far better for me to focus on the God who continues to work through me, regardless.

 
I love the line uttered by Joseph to his brothers in the very last chapter of Genesis.  After being sold into slavery by them, after serving time in prison, and after being separated from his family for so long, Joseph says:

 
Don’t be afraid.  Am I in the place of God?  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  So don’t be afraid.  I will provide for you and your children.  (Genesis 50:19-21)

 
In spite of it all, God had worked through him and would continue to work. 

 
As you begin a new week or new day, what is most encouraging to you as you think about the God of the "do-over"?

What are Your “Essentials”?

July 28, 2008 in A New Week with 10 Comments

coffee17_1.jpgWhat are your essentials for starting a day or week?  Here are a few of mine.  (And of course these don’t all carry the same weight in terms of importance.)

 
1.  Reading the Bible.  Yes, quite often I am thinking about a class or a message to be preached.  Yet, I try to keep conscious of my own need for formation.  In the last few days, I have read II Corinthians and I Timothy.  I have found it to be important to linger over a text as a person might linger over a nice steak.

 
2.  Prayer.  Sometimes I pray as I step outside early in the morning before the sun comes up (to those of you who are night owls, this is totally weird, I know).  I also use prayer books though not on a regular basis.  This summer, I have been immersing myself in Jesus’ teachings regarding the kingdom of God.  So, I have been praying the "Jesus Creed."  (See Jesus Creed, by Scot McKnight.)

 
3.  Relationships.  I try, each day, to think about the status of my relationship with various family members.  Is there someone I really need to call?  Do I need to e-mail someone?  Do I just need to "check in"?  My children are 21 and 25.  I try to stay connected with them to the point that I know the names of their close friends.  Am I aware of what my children are dealing with this week?

 
4.  My Next Action List.  I have found David Allen’s work in Getting Things Done to be extremely helpful to me.  One of the most important lists that I have is my "next action" list.  This covers not only my work but home, relationships, etc.  I walk through this list each day wanting to make progress on a few things on it.  

 
5.  Coffee and the news.  My early mornings begin with a cup of coffee and/or a book.  Then I will look through the Dallas Morning News.  At some point, I will read the front page of the New York Times (on-line) and usually a few other papers (any of those which are listed on the right-hand bar of this page).

 
6.  Exercise.  I generally work out five times a week.  I do this right after work for about an hour in a local workout facility.  It’s not that I’m a "health nut" or I’m trying to get into shape for some event.  No, more than anything it helps me deal with stress.  I function better and feel better when I am exercising in some way on a regular basis.

 
No doubt I missed a few that are very important to you.  What would you add to this list?  What practices are important to you as you begin a day or a week? 

Looking Back at a Week

January 26, 2007 in A New Week, Spiritual Life with 5 Comments

gw_weekly_review.jpgFor some time, I have been using David Allen’s system as a system for personal organization.  It is a good system.  I find it useful.  One of the most useful components of the system is the "Weekly Review."  In his book Getting Things Done, Allen writes the following:

If you’re like me and most other people, no matter how good your intentions may be, you’re going to have the world come at you faster than you can keep up.  Many of us seem to have it in our natures consistently to entangle ourselves in more than we have the ability to handle.  We book ourselves back to back in meetings all day, go to after-hours events that generate ideas and commitments we need to deal with, and get embroiled in engagements and projects that have the potential to spin our creative intelligence into cosmic orbits.  

 
That whirlwind of activity is precisely what makes the Weekly Review so valuable.  It builds in some capturing, reevaluation, and reprocessing time to keep you in balance.  There is simply no way to do this necessary regrouping while you’re trying to get everyday work done.

 
(David Allen, Getting Things Done, pp. 184-185)

Very true!  Yet, as a person who follows Christ, I also need to use my "Weekly Review" as a time to reflect on my walk with him the previous week.
 

  • Am I living in his presence each day, living out my life in dependence on him?
  • Am I living in daily obedience?
  • Do I live as if he were my greatest treasure?
  • How am I doing as his steward?  Do my relationships, my use of money, and my moral/ethical life reflect he is Lord of my life?

As a part of this review, I want to look at tomorrow, the next week, and upcoming months with the mindset of Jehoshaphat as he dealt with overwhelming problems (facing nations that wished to defeat him).  I’m thankful to Charlotte for pointing me to these words a few weeks ago.

 
"For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."  (II Chronicles 20:12)

I’m Thankful

September 5, 2006 in A New Week, My Family with 0 Comments

Panera_bread
Labor Day weekend is over.  I’m ready for the next one.   I could get used to long weekends.  And today…

I’m thankful

Saturday evening, we were with friends.  A good meal and then we –OK, two of us–watched bits and pieces of three different football games (the first day of football season).  It was a good evening.   We enjoyed just being with friends and catching up with one another’s lives.

We talked with both of our girls this weekend on the telephone.  Jamie in Oklahoma City, Ok.  Christine in Murfreesboro, Tn.  I was reminded again of how blessed we are to have two daughters who love us.

Yesterday morning, Charlotte and I went to Panera Bread.  Drank coffee, ate a roll, and read the newspaper with no pressure to be anywhere at anytime.  (When is the next holiday like Labor Day?)   Later, we returned home and worked around the house.

Last evening, we were with other friends and their children and grandchildren.  Again–a nice evening.  Good food.  Laughter.  Most of all, being with good people who we like and care about.

I really am thankful.  I’m thankful for moments of pleasure.  Being with my wife.  Being with friends.  Opening day of football season.  A nice meal.  A good cup of coffee.  The energy and innocence of lots of little children running around.  Working around the house.  Seeing a garage look better.  Sitting at Panera Bread, reading the newspaper. 

I take none of that for granted.  I thank God for these small but important moments in life.

Some Weeks Are Just Tough

July 19, 2006 in A New Week with 3 Comments

Coffeecuphot
Maybe your week has been tough!  Hey–it’s Wednesday and you are already exhausted.

Many people (maybe you?) are under regular verbal, emotional, and psychological  assault.  Many are under spiritual attack as well.  Over and over, in a thousand different ways, men, women, and children are told they are not valuable as persons.  In so many ways, the glory and dignity of these persons has been taken away.

Yet, we can trust God’s ultimate deliverance.  We can trust him to be at work and be involved in our situations.   Sometimes, we get discouraged.  We pray.  We believe we know what God’s answer ought to be.  The answer must come now in the way we have planned.

Consequently, we pray but then become completely frustrated.  We pray for a loved one who has cancer and then she dies.  We pray for one of our children to become a Christian and it hasn’t happened.  We get confused and exasperated, “Why didn’t God answer my prayer!”

A family gathered with their friends in the waiting room after surgery.  After hearing of the success of the surgery, the father said, “We knew that everything would be all right.  We left it in God’s hand.”   

Ok–we can receive a successful surgery as an answered prayer.  However, there are others who prayed and their parent/spouse/child died.  Leaving it in God’s hands is not a guarantee that what we think ought to happen will actually happen.  God will, however, never abandon us as he responds to these prayers.

Bring your helplessness before God.

I like these lines from Ole Hallsby’s Prayer (p. 26),

I never grow weary of emphasizing our helplessness, for it is the decisive factor not only in our prayer life, but in our whole relationship to God. As long as we are conscious of our helplessness, we will not be overtaken by any difficulty, disturbed by any distress or frightened by any hindrance. We will expect nothing of ourselves and therefore bring all our difficulties and hindrances to God in prayer. And this means to open the door unto Him and to give God the opportunity to help us in our helplessness by means of the miraculous powers which are at His disposal.
Jesus once said, “Without me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). What is that but a simple recognition of our helplessness? Acknowledge to God over and over your helplessness.

What kind of week will you have?

Whatever happens, bring your helplessness before God and know that in some way, he will deliver and be faithful to his promises.