becoming naturally supernatural

Today is not yesterday,
nor is it tomorrow.

Life has many different chapters for us.

Several hard-to-process chapters in a row do not sum up the whole story,
nor do they signal it’s the end of your book.

I sense it's one of the reasons why the combination of December-into-January is such a unique window of times. A part of us is overwhelmed by the beauty, colorful lights and peace of Christmas... and then suddenly we're into a new year and not quite sure if we even understand the past one.

A new year offers many natural transition points, yet when we live according to them we may end up reacting than responding.

Following Jesus means we're able to live for something deeper and supernatural. The "natural" still has its place, but the"supernatural" is where real purpose offers an embrace.

The Bible is filled with life after life, story after story of situations that seemed a certain way for a season only to then experience a turnaround in the next.

It's all about becoming naturally supernatural.

Be aware of the chapter you're in, realizing that the Author is not yet done writing. His penmanship may be slower than yours, but His creativity and sense of the larger narrative is beyond compare.

In fact, try handing Him the pen you tend to want to take out of His hands.

And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Rev. 21:5 

guest post: this is such a mess

From Monica Arnold, Kids Connection of Connection Church

This week started off absolutely crazy.

I usually enjoy Mondays. It feels like I can get an invigorating look at the week ahead. To-do lists get written; menu gets set; house gets cleaned.  I like Mondays.

But this week’s Monday? Not so much. There was no cup of coffee consumed before the phone started ringing; a bowl of Rice Krispies was bumped against the wall before a single chicken scratch was made.

To cap it off, there was an unexpected, early phone call to schedule a series of medical tests. It ultimately led me to make a decision to have surgery on my foot a whole lot earlier than it was supposed to happen. I now have 10 days less to get everything in my life to a place of sanity.

Maybe this is why not much of what usually happens on Mondays got done.  I started complaining, ranting, and telling myself and every other living thing around me how typical this is.  Just last week I was telling a friend (after separate odd events) how these kinds of things just happen, I’m sure, as a way for God to boldly remind you that you're not in control. Ever.

Which is a blessing that only feels like a curse if you lose perspective.

God has control. I have to remind myself several times to let this reality stick and really embrace it. And I’m really glad God has control. It’s so stinkin’ hard to give that up sometimes and let Him have his way, and be humble enough to know when to step back.

This is something of a partial epidemic in my life! It’s so much easier to tell you all the things I couldn’t control than it is to share about how much of this God had under control.  And it’s so much easier to complain here about what’s gone wrong today than it is to tell you all of the good things that happened.

Guess what? I got to go on a walk with my kids today. We got to squeeze in a couple short dirt bike rides. We ate Popsicles together afterwards. My mom gave me a CD of a Christian group I have been so missing to listen to on the tedious drives to and from the hospital.  My friend stopped by after her long day at work to offer help and share some of my responsibilities.

Really good things happened today.

I am thankful that God has a plan and can use everything in that plan... for the placement of the situations and the people He has put in my life as blessings... His complete plan of control over my life is comforting to have at the end of the day. It would’ve been easier to look past all the rubbish throughout the day and thank God for what I had instead.

It reminds me how Women’s Connection is wrapping up on a 10 week study on “David: Seeking a Heart like His."  God has shown me how completely necessary it is to turn to Him in everything I do and surrender all those things I know I just can’t keep up with or do… to Him. I learned that it’s less about my day to day and more about His life plan. How neat to have that sort of “armor” to walk away with from a study, where you get to learn and listen from other women who have been there, done that.

God allowed David to be put through a crazy amount of stuff. But still, David continued to praise Him.  

• Psalm 31:5 “I entrust my spirit into Your hand…”  
• Psalm 31:7 “I am overcome with Joy because of Your unfailing love for you have seen my troubles and You care…”  
• Psalm 30: 1 “I will praise You Lord, for you have rescued me…”

Looks like I need to take a few cues from the Bible. Life may feel like a mess... but God can turn the splatters into a masterpiece.

“The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my victory.  He is my God and I will praise Him!” (Exodus 2:15)

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guest post: beating busyness

From Jon Jaroska, Resource Connection of Connection Church

Honestly, when Tony first asked me to blog I said to myself, “Great. One more thing to do this week!?” So first, anger came over me, then depression, and then the guilt kicked in. Once I was past all the emotions it became clear to me to focus on what was really going on in my life.  

A bunch of “busyness” mumbo-jumbo.

I like to analyze things, so that's where I first drifted. As soon as I started to, though, God held me back. It was a wake-up call to pray instead, and as soon as I did He started to talk (even more surprising was I could discern some of what He was saying). I realized I often find myself just going about my stuff and not asking Him to tell me what I should be doing. It feels like that creates a huge hole in me knowing if I'm doing what I should be doing or wasting my energy on other things.

Maybe you can relate. For me, this created a call to action that I want to share with you.

I know that this may sound high on the horse (and believe me, I feel like I am the worst law-breaker at this sometimes), but stop procrastinating.

If you don’t have a problem with that, great - you are one step closer to pleasing the heart of God with your schedule. If you do struggle with it, you'll need a reason to get out of that cycle. Spending time with God will give you that.

Don’t wait.  Take a moment right now to ask God what He wants you to care about. You might even want to write down everything you have to do for the next seven days, then ask God which of those is most important. Pay attention to if your list is God-driven or you-driven.

While you're doing that, note how many times intentionally growing your relationship with God appears in your list somehow. Maybe you could take another step today and ask God to either change something on your list or insert something that He wants for you.

confessions of a pastor - pt 3: my day (and someone's eternity)

I've put off writing this next post due to some tough stuff I've been sorting through. Last week was full of angst, accusations and apathy that was directed at me. It's hard not to take that personally... what someone says they do "in love" often doesn't feel like love. Sometimes it can spill out of you, too, and I didn't want that to influence this. Know what I mean?

A question I'm often asked is what is a typical day like for a pastor?

There's no accurate way to answer that, which is something of an answer in itself. As I just shared, it can be rough - we live in a world where it's easier to criticize  than construct, and if someone is upset with a church a pastor is usually who it gets directed to. On the other side, because I serve God through a church that is made of people on all different schedules, I have to maintain some kind of flexibility in my day and week:

• Meetings could happen during the day or at night.
• I may offend someone if I don't show up for something that is important to them because I have to show up to something that's just a bit more important to someone else.
• Everyone uses a preferred way to reach me - some expect a quick response back by phone if they prefer to call, text if they prefer to text, Twitter if they prefer to Tweet, Facebook if they prefer to write posts or notes, email if they prefer to email, and so on. I have to utilize a smartphone to keep track of it all.
• My wife and kids roll with whatever I tell them is happening in my day, trusting that I won't abuse that but will give them equal time and attention at some point in the day. (I'll write more on that in my next post)
• Someone may get offended, and instead of handling it appropriately vents to others - just to "get some perspective." Suddenly I'm forced to have to clean up a mess that poisons others that could have been avoided if just a bit more maturity and kindness was exercised. 
• There are a group of leaders I am shepherding and looking for ways to give them progressive ownership of roles and projects. Each is at a different spot than another, so I need to read what God is doing in their life to make the best investment.
• Somehow I need to be growing with God underneath it all.

As an example, yesterday:

• 9am: I woke up, not because I'm lazy but because two nights before I was up until 4am on a deadline. The fatigue was still in me.
• 9:30am: I had a meeting for The Big Day of Serving, a national event I'm the point coordinator and team-builder of. we finished around 10:45am.
• 10:45am: I caught up on emails from a dozen people who needed something from me "at that moment." One shared something that could affected their entire household.
• 11:30am: I met with a guy who was seeking some counsel/direction. We had lunch at Fiesta Jalapenos.
• 1pm: I came home, played with my daughter in her toddler world.
• 1:15pm: I sat down to work on my computer and get a project done.
• 1:20pm: I received a call from a neighbor/friend who left his plane tickets at his house, and drove to meet him half-way to Cleveland so he could get his plane tickets and make his flight. 
• 1:45pm: While waiting, I caught up on emails, texts, tweets, notes and voicemails via my phone.
• 1:55pm: Drove back from that drop-off, and turned the radio off. Spent time praying and seeking God on the car ride.
• 3:30pm: I took my youngest son to music lessons, and chatted with one of our Lead Team members who teaches him. I also chatted with a former church attender who had her son there. In the middle of those conversations, I crammed in some work on my laptop in between it all.
• 4pm: Sat down to work on the project I sat down on earlier. Got an email from someone whose marriage is in crisis. Had to defer the project again to focus on what was more important.
• 5pm: Turned the phone off. Ate dinner with the family.
• 5:30pm: Drove my oldest son out to test for his karate belt. I've been in the class as well but couldn't test because I've not had the time to train/prepare for the next belt. I planned to get some work done in the off moments of the class (since I was a spectator), but it didn't feel right - my son needed to know I was watching him, and I had relationships to build in the class.
• 7:40pm: Drove my son home. We talked about everything from karate, God, comic books, the Bible, and more. The phone rang, but I didn't answer it.
• 8:15pm: Had a meeting at the church building with our Resource Team. HOLY CROW - some amazing stuff is happening!
• 10:15pm: Came home... caught up with my wife... glanced my emails... we talked about watching the last twenty minutes of NBC's "The Voice" until I realized we'd already watched it two nights before. 
• 11pm: Responded to two things that needed my attention. I then tabled several to-do list items for Friday and went to bed.

Now... here's the cool part - ALL of that means something. I don't mind a busy day, especially when it's full of purpose. I count it a privilege to be able to invest into my kids and drive them places, as well as to put down a project to help someone with their marriage. It also means something to me when I can look at my wife and kids at the end of a long day and know that we're on the same team.

I might also mention that at the end of the day, I had the chance to read this from someone I met with yesterday: 

So a funny thing happened today..... I walked into a Fiesta Jalapeño’s to have lunch with this guy you may know. He's kind of quirky, but ohhhhh can he speak to you.  I had FB’d him and asked if he’d meet me for lunch and walk with me for an hour or two (metaphorically speaking of course), as I wanted to go on a couple hour journey with him, spiritually.

So I, a stumbling man, whose scripture knowledge is at a level of a 6-year old and whose life seems to be crashing before his eyes, asked him questions I had been pondering over the last few months of my spiritual growth. I told this guy what I'd accomplished so far, what I was doing currently, where I wanted to be and just how hell bent (no pun intended), I was on building a strong spiritual core within myself. 

I spoke to this guy – he listened – he listened well. I exposed some of myself to him – SHAME, HURTS, SINS, IMORRALITY, and more TOXIC SHAME. The more I let spill out the harder it was to hold in. You see the funny thing about TOXIC SHAME is you have to feel it to heal it! 

So this guy just listened and gently pointed me to a spot I needed to be at but just wasn’t finding on my own. You see this guy knew. He knew.

This guy…. you see gave me an AMAZING gift to day. The gift of GOD’s salvation. Right there at a Fiesta Jalapeño’s.  WOW!!! I’m proud to stand up and say, I have turned my life over to Jesus Christ. What a feeling you get on the inside when you receive this gift from the outside.

I want to thank “that guy” – Pastor Tony Myles

Thank you Tony

William

P.S. I heard Tony saves people at all kinds of restaurants, Waffle Houses, Burger Kings…etc  Oh, Dairy Queens too.

Now that's what it's all about. Someone's ETERNITY - not just their life, but what happens after their life here is over - is forever changed because I made myself available and others make that possible by supporting the work of our church financially and prayerfully. Obviously, Jesus does the saving... we just let ourselves be used. But to borrow a phrase from Hannibal Smith (yes, from the A-Team), "I love it when a plan comes together."

Here's another - for me, and for you (because YOU are a minister to someone as well):

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3:17).

a new year of new living: juggling work, home and everything else

How many jugglers does it take to change a light bulb?

Two: An expert to change the light bulb, and a beginner to ask, "Yeah, but can you change *two* light bulbs?"

Everyone juggles, even if poorly.

A ball enters one hand, is traded off to another, and is tossed into the air in the hope it’ll be caught again.

This isn't a circus act... this is how you spend your time.

Every day you toss one thing up in the air hoping to gain something else. Perhaps it’s legitimate, such as sacrificing your hobby to gain time at home. Maybe it’s illegitimate, such as a student who cheats for a higher grade, a businessman who lies to make a sale, or a taxpayer who fudges on their taxes for their yearly return.

People try to ignore these differences in integrity by reasoning they’re juggling whatever they can to “survive.” Who wants to think that when their motives are pure that their methods might be impure?

So you juggle. You invest in some relationships and ignore others. Somehow the lines blur between telling people what they want to hear versus genuinely conversing. Every responsibility and opportunity competes for your attention, but to give each the time it demands or deserves requires more than you have.

You eventually find out which balls are made of rubber and which ones are made of glass. At times you feel the satisfaction of having made the right choice of what to toss and what to hold, and other times you deal with a cycle of guilt, anger, jealously, and rejection from trying to do more than you can. Some of the people around you feel fulfilled, and others feel so rejected that even the strongest of bonds and loyalties erode.

In his book "Choosing To Cheat," author Andy Stanley clarifies this issue:

• Your problem is not discipline or organization.
• Your problem is not that you have yet to stumble onto the perfect schedule.
• Your problem is not that the folks at home demand too much of your time.
• The problem is there is not enough time to get everything done that you are convinced—or others have convinced you needs to get done.

Someone or something is not going to get what they want or need from you. If you stayed at home all day, you’d lose the job that provides for it; if you worked at the office until everyone was pleased, you'd have no time to ensure there was Life in your life; if you answered every call and text, you’d never have stillness in your life. The list is endless and so are the time requirements.

Your knee-jerk reaction is likely to drop all the other balls to save one:

• The ball that strokes our sense of self-worth, be it a job or hobby that we excel at.
• The ball that slides into our hand most easily because it relaxes us, be it partying on the weekends or sleeping in for more “me time.”
• The ball that squeaks the loudest, be it a boss who threatens to fire us or a loved one who threatens to leave us.

All of this tracks back to Genesis 3 when in our attempt to be our own god we created the consequences of difficult work and relationships. Every job requires more sweat than it should, and even the most intimate of marriages will struggle over matters of desire.

So what's the solution? I have bad news and good news.

• The bad news: There’s no permanent solution on this side of heaven. As you toss one or more balls in the air to grab another, you’ll have to assure whatever you’ve released that being hands-off for a moment doesn't equal being completely abandoned... and only your life (not your words) can affirm that.
  
• The good news: You can align your pace of juggling with the priorities of your season. Life is made up of chapters, and each demands a shift to focus on your heart, soul, mind, body, or relationships more than another. A doctor may tell you that this season of your life needs to shift dramatically to increase your physical health, or a spouse may explain that he/she needs you at home more. Again, if you communicate to the other priorities what is temporarily required of you in another, most will understand.

Colossians 3:17 states: "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." I like the visual of concentric circles to apply this:

• God: Am I merely religious, or am I truly surrendered? Do I let God readjust what I'm doing emotionally, intellectually, physically, and relationally so everything has integrity?
• God and my wife: Does the amazing person who knows me best get my best? Are we investing into each other? If we’re in a busy season, how can we not let that define our relationship? Am I doing life with her or near her?
• God, my wife, and my kids: Do my kids know that my wife comes before them so I give them the gift of a healthy home? Do they likewise feel invested into? When they speak to me, do they see my eyes or the side of my head as I do other things?
• God, my wife, my kids, and my job: Can I do my job guilt-free because I've spent quality time at home first? Do the people I serve through my job get a consistent, quality burst from me?
• God, my wife, my kids, my job and everything else: Have I built margin in my life to be available for spontaneous needs and curveballs?

The core priorities in your life are where you are the least expendable - your own life and home, for example. Only you can be you to the people in your life who call you spouse or parent. The latter priorities are where you are most expendable, such as a job that you could change any day.

You'll have to toss different balls in the air during different chapters of life. Just make sure you don't throw someone up so high that they feel abandoned or sent on a trajectory where they won't return to you. You may have to let some "urgent" things drop to ensure the truly important things don't. You can always get another job, but you can’t always get another family. Release and delegate, letting God (and not the squeakiest ball) guide it all.

managing time you can't seem to manage

We simply can't fit everything in.

There are only 24 hours in each day, even when we feel like we have 48 hours of things to do. For the all the frustration that causes, however, there is a liberating truth:

You do have enough time to do everything God wants you to do.

Recently someone asked me "How do you pull off everything you seem to pull off in a single week? And by 'you' I mean YOU? Seriously you are one active guy."

I answered that I'm not sure there is a science to it, except that I keep my priorities clear - Jesus Christ, Katie, kids, and everyone/everything else (in that order). Somehow that alone anchors me and God helps me bend without breaking.

Another person followed up by asking, "How does one stay focused on our priorities? I think most of us get that they are supposed to be in that order, we just need a liitle help keeping it that way :) (Seriously, how???)"

Again, there is no "how" as much as there is a "Who" - let me use a metaphor.

I remember as a kid seeing movies like "Alice in Wonderland" or "Labyrinth" where a character was running through a maze that they couldn't find their way out of. Usually there would be an aerial shot in the scene to show you (the viewer) something they couldn't see - a birds-eye view of the maze. I always wondered as a kid if I could shout out to them where to go to help them out.

The good news is that God does the same thing for us in our busyness.When we feel like we don't know which way to turn (i.e should we cut back an hour on work to spend with our family, or should we cut back on relational time to increase professional time, etc) we have One who both shouts and whispers to us.

The problem, of course, is that God isn't MapQuest. He won't give you a turn-by-turn instruction on everything, but He will speak into your heart clear values that He wants you to use to know what to cut back on and what to increase today, or tomorrow, or the next day.

Let's face it - you and I only see the maze... but God sees the whole thing. He can restore your vision to what really matters without stealing away your freewill to make choices.

Andy Stanley wrote a great, short book on this called "Choosing to Cheat: Who Wins When Family and Work Collide?" We all have to temporarily "cheat" people in our lives from what they hope from us, from work and family to our responsibilities and our extracurriculars. The catch is to make sure no one feels permanently "cheatED" in the process.

Imagine asking your family to hold a large rock because you need them to assume a burden you can't for a moment - they can hold it for a while, but you need to make sure you grab back the burden before they get worn down.

So that's why a priority list or mission statement like I mentioned is key. We need to make sure we don't give the most important people, starting with God, our leftovers. They need to get our best, because they in turn help us to become "whole" at giving our best to the rest of the world. Likewise, there is something about entering a busy season with something further down your priority list and knowing that those at the top are okay with it because you have first attended to them.

Again, though - God isn't just a religious priority, or even a "line item" on your list. He is the One who sees the maze, so absolutely start with Him. Prioritize your growth with the Lord, from taking active part in His Church to simply being still and knowing He is God. There is a reason He gives His Holy Spirit to people who receive Him as Savior and Lord... because He cares and knows we need more insight than what we can see.

That's it - no "one-size fits all" strategy... but priorities that you keep priorities, and constantly ask questions about to ensure the order is in the right order. That alone is what determines what you need to say "YES" to again that you've been putting off, and what you need to say "Not now" to that you have been protective of doing because you like it. Keep in mind, what you change today you may change back in a week - not because you're fickle, but because you are on a journey.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. (James 4:13-17)

capturing the now

"Gentlemen you're going to be on the field 75 plays. Two or three of those plays will determine the outcome of this game. Unfortunately I can't tell you which ones they're going to be. Therefore you're going to have to play them all." - Vince Lombardi

Something I've been reminding myself (and the amazing members of Connection Church) in recent days is that today is Gameday... and every day is. Specifically, I'm referring to the fact that the greatest moment of your life is right now, for the greatest thing that could ever happen in your life is just a decision away. And to top it off, it's not just an "us" thing... the God of the universe is about to throw each of us a pass that He hopes we each catch and move down the field.

Maybe that sounds somewhat inspirational, because it absolutely is. Yet it drives us to question, "What does that practically mean?" and "How do I 'capture the now' of the moment?"

• The first issue is mindfulness: People step up into their God-given destiny - be it on a daily basis or for their whole lives - when they stop seeing life through small eyes. This doesn't happen naturally, for it requires something "beyond natural" - or "supernatural" - to show us what that we are otherwise blind to. The question is would you rather be blind to such an option or would you rather know what you're missing out on? The worst thing we can do is continue to believe our assumptions on their own will always be right.
  
  How aware are you of the greatest thing that could come out of your life on any given day? Do you allow your mind and heart to imagine yourself taking part in something so glorious that the sheer thought of it makes you weep?
  
  
• The second issue is motive: It's one thing to see what your life can be, and another to find a reason to decide to embrace it. A motive empowers you to live against the grain of the status quo you have set your life to live within. Until enduring the pain of this staus quo becomes greater than the pain of change, we will keep doing what we do and never jump into the vibrant life of reconnecting with our Creator (and our created purpose).
  
  What would it take for you to get off your duff about something you know you need to get off your duff about? A moment of brokenness? Another person?
  
  
• The third issue is method: We need to establish a new trend in this generation to not let the fear of the unknown paralyze us from action. It seems like previous generations threw themselves into whatever needed to happen, even when they didn't know how to solve their problems. We're so used to Google and Mapquest telling us our answers that we freeze up with indirection when the clear steps are not outlined. Maybe Door #1 won't open the way you want it to, so how about seeing if Door #2 is actually a backdoor to get you into the same room?
  
  What tools do you use throughout your day that help you get your most important stuff done? Do those tools make sense to continue to use with this renewed endeavor?
  
  
• The fourth issue is membership: We all need more than a purpose... we need a committed community of purpose that will surround us with others who have decided to not settle for the status quo. Some may feel comfortable enough to open up, while others will simply enjoy the presence of being around others. Either way, we gain a network of relationships that allows us to discover the things that must change - which, ironically, is only possible to have any form of accuracy when we are linked into the one thing that will never change - God Himself.
  
  Are the people you're connected to going to help you simply "be happy?" Or will they help you become more than you are or even imagine for yourself?
  
  
• The fifth issue is maintenance: All of the previous steps have created a culture, and so the remaining step is to be sure that culture stays relevant. Simply put, this means taking eternal truth and being sure it is connected to the "here and now." Every hurdle will give you an opportunity to distinguish between what is the core purpose of your life (i.e. "What I simply must do") versus that which is merely circumstantial (i.e. "What I do because that's the way my life is.").
  
  Are you willing to create a culture that is intentional about upgrading growth potential and downsizing comfort when appropriate?
  

If you want to be a part of something that has real purpose and eternal value to it, you have to be willing to capture the now. Sure, it may take a bit of advance work, but it's well worth it.

It's Gameday.

too much, too little

There is simply no excuse for not giving your best to something.

Even when there is a "lid" in your life, from a tough work environment to a personal limitation, you can still give your best.

Whatever your leadership task is - caring for kids as a parent, investing in the church you call home, making sense of the goals and relationships in your workplace, bringing your best to that activity you coach or the team you take part in, studying hard to maximize your education - you have the chance to really maximize an opportunity to bring out God's best for those around you.

You have to chance to be fully faithful... nothing more, nothing less.

We're all aware of how easy it is to stop short of that for the wrong reasons... but likewise, many of us can give too much for a whole set wrong reasons.

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You know you've stopped short when...

You "settle" versus "let go." You can't finish every project with perfection. In fact, I find that perfection - where you know there isn't anything you could possibly do beyond what you've done to make something better - is rare. But there is a difference between settling versus letting go. Letting go happens when you were faithful to whatever level you could be, factoring in time, skills, team available, size of project, and so on. Settling, though, happens before the deadline hits... it's giving up before you have to - because you don't push yourself to be yourself.

You "give up" time/resources versus "run out" of time/resources. We all have things to do in our weeks... and then there are the things we don't have to do but like to do. Think of your favorite TV shows, movies, hobbies, and so on - things you "like." Some of these things may actually be "necessary" because they help us build pockets of Sabbath throughout our week, but in many cases we move past the thing that brought us life and it starts to steal life from us. That online or video game you once played for recreation has now become an obsession... that hobby has started eating up your savings... and soon your time and resources are depleted by choice.

You know you've given too much when...

You "pass water" versus "hold water." When you're good at something, you can begin to coast on your skills and charm at the expense of your soul. Soon you become a dry well with a shiny bucket... a water passer instead of a water holder. You won't notice it right away, but if/when that job/role is removed, you'll find yourself with a dry and thirsty life - whether you're an empty-nester who spent 18+ years focusing too much on your kids or a minister of powerful content who has lost sight of the very content you've presented. But the fruit we're producing today looks good, so we assume it's all okay... but did you know that even a branch cut off from its life source will bloom for a short while, even though it's actually dead?

You "copy/paste" when you should "choppy/taste." We live in a world of resources, and so it's easy to pocket someone else's sweat than it is to exert some of our own. We have to devise a better system of discipline that inhibits our quick movement to grab someone else's stuff before we let God grab us. So before you highlight the text to copy and paste, spend some time with the text in your heart... the text that your Creator has imprinted upon you specifically... and then chop it up and taste it. The unique thing you have been designed to serve up should be something you have first consumed yourself... never trust a thin chef.

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Again, the principle in all of these isn't becoming a workaholic - that's a sign you've gone too far. Nor is it becoming excessively Laissez-faire - that's a sign you don't really care about the things you allegedly care about.

The principle is faithfulness...

and faithfulness to the right things
will change the world in the right ways.

Start acting on who you are,
what you already have,
and the time you have to do it in.

And don't forget to remember your Sabbath...
keep it holy by making it holy.