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Doug's Weekly Words

Oct. 27th, 2009

In This E-mail
Doug's Weekly Reflection
Blest2Bless Thoughts
Weekly Update
Preparing for Sunday
Shout Out
Prayers

Simple Calendars-
This season we are looking at what it means to live more simply so that we can focus on the the things that really matter, to keep the main thing the main thing. 

Calenders are a challenge when it comes to simplicity.  Many of us are able to use calendars as a helpful tool to keep our schedule in check, but every so often it gets a bit out of control, and the calendar begins to run us.  What does it mean to live simply when it comes to our schedule. 

we begin witht he affirmation that Time is one of the gifts from God, and we are given freedom when it comes to our time.  There are consequences for how we spend it, but it is always ours to spend.  TIme is given equally as well, no one gets any more and no one gets any less.  Since time is a gift we are all given, our response is how do we steward it well.  It is God's time that he gives us, how do we take care of God's time.

Here are some of my thoughts:

- Sabbath- This is God's plan for our schedule. That we take one day a week to rest and recreate.  Take this day and make it the center of your schedule, not the end.  Live the rest of the week then out of that Sabbath center.

- Do Less- Many of us get caught up in so many things.  One of the keys to a simple schedule is to have less in it, so that the main things will get the time they deserve.

- Say No- This is the key then to doing less, being able to say no.  Any big yes that we say has to be followed by a series of Nos.  A yes without subsequent nos is not a real yes.  There are millions of good things to do, do the best and say no to the rest.

- Wait a day- This is key- don't add new things to your schedule until you have talked them through with someone else.  This policy allows you not to get caught up and say yes when you really should be saying no.

- Margins- This idea was popularized in the 90s, but the idea is that we need to schedule margins into our day so that when the little emergencies and surprises of the day catch us, we are ready to receive them.

- Naps- Not for everyone, but a good nap in the middle of the day can be the best gift to your day, and your productivity.  Make sure they are shorter though, a 2 hour nap is sometimes a hard hole to climb out of.

- Rythyms- Look at your ups and downs in the day.  Plan the mindless stuff when you are at your lows and put the creative times when you are at the top of your game.

- Delay Gratification- Don't do all the fun stuff at the beginning of the day.  Make sure there are parts of your day that you love that you are looking forward to.

- Eliminate Hurry- This was the advice that Dallas Willard gave to John Ortberg "Ruthlessly elimanate hurry from your life..".  And John Ortberg said, "anything else."

The time we are given is a gift, let us make sure that we are keeping the main thing the main thing with our time.

Lilly Grant
Many of you have prayed for our church's application for a sabbatical grant from the Lilly Foundation.  This week we heard news that we were not accepted for the grant.  I will still be planning to take my sabbatical in Dec. 2010-Feb 2011, but looking around for different funding alternatives.

In His Time,

Doug B.

Blest2Bless-BlestLife Practice- Keep it Simple friends- were are you simplifying your life?  Let the Spirit guide you in keeping the main thing the main thing.

Blest2Bless-One up Your Giving- We are all seeking to live more opnhanded when the times get more difficult- keep up that giving.