Balance

Someone requested that I post these principles on "using the little word", NO and maintaining a healthy balance, so here you go...

1. Realize you have a unique contribution to the world.
   
   

   "Don’t do what others can do and will do when there are so many things that others cannot do and will not do". – Dawson Trotman

2. Keep time for God, your first and vital necessity.


3. Realize that serving God and His people will cost you something.
   
   

   So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? 2 Cor. 12:15 (NIV)

4. Learn to say NO and accept criticism for doing so.


5. There will NEVER be a time when you will get it ALL done - when you will have enough time to pray as much as you think you should, witness as much, study as much...


6. Do not confuse opportunity with responsibility. You will nearly always receive more invitations and suggestions than you can possibly accomplish.

Mission, part deux

A quote from John Fischer's FischTank devo today... I thought it was relevant to my post, so here it is:

Timothy Dudley-Smith wrote in his biography of John Stott: "To those who know and meet him, respect and affection go hand in hand. The world-figure is lost in personal friendship, disarming interest, unfeigned humility—and a dash of mischievous humor and charm. By contrast, he thinks of himself, as all Christians should but few of us achieve, as simply a beloved child of a heavenly Father; an unworthy servant of his friend and master, Jesus Christ; a sinner saved by grace to the glory and praise of God."

I bet a few people got a glimpse of our Savior being around this guy :) I wonder what his mission statement or long range plan was?

Planning (again)

Okay, I know I am a planner. But January is "supposed to be" a planning month. It's a new beginning, a fresh start, a time to recommit and resolve anew... to do what? That has been my struggle of late. I understand planning for our family. Deedra and I went away for another great weekend planning adventure. We loved it! We discussed and assessed our family, marriage, personal, community, kids, homeschooling, etc. and set some specific goals to work toward this year. I understand business (or ministry operations, as is my case) planning. We have to work from a budget and have a plan for what we are doing this year.

But, long range... what am I to be about? I love that I am a part of New Life Ranch. I think/feel/hope that I am part of something bigger than me -- something of eternal value. It just makes a bunch more sense to pour my time and energy into this ministry than into setting up a data system so a few people are more efficient (or whatever). But I still feel like I need a more definite long-term plan... an understanding of why I do what I am doing... that what I am doing really matters... a purpose!

I am not a big "Purpose Driven Life" guy, although I agree with the concept (I never finished the book - confession time!) but I guess I don't like the fanfare and "bandwagon" following... I am a bit of a contrarian like that, just ask my mom or my wife. They might call me a cynic, but since I am writing this, I'll pick my own words. :)

But I do think that's what I am talking about: purpose or intentionality. In Sunday school, we are watching a video presentation of John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life." It has been very thought-provoking and stimulating lots of brain cycles for me. (That's geek speak for "I have been thinking about it") In it, Piper talks about not wasting your time pursuing things that are not of Christ. That our goal is to glorify God and reflect Christ to our world - whatever that may be. He simply said that we should live our lives in such a way that others might see Christ. Sounds like a pretty good "mission statement" to me: I want to intentionally live my life so that others may get a glimpse of Christ. What do you think?

Christmas Cheer

Merry Christmas!
Its been a great day. Several things have happened, but the biggie: I finished our Christmas letter! Now the pressure of the season is off. I was done with my shopping long ago, but the real stress of the season is getting that letter done. whew! I don't know why it is so stressful for me, but it is.... and its done! So, if you are on our mailing list, you'll get one soon. If not, check it out here and send me a note to get on our list! Have a great Christmas and enjoy the break -- once you get your Christmas letter done!

Friday

It's Friday. Tomorrow I get to play in the woods! What a great day! The weather here is perfect. 75 degrees, sunshine, and a slight breeze.

Deedra asked me to post some pictures from our Egyptian Feast - a coop the kids did last week. So here it is...

Living with Elvis

My last few posts have been a little serious, or at least somewhat deep. So, here is a little relief. Joe was taking a long time getting done with his shower so I checked on him... His answer, "I am fixin' my hair like Elvis."

Facebook and Postmodernism

Before I start another rant, I want to update on planning. We spent some time evaluating our existing Strategic Plans and that went ok. I spent some great time looking at why we plan and came away more convinced than ever that the process of strategic planning is extremely valuable. Sometimes the plan documents themselves aren't so valuable, but the process of thinking and discussing "where are we now?" and "where do we want to go?" and "what ideas do we have about getting there?" is critical. Given our upcoming 50th anniversary celebration next year, I am excited about leading our community through the dreaming and discussing of what the next 50 years will look like!

Now on to the rant... I signed up for facebook last week. I did it for several reasons:

1. My kids are there and I wanted to see what they were doing (I trust them, but I am curious)
2. I am a technology guy, People are talking about it, and I wanted to check it out. see how it works.
3. I want to be open to using new tools. Hey, if its better, I want to be part of the solution.

So, I signed up. At first I didn't get it. It seemed like a big waste of time. I really didn't care what music my "friends" were listening to and who wrote on John's wall, etc. I kept thinking to myself, "Self, how can I use this?" "How is this useful for communication or education or...." In talking to Ryan about it, a light bulb came on and then it hit me... I am not my son's generation. Now this may not be a surprise to most of you, but it often hits me with great surprise. Usually, its when I am trying to do something competitive with a 20-something guy at camp! or discussing "history" and find the subject is just part of my memory, not "history." The postmodern generation, or whatever modernists label we try to put on them... isn't at all concerned with the "usefulness" of facebook. They enjoy the connectedness and low cost of entry. Its not a "big deal" formal thing and they can keep up with their friends. Its pretty simple. In my 1,2,3 (reference above list) way of thinking, I made all the wrong assumptions going in. Good thing God's thoughts are higher than my thoughts, eh?

And in unrelated news, I found my old document that I have kept for decades (literally, for 20+ years! - it started out in MultiMate)... Here is a sample:

"The world is full of people who have never, since childhood, met an open doorway with an open mind." ‑ E. B. White