Life-force sucking
It’s no fun to be around negative people. It’s a wonder that what they so easily perceive as faults in others cannot be self-understood in themselves. I was referring to the types of conversations that these folks seem to generate when a friend described them perfectly.
“It’s a life-force sucking experience,” she said.
Exactly.
It’s so refreshing when someone captures in language an experience that has not been describable before. Conversations with negative people are “life-force sucking.” The sheer ability to put it in words almost gives one courage to endure the next experience.
If that wasn’t enough, the same friend contributed another winning thought seconds later. We were wondering whether negative people ever sense that they’re being negative and desire to change.
“I hope so,” she said. “Conviction is not a friendly reminder.”
Boom goes the dynamite. Two winners from one conversation about negative people. If you use either quote in your own conversation, just tell folks that “Emily came up with those.” And remember, keep negatives for old pictures…
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Designer detours
Carolyn and Adelyn returned from a run to Target with a dejected look on Carolyn’s face. Adelyn promptly grabbed her jambox (one that holds an iPod) and bebopped outside with the neighborhood kids. Carolyn plopped on the couch in fashion defeat.
The story goes that while out shopping, she had tried to convince Adelyn that she could get a plain pair of mesh shorts and fashion them up. Or whatever. The explanation went over my head. When it comes to fashion, I still wear sweaters in the spring and corduroys at the wrong times. My favorite jacket is a white fleece zipup that looks like it was freshly sheered. Carolyn and Adelyn, on the other hand, are fashion queens.
Just this past Sunday, I left for church in a sweater. Carolyn woke up bleary-eyed in time to see my attire and rasped out, “You’re not going to wear that are you?”
My first thought was a retort along the lines of, “No, I just thought I’d put it on and head out the door in it to see what you’d say.” But, I’ve learned after 19 years of marriage to simply respond, “Huh?”
“It’s spring,” she said.
“It’s cold,” I replied.
I wore the sweater. A small triumph for men’s fashion rights.
However, two hours later as the fam arrived at church, Adelyn (who was unaware of the sweater dialogue) approached me with a half-donut in her hand and said, “Dad… uh, you don’t even match.”
How can one preach with confidence with that kind of family support?
Back to the story…
At the store, Carolyn tried to convince Adelyn that she could make her a very hip pair of shorts if she’d just get the generic kind. I assume that Caro would throw the generic shorts into a plastic bag with shiny beads, hot glue, a Seventeen magazine and shake it all up and thus produce a stunning pair of Wonder Shorts sure to be the envy of every other sixth grade girl at Blacksburg Middle School. My role, of course, would be to ensure that the Wonder Shorts fell 2-3 inches below the knee.
Adelyn would have none of it. So Carolyn sat on the couch in the aforesaid state of fashion defeat.
Another story…
I reminded her of my buddies Chris and Tony from junior high and high school. They had two other siblings, and with a family of four, it was hard to provide them with the “in” clothes of the day. We all went to Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, and the demand for stylish duds was high.
Chris and Tony’s mom came up with an ingenious solution that I’ve always admired. She cut Izod alligator logos from socks and old shirts and sewed them onto new, generic collared shirts. Chris and Tony were always wearing Izod clothing. Anything alligatored was all the rage back in the mid-80s, and their mom’s craftiness and cunning enabled all her kids to dress in “style.”
Just thinking…
Faking it to fit in… begs a comparison of faith and fashion. I suppose that as long as pretending doesn’t go deeper than a shirt, one may be called a good steward rather than a hypocrite. On the other hand, insisting on the “real thing” may indicate the need for adjusted expectations if appearance becomes a person’s ticket to acceptance.
By the way, it’s April 8 and chilly enough outside to wear my sheep. Yay! Nuff said.
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Radical sacrifice vs thankful enjoyment
I’m grateful to Michael Kelley for pointing out a lively discussion that happened last week in The Elephant Room. The ER was a live simulcast discussion between seven influential pastors about current issues affecting the church and included Mark Driscoll, James MacDonald, Steven Furtick, David Platt, Matt Chandler, Greg Laurie, and Perry Noble.
The particular discussion that intrigues me is the issue that Platt and MacDonald went toe-to-toe over. Simply put, how should Christians who live in a land of abundance respond to world need? The underlying focal points revolve around what Platt describes as “radical generosity” and what MacDonald says is the need to avoid equating poverty with spirituality.
I reviewed Platt’s best-selling book Radical soon after it came out, and I noted in that review:
While I was challenged by the book, I think that it also needs the balanced corrective of God’s deep and majestic love for His people. Platt comes across many times as simply… angry. The book seems to need a great dose of the joy and love of God.
MacDonald counters Platt’s urgency of radical sacrifice with the need to enjoy God’s good gifts to us. There’s a very real sense that in disdaining wealth and urging sacrifice that we forget that gifts are given to be enjoyed, according to MacDonald.
Trevin Wax identifies the three major points on which Platt and MacDonald are in agreement and has an excellent entry on the ER discussion between the two.
- Money and possessions are a good gift from God.
- Money and possessions can become idolatrous.
- We are called to exercise stewardship of our finances in a way that pleases the Lord and furthers the spread of His name.
I am a great respecter of David Platt and his deeply biblical teaching ministry. I’ve had the joy and privilege of having a personal conversation with him a few years ago after he spoke at a collegiate conference and was refreshed by his focus and intensity to proclaim the Gospel to all nations.
While I don’t know James MacDonald very well, his position on this issue may be closer to my own. However, in reality, there may not need to be disagreement on either side if those who follow Christ can prioritize obedience to the gospel while at the same time demonstrating humility, thanksgiving and generosity in the midst of blessing.
I’m definitely interested in getting the source materials from this discussion as I believe it will lead to a deeper and more joyful practice of how Christians should handle, give and live with their money. I’m hopeful that the attention this discussion provides will help more Christians move away from rigorous financial management principles and move toward joyful whole-life stewardship.
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Happy birthday, Darrell Cook!
What a fun friendship story.
Cliff Notes: guy from Little Rock meets guy from Roanoke at a BCM building in Monticello, Arkansas. Little Rock guy follows Roanoke guy as the campus minister there. Roanoke guy eventually becomes BCM director at his alma mater, Virginia Tech and his family joins Northstar Church soon after it starts in 2003. When founding pastor retires, Roanoke guy submits Little Rock guy’s name to the search team. Little Rock guy and family move to Blacksburg where the friendship adventure continues.
I first met Darrell in 1995 when Carolyn and I traveled to Monticello to interview for the position he was preparing to vacate as he had been called to serve as the BCM Associate Director at Arkansas State University. His students at the time related to me how fun he’d been and proceeded to tell me “NAB” stories galore. We were able to connect on many occasions as campus ministers in Arkansas together and though our ministry styles were different, I quickly grew to respect him and love his growing family.
When he moved back to Virginia, it was a loss for Arkansas campus ministry, but it was Darrell’s dream to serve as the BCM Director at VT when his own campus minister, Roland Byrd, retired. He’s served creatively and faithfully there for the past 11 years.
Today is Darrell’s 44th birthday. He’s much older than I, and I guess that’s why I respect him so much. His mobility is relatively unaffected by his age, and he is much as I remember him in Arkansas. It is inspirational.
I wrote on his Facebook wall early today to wish him happy birthday since his birthday falls on Sunday, and with pastoral stuff happening tomorrow, I didn’t want to forget. If my birthday wish isn’t on Facebook, then any verbal wish would be insincere. Facebook makes it real.
I found myself stalking perusing the photos that he’d been tagged in, and the chuckling just didn’t stop. If you want to know what I’m talking about, check some of them out yourself.
What those pictures reveal is what anyone close to Darrell already loves and enjoys. Darrell seizes life and drains it of every possible, wonderful morsel of love, laughter and enjoyment. He is the kind of guy you want beside you in life’s highest and darkest moments.
Recently, Darrell sat with me and a few others from our church in the surgery waiting room at Roanoke Memorial Hospital as Carolyn was having cancer-related surgery. His company and presence is dependably affirming and assuring.
The thing about being Darrell’s friend is that you’re certain of three things:
- Honesty. He will never pull punches with you. He tries, but he’s too transparent and easily readable. His sincerity is guided by his love for you and for truth. And he has a wonderful manner of “speaking the truth in love.” (Ephesians 4.15)
- Humility. You will never hear Darrell brag about anything. Even as the leader of a large campus ministry, Darrell remains completely grounded and focused on what really counts. He is refreshingly easy to hang out with.
- Humor. Early in 2010, Darrell showed me this video, and I went around singing it to myself and others for weeks. I couldn’t get the tune out of my head. Even though his sense of humor is much cornier and less refined than mine, it’s fun laughing
atwith him because he simply enjoys life so much.
I know Darrell occasionally reads my blog (I think he’s searching for the latest great jokes to steal.), and so I wanted to wish him a happy birthday here. He and his amazing bride and their family have been friends for a long time, but since being here in Blacksburg with them, they’ve become even more appreciated.
Happy birthday, DC!
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Final surgery – Round 6: gratitude in busyness
I love that Roanoke Memorial Hospial has free WIFI. We’re here today for Carolyn’s final surgery related to her breast cancer. It’s the last reconstruction surgery, and we’re both excited about it, but for different reasons…
I related to Caro that I’ve not been in the hospital for myself since I was a kid. I had had some kind of stomach virus and threw up all night to the point that my parents stayed up with me, feeding me ice chips to try to keep my hydrated. When my hands began drawing up, they took me to the ER in Little Rock where the docs hydrated me with IVs. She rolled her eyes as I tried to convince her that the experience compared to hers. “I could have died,” I assured her.
This round of cancer has been different from other rounds. It’s been different because we’ve had a different church family to walk us through it in Northstar. They’ve been amazing. We are experiencing different doctors, different hospitals and new routines in a different state. Virginia has been just as kind to us as Arkansas was as we’ve weathered this process.
As many differences as there have been, we’ve also experienced some of the same that we’re grateful for. We’ve had the same loving families to call, visit and and encourage us. We’ve had some of the same friends to usher us through it with letters, cards and e-thoughts (whether Facebook, Twitter, email or blogs). Some of the same churches have prayed for us including Journey Church, First Baptist Monticello, Taylor Memorial Baptist Church, Calvary Baptist Church Monticello, Second Baptist Monticello, Immanuel Baptist Little Rock, and at least a dozen others.
In the difference and the same, we’re grateful to everyone who has prayed, cooked, laughed and cried us through this episode. Your helpfulness in carrying another cancer burden has made another experience lighter. It’s made especially so because we trust in the One who is the Light of the world. Our sincerest wishes have been that our response to cancer reflects His care. We did not choose cancer; it was chosen for us. Because Christ also chose us to reflect His character in this time, we have earnestly prayed that our lives have honored His Sovereignty.
It was a beautiful morning as we drove over to Roanoke, and as we drove, we prayed for today and all that it holds. We also prayed for the next several days of gloriously full activity. A two-hour surgery is in process even now. When it’s complete, and we’re back home, we’ll be blessed with busyness. We’ll have a houseful of friends over the next several days, visiting from Arkansas. On Saturday night, I’ll be speaking to college students at an event at Virginia Tech. Sunday brings a special day with Michael Kelley of Lifeway speaking at our church. The kids’ social and sports calendars plunge inexorably forward…
We’re blessed. And we’re grateful.
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Review: Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe by Mark Driscoll
Mark Driscoll is the lead pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. It’s a megachurch with over 8000 people in attendance. Mark is also the founder of the church planting network/wanna-be denomination called Acts 29.
I picked up Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe and began to work through it with one of the interns on our church staff.
We waded up through chapter 6 before putting it down this week. One caveat… if you’re searching for what Christians believe and really want to know… and you’re a patient reader, this book is easily digestible. It’s not horrible. It’s just.. well, boring.
It should be a crime to write a book about God who is most beautiful, loving, grace-saturated and self-sacrificing and be as dry and stale as this book is. If it were, put Driscoll and his coauthor Gerry Breshears in handcuffs.
If a person is not aware that there are other theology books out there written better, this might be a good place to start. It’s not inspiring or breath-taking even though it is intended to portray a God who is and whose teachings match His character.
To be fair, there are a few spots that are very good. I would not hesitate to recommend the book to a college reading group or for one-on-one discipleship purposes with a new believer – if there are no other choices available and if they have already purchased the book. However, I got the impression throughout the book that it is more for Driscoll’s church than a wider audience.
Driscoll is a dynamic leader and powerful personality in young Christian leadership circles. I appreciate that he upholds God’s Word as authoritative and that he’s unafraid to stand firm on its teachings. This book, however, will be no classic. It’s good but not great.
Other Recommendations:
Driscoll may have discovered that his book (only about $15) and short is a wise entry into the overall marker of Christian theology books. It’s a savvy marketing decision because most of the good ones are rather large and in the $25-$40 range. With that said, if you’re looking for a good, solid read on theology or the teachings of Christianity, I would suggest:
- Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology
- Millard Erickson’s Christian Theology
The two above are meaty. If you’re not quite ready to dive into something like that, you might try..
- John Stott’s Basic Christianity
What other books would you recommend for someone wanting to ground themselves in the essential teachings of Christianity?
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Building vs. Planting, Part 7 or Killing turfism by loving the lawn
Church planting may actually be one of the primary tools that we can use to kill the sinful selfish desire for achievement, recognition, or status.
The quote above was how I ended the last entry in this series of whether to expand and continue to build existing churches or to plant new ones. We need both. However, the series has been intended to help encourage established churches and ministries to think broader than their own locales and “town takeovers for the Gospel.” It’s not wrong to grow and continually expand, but I’ve hoped to create and contribute to the responsibility we have to plant churches and new works with the same intentionality that we give to growing existing ministries.
With that said, so many are now on board with planting new churches – here and overseas – that at times we must resemble a pinball machine that has multiple metal balls in play at the same time. We’re bouncing into one another, with no predetermined strategy of communication or cooperation.
The consistent message of the past 15 years has been heard. Churches and ministries – and even disconnected individuals – are planting churches. The message has created momentum. But I fear that our momentum is often misguided and may actually in many cases become an errant missile – a WMD – that could harm unity and harmony in the overall body of Christ.
Within the past year, just in our vicinity, we’ve had multiple well-publicized new ministries come to the area. Some have been church plants; one is a missions ministry. I welcome all. I’m grateful to be a co-laborer for the Gospel of Christ with each.
As a pastor in the area, I’m constantly praying and preaching against our tendency as churches to be zealous and jealous for only our locales or individual ministries. It’s easy to preach and difficult to internalize. Established churches, as I’ve mentioned in other articles in this series, tend to resist “new kids on the block” for fear of them stealing sheep or detracting from their own growth. This is turfism at its finest.
I believe one of the issues that creates a turf-minded mentality in existing ministries is the often accurate perception of new ministries and churches of their lack of love for the lawn. Paul in 1 Corinthians describes the church universal as the “body of Christ.” We all have a part to play. Jesus in his last recorded prayer before the cross in John 17 prayed for his followers to be unified. Yet we seem intent to stake out small areas of the larger lawn and only fertilize and work them. The result is a brown and green patchwork quilt of kingdom influence.
It’s odd then, when a new church or ministry comes to an area without a word of extended hand of fellowship with existing ministries. The resulting impression is that they don’t care that there are other Christ-exalting, Gospel-saturated works in the area they’re moving to. In larger cities, many churches and organizations seem almost to do a paratrooper church plant as if they’re dropping in behind enemy lines in the dead of night. At times, existing ministries are treated as treasonous rather than allies.
On the flip side, existing ministry and church leaders don’t reach out to new leaders and fellowships very well either. They are skeptical, uncertain and honestly, busy. We don’t do networking or cooperation very well. That problem is compounded when the new works move in without a word of fellowship (or warning). Walls are built; doubts go deep; the lawn begins to have isolated green spots of growth with obvious brown separations between.
Considering that our church has a goal of planting new churches, we’ve watched and have taken to heart how we feel when new ministries come to town as we prepare for the future. Here are a few short thoughts if you are a new ministry, in a new area:
- Before arriving, communicate well ahead of time. Send emails or letters to churches and ministries in the area describing your vision, your testimony, background and calling for the new area. It’s important for context.
- During your first month in the area, as tempting as it may be to focus only on “the task at hand,” put yourself out there. Drop by existing churches and ministries. Arrange coffee connections. In traditional churches, we call it the “right hand of Christian fellowship.” But perhaps the biblical precedent is to “greet one another with a holy kiss.”
- Don’t allow your frenetic focus to detract from wider fellowship. You’ll be intensely busy surviving and working hard in the first several months. Remember, God has given you the wider body for encouragement, renewal, accountability and resources.
- You may be surprised to discover that existing churches/ministries will actually help you if you build a relationship with their leaders. Don’t be afraid to ask for insight, wisdom, perspective and even resources. You’re new, after all. Pick the brains of pastors and leaders for context in your new community.
- Keep reaching out. You may feel rebuffed at first by some or many. As a newish pastor in a new area myself (a year and a half), I too have felt the frustration of a lack of fellowship among other churches. (I was in my previous area for 14 years.) Don’t let that discourage you. Be an example of someone thirsty for unity, fellowship and cooperation. Your desire will eventually be rewarded by some rich friendships and opportunities for fellowship with others. But don’t fool yourself; some churches don’t cooperate with anyone.
- Don’t grow your own by putting others down. I wrote a few weeks ago about the danger of insulting the bride of Christ. It’s hard to build up when you’re busy tearing down. It’s tempting to try to distinguish your new work or ministry through comparison or generalizations, but be sensitive. Statements like, “The vast majority of the American church are not true Christians,” is bound to be received poorly by that American church on the next block, especially if they’re laboring, praying and interceding for the glory of God in their midst and for the world.
- Humility, humility, humility. There are other laborers. There are other churches. Yours is not and will not be the best expression of the New Testament church since the first century. Their churches weren’t perfect either.
- Love the larger lawn. We serve the Master Gardener. He has commissioned us all in different ways. As the apostle Paul (a church planter) stated so eloquently:
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3.6-9)
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The Pen
I have this thing with pens. I use them. A lot. Since I’m a journaller, I typically have 1-2 favorite pens that I only use for that. It’s not unusual for me to actually run out of ink with one of these pens, and I consider it a triumph akin to running a marathon when I do.
For Valentine’s Day, Carolyn gave me a 2-pack of this Sharpie pen that I’m now using happily with my journal. The story of how that happened is worth telling – but only in person. I’ve been successful this week in retelling it a couple of times, and it gets longer and funnier with the retelling (at least I laugh as I tell it).
A pen is really a gift that is able by its bearer to keep on giving. In this day of digital triviality, our words are typed or pecked out with such thoughtlnessness that they’re little more than alphabetic noise.
Using a pen, however, forces me to slow down, to think, and to enjoy the process of communicating. In fact, I find myself crafting not just my words but even working on how I write – my pensmanship – simultaneously with the message I’m crafting. In the Middle Ages, scribes would laboriously create stunning works of art with illuminated texts. Their careful intricacy leant weight to the message they copied or wrote.
Not so with copyists of 2011. We peck out things on a keyboard, make sure that our software gives it a spell-check “all clear” and print, click “submit,” or “update” and we’re done.
That’s why the pen is a gift that coaxes its recipient to go deeper in life. A pen in the hand draws more than lines on paper. It draws out real thoughts, forces us to crock-pot rather than microwave our musings for more enjoyable fare.
Part of the longer story is that Carolyn bought me a “Le Pen” the day before, but its slimmish skinniness made me uncomfortable. She thought that was ridiculous, but I like a little more bulk in my Bic. I’ve got one pen that also has a little flashlight on the other other end. Novelty never hurts. So the Sharpie became a great gift.
My first assignment with it? A Valentine’s Day love letter to its giver.
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Productivity and ToDo app addiction
I confess. I’m always on the lookout for the best task management apps. I’ve tried almost all of them. Things. Omnifocus. All the ones with “ToDo” or “Tasks” in the name. Even one that promised to be just “awesome” called Awesome Notes. They all do what they promise. They provide a nice blank space for you to enter your tasks and projects… and then ignore them after they’ve been entered.
That’s my problem. I don’t have any problem entering my todo lists. In fact, I embarrassingly admit to having copied my entire todo list before and just copied it into various apps to see how they manage, list and coordinate my tasks. I’ve read David Allen’s infamous Getting Things Done. I know all the right principals of project and task management.
I just don’t practice them. Much.
However, after reading a recent article on the importance of not multitasking, I’ve embraced task management with renewed fervor, and I’ve got a system working right now that seems to have me on the right track. So, without any further ado, here’s my Miraculous System to End Multitasking and Use Apps to Help Me Be More Focused (MSEMUSHMBMF):
SimpleNote. It has a website that syncs with the apps of the same name that I have on both my iPhone and iPad. It’s become the repository for meetings notes, ideas, blogging material, collections, quotes, etc. You can tag the entries, and so far, my tags are: devotional, bible, discipleship, meeting, staff, idea, later, sermon, song, email, writing, thoughts, death, giving, and thanks. (Not that you’d want to know). However, by tagging your entries (and I’m going to have to refine my system in general categories, you are able to catalog the randomness of it all)
2Do. Very nice and attractive app on my iPhone and also a version for my iPad that has been worth the money. It syncs with a website called toodledo.com which I’ve now set as my default homepage. So when I start my browser up, my tasks and projects are there.
How they interact.
- I regularly (usually twice a week) spend about 15 minutes moving things that aren’t really tasks out of 2Do into SimpleNote by copying and pasting. Sometimes I’ll find an idea that it’s time to implement in SimpleNote which now becomes a task and makes its debut in 2Do.
- I use the 5-minute principle of GTD on my task lists. If there’s something there that I can get done in 5 minutes, I do it immediately as the first thing every day. I try to limit that to 2-3 tasks, otherwise I’ll be wrapped up doing nonessentials (most of them are).
- Every time that I have “downtime” in my day, I come back to both apps for a refresher to organize my thoughts or to schedule my next work sessions. Many times, I’ll simply say, “Enough for the day,” and move into “people” mode.
The People Principle
I try to remember, “Don’t be productive at the expense of people.” A meeting with a person is not a task. (Ok, some people are a chore to be with, but in general…) It’s not right to mark off a person as if they were something to “get through with.” When you’re allowing your schedule to master you rather than vice versa, your attitude toward people gets skewered. When you sense that happening, it’s time to back up and reevaluate.
Feed my addiction… what productivity apps are you using? What does your workflow look like?
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You’re killing your brain; stop multi-tasking
It’s become the way I work. Multiple windows open on my desktop. My cell phone honks (that’s my current text alert ringtone), and I immediately glance down to see what the text is. Echofon on my desktop “growls” to show me in a translucent popup window @journeygal’s latest tweet. Apple Mail suddenly has a bright red “2″ on top of its icon in the dock indicating new email.
With each alert, I shift focus and then attempt to come back to… uh, what was I doing in the first place? Exactly. That’s the problem. Multi-tasking (which I’m very good at for knocking out meaningless tasks, easy to dispose of to-do’s, and net errands) is actually robbing me of genuine, focused productivity and creation.
I bet you’re suffering too, and you didn’t know it.
My attention was caught when I was catching up on blogs in Reeder the other day by this linked article in the Harvard Business Review. Consider the following excerpts and references:
- A study showed that people distracted by incoming email and phone calls saw a 10-point fall in their IQs.
- Doing several things at once is a trick we play on ourselves, thinking we’re getting more done. In reality, our productivity goes down by as much as 40%. We don’t actually multitask. We switch-task, rapidly shifting from one thing to another, interrupting ourselves unproductively, and losing time in the process.
- Research shows that heavy multitaskers are less competent at doing several things at once than light multitaskers.
- Workers distracted by email and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers, new research has claimed.
So… for the past two weeks, I’ve been failing forward in limiting my multi-tasking. Here are some things I’ve been trying to implement:
- I’ve been resisting the urge to answer my cell phone when I’m doing focused work.
- I’m actually using with success some task management apps.
- I am scheduling time for social media such as Twitter and Facebook rather than jumping to them and getting lost there for several minutes.
- I am scheduling less appointments with people. Sounds bad, I know, but my calendar was controlled by others rather than me shaping my calendar. You can’t lead like that.
I haven’t been doing things consistently enough to have any reflections, but all six of the observations at theHBR article sound so enviable that I’m going to keep failing forward until I’ve rewired my brain from attempting to do too many things simultaneously.
For additional research and reading on this subject, try these articles:
- How to NOT Multi-Task – Work Simpler and Saner
- Work Smart: Stop Multitasking and Start Doing One Thing Really Well
- Multitasking is Madness. 10 Tips to Stop.
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About
Notes from the Trail
The Personal Blog of Jeff Noble
Info: From the misty hills of Virginia, "Notes from the Trail" seeks to encourage you on your journey. Written by a graphic designer-pastor, this blog is a blend of humor, insight, and faith discovery.
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RT @churchplant123: If you want to be a successful new church planter, shave your head. It's the Samson principle. [journeyguy]
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For a brief second, I had just over 500 followers. After blocking spammers and businesses, I'm back under. Do you filter your followers? [journeyguy]
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New blog post: Review: Sticky Teams: Larry Osborne is pastor of North Coast Church, a megachurch, by anyone’s de... http://t.co/KKL4zZFs [journeyguy]
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A blog from the past: "The need for church planting" http://t.co/iwlT5jOh [journeyguy]
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RT @funnyoneliners: I keep a well-stocked pantry in case friends drop by. I could hide in there for days. [journeyguy]
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