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Time Management with Rick Warren

I found a great resource that is giving me a great benefit with the iPad. I am downloading podcast from across the Country of various leaders in the Christian world and I am benefiting greatly. Yesterday I listened to a podcast by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California and the topic was Time Management, here is what I learned.

These are not necessarily in order of greatest benefit.

1. Lighten up your attitude about time management and you will get more accomplished. It’s not as hard as we make it.

2. I have just enough time to do what God has called me to do. If I don’t have time, I am either doing wrong things or the right thing wrong.

3. Time Management is not about how to get more done. It is about how to do the important things that God has called you to do.

4. Always write down ideas to be used later, you will not remember them. Keep a pad or electronic device handy for notes or use a napkin. Success is the management of good ideas.

5. #1 issue in Time Management is “Analyze.” We have to continually analyze what we are doing and cut things that are not productive.

6. Learn to use loose change time. If you’re waiting at an appointment, have something to read, make phone calls, send e-mail.

7. Figure out your strengths and align your week around those. Delegate things you just do not do well.

8. Plan ahead and don’t over prepare.

9. Do the hardest thing first.

10. Manage your technology time. Own the technology and don’t let it own you. Turn it off or turn off alerts.

11. The Number 1 Biggest Time Saving word is NO!

Rick Warren stated that he spends about 20 hours in preparation for his Sunday Sermon. For most pastors this is almost impossible. However, this is the most important thing that we do in leading the people God has called us to lead. If you are preaching more than one, two, three, or even more messages a week, you are going to have to be creative. There is nothing wrong with getting an outline from someone else if God is using it.

(Ronnie’s Notes) 

Many of these things I am already doing. I read on avarage one book a week and I do that by always having it within reach. I read in traffic jams, awaiting appointments, almost anywhere. I also have Kindle read books to me when I am driving on long trips.

I have recently lightened up my attitude concerning time. I am saying NO a lot more.

I am writing down ideas, creating files on the computer, making notes for future use.

I need to work on doing the hardest thing first.

I will manage my technology time better, I started today. However I will discover what works best for me and then I will blog about it later. this could be the biggest issue for me. I say issue because I do a lot of ministry with and through technology. I have talked with so many people in crisis situations and that’s just a start.

I have had a very productive day today and it feels great!

Ronnie

 

 

November 17, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Book Review – Christmas Is Not Your Birthday by Mike Slaughter

I had heard about this book and with my long time interest of celebrating Christmas the way it should be celebrated, I purchased a copy. It is a pretty quick read and one that will keep you glued to the spot. I actually bought this one for my Kindle. It is funny, as I like to highlight passages that I may want to go back and teach from, this entire book with the exception of a few pages is in yellow highlights.

Mike Slaughter takes you back to reality in this book. The fact that Jesus was born into poverty, lived in poverty, and died a horrible death on a cross. Anyone who says God wants us to always be healthy and wealthy in this lifetime just doesn’t understand. We live in a world of pain and suffering. Yes, we also live in a world where a small minority live in the lap of luxury. As a matter of fact, most of us in the United States live in luxury compared to most of the world.

If you want to understand what God celebrates at Christmas, read this book. If you want to be challenged to live differently, read this book. But, if you would rather go on living like most of the United States at this time of year and you’re more interested in the gifts you are going to receive, then don’t read this one.

I will give it 5 Stars out of 5.

Ronnie

November 17, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Three Minute Thursday – How Can You Serve A God That Allows Bad Things To Happen?

November 17, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday – SNL December 4th & 11th @ First United Methodist Church Hillsville @ 6:30pm

It seems to me that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25th each year and yet we are the ones who get all of the gifts. Have you ever wondered what was on Jesus “Wish List?”

We are going to do a two week series on December 4th and 11th at First United Methodist Church Hillsville, located at 225 Fulcher Street in Hillsville Virginia @ 6:pm. The series is called “Christmas is not your birthday”, and the idea came from a book by the same name written by Mike Slaughter.

I hope that you will come and discover who Jesus is and what He would like for Christmas in 2011. By the way, what Jesus has on His wish list will last through eternity. It will never wear out, it will never get old, it will never break.

See you on the 4th.

Pastor Ronnie

November 17, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Christmas Outside The Box: A New Series Starting November 27th @ Out of the Box Worship Center

I don’t know about you but Misty and I want to do Christmas different this year. I know also there are a lot of people at Out of the Box Worship Center who desire to do the same thing. I am tired of the commercialism of Christmas. Christmas is the time when we celebrate Jesus Birthday and not ours.

November 27th:  ”Forever Now” based on Mark 13:32-37

December 4th: “Comfort In The Wilderness” Isaiah 40:1-6a

December 11th: “Live Outside The Box” Isaiah 61: 1-4

December 18th: “Living In a Palace While The King Lives In A Tent” 2 Samuel 7: 1-3

December 24th: Christmas Eve Celebration @ 11pm

December 25th: “Christ Outside The Box”

In this series, I am going to challenge all of us to Celebrate Christmas in a New Way, Outside the Box. But we won’t stop there, I am going to challenge us to Live Life Outside The Box.”

I hope you will join us for this series as we worship the One who taught us to Live Outside The Box.

Pastor Ronnie

What will you take out of the box this Christmas?

November 17, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

How could God allow such suffering in the world?

I asked the question in youth: “Two news stories have captivated my attention this year, do you know what they are?” Almost all of them said together, “the Penn State Tragedy and Steve Jobs death” and they are right. They know this because we communicate a lot, not only in youth but on facebook and twitter. These two news stories have stopped me in my tracks several times but for totally different reasons and for multiple reasons. I will share one of them here.

Here is a comment from a news story just a few weeks ago about Steve Jobs faith, in USA Today.

“For most of my life, I’ve felt there must be more to our existence than meets the eye,” Jobs told Isaacson. The adopted son of blue-collar Californians spent much of his early adulthood searching for that unseen something.

At age 13, Jobs asked the Lutheran pastor of his parents’ church if God knew about starving children. “Yes, God knows everything,” the pastor replied. Jobs never returned to church, refusing to worship a God who allowed such suffering.

Here is a Biblical response to this comment and it is the comment of so many people in the world who do not understand God or the Word He has left us to guide us.

Matthew 25: 31-46

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

This passage is not teaching as so many think that if we don’t do good things we will spend eternity in Hell. No, this passage is simply stating the way Christians will behave. We will love our fellow-man and we will take action to change bad situations of others.

I John 3: 14-17

14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

I am just simply saying, We are the hands and feet of Jesus to the world. God has chosen to use His people to show Christ to the world. When will we ever get it?

The better question is, How do we as redeemed people allow such suffering in the world that we have been given to steward?

Ronnie

November 17, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

   

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