Crunch time – Fall is the most intensive stretch of ministry at my church. Upward Soccer is a big winner, almost too big. This keeps me busy two nights a week plus Saturdays. Last week we launched our Wednesday night program, KidZone Recess. This usually trends up the first several weeks as kids get back into the routine. Sunday school classes are growing. Church nurseries are expanding. Every week I amazed at how many opportunities, God has opened for our little church.
But there is a subtle and deadly temptation in this busy time. When the pace of ministry accelerates, I am inclined to shift into autopilot and serve out of my own strength. I call this subtle because deadlines seem very big. The temptation is to skimp on my times of prayer and personal devotion. I call it deadly because apart from Christ I can do nothing of real value.
Here is my plan to fight these dangers. I would love to hear what you are doing to keep near to Jesus at crunch time. If you have a minute, ask God to help me serve him faithfully. I do appreciate your prayers.
Multi-task: For years I’ve used my driving time to listen to an audio Bible and pray. This has become even more important when I’m crunched for time. I use the same strategy for my exercise time.
Prayer Partners: Last week, I met with a friend from Seminary to pray. We spent over an hour pouring our hearts out to God.
Scheduled Devotion: I have never been very successful keeping a definite time. Typically, I will have my quite time in the morning. Too often time slips past and I settle for a quick ten minutes before lunch. I’m trying a different approach next week. I’ve blocked off a half an hour when I first get settled in at the office.
Family Prayer: Often my most meaningful times with God are not when I’m alone, but when I’m with my family. Our routine of prayer and bible reading has suffered this fall. Four nights a week, we get home right at bedtime. But even in these hurried nights I can pray my kids into bed.
What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know what you do to protect your quite times when life get hectic.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Tony,
I appreciate the great job you are doing in your church and on this blog. You asked for feedback. Here are a few thoughts from my own perspective.
1. Access your wife’s intuition and insight, as I am sure you already do. She will likely cut to the heart of the matter on many things.
2. Margin. Multi-tasking can be good for limited times in limited ways, but it can also lead to burnout and discouragement. Find margin for your life and that of your family. No church program is worth you burning out. I have posted some thoughts on margin in my own blog. Also, I suggest Randy Frazee’s The Connecting Church and Richard Swenson’s Margin and The Overload Syndrome as good resources.
3. When you open your eyes and before your head leaves the pillow, begin worshipping and giving thanks to the Lord. There is something about that which helps motivate me to rise early and place my focus on the Lord before the rush of responsibilities begin.
I hope that helps in some small way, if even to tell you what you already know.
Glen,
Good thoughts. I think the concept of margin is a constant struggle for me. Something in my mindset tends toward overwork. I appreciate your comments.
Tony, I like the scrolling books on the side, it is a little different than what myself and others are doing by just mentioning books with maybe a picture or so. Good job.
I do want to comment on the multi-tasking as well. I agree with Glen it can be good for a short season but really the results are in and have been in on multi-tasking that you really don’t accomplish as much as if you take one project at a time and do it then move on to the next. Now prioritizing correctly becomes very important.
If it was me, and this is actually what I do, I don’t allow myself to settle in anywhere until I have had my time with God. If I allow myself to even start to get any momentum going it can often times, more than i want to admit, get going so fast that God gets squeezed out quickly. I make an appointment with Him for every morning from 5-6 am (I love mornings and love starting my day with him). I look and pray over my calendar the night before so i can make sure I make my game plan in advance, but I really leave the morning time for just my relationship with God, no other agenda.
Just an idea. You are doing great, keep it up. It is great to read how you know what you are doing, that is always the first step.
Take care and I prayed for you today.
Brother,
Thank you for this post. It is so nice to be shown over and over how to “carve” out time for God. It is so easy being a husband, father and student to lose sight of what is most important in life–a relationship with God.
I can see the disagreement with multi-tasking, but I feel that something is better than nothing. I have found that multi-tasking has lead to more familiarity with Scripture as well as helping my disposition throughout the day.
God bless.
Tony, what is your favorite audio bible?
Jared,
I listen to Max McLean with the ESV or NIV – I have them both on Mp3
Thank you for this valuable insight. We need to give more encouragement to our nursery and children’s ministries.
Tony, we can schedule ourselves into every corner of our calendars and never have time enough for devotional refreshment and restoration from Christ. Our body must have rest to walk in the midst of the lions that prowl about seeking whom they may devour. I wonder sometimes if our calendars and planners are more of a hindrance than a help. Jesus had not planner–yet, He had a plan. Though people were in a rush to see Him, he never rushed.
God thought it so important that He set aside an entire day for rest. If we cannot take time to rest, we won’t restore the most vital part of our lives. You obviously have the gift of service. This makes you all the more vulnerable to attacks on your time. Jesus wants you to take time for rest, my friend. He told his disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest a while.” Mark 6:31.
I think we could use the 7th day rule when trying to find time in our schedules. Every 7th hour of our waking day could be given to 7 minutes of solitude. Park that car on the side of the road and listen to the music of a Christian artist. Stop in the middle of your workday and read 7 pages of a devotional poetry such as Helen Steiner Rice, or simply meditate on 7 ways in which God has blessed you that day. Let 7 people, or 7 pastor friends, or 7 churches be called to your mind by the Holy Spirit and spend time praying for them. And be sure to take the 7th minute to simply sit still and know that He is God. This may help. I don’t know. May God bless you mightily with power and peace through this busy time. May your spirit be restored with each task you perform for His honor and glory. If this is too preachy, then forgive me 7 times 70.
selahV
@SelahV: Thanks for your insights, I really appreciate what you said about the 7 minutes rule, very practical. I might give it a today at work because I’m feeling really busy!
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Great…now I think I’m gonna take the seven minutes I urged you to take. And you’ll be on my list. Your post inspired my post today. Amazing how one blogger will do that for another, huh? Now, out to my hammock I shall go and rest in the Lord for a while. selahV
i am really findin it helpful reading what has been written by tony and everyone else.thanks a lot..i have always find it dificult to find a time to be in Gods prsence.i dont knw how to get out time for this.for everything else i hav got tome but when it comes to matter of spendin time in prayer i dont have time..