Ever heard someone say something about the Bible that just feels wrong, but you can’t figure out why?
I have this very thing happen to me occasionally. Maybe in a conversation with another person I’ll have something I believe challenged, and maybe even with what appears to be a plausible argument. But deep down in my heart I know what they are saying can’t be right. Still, at the moment all I have to go on is a feeling—which is simply not enough for me.
So while feeling conflicted, I ask myself, “Why do I feel the way I do?”
Well, here’s the neat thing about studying any subject, especially the Bible: The more of it you take in, the more it guides your conscience—your heart. The reason you feel like something is wrong is because maybe there is something you studied several years ago that has become a part of your existence. You may not be able to immediately recall what it is, or verbalize it intelligently, but it’s there, embedded in your mind. That’s how God’s Word helps keep us from sinning (cf. Psalm 119:11). We may not necessarily be able to quote book, chapter, and verse concerning a particular sin, but we “know it’s in there!"
What solves the feeling problem for me? Reviewing my notes. I have pretty extensive notes in the forms of sermons, Bible classes, snippets with insights or quotes, web clippings, Kindle highlights, and other documents that I have collected in my Evernote account (amounting to nearly 6,000 notes at this writing).
When I get that feeling, I’m easily able to go back to my Evernote account and search for words, verses, or tags which might answer my question. Nine times out of ten I find some article I read, sermon I preached, or insight I recorded which explains why I feel the way I do. Were it not for taking good notes, I might wander around with that mysterious “unsettled” feeling, instead of being able to review exactly what I was thinking when I made the decision about what I believe on that certain subject.
My encouragement to you: Take good notes. Create a Bible note binder, or integrate the Bullet Journal into your Bible study. Evernote is an excellent choice for this. Whatever you do, write (or type) your notes! Save clippings of articles. Mark the pages of the books you read with sticky notes. Do something to remember. You may not appreciate it at the time, and it may even seem tedious. But I guarantee that when the day comes that a question rattles you, or your beliefs are shaken a little, you’ll definitely appreciate having those notes to consult.
-Daniel
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Boundaries in Ministry
The following is a manuscript from a chapel talk I gave at Southeast last September. I had meant to share it on the blog, but never did. While it's geared toward preachers, I think there are points of it that can apply to everyone.
My dad likes to tell the story about how when I was a newborn, they placed me in the bassinet in the nursery at the hospital, and I pushed myself all around the little bed until I rubbed my nose raw. I came home with a scab on the tip of my nose. My mom says that it was strange the day it fell off—she said it was like getting a new child!
My dad jokes that I was busy moving then, and I’ve been going a hundred miles an hour ever since. I guess to a certain degree that is true. I love being busy, and I can always find something productive to do to fill time. I’m never bored.
At the same time that very aspect of my personality has sometimes been a hindrance. It’s easy for me to get too much on my plate, or to get my priorities out of line. It’s not just a matter of inconvenience—keeping priorities out of line can lead to disaster, both professionally, and with family, too.
So in today’s chapel talk, I want to share with you some things that I have learned along the way—some of them by experience, and some of them having been related to me by older, wise preachers—which have helped me avoid burnout, and stay on track.
First, when it’s time to work, work. When it’s time to rest, rest. One of the best pieces of advice that I think I’ve ever heard concerning a preacher managing his time and energy comes from my dad, and he heard it harped on by the late brother Wendell Winkler while he was getting his degree at Faulkner.
He said, “There are three parts to a day: morning, afternoon, and evening. You need to work for two of them, whichever ones you choose. But you can’t work all three.”
When it’s time to work, work. When it’s time to rest, rest. Don’t dawdle around and waste time. Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). You and I only have a limited amount of time in which to do our work, so when it’s time to work, do it.
At the same time, don’t discount the necessity of rest. God made our bodies to need physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual recharging. Just think of it this way—rest is just a much a part of work as the work itself. Solomon wrote, “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet” (Ecc. 5:12). Likewise, a man who isn’t mentally sharp, is emotionally drained, physically tired, or spiritually bankrupt can’t be much of a servant for the kingdom of God. So, when it’s time to work, work. When it’s time to rest, rest.
Second, learn to be okay with setting boundaries. One of the biggest issues that I’ve personally had is with saying no. I want to do everything than I can for the cause of Christ, but if I’m not careful, I can have so many things going on that I do none of them well. After all, I’m not the whole body—I’m just a part of it (cf. 1 Cor. 12).
I’ve actually gotten a bit better at this, but it’s something with which I still struggle. So here are some things that help me, which might help you:
Learn to be okay with saying “no.” Ministers tend to have a “people pleasing” streak in them. If we aren’t careful, this personality trait can become a serious stumbling block, as it can keep us from getting things done that really do need to be done.
Don’t let others control your time. Jesus didn’t. Look at Mark 1:35-39. After having just had an amazing evening healing sick people from all over Capernaum, Jesus arose early in the morning to go and pray in a solitary place. But people were looking for him. They wanted to see him. When Peter finally finds Jesus, he says to him, “Everyone is looking for you!” What’s implied is that Peter thinks Jesus ought to go and see these people. But notice Jesus’ response: “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” Jesus didn’t let others rule his time, and divert him from the importance of his mission.
This is especially applicable in my case (and brother Jacob’s). Being between the work here at the school, and the work that I do with the church in Sweetwater, no one here truly knows what’s going on in my life, and no one there truly knows what’s happening with my life here, either. The only two persons who know what is actually going on in my life, and the priorities that I have are me and God. I have to keep that perspective, and so do you.
Practically speaking, boundaries doesn’t just mean saying “no,” or not letting others control my time. Sometimes it means letting a phone call go to voicemail. Sometimes it means answering an email later. Sometimes it means putting a project on the back burner. Sometimes it may even mean disappointing, or angering people who don’t understand. But you have to create boundaries. This is vitally important for the third thing I want to mention.
Third, learn to minister to your family and friends first. Ministry can seduce a man into ignoring or sacrificing the people to whom he is closest under the guise of offering his body as a “living sacrifice” (cf. Rom. 12:1). This is never what God had in mind, nor is it God’s way of doing things.
My dad and I have never had a “lovey dovey huggy” relationship. But I love him, and I know he loves me, and I’m one of the most important people in his life. I know this, because for years of baseball games, football practices and games, band practices and competitions, he was never too busy to be there. That spoke volumes to me then, and I treasure that now that I understand it even better from the perspective of a father.
Likewise, he once told me that even if he lost his work in the small congregation where I had the joy of spending my entire childhood, he would have taken another job besides preaching so that we could graduate from the school where we started. That means so much more to me now than it even did then. My sister and I were important.
Ministry doesn’t give you an excuse to be an absentee husband, father and friend—if anything, it ought to give you the motivation to be the best. Remember Paul’s requirements for God’s ideal men (a.k.a. elders)? One of them is that he must be one who rules his own household well, and then Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:5 this parenthetical statement: “for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” Let that sink in.
When it’s time to work, work. When it’s time to rest, rest. Be okay with setting boundaries. Minister to your family and friends first.
My dad likes to tell the story about how when I was a newborn, they placed me in the bassinet in the nursery at the hospital, and I pushed myself all around the little bed until I rubbed my nose raw. I came home with a scab on the tip of my nose. My mom says that it was strange the day it fell off—she said it was like getting a new child!My dad jokes that I was busy moving then, and I’ve been going a hundred miles an hour ever since. I guess to a certain degree that is true. I love being busy, and I can always find something productive to do to fill time. I’m never bored.
At the same time that very aspect of my personality has sometimes been a hindrance. It’s easy for me to get too much on my plate, or to get my priorities out of line. It’s not just a matter of inconvenience—keeping priorities out of line can lead to disaster, both professionally, and with family, too.
So in today’s chapel talk, I want to share with you some things that I have learned along the way—some of them by experience, and some of them having been related to me by older, wise preachers—which have helped me avoid burnout, and stay on track.
First, when it’s time to work, work. When it’s time to rest, rest. One of the best pieces of advice that I think I’ve ever heard concerning a preacher managing his time and energy comes from my dad, and he heard it harped on by the late brother Wendell Winkler while he was getting his degree at Faulkner.
He said, “There are three parts to a day: morning, afternoon, and evening. You need to work for two of them, whichever ones you choose. But you can’t work all three.”
When it’s time to work, work. When it’s time to rest, rest. Don’t dawdle around and waste time. Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). You and I only have a limited amount of time in which to do our work, so when it’s time to work, do it.
At the same time, don’t discount the necessity of rest. God made our bodies to need physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual recharging. Just think of it this way—rest is just a much a part of work as the work itself. Solomon wrote, “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet” (Ecc. 5:12). Likewise, a man who isn’t mentally sharp, is emotionally drained, physically tired, or spiritually bankrupt can’t be much of a servant for the kingdom of God. So, when it’s time to work, work. When it’s time to rest, rest.
Second, learn to be okay with setting boundaries. One of the biggest issues that I’ve personally had is with saying no. I want to do everything than I can for the cause of Christ, but if I’m not careful, I can have so many things going on that I do none of them well. After all, I’m not the whole body—I’m just a part of it (cf. 1 Cor. 12).
I’ve actually gotten a bit better at this, but it’s something with which I still struggle. So here are some things that help me, which might help you:
Learn to be okay with saying “no.” Ministers tend to have a “people pleasing” streak in them. If we aren’t careful, this personality trait can become a serious stumbling block, as it can keep us from getting things done that really do need to be done.
Don’t let others control your time. Jesus didn’t. Look at Mark 1:35-39. After having just had an amazing evening healing sick people from all over Capernaum, Jesus arose early in the morning to go and pray in a solitary place. But people were looking for him. They wanted to see him. When Peter finally finds Jesus, he says to him, “Everyone is looking for you!” What’s implied is that Peter thinks Jesus ought to go and see these people. But notice Jesus’ response: “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” Jesus didn’t let others rule his time, and divert him from the importance of his mission.
This is especially applicable in my case (and brother Jacob’s). Being between the work here at the school, and the work that I do with the church in Sweetwater, no one here truly knows what’s going on in my life, and no one there truly knows what’s happening with my life here, either. The only two persons who know what is actually going on in my life, and the priorities that I have are me and God. I have to keep that perspective, and so do you.
Practically speaking, boundaries doesn’t just mean saying “no,” or not letting others control my time. Sometimes it means letting a phone call go to voicemail. Sometimes it means answering an email later. Sometimes it means putting a project on the back burner. Sometimes it may even mean disappointing, or angering people who don’t understand. But you have to create boundaries. This is vitally important for the third thing I want to mention.
Third, learn to minister to your family and friends first. Ministry can seduce a man into ignoring or sacrificing the people to whom he is closest under the guise of offering his body as a “living sacrifice” (cf. Rom. 12:1). This is never what God had in mind, nor is it God’s way of doing things.
My dad and I have never had a “lovey dovey huggy” relationship. But I love him, and I know he loves me, and I’m one of the most important people in his life. I know this, because for years of baseball games, football practices and games, band practices and competitions, he was never too busy to be there. That spoke volumes to me then, and I treasure that now that I understand it even better from the perspective of a father.
Likewise, he once told me that even if he lost his work in the small congregation where I had the joy of spending my entire childhood, he would have taken another job besides preaching so that we could graduate from the school where we started. That means so much more to me now than it even did then. My sister and I were important.
Ministry doesn’t give you an excuse to be an absentee husband, father and friend—if anything, it ought to give you the motivation to be the best. Remember Paul’s requirements for God’s ideal men (a.k.a. elders)? One of them is that he must be one who rules his own household well, and then Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:5 this parenthetical statement: “for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” Let that sink in.
When it’s time to work, work. When it’s time to rest, rest. Be okay with setting boundaries. Minister to your family and friends first.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Focus at Work with Focus@Will [T3]
I have tried several different options—Pandora, Spotify, and even a neat website called SimplyNoise. While they were helpful at masking most of the distracting sounds of the office, masking was all they really did. Occasionally I would feel compelled to skip a song that was distracting, or that I just didn’t like. Worse, if they played a song I liked, I would sometimes find myself concentrating on it rather than my work. Either way, what was supposed to be keeping me from distractions actually became the distraction.
That’s why my interest was peaked when I came across Focus@Will. It is a streaming music service that is intended to help you do exactly what the name suggests: focus at will.
Their website has a page dedicated to explaining the science of how it all works, but I’ll give you the short version: The music playing through the service is specifically chosen to help you much more quickly achieve what is called “flow” state—the state at which you are fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus on the task at hand.
Now before you dismiss it as some sort of psychological mumbo-jumbo, let me be the first to tell you that I have noticed a definite difference in my ability to concentrate when I’m using the service, versus when I’m not. Sometimes I even manage to get completely lost in whatever project I’m working on, yet come away feeling energized rather than drained.
Of course every good thing comes with a cost, and Focus@Will is no different. There is a monthly subscription fee of about $6 per month, but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial to see whether it will actually work for you.
The Rundown:
- Sign up for your free trial here.
- Explore the various “channels” (accessed through the top-right menu on the player page). Notice that you can adjust the intensity of each one to suit your mood.
- Give a gift account!
- Download the app for iOS or Android.
—Daniel
Monday, February 16, 2015
Some Quick Tech Bits [T3]
For the last several weeks I have been running like a madman, but I have also come across a few quick tech bits that I wanted to share with you.
ICANN recently released a brand new list of top level domain name extensions (gTLDs). Among those are the ".church" extension and the ".institute" extension. Back in December I grabbed the ".institute" extension for Southeast's new website, www.Southeast.Institute. A couple weeks ago I also snatched up "sweetwater.church" for the congregation where I preach. I would highly recommend that you take a few minutes and register "[your city, street, region, etc.].church" for your home congregation, or at least send a message to whoever manages your website to do so. It's a little more expensive ($40 at most registrars), but definitely worth having as (at the very least) a redirect.
I've apparently been living under a rock with this one. Sometime close to a year ago Haiku Deck, my favorite image based presentation app for the iPad, opened a Web app in Beta. It's still in Beta, but you can easily access it at the Haiku Deck Website.
Well that's all for this week. See you soon!
—Daniel
New Domain Extensions
ICANN recently released a brand new list of top level domain name extensions (gTLDs). Among those are the ".church" extension and the ".institute" extension. Back in December I grabbed the ".institute" extension for Southeast's new website, www.Southeast.Institute. A couple weeks ago I also snatched up "sweetwater.church" for the congregation where I preach. I would highly recommend that you take a few minutes and register "[your city, street, region, etc.].church" for your home congregation, or at least send a message to whoever manages your website to do so. It's a little more expensive ($40 at most registrars), but definitely worth having as (at the very least) a redirect.
Haiku Deck Web Interface
I've apparently been living under a rock with this one. Sometime close to a year ago Haiku Deck, my favorite image based presentation app for the iPad, opened a Web app in Beta. It's still in Beta, but you can easily access it at the Haiku Deck Website.
Well that's all for this week. See you soon!
—Daniel
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