While Bealer's The Myth of Balance is a quick read to be sure, the principle that he drives home is invaluable for pastors: if you don't plan for exceptions to your schedule they will rule you, your ministry, and your family. While that might sound like a "DUH!" statement, the way that Bealer suggests dealing with these exceptions is quite ingenious when kept to. However, he loses points for dragging the concept out across 60+ pages when the same could have been done in a tight article. But hey, he's gotta eat! Have you come across a productivity hack that works well in your ministry and family lives? Drop me a line and let's talk about it! Key InsightsBalance Isn’t Real
Sincerely, Chaz
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For me, followthrough follows accountability. So if I commit to posting about the books that I'm reading I'm more likely to continue to read them. I'd read Sustainable Youth Ministry in college, but I hadn't picked it back up since. I'm embarrassed to say that I merely skimmed it then and I've paid the price for not taking it seriously. This is a phenomenal book for youth pastors who feel stuck and for search committees looking to replace the stuck pastor they canned. There's no sense in re-writing the book, so below are some of the key insights that I personally took away from the book. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it! You can learn more about Mark DeVries by checking out ministryarchitects.com Fair warning: if you don't like analogies and metaphors, it might not be for you.. Have you read something recently that has impacted you? Let me know about it! Leave a comment below or contact me: I'm looking for more books this year! Key InsightsTo Gamble or Invest
Sincerely,
Chaz As I think about the amount of Scripture that I read throughout the year, it would be clear to anyone that I get a fair amount of Bible in my diet. However, the grand majority of that Scripture reading tends to be related to either lesson writing or classwork. An embarrassingly small amount of it is dedicated to strictly personal development and alone time with God. So, last year I started journaling through Scripture. What I mean by this is that I read a couple chapters of Scripture—highlighting and marking in my Bible as I go—and then write a handwritten page about what I just read. I’m strict about not making this study time, so what I write is normally filled with personal insights or questions that I’d like to study and research later. The results have been interesting. What I end up with is a “bird’s eye view” of a book, filled with starting points for sermons, papers, and further study. It’s been really invigorating, and I get more and more excited about opening my Bible because it’s like reading it for the first time again! Below is an entry from John 11 and 12. I’ll periodically add these as I go if I find that they’re particularly interesting or helpful. Do you journal through Scripture? Comment below with some techniques you’ve used to make it enjoyable and personal! John 11-12This is such a packed couple of chapters, so many questions… First, why does John write as if we are supposed to know that Jesus and Lazarus are close? Is this an indicator for who the original audience would have been? On that topic, why would John break sequence and talk about what Mary had not yet done? The whole narrative points to Jesus’ love and our proper response, but these are odd details.
There is an interesting play on the word light between 11:8-10 and 12:35. The first reads like a rebuke, the second a warning. In both instances, Jesus is clear: walking with Him is the most important thing we can do. Another play on words comes in 11:24-25 with resurrection. In all of this, Jesus’ authority is on display. My biggest question for these chapters, though, is regarding the intention of Caiaphas and the crowd as Jesus and His disciples entered the city. The way that John describes Caiaphas’ thinking suggests he knew why Jesus needed to die. If this is the case, that changes the tone of Jesus’ trial and execution. A lot. That would mean that God revealed His plan—something well within His character—and that the Jewish response was a righteous attempt at saving the world. More likely, this is a Pharaoh-and-the-hardened-heart situation, with God influencing the situation without necessarily enlightening the one being influenced. And with the crowd, their reaction--“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”—is often taken as positive, but the words they use are quite volatile. Again, there are two logical scenarios: they were so excited that they forgot themselves and used language that they wouldn’t otherwise use out loud or they intentionally called Him king in order to incite the Romans. Again, the normal reading is probably the correct one, but fun thoughts all the same! Sincerely, Chaz New year, new me… Right? I know this isn’t being posted on January 1, but consider this a beginning all the same. Speaking of which, here are some things that I’ve decided to begin this year. Have you started new things in 2018? If so, let me know! My 2018 Goals50 Books Last year I told myself I would read “more books than last year.” While I managed to meet that goal, I’m embarrassed to give the actual number of books I got through last year. So, this year I’m putting a number to my goal: 50. Jon Acuff—if you don’t already read his stuff, you really should!—taught me that when you set a goal, you set the terms. What counts as a book? Whatever I feel counts as a book. I’ll get through 50 books this year, and they’ll be a mixture of philosophy texts, novels, graphic novels, and audio books. 50 Pounds When I was a freshman in college, I weighed 180lbs. That’s a good weight for a man of my build. By the time I finished college, I weighed 230lbs. That’s a significant difference. That’s an adult boxer. That’s a bale of hay. That’s a recliner. I’ve been carrying a recliner around on my person at all times for the last 7 years. Well, it’s time to clean house and get rid of some furniture. I’m attacking my weight-loss on several fronts, but I’m starting with diet. First thing’s first, I need to get this party started. I’m not good at new diets mostly because the shadow of the old one can normally be found in my fridge. So because I can’t trust myself not to fall right back into eating whatever I can find, I’m restricting myself to nothing but resistant starches for the next couple of weeks. I’m going to shock my system into being ready for a new diet. For info on resistant starches, head over to marksdailyapple.com and check out Mark’s research. I think you’ll be surprised. 50 Posts This one should be easy, right? Would you be surprised if I told you I’d started three blogs before this one? It’s true. I’ve started and stopped so many things at this point that it’s comical and depressing at the same time to try and list them, so suffice to say that I’m itching to come through on this one. My goal is simple: between now and December 31, 2018, I will have written at least 50 substantial posts. What will those posts be about? They’ll be broken up generally into four categories: family, ministry, writing, and gaming. Does that sound like something you’d be interested in? If so, then let’s take this journey together! I look forward to it. Sincerely yours, Chaz |
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