Time Management

Last week (and actually for some weeks now) I have been asking God for the ability to prioritize my responsibilities because it seems that there's been some overlap in how they fit in my schedule. So I was praying pretty hard that He would help me prioritize them, but I kept feeling like I wasn't praying for the right thing. Of course, it took awhile before I realized what God was telling me:

Seek Me.

Seeking prioritization is OK and seeking answers is alright, but seeking God will fade those things to the periphery and drown you in peace.

How do I know?

Because at church on Sunday my thoughts were really divided -- I had a ton to get done to start the week and many too few hours to get it all done. All I could think about at the beginning of the service was my lack of time to take care of my responsibilities.

And then I gave up. I gave up my thoughts and stress and surrendered them to Him. And this unbelievable wave of peace came over me, so much so that my concerns and worries became almost repulsive to me.

Sunday after church, I came home and decided I was going to listen to the Spirit for the afternoon. I grilled some burgers, mowed the lawn, read the Word, listened to music, worked on stuff for my meeting, prepared stuff for church, and....get this.... got way more accomplished than I was planning on.

Everything I needed to, and much more.

I praise my God who controls time. It's tough to imagine that hours can be added in the day or that you can be completely rested after three hours of sleep a night, but I don't even think these things are tricky for God.

My prayer is that I will daily surrender my calendar and schedule to Him, that the Spirit will show me what to do when, and that God will get the glory for the successes in my life. I long to be a reflection of His grace, love, and sheer fun that I'm sure Jesus had while walking this earth.

Life is good knowing Him.

iPhone Records Music?

It's true, the iPhone 3G records music, and pretty darn well.

Here's a song I wrote a couple years ago, Listening Lake, as recorded by my iPhone. I set the phone on a boom mic stand over the piano so it could pick up both the instrument and my voice. Except for trimming the beginning and ending, no effects or editing has been done on the recording.

This song is especially meaningful to me as we enter this autumn season.

Too Much Wine

I think by the time most students reach their senior year in college, readiness to move on to "real life" overpowers the easy-going and generally responsible-free atmosphere of the stereotypical American higher education lifestyle.

At least that's been the case for me.

For the most part, college at Bethel has not been too difficult academically, but socially and spiritually I've grown and learned and hopefully helped teach some things, too. To be honest though, at the start of this year, I was ready to be done. Having a full-time job this summer, a house, a yard to mow (as infrequently as possible with my rotary mower), and bills to pay really changes your perspective. College now seems almost too carefree.

I've been calling this school year a necessary evil, a roadblock temporarily stopping me from pursuing my business / ministry / life goals, something that I need to just "get through" so life can begin.

God has made those thoughts sour in my mind and given me a fresh perspective as I look ahead to this last and final year of undergrad at Bethel. In Dr. Bob's senior experience class last week he told the story of Jesus' first miracle, the changing of the water to wine, but highlighted something I hadn't thought of before.

The beginning of John 2 tells the story, but it's basically like this:

Jesus and the disciples are at a wedding celebration, and suddenly the tap runs out. This was not only embarrassing, but people would probably always remember this as the "wedding that didn't have enough to drink" -- what a reputation to start a married life trying to overcome. So Jesus is called, asked to help (actually kinda told by his mother), and ends up turning water into alot of wine. Probably too much wine. The wine is taken to the master of the banquet and he's blown away.

"Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

And Dr. Bob finished:

"Trust that God will bring out even better wine than you've experienced the last few years. Maybe He's saved the best till now."

And I believe that is true, both with this school year for me, but also for you. For this week. For this season. Characteristically, Jesus saves the best for last. Things get better, not worse. Times may get tough, but may we grow ever closer to the heart of God, where we find freedom to be people.

I don't plan on blowing off this year or viewing it as a necessary evil. This final year at Bethel is a gift from God, and I know Him who I serve.

I trust that He has even greater things to do than He's ever done before.