End of the year reflection....time management

As 2010 comes to an end, I find myself looking back and reflecting on what has been and what is to come.  I have never been a believer in New Year's resolutions, but I have made them before in the past.  As I grow older, and hopefully wiser, I look for teachable moments for both myself and for my kids.  For instance, time management is a lifelong gift that we can give our kids and teach them to take stock on such matters that are relevant and things that do not require our time.  Time is a gift from our Creator.  Time is something that does not wait on us, but instead, ticks away the seconds, minutes and hours of everyday and every year.

If we our to take up the task to teach our kids the Legacy of Stewardship:  Purity, Stewarship & Discipleship; we have to teach our kids the stewardship of time.  As my family and I move into 2011 there are some things that we need to take stock of and to see how we can better use our time.  The two top priorities in our everyday lives should be family and work.  These are necessities that are relevant and require most of our time.  Followed by time at church, community and recreation.  As we take inventory we are realizing that there are several things that are "wasters" and completely unnecessary for us to spend time on. 

So let's take a look at some things for my life (Monday through Friday):

    1.  Drive to and from work (2 hours) - action plan - pray, listen to books, meditate on things to do for the day and the week.

    1b. God time (reading books, Bible reading and meditation - 1 hour) this can also include working on men's ministries and legacy time.

    2.  Work (9 hours) - action plan - do my job to its fullest, take a pocket notepad and plan things and tasks to complete throughout the day, the week, the month (try to tackle the harder projects first)

    3. Family Time (from afternoon to bedtime 3 hours) - this includes book reading, homework, family time, games and or videos (after school), dinner and getting ready for bedtime with prayers and more book reading.

    4. Time with Spouse and Task lists (2 hours) - this includes hanging out, tasks (laundry, games, bill paying, finances, spouse time)

    5. Workout (1 hour) - this includes both physical and mental time to prepare body, soul and mind to be conditioned (still a major work in progress)

    6. Sleep (6 hours - hopefully) - body needs rest

Weekend time to schedule

Family time, which includes life's lessons, games, fun and leisure.  Men's Ministries and preparation for teaching and faciliating men's group.  Church and Worship time.  Friend time and dating my wife time.  Small groups and encouraging and serving others.

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All of this things are important stewarship to the gift of time.  This is something that my wife and I are not taking lightly.  We have been talking and reflecting and taking notes on ways to better steward our time in 2011. 

What does the Bible have to say about time management:  Read Psalms 39:4-5; Colossians 4:5-6 and 1 Peter 4:2.

What are some ways that you and your family best manage time as good stewards?

-Dante

Give, Serve, Love

Quotes about Giving

“No person was ever honored for what he received. He was honored for what he gave.” – Calvin Coolidge

 

“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”  — Albert Einstein

 

“Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” — John Wesley (1703 – 1791)

 

“It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.” -- Richard Braunstein

 

“He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.” — Lao-Tzu

 

“If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.” — Billy Graham

 

“Remember this—you can’t serve God and Money, but you can serve God with money.” — Selwyn Hughes

 

“I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.” — John Wesley (1703-91), English evangelist and founder of Methodism

 

“As base a thing as money often is, yet it can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor. It can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.” — A.W. Tozer (1897-1963), American pastor and writer

 

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — Jesus, in Acts 20:35

 

Putting things into perspective (Kingdom perspective)

Dictionary.com has the following definitions for:

mer·ry

1.full of cheerfulness or gaiety; joyous in disposition or spirit: a merry little man.

2.laughingly happy; mirthful; festively joyous; hilarious: a merry time at the party.

Christ·mas

[kris-muhs] 

  1. the annual festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus: celebrated on December 25 and now generally observed as a legal holiday and an occasion for exchanging gifts.

When you put what this season should really be about and what was given to the world, our perspective should change really quick.

For God so loved you and me that he gave his only Son for you and me to be born a virgin, to disciple men, to heal the lame and the sick and perform many miracles and to die for you and I. 

A little baby born in Bethlehem and Shepherds and a heavenly chorus sang to welcome this King. 

Putting things into perspective, Jesus really did give his all even to the end of his life – a brutal death on a cross to fulfill all the prophecy about him.  He gave, he served and he loved with reckless abandoned.  He came to seek the lost.  He came to help the poor and to love all those who society did not love.

Could there be any one better, to guide us, in this season of giving, then Jesus Christ the Lord?

I am just putting things in perspective (mainly for myself).

Dante

 

Servitude

Here is a follow up to Gary's post on serving. This is a letter to my kids on one of their giving projects this Christmas.  Also check out Dino Rizzo's awesome site and book Servolution. 

Aracali

Dear Kids,

Hola! my name is Aracali Mus Say and I live with my husband in Panyebar, San Juan which is 7,000 feet high in the mountains of western Guatemala.  Our house is cement block with a tin roof. I am 28 years old and we have not started a family. We have prayed and are waiting on the Lord about the blessing of children.  In the meantime, we are working toward the goal of a more secure life fro ourselves and future children. 

My dear husband works in the fields and he works hard when he can find work. It isn't constant and sometimes there isn't enough for much food but there are only two of us at this time so we can share.

I was unable to go to scholl because my parents needed me to work.  I make beaded balls in joy for it means that we have money to pay for necessities.  We try to put aside for later needs and babies to come.  This is a blessing and special time that we have been given A time to prepare. 

Thank you so much for your gifts and assistance.  My favorite verse is Psalm 118:5 Praise the Lord.

Feliz Navidad,

Aracali

Acts of Giving and Kindness - James 1:27

Chf On Saturday, December 4, 2010, Children's Hunger Fund hosted their annual Toy Wrap volunteer event. Since 1991, CHF has given hundreds of thousands of toys to needy children across America and around the world. When you give a child a toy, you are also giving away hope and love this holiday season.

All three CHF facilities (Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Antonio) shared their holiday spirit by inviting faithful volunteers to wrap toys for needy kids.  In Chicago, we wrapped over 20,000 toys (and books) in less than three hours.  Promo_toywrap

I have had the pleasure of being involved with the staff of this great organization for over 6 years and the experience keeps getting better.  There were just about 500 great volunteers and we enjoyed the time spent with volunteers, churches around the Midwest Area and just a heartfelt appreciation for Children’s Hunger Fund and their goal and desire to help those in need. 

My family and I have taken our responsibility of helping those in need very seriously.  We have been giving to causes like these and we cannot tell you the blessing that we see in return.  I don’t want to mislead you, because it is not always a monetary blessing nor is it anything like that.  The Bible talks about not letting your right hand see what the left hand is doing.  When we do this, it pleases our Father God and he knows where our hearts stand.

My wife and I believe that it is crucial parenting skills to teach our kids selfless acts of service and giving.  After all, Christmas, that is CHRISTmas is not about what we get in presents but about a gift of love from our God.  Christmas is about love and about a Savior promised to save us.  For God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us and rise again so we can all be saved.

Besides volunteering time and money for Children’s Hunger Fund, my family and I also give to charitable causes that pull our hearts to give.  Many of us in this economy may not have the gift of giving financial offerings, however, we have the gift of time.  We have the ability to make a difference in other people’s lives.  Whether that is working for someone or just serving someone else, it doesn’t matter.  What matters is when you give something and expect nothing in return.

The gift that returns is priceless.

There is a movie that I think that encapsulates this whole act of giving and just incorporates what every day of the year should be about.  The movie is called, The Ultimate Gift.  Without giving to much away, I have included the promo for this movie.  I highly recommend watching it before Christmas. 

 

James 1:27 says the following, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Think about it, society teaches us to put ourselves first.  Christ teaches us that to be first in the Kingdom of God, a leader must be last, that is, he must put himself in the place of a servant- a Servant Leader.

What are some ways that you have made a difference in this World?

Dante

 

Thanksgiving Day Quotes:

"Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude."  -E.P. Powell

"So once in every year we throng Upon a day apart, To praise the Lord with feast and song In thankfulness of heart." -Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice." -Meister Eckhart

"Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action." -W.J. Cameron

"He who thanks but with the lips Thanks but in part; The full, the true Thanksgiving Comes from the heart." -J.A. Shedd

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow." -Edward Sandford Martin

"For flowers that bloom about our feet; For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet; For song of bird, and hum of bee; For all things fair we hear or see, Father in heaven, we thank Thee!" -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!" -Henry Ward Beecher

“Praise God even when you don’t understand what He is doing.” [Henry Jacobsen]

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good..." [Psalm 100:4, 5a]

"Without Thy sunshine and Thy rain We could not have the golden grain; Without Thy love we'd not be fed; We thank Thee for our daily bread." [Anonymous]

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily." [Gerald Good]

Do not get tired of doing what is good.  Don't get discouraged and give up, For we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.  - Galatians 6:9

 

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