I read a good little book recently that helped me put some things into perspective.  It didn’t particularly tell me anything that I didn’t already know.   Rather, it sort of reinforced what I had already been thinking on the matter.  I appreciate the advice I had gotten to read the book (thanks Dave for letting me borrow it).

So what’s this about?  It’s certainly a provocative title, but it can’t imply that I intend to cheat on something, right?  Well, the way the book puts it, something or someone is always going to get cheated in our busy lives, and it’s just a matter of who or what.  For me, the issue is time management.  I have a lot on my plate and not enough time to handle it all.  That means that I have to prioritize and cut things short or cut them out entirely.

I have been giving this a lot of thought recently, and I’ve decided on a few particular principles that have become non-negotiable.  First, I need some time for personal devotions.  Simply put, I need to hang out with God.  That means prayer, scripture, time for reflection, and possibly some other edifying books.  Firmly in second place needs to be my family.  Dinner time is essential.  Bed time with the kids super quality time.  Relaxing time with my wife at night is wonderful.  After this, things tend to get foggier.

I thought it’d be fun for me to digitize my current “to do” list, partially to help me sort it out, partially for future reference, and partially for fun.  Here goes, in no particular order…

• Prepare my house to hit the market in a month
• Complete dialogue paper for Apologetics course
• Study for and take final exam for Apologetics course
• Hire a new employee for my company (essentially my replacement – it’s complicated)
• Train said employee
• Grow my business and maintain what we’ve got
• Find a new church home in Charlotte
• Apply for seminary scholarship
• Look for other sources of financial assistance in anticipation of our “seminary adventure”
• Come “under care” of my session and my presbytery
• Continue developing the Men’s Discipleship program at church
• Disciple as many people as possible before we leave, especially the relationships that are already developing
• Have as much quality time as possible with my extended family before we leave
• Write a sermon to be preached hopefully this summer before we leave
• Write research paper for Church History II course
• Study for and take final exam for Church History II course
• Read as much of my book backlog as possible
• Lose some weight and get in shape
• Maintain my low stress level through all of the above

As I examine this list, it strikes me as absurd!  Seriously, how am I going to get all of this done in the next few months?  I think I’m going to have to cheat.  The question is where do I cheat… I expect the Holy Spirit will guide me to the answer, and it’ll be fun to see how He helps me work it out.