Time Management (No, Stewardship)

¹⁴ But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." ¹⁵ My times are in your hands; Ps. 31:14-15

Time is a resource allocated to the believer for stewardship. I submit that time management (synonymous to stewardship) is similar to personal financial management. The Lord declares the allocation of the money He has provided to you for managing a spiritual act, never separating the management of resources from all of life as being essentially spiritual. Christ states, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21) Likewise, time management of everyday events should be thought of holistically as a spiritual act of stewardship as it is written in Romans 12:1 “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” How are you using your time? Wisely - as a good and faithful steward? Endeavor to redeem the time lost, making the most of it in submissive daily living.

Career Advice From Ecclesiastes (pt. 3)

Scripture tells us that our lives are but a vapor - like the sea mist you observe as you pilot the channel outbound for sea in the early morning. In our arrogance we make many plans accompanied by many words with little fear or recognition of the Sovereign God who pilots our lives in this perishing world. Hold it all loosely, like sand in your hand. If you cup it gently so that God can give and take away in His wisdom you preserve it. Grasp tightly in selfish ambition or fear and little will remain. Rest in the sovereignty of God - be at ease in God Himself.

". . . To draw near to listen is better . . . for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 3For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. 7For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity;but God is the one you must fear." (Ecc. 5:1, 3, 7)

"13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." (Ja. 4:13-17)

Bible Reading Plan

Plans from JT's Blog. Bible Reading Plan for Shirkers & Slackers from Ransom Fellowship. Great for the New Year!

To Blog or Not to Blog?

So, that's the question. Already the blog has some critics and I've received a bit of "heat." The issue is being an active duty officer while advocating some controversial beliefs (as if just being Christian isn't enough). So, a little over three weeks writing now and with nearly 1400 hits, I'm not sure what to do. There seems to be some interest and desire for someone to be talking (on the internet) about how to lead as a Christian in the military. I haven't seen anyone else writing about this kind of stuff that is currently serving. There may be some retired folks involved in military ministries writing about these important areas - but, they're safe. There is an inherent danger anytime you put yourself out there and let people know what's going on in your mind. I'm not risk adverse, but I want to be smart about this. I do write anonymously to create some shroud of safety, but that can only last so long. Enough research will ensure people know that I am the author of this site. Religion, particularly in the military, lights a fire like few things can. So, I'm asking for a simple vote. If you read this blog, benefit from it, and think it should stay up let me know and tell me why.

Be Action Oriented

"You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did." (Ja. 2:22)

Be action oriented! This forum is a place for the “meeting of the minds” to occur, believing that “ideas have consequences.” The aspiration is that whatever transformation is incubated in the brain will seep down to the leader’s heart and eventually flow to the fingers and the feet in functional leadership. What this blog is not meant to be is a place to spin the newest fads on leadership that never actually impact anyone (leaders or follower). Philosophy that is not functional should be forgotten. Christian leaders are ultimately concerned about action; a life (which is to say a livelihood) that glorifies the God that gave it.

2 Highlights

A couple of sites to pass along in case you miss them in the sidebar:

Fixed Point & Seeking 7: This type of ministry/conference is what I am passionate about (but, oriented and focused on the military context). This blog is my attempt at being part of equipping military believers for bold Christian leadership where they serve. To that end, I believe that equipping the organization's leadership is the most effective way to impact the military culture they operate in and induce transformation in the hearts of the people that comprise the military society they guide. Here is what they say they are about, "Seeking 7 is an initiative to mobilize a generation of Christians with the requisite boldness to proclaim and defend the Gospel in an increasingly hostile world." I want to be part of something like that!

Magnify the Cross in the Military: Isn't this what it is all about? I am in the process of drafting a post that describes Christian counseling as leadership. Counseling and leadership are synonymous for the military leader - Biblical counseling and godly leadership are synonymous for the Christian military leader. Here is an excerpt from the link: "teaching them how to emphasize the supremacy of Christ and his cross in counseling troops. Even though he is specifically speaking about the military chaplain, these are truths that all believers are called to live out."

Comms 101

"The tongue has the power of life and death,and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Prv. 18:21)

Communication requires both a transmitter and a receiver; should the transmitter be communicating on the wrong channel or at the wrong frequency the receiver will not hear the message. Likewise, failure to communicate creatively or in a way that is relevant to the target audience will result in the message not being received. Effective communication must facilitate collaboration which enriches the conversation.