I think I have been guilty of suffering information overload. Some of this information could be useful like being informed on issues being debated in DC. Some of it is not so useful like knowing that Taylor Swift is in The Hannah Montana movie with Vanessa Williams who is in Elmo: Escape from Grouchland with Mandi Patinkin who is in The Princess Bride with Cary Elwes who is in Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise who is in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon. Yes, I know there’s a quicker way to connect Miss Swift to Mr. Bacon, but that’s the point.
At one point I could have told you how many wins Tommy Bowden averaged per year in his 10 seasons at Clemson, but that’s a decade I’m trying to forget.
Here’s a quote I wrote down from the 4 Hour Work Week:
Doing something unimportant well does not make it important.
I know what you’re thinking. Hey, Heath, don’t most youth pastors work 4 hours a week anyway? Do you really need a book to tell you how to do that? Ha Ha. I get the joke and yes, I have lived that joke. Sadly, the flip side is that many people are working crazy hours but accomplishing very little. As I noted in this post, I am trying to be more effective and efficient. Here is where my train of thought is going:
1. I know that conservatives and liberals don’t like each other and go over the top in media to make their points. Do I really need to check 8 different websites a day to confirm what I already know? It’s not going to change my political persuasion. Knowing all this stuff just allows me fodder for conversation. I do have more important things to talk about so I will.
2. I’m a slow learner so it has taken me a while to figure out that very little news happens between when I go to bed and when I get up in the morning. Why do I default to checking all the news and sports sites first thing in the morning on my phone? Can I rid myself of this burning desire to be “The Grapevine” and the first to know everything from what the Senate is debating to who Boston’s middle relievers are going to be to which pastor is going to what church and when in our district? Would it be so bad to hear this news from other people instead?
3. We had our cable TV cut off last summer because my family was going to be in Alabama for several weeks. We never turned it back on to save money. We are doing the Dave Ramsey thing now and downsizing from 4,000 channels to 12(depending on if the government mandated digital converter box is operating properly) has been a great decision. I’m not checking ESPN news, FOX news, or TLC every 15 minutes. I watch three shows a week: Heroes, Survivor, and Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I have almost effectively eliminated channel surfing from my life. For me(the poster child for ADD) this was HUGE. We get a lot of movies from the library so the kids watch those and PBS Kids. Less TV has meant more rasslin in the living room with my children. Put THAT in your talking points memo.
4. Being on a budget has eliminated needless trips to Wal-Mart. I love the deals, but we were spending time and money we did not have every time. Going in to purchase dish shop(crud, we are out of that now) ended with a full cart, empty bank account, and a side trip to the Mcdonald’s that is conviently located inside the stored. Don’t get me wrong. I love me some Wal-Mart, but our family had to take ownership of our buying and spending habits.
I’m not going to pretend that this journey hasn’t been a struggle or that we have it all together now. I just knew that something had to change. I wasn’t at a crisis point, but I could have been. I will leave you my favorite joke from Jerry Seinfeld.
People ask me what I’ve been doing since we ended the show. I’ll tell you what I’ve been doing: nothing. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that you might like to try doing nothing yourself. Well, its not that easy. Because the idea of doing anything that could easily lead to something that would cut into my nothing and that would force me to have to drop everything.
If you’re going to grow as a person and a leader then reading great books should be an essential part of your growth. I have recently started reading with a new method that I wanted to share with you. There were 2 things I wanted to accomplish with this method.
1. Read faster
2. Take notes that are easy to scan through
There are 4 things in a book that make this process work: Chapter Headings, sub-headings, lists, and quotes. First, let me say that this method will not work with every type of book. This won’t work with a novel. I’ve found that most business, leadership, and growth books have all of the above.
Get the book you’re reading and a notebook. On a fresh page, write the Title and Author. Next, find chapter 1 and wirte it down along with it’s heading. All you’re going to do is scan the pages looking for key words that catch your eye(these depend on what and why you’re reading), subheadings, quotes, and lists. I typically write down all subheadings and lists. I write down quotes only if they’re truly memorable and something I could use in a sermon or a post. So, your page would look something like this(but hopefully with better handwriting):
Your amount of notes will depend on the format of the book and the length of the book. For example, I have 3 pages of notes from Crush It, and 12 pages of notes from The 4 Hour Work Week. I liked the books equally, but one of them had more lists and sub headings so I took more notes.
The most important thing to remember is to enjoy the book. If you get a chapter in and it’s not doing much for you then put it down and move on to something else. Also, don’t feel like you have to finish every book you read. Are you getting out of the book what you were hoping?
For me, this was born out of a desire to learn and grow without feeling overwhelmed. I also am trying to live by a set schedule. So far, the schedule has helped me get things done, but I’ve also been able to be flexible with it when necessary.
Finally, there have been two tremendous benefits so far with the creation of this site. One, is connecting and reconnecting with people all across the country through Twitter and Facebook. The other is immersing myself in the flow of great resources that are at our fingertips to help us become the people we were created to be. There are countless great books, blogs, conferences, music, and videos to help us discover our purpose, passion, and possibilities that many of us are unaware of. My reading list is full of great books I didn’t know existed before I started Chasing My Lion. Sadly, I know two many people who aren’t plugged into any of these things. They seem content to live life without pushing themselves to grow as Christians and leaders. Sadly, many of them are good friends in ministry.
So, what about you? What are you reading? What are you chasing?
Currently Listening:
Currently Reading:
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Why So Many Gods? By Tim Baker What do Madonna’s henna tattoos really mean? Is The Matrix more than just an action flick? Probing the meanings behind pop culture symbols, this hip guide to over 100 religions, cults, and worldviews will get your teens thinking about what they hear, see, and read—and help them choose God’s truth over the media’s mixed messages. 240 pages, softcover from Nelson. |
Currently Watching:
Newspring church at 
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One of my favorite songs off of U2’s “All that You Can’t Leave Behind” album is “Stuck in a Moment.” They also put out an acoustic version which blows me away each time I hear it. Here’s the chorus:
You’ve got to get yourself together
You got stuck in a moment and now you can’t get out of it
Don’t say that later would be better now you’re stuck in a moment
And now you can’t get out of it
Have you ever been in the place where you feel like you’ve been punched in the gut and will never recover? Has something ever happened to you that took your confidence and you didn’t know if you would ever get it back? It’s a bad place to be. It affects all of our relationships. When we are in a place like that we can be difficult to be around. We lash out at the ones we love and the God we serve because it angers us to feel like we will never recover. Are you in a rut today? Do you feel stuck?
I wish I could tell you that there’s a specific prayer to pray or thing to do that will fix everything like magic. There’s not. It takes time to heal. Time to recover. Time to get back on that horse. That doesn’t mean that we are just supposed to sit there and wait for things to work themselves out. Getting out of the rut requires action. With that in mind, I’ve come up with some things that maybe you haven’t thought of. This obviously isn’t a be all/end all list, but it’s helped me when I was “stuck.”
Forgotten 5 ways to get out of your rut
- Put others first
- Be accountable for the goals you’ve set for yourself and your family. Haven’t written down any goals, you say? Grab a pen and start dreaming.
- Learn to love your job or…
- Quit your job and find something you love to do.
- Count your blessings instead of your burdens
What’s on your list?
This is the album version. Sadly, the acoustic version is no longer available.
Last November, I told you about my wife and I going over to see the big reveal for ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover about 8 miles from our house. A quick disclaimer: I’m wearing a Yankees hat in that video because I lost a bet. Last night our local affiliate, ABC 45, had a behind the scenes look at 7 pm with the regular episode airing at 8 pm. I was proud to see my wife’s name listed with all the other great volunteers. The shift she worked ended up being on air for about a second(late night footings being poured). This has always been one of our favorite shows and last night was no exception. From the 2 hours, we learned so much more about the builder, the Creasey’s, and everything that goes into making this miracle happen. All I keep hearing is what an amazing family this is and they will be opening up their home for special tours to raise money for cancer research. While the house has been built and the episode has aired, we still have an opportunity to impact this wonderful family and others like them. So here’s what you can do:
1. Pray for the Creasey’s especially as Tricia continues her cancer treatments.
2. Head over to this site to make a donation to the family and get a behind the scenes DVD.
4. Nominate a Family to get an Extreme Home Makeover
5. Buy a ticket to take a tour of their home.
Monday I had the opportunity to interview Stevan Sheets. Last week, he created the site, http://www.thisishaiti.com to raise awareness and support for the earthquake in Haiti. His first two fundraising goals of $1000 each were both reached! The site will still be used to collect funds for World Hope International and will also feature news and video about the situation in Haiti. If you haven’t made some sort of contribution yet, I urge you to do so. Also, please pray for the people of Haiti. Pray for the rebuilding of their country, for wisdom for their leaders, and for those who have lost so much. Thanks for your support.
Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti last week, my friend(and fellow Wesleyan youth pastor), Stevan Sheets started the website http://www.thisishaiti.com. His goal is to raise awareness and funds for the people in Haiti through World Hope International. Already, the site has raised close to $2,000 for relief work. Here’s an article on his efforts. I had the chance to interview Stevan and get the story behind the site. You can also check out his blog and church. I encourage you to make a contribution and make a difference for the people in Haiti. Kudos to Stevan for responding to the nudge of the Holy Spirit. How different would the world be if we exercised our faith in practical ways? Stevan is Chasing His Lion!
Before you view the video let me say that you will need to adjust your volume. I am too loud(what else is new?) and Stevan’s audio is much softer.
Resolutions for 2010 on YouTube
The 10 Minute Trainer from Beachbody
Beachbody’s Insanity program with Shawn T
Rescue Nepali Girls from Bonded Servitude
The final step to freedom for slavery survivors is employment and independence. Jobs at the Destiny Center in Calcutta offer survivors them the chance to rebuild their own bright futures.
