“Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness.” (Author Unknown)

Here are some quick thoughts on time management in a random order:

• It is ok to turn your cell phone off for a few hours.
• Write your to-do list the night before. (Clear your mind for a good night’s rest.)
• Plan the coming month before the end of the previous month.
• “Counting time is not so important as making time count.” (Author Unknown)
• Not every plan should be digital; write them down on paper, calendar or post-it note.
• Facebook is not as important as talking to someone.
• Plan your preaching. (Click here for more information)
• Get up 15 minutes earlier.
• Read your Bible before doing anything else in the morning.
• Review your to-do list before turning on your computer.

Here are a few more time management tips I have found useful:

• Lump visits for great efficiency.
• Schedule your time in 30 minute increments.
• Take a day off to relax.
• Keep your to-do list visible.
• Keep a long range goal list visible.
• Limit your to-do list to 8 items.

“Most of our troubles stem from too much time on our hands and not enough time on our knees.” (Author Unknown)

Just my thoughts,

This week’s “In the News” podcast covers a very interesting and heartbreaking issue that the mainstream news seems to have overlooked. In early May I ran across this article on TheBlaze.com – “SHOCKING: CUSTOMS OFFICIALS INTERCEPT 17,000 PILLS FILLED WITH POWDERED BABY FLESH FROM CHINA.” (Click the title to read the article.)

When I first saw it I thought it was a joke article, but guess what, it is real. Today’s podcast covers some random thoughts concerning this evil act!

Just some thoughts,

As mentioned in the first article (click here for the first article),

“There are only 24 hours in a day even though we might wish there were more. If for some magical reason we were granted an extra two hours each day, we would still fill them with stuff and not use them to take a moment to relax and recharge. Time is precious and we should treat is as such.”

Managing time is a definite for preachers. Preachers can work in the ministry 24 hours in a day because there is always a stand to take against sin.  While sin never stops, nor does it care about time, so as preachers we must use the time provided to proclaim the gospel.

Office Hours:

If your congregation requires you to keep office hours, make it known to the congregation. In managing your time with a congregation, it is vital to make known your office hours. When the congregation sees you will be in your office, the lines of communication might be opened.

Be aware that having office hours might be an issue when members stop by just to chat and they take up the majority of your time. I encourage congregation, if they decide to set office hours to do so in the morning, such as 8am – 12pm. This give the preacher some alone time in the afternoon.

Member Visitation:

A requirement of many congregations is member visitation. It can be a benefit to preaching and it can be a time hoarder. The benefit of member visitation is getting to know the people with whom you will speak to each week. It becomes a time hoarder because one visit can last several hours; with the daily requirements of ministry, time is valuable.

My suggestion is the schedule certain days for visitation; lump visits together and make appointments with possible.

Various Visitation:

Part of the position of a preacher might be visiting those on the contact/evangelism list or those who have visited the congregation. During this process, it might be “hit or miss” as you try to find people at home. I have found leaving a postcard with a personal note to those that are not home has a positive influence on those you missed.

As with member visitation, I suggest taking a day of the week to schedule some visits, instead of using a short period of time in the afternoon.

These are just a couple thoughts to consider when planning your time as a preacher of the gospel of Christ. The most important factor is remembering your purpose as a minister.

Just some quick thoughts,

Preachers have amazing family support. Their families are strong support pillars for the church. Below are ten tips to involve your family in ministry. Some believe that families should be kept away from ministry life, but I believe involving my family in the aspects of ministry so they may experience the greatens of working for God.

• Take your family with you when you make visits – When visiting members of the congregation take your family with you and let them get to know the members like you do. This makes a great impression on children as they see what goes on behind the scenes, but they also get to know the members. Note: Be aware of sickness, etc. when visiting with your children.
• Have your children fold the bulletin – If you are in charge of the bulletin, have your children fold the bulletin. For some reason, my oldest daughter likes to fold the bulletin while watching TV. It might be the fact she gets to watch TV, but still she is actively involved.
• Involve your children in lesson preparation – I have found my children love to help me with my PowerPoint. On a variety of occasions, my daughter has done my sermon PowerPoint for me and I help her tweak it a little. What is interesting is she reads and grabs the points of the sermon better than just listening.
• Bake cookies for the shut-ins – Schedule some time for your family to bake cookies for the shut-ins or others in the congregation. When you go visiting, take those cookies packages with you. It is always helpful to include a note from your children.
• Sign a card – If you send cards to visitors and members, have your family sign them. Often the preacher is expected to sign them, but having your family sign them sends a greater view of hospitality. Also, people will comment more about your family signing them than when you sign them alone.
• Spend time praying for your work – Pray with your family for your work in the congregation. Also, ask your children to pray for the ministry. They will pray and they will see the power of God working.
• Teach your children to lead a class discussion – Over the past year, my oldest daughter (age 11) has taught four children’s classes. The teacher was present as my daughter taught and she was blown away with my daughter’s preparation. (One of the greatest parts – I never helped her, she did it her own.) My daughter has a delight for teaching more than ever. She sees what it takes and enjoys it.
• Have members over to your home– Open your home to the members and let them enjoy time at your home. Have an open house around the holidays, a cookout in the summer, etc. Allow members into your home and let them get to know your family.
• Encourage your children to bring their friends – Ask your children to bring their friends and do what it takes to get them there.  We will transport our children’s friends to Chuck E. Cheese or sporting events, now encourage your children to bring others to services.
• Spend time outside of ministry together – As preachers it is easy to becoming involved in ministry as much as we can, but remember to set back and relax with your family. Allow them to see that they are a priority in your life.

Just my thoughts,

Above is the Preacher’s Pen podcast covering Philippians 1.12-18. This passage discusses the attitude of Paul not only in the midst of suffering, but as other were preaching to hurt Paul.

Question to ask yourself:

• Is my attitude determining my altitude?

Just some thoughts,

“And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”  (Acts 6.7; ESV)

There are only 24 hours in a day even though we might wish there were more. If for some magical reason we were granted an extra two hours each day, we would still fill them with stuff and not use them to take a moment to relax and recharge. Time is precious and we should treat is as such.

For preachers, time management is a powerful class to take and it is usually taken at the School of Hard Knocks. As noted in some previous posts, the schedule of each preacher will be different due to the workload of their local ministry.

I would ask preachers to remember two things:

• Remember your purpose.
• Release expectations.

The verse listed above is a powerful reminder that preachers cannot do everything; we might want too, but we cannot. Even the apostles had to reexamine their purpose and redirect others to take an active part in the work of the church. Consider Acts 6.2:

“And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.’”

The apostles knew their abilities and knew that removing themselves from preaching the word to serve tables would not be the best use of what God had blessed them. As a result they mobilized others for the work and success was achieve.

It is my belief the apostles knew their purpose and stayed true to it. Consider Acts 6.3 as their purpose statement to those seeking a solution:

“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

The apostles knew where their true devotion should be and they release the expectations of others by mobilizing a group to serve. We need more ministers devoting themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. When the apostles chose to stick to their gifts and abilities, great things happened…

“And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6.7; ESV)

Have preachers forgotten their purpose?

Have preachers left preaching the Word to serve tables?

Have congregations allowed (or encouraged) preachers to forget their purpose by involving them in other areas?

Just my thoughts,

The week is planned, the schedule made, the agenda is set and the to-do list is ready to be completed by Saturday night…then, the phone rings. Every preacher knows what it is like to have everything ready to go for a good looking week only to have it explode into chaos at a moments notice. Many times it is nothing the members or anyone has control of; it is a member in the hospital, a death or even a member’s family problems. What is the preacher to do?

Maybe the question is not “What is the preacher to do?” but instead a statement of, “Look at what the preacher does.” While the week may look like crystal clear sailing, it will be turbulent waters because the preacher is going to sacrifice his time for that of others. He does not do it because it is his job, he does not do it for glory of self, he does it because he knows that God is active in the world and he is just a servant of the Creator.

A preacher’s week is anything but monotony. On the surface the weeks looks calm and one the inside it might be a storm raging on an ocean. The surface, to many, looks like preparing for Sunday, but the insides tell a different account. Most people will only see the work of a preacher during a short amount of time on a Sunday or Wednesday, while during the week it has been study, prayer, phone calls, emails, church administration work, planning, member visitation and many other behind the scenes aspects of ministry.

(Side note:  When a preachers schedule is monotonous, then the congregation might be dying.)

If you ask a preacher about his normal week, do not be surprised if he laughs; because there is never a normal week. While he may plan every aspect, it will change.

For 99% of ministers I know, they love the everyday change the the possibility of a changing week every week. The “same ole, same ole” would get boring and would not be beneficial to our lives, and we enjoy knowing that no matter what happens during the week, whether we plan it or not, God is always in control.

We love what we do…even when schedules change!

Just my thoughts,

The congregation in Pergamum (Revelation 2.12-17) is what I call the congregation of Toleration. While the congregation is seeking to maintain their strength in Christ, they are tolerating some areas and sins which they should not. The greater question is are the lives of Christians becoming lives of toleration? and are our congregations becoming congregations of tolerations?

The Powerpoint is available below:

Just some thoughts,

Before reading this post, I would you to take a moment and

• Preachers: Salary, Finances Benefits #1
• Preachers: Salary, Finances Benefits #2
• Preachers: Salary, Finances Benefits #3

In this post I want to share some tidbits which many do not consider regarding preachers and finances. These short tidbits should not only  be considered not only by preachers, but also by elders, hiring committees and anyone involved in the ministry or hiring process.

Other topics regarding finances will be covered through the month of May. Topics like giving, health insurance, retirement, taxes and others will be written as separate posts.

Here are some random considerations of salary, finances and benefits:

Life Insurance

• Preachers need to take care of their families in case of their passing from this life. Without notice a preacher (just as anyone) can leave this world only to have their families scrambling to pick up the pieces. While some companies provide life insurance in the benefit package, I have yet to meet a congregation who provided a life insurance benefit.
• I would encourage ministers to purchase life insurance from the start of their ministry. In the event of death the death benefit will assist in taking care of his family, paying the bills, paying off debt and other situations a grieving family is going to have.

Disability Insurance

• Most preachers do not consider disability insurance as something to purchase due to the fact most preachers do not have a labor intense ministry, but a preacher should consider disability insurance.
• A preacher’s eyes and voice is the lifeblood to his ministry. Not to be morbid, but a preacher can lose a limb, or an eye and maintain his ministry, but the loss of his eyesight or his voice will be a huge factor in his ministry. I would ask preachers to consider major disability insurance in their planning.
• Personal note: I know of preachers who are blind and even heard of those who have lost their voice and maintain a powerful ministry of speaking (for those that are blind) and writing (for those who lost their voice). It is possible to continue to have a major effect on people’s lives, but let us be sure to consider some disability insurance.

Debt Avoidance

• Many preachers who attend colleges and universities are graduating with piles of debt.  While others are graduating with mounds of school debt as well, many other professions  have a higher pay scale than ministry. With this being said, I would encourage ministers to take a personal finance class to take better control of their finances before they even begin their career. Classes from Dave Ramsey and Steve Diggs would benefit preachers and their families.
• Since college, I have thought colleges, universities and schools of preaching would do well to require their students to take a personal finance class to better themselves to handle money; as they graduate with debt.

Just some thoughts,

• Do not let Social Media rule your life – Schedule a time in your day to check Facebook, Linked, Twitter, etc. Manage your time wisely by schedule time, not staring at a screen.
• Turn off email notifications – Those annoying “dings” when you get email can sidetrack you from the task at hand. Also, turn off the pop-up notifications as well. Stay focused.
• Load Sermons on Technology – Load your sermon notes, PowerPoints, etc. on your tablets and phones to take with you with you make a visit. I have found time while waiting at the hospital to glance at my notes and add points if the needs arises. Keeping the lesson fresh on your mind is a bonus of technology.
• Turn off your cell phone – Throughout the day, turn off your phone and focus on the task at hand. I would also say to turn off your cell phone while you are having dinner with your family or family time in general.
• Schedule reading time – It seems that most people read blogs throughout the day, but take control of your time by scheduling time during the day to read. Lump your blog reading together instead of every time a notification sound occurs.
• Load Audiobooks, sermons, etc. on your phone or tablet – Loading audio sermons on phone or tables is a great way to learn as you drive. I am a big proponent of turning off the radio and being educated while driving.
• eBooks – Some people are opposed to eBooks and others like the feel and touch of a “real” hardcover book in their hands; but the eBook market is booming.  The ability to load a library of books on a phone, tablet or computer is amazing. It is easy to load the books and have them with you wherever you travel.
• Schedule Social Media updates – Programs like TweetDeck allow you to schedule your status updates and posts to social media like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other outlets. This feature allows you to spread your thoughts over a day, week, month and even a year without being there.
• Schedule blog posts – If you are a WordPress user, you can schedule your blog posts to go out at any time you wish. This is one of my favorite parts of technology. I have been out visiting members and those on the visitor list when I get a phone call and someone says, “Well, I see you are working from home today.” I laugh and tell them I am out visiting and they respond in confusion, “Yeah, but I was on Facebook and saw your website article just posted.” At that point I laugh and say, “OK.” Scheduling articles works wonders.
• Text your wife – Every preacher knows their family is involved in the ministry with them. Show your wife your love and appreciation with short messages throughout the day. NOTE: be sure you speak to her as well.

Just some thoughts,