Have you ever spent much time thinking about what it really means to be human?  Perhaps even more specifically have you spent time thinking about human limitations.  Maybe this is something that seems a little odd…trust me there is a reason.  As I begin I want to begin by asking two questions…

1.  Do we as humans have limitations?

2. If we have limits, where did they come from?

The first of the two questions is an easy one to answer…of course we do!  All human beings have limits.  The harder part is then to figure out where those limitations came from.  Did they come from God or did they result from the fall (our rebelliousness to God)?  Though some limitations I do believe have come about from the fall, for example: sickness and disease are a limiting factor born out of the fall.  However, many of our limitations have come about because God intended them to be there.  God is limitless as the Creator.  Humanity deal with limitations just because we are the created.  Therefore, if limitations were birthed from God then they must be good.

The fact is we get ourselves in trouble when we try to do more than God intended us to do.  The miracle of how God works is that he chooses to use those who are limited to accomplish His overall purpose.  That in and of it self is absolutely amazing, and nothing short of miraculous.

Now we all are limited by the factor of time.  Humans are finite beings having a beginning and an end.  Practically speaking not one human being has more than 24 hours in a day either.  This truth becomes a stark reality of our limitations on a daily basis.  Therefore, we must learn what it means to leverage our time in a very God honoring manner, knowing that having limitations are for our protection, and violating them brings ruin.

How do you handle your time?  Do you feel as though there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get all the things crossed of your list?  Feeling overloaded and tired?  Here are some questions to help you evaluate your use of time:

1. Do you plan ahead to make the most out of your day or do you just simply “let life happen?”

2. Do you make most of your decisions by going with your gut or by asking for God’s direction? (specifically through reading your Bible and prayer)

3. Do you attempt to evaluate things based on Biblical authority and priority or do you do whatever is necessary to climb the ladder?

4. Do you ask God what He would have you do or where He would have you serve or do you try to please everyone?

5. Do you leverage your talents and finances to bless your church and family or do you use them for your own self gratification?

I hope that these questions have brought some light to how you leverage your time.  Furthermore, I hope that they made you think about your own limitations and how to leverage what little time you have to fulfilling God’s role for you!  If you are still feeling overwhelmed here are some practical things to consider as a means to taking back your time.

1. Be discerning…differentiate between what is a concern and what is a responsibility.

2. Set boundaries…”No” is a good word to have in your vocabulary.  you can’t set priorities until you can say “no.”

3. Tame technology…it is ok to unplug from your computer, cell phone, email, etc.  You have more control than you think.

4. Prioritize your commitments…most of us have more to do than we can actually do.  Therefore, prioritize!

5. Cut activities…in other words, prune your schedule of things that really don’t belong.

6. Guard your dinner hour…family dinner hour has seemingly disappeared and I think it hurst our families.  Not to be too legalistic, try to incorporate 4 or 5 regular meals together per week.

7. Get back to having a Sabbath…God from the very beginning introduced the Sabbath day of rest.  Not only that…He rested from Creation to be an example of the way to live.  Maybe our churches, our schools, our work places, and our nation would be different if we learned to rest 1 day in every 7!

8.  Remember who is really in charge…Maybe the one thing God needs from us is to trust more and to do less!

- First, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to invite someone to Harvest the last two weeks. We put the challenge out to you and like always…you more than met it. Last week for our 1 year anniversary we had a record number of kids in the children’s ministry and nearly 400 people total for the day. Great job and keep it up!

- This coming Sunday we are starting a new series called “Pivotal.” This will be a fresh look at spiritual growth as we spend the next 4 weeks walking through pivotal passages in James.

- These 4 passages in James have changed my life and I think they will change yours as well! Don’t miss it!

- Yesterday’s Life Group Test-drive went well. If you missed it you can go this Sunday during the 9:30 service.

- Pray for our teens and our leaders as they kick-off our mid-week youth program once again. Furthermore, pray for our church leadership as we look at the possibility of hiring someone to work with our youth. (Did you realize that Harvest is positioned strategically in a place where we have 3 high schools and 3 middle schools all within 4 miles of our church?

- Awesome to see how God used your generosity to touch 7 different schools and there families in the area! Great job in reaching our community!!!

- Excited for this Saturday as College Football gets kicked-off! Oh, yeah…

- Lastly, I love my CHURCH and I can’t believe I get to do what I do every week! Thanks for making things so enjoyable. Have a blessed week.

Lazy Monday from Harvest Community Church on Vimeo.

This week we are celebrating our 1 year anniversary. Even more importantly we will be celebrating people that are publicly declaring their faith in Jesus Christ as their saving grace through the act of baptism. If you would be interested in getting baptized this weekend please email or call the church office…we would love to talk to you!

Great morning yesterday and I must say that I am really enjoying my new tumbler.

Don’t forget this Sunday we turn 1! I know you won’t miss it so make sure you invite a friend to come and join you as well. This will be a great opportunity to invest in someone by helping them connect to what God is doing in and through Harvest.

Lastly, we went to the doctor today to see what we are having. Here is a quick video from my son Aaron to clue everyone in on what the Stephenson addition will be…