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!

Melissa and I have been pondering the grace of God quite a bit the last few weeks.  I think that it is the fact of Harvest being a year old that has us pondering His grace…because frankly, outside of God’s grace the year would not have been what it was.  Even though Harvest is only one year old, the process has taken much longer.  In reflecting over the past year I have asked myself the question, “What would I tell a future church planter about what to expect in the first year of starting a church?”  Here are 7 things that I have come up with…

1. Walk by faith and not by sight! (2 Cor. 5:7)  The process of seeing a dream become a reality will require one step of faith after another.  And some of those steps will seem huge.  If you aren’t willing to walk confidently with God, trusting in his provision…the dream will not become a reality.

2. Get use to feeling financial pressure! Financial pressure always requires faith.  Therefore, you can expect that when you pursue God’s vision that it might just require faith in the financial department.  Another observation is that the financial pressure easily and usually hits those in leadership as well.  However, to quote Perry Noble (another church planter), “The question you must constantly wrestle to the ground is, ‘Is THIS what God wants’ and not, ‘Can we afford it?’  Remember…if it is God’s will then it is God’s bill!  What the King wants the King pays for!”

3. Spiritual Warfare is real! Over the past year, the spiritual battle has become more real and threatening than I had ever experienced.  However, if you feel attacked it is probably because you are a threat.  When it comes to the battle, I have noticed in ministry that Satan seems to use two things to distract and to derail the church: discouragement and disunity.  Therefore, as the leader you have to spend time praying and fighting for your leadership, volunteers, and the church.  Doubters of the vision will creep in (especially Church people).  However, not only will you have to fight your outside critics, you will have to fight your own internal doubts.  In those times I hold close to Proverbs 3:3-6 as a place of strength!

4. Focus on God’s Vision for your community! It is easy in the day of great megachurches and the web to want to copy things that have already been successful.  Even though there might be appropriate times to imitate a program or strategy, never neglect your time in seeking God’s vision for your community, church, and His people.  God’s has a specific vision and strategy for you and your church…find it while spending time in the Word and prayer!

5. Keep the creativity alive! It is easy once the ball gets moving to get sucked into doing what works.  However, things around us are constantly changing.  When things get hard and things don’t seem to be moving…it is time to be creative!  Obstacles are usually the best motivation for creativity!  Therefore, have fun with it…because there is no doubting that God is creative.

6. Celebrate the wins! Church planting is full of wins and life transformation.  If we don’t celebrate those things well, we miss out on a great worship party celebrating all that God has done…and more importantly what He is still going to do!

7.  God is more passionate than you! As passionate as you might be for your community and the vision of the church, God is exponentially more passionate.  Therefore, let Him drive the ship and you just try to hold on!

A few years ago, one of the founding band members of the band Korn left the band because of his recent decision to follow Jesus.  His name was Brian Head Welch and this is his story…

BRIAN HEAD WELCH – I AM SECOND from BRIAN HEAD WELCH on Vimeo.

Think about it…a real estate broker had the courage to share one simple verse from the Bible with him and God used it to change the course of his life.  You don’t have to be a pastor to be used by God.  All it takes is your willingness to be available and the courage to trust that God can use you.

For more stories like the one above visit I am second.

This August 25th is National Facebook Fast…

And no, this isn’t a day to bash on technology. It is simply a challenge to those participating to act intentionally in building relationships outside of social media.

For one day this summer, instead of texting, tweeting, emailing or chatting on Facebook, consider taking a meal to a shut in, visit a neighbor you have never met, get together with a friend for a face-to-face conversation over coffee, write a handwritten letter or card and mail it.

If you are thinking of or planning to participate…let us know!

Over the past three weeks we have been discussing that God is about character development, meaning…He wants to develop you and me to be more like Jesus. In order to do this God must first have access to our hearts. Secondly, we have to open ourselves to his leading. Below are some questions that bring accountability to this whole process.  Have fun interacting with them and may they be a helpful resource to you in your spiritual journey.

John Wesley’s Small Group Questions:

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?

2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?

3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?

4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work , or habits?

5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

6. Did the Bible live in me today?

7. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?

8. Am I enjoying prayer?

9. When did I last speak to someone about my faith?

10. Do I pray about the money I spend?

11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?

12. Do I disobey God in anything?

13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?

14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?

15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?

16. How do I spend my spare time?

17. Am I proud?

18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as thePharisee who despised the publican?

19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?

20. Do I grumble and complain constantly?

21. Is Christ real to me?

Reference: John Wesley’s Class Meetings: a Model for Making Disciples, by D. Michael Henderson, Evangel Publishing House, 1997, pp. 118-9