Five Ways To Gain An Extra Hour

You're not alone. Everyone struggles to find time for all the things they know they should do, and typically only accomplish the things which have deadlines. This is why we can get to work in the morning, but often fail to read our Bibles, or why we can get homework assignments done ontime, but fail to spend substantial time in prayer. Without a deadline, your most important tasks get bullied, pushed around, and shoved into the corner by less important, time-sensitive tasks. Instead of trying to rearrange tasks, change schedules, and cut activities, wouldn't life be easier if you just had an extra hour? Maybe 25 hours in a day instead of 24? I'm here to tell you its possible, and you don't need to stop time! I'm going to find you an extra hour, and I'm going to do it NOW!



1. Stop wasting so much time sleeping!

I've found that 5 hours of sleep is plenty for me to function at 100% throughout the day, and this level of rest is sustainable. While I've gone for a couple of months on 2 - 3 hours per night, there is no way I could sustain that level of sleep and stay awake in church, in school, and at work. I can handle pulling an all-nighter once or twice per week, or a 3 or 4 hour night a few times per week, but I need to have some catch-up nights in between. If you know your limits you can work out a routine and use that extra time to get stuff done. Everyone is different, but if you are getting 7 or 8 hours per night right now, I would suggest staying up one hour later or (even better) getting up one hour earlier. You would be surprised how productive you can be when the rest of the house is sleeping. I know most of you are grimmacing right now, but trust me this works!

2. Man shall not live by bread alone...

We all eat. Some more than others. Did you ever consider how much time you spend sitting in the lunch room/break room at work? How about breakfast in the moring? This is a prime opportunity to pull out your New Testament and read. Hey, you may be able to recover an hour or more right here!

3. Turn off the tunes.

Got a car? Do you drive it? Most of us spend at least some time on the road commuting to and from work, the store, church, etc. Download the Bible and use your CD player, tape player, or MP3 to listen to God's Word. It's free, and it would be a great use of otherwise wasted time.

4. Wash the dishes, and your mind.

Few people hate doing dishes as much as I do, but once again its a fact of life. Use the Bible on MP3 (see the previous point) to fill your mind with scripture while you fill the dishwasher with plates. It's not like you would be doing anything else, right?

5. God's Word is sowed in the commode.

Once again, there are certain times of the day that we are all a captive audience. Why not strategically position a Bible in your bathroom? Take a few minutes while you are there to spend with the Lord (He sees you anyway, so don't worry about Him being offended). For some of you, this idea may add 3 hours of Bible reading time to your day!

The bottom line is, nothing is going to happen unless you make it happen. Try one of these suggestions and see if it works for you. If it does, let me know! Also, if you already have a system in place that works I would love to hear about it. Stay young, and stay fundamental!

Don't Stay Knocked Down

Sometimes you have just enough time to get the ball in the air before you get hit, and sometimes you just get sacked. Either way, you're down, in pain, and wondering why in the world you subject yourself to this kind of suffering.

Whether in sports or in life, we all have ups and downs, and it's how we handle getting tackled that defines what kind of person we really are. The next time you get hit by the devil, take it to the Lord. Don't try to carry the burden yourself because it's too great. God didn't design you to handle all of life's problems on your own. If He had He wouldn't have sent His Holy Spirit to help us. Secondly, get back up. When you're down, the best that can happen is you get stepped on. When you get beat, stand back up and go at it again. Remember, Prov.24 [16] For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Discontentment

Phil.4
[11] Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Ever wish you were someone else? Somewhere else? Are you ever discontent with the circumstances God has put you in? Often while I was in the military I would get fed up with life on base, training, rules, and leadership and I would gaze out at the vast expanse of Pacific Ocean just a few hundred meters west of the freeway, wishing I could be out there on ship. Deployment was an escape for me and I loved it. I loved seeing nothing but water for weeks, visiting foreign countries, and the simplicity of life that I experienced when I was on ship. What I didn't remember was the frustration that would set in because of cramped living quarters, limited shower hours, inability to get away from annoying people, missing loved ones, not being able to enjoy simple pleasures like good food and a comfortable bed, and all the other negative things that went along with living on a ship for six months. Now, often I find my self looking back on my experience in the military overall and missing it (well, parts of it anyway).

The truth is that all of life's seasons have good times and not-so-good times, and it's natural to remember only the good. What we need to remain conscious of is that we are creating those good times right now and will look back on this season of our life with fondness someday. Instead of pining for the past or waiting for the future, purpose to live today in such a way that you will remember it with fondness, and be content with the circumstances God has given you.

Remember the Marines

While recently digging through some boxes that we had in storage, I found one that had some of my gear from the war. Among the gear was an Iraqi notebook. I wrote the following in April 2003 somewhere south of Baghdad in the notebook which I found during one of our missions.

When you eat your evening meal tonight
Though it came a little late
Don’t become ungrateful
Because you had to wait
Because you may not see it
Still without a doubt
Somewhere there’s a Marine
Who tonight will go without

Though his stomach’s growling
And his hunger’s very real
Somewhere that Marine
Will go without a meal

When you pull back your clean sheets
And climb on into bed
And on your fluffy pillow
You rest your tired head
Just know that far away
As you doze so deep
Somewhere there’s a Marine
Who will go without sleep

And though he dug a fighting hole
Without the aid of light
And he’s been up for 24 hours
Still he’s on watch tonight
So though you must rise early
Remember what I’ve said
Somewhere there’s a Marine
Who never went to bed

When you drive your car to work
And all the traffic stops
And drivers cut you off
Unnoticed by the cops
Don’t become exasperated
And spew profanity
Somewhere a Marine today
Has been walking constantly

He carries everything he has
In a pack upon his back
And on his head and body
Wears a helmet and a flak
No vehicle will drive him
With no shelter from the rain
His leather boots are all he has
Though he’s in constant pain

In the safety of your home
You kick back and relax
You’ve got everything you need
You know nothing lacks
You read of other countries
And see them on TV
And hear of suicide bombings
And shooting constantly

You know no one will harm you
For doing as you please
For you live in America
And you can rest at ease
Just remember why you have
The liberties you do
And who it is that pays the price
For others just like you

That Marine holds constant vigil
And stands in harms way
Lives with bare necessities
And does it every day
He sacrifices for he knows
What freedom means to you
He makes that sacrifice
For the Red, White and Blue

-written by Sgt. David Scott, squad leader

3/1 India Co., 1st Platoon - April 2003

Hook Line and Sinker, by Cary Schmidt

Hook, Line and Sinker: How the Enemy Is Dividing and Destroying the Christian Family

Hook, Line & Sinker by Cary Schmidt is a Sunday School curriculum written for teens and their parents. I have personally found it to be a phenomenal resource in my teen boys' class, and would highly recommend it to any youth director.

Schmidt begins by drawing an analogy between a fisherman trying to use lures, hooks, and bait, to catch fish; and the devil who is using the same to "hook" teenagers. He then begins to explain in detail the four most common hooks that the devil uses in our teens lives, how they can identify and avoid these mistakes, and what parents need to be doing to make sure their children stay protected.

This curriculum contains a lot of practical application and wisdom drawn from years of experience in the ministry, and clearly shows Schmidt's dedication to helping teens through their journey to adulthood.

Do You Have A Titus?

II Cor 7:[6] Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

In this passage, Paul speaks of being cast down. He was clearly discouraged with all that he had been through, and understandably so. It's interesting that he was comforted by something as simple as the arrival of a friend. I want to suggest however that Titus wasn't just any old friend, but the type of friend who had been through a lot with Paul and understood his problems. Titus was a friend who was there for Paul through thick and thin, and when the going got rough, Titus had Paul's back. It's no wonder that Paul was encouraged when his buddy arrived to comfort him during his time of need.

I've had a lot of friends throughout my life, but I can only think of three that I would consider to be in this catagory, and one is now with the Lord. These were guys I could call during the worse of times and they would be there for me. I could tell them my struggles, and they could tell me theirs. Often just by being around each other we would be mutually encouraged and rejuvinated. Friends such as these should never be taken for granted. If you have a friend like Titus, thank God for him or her. If not, pray that God would send you someone who would encourage and challenge you to live for Him, and comfort you when it gets hard. Also, purpose that you will be someone else's Titus.

The Curse of the Saloon

"The saloon is the sum of all villainies. It is worse than war or pestilence. It is the crime of crimes. It is the parent of crimes and the mother of sins. It is the appalling source of misery and crime in the land. And to license such an incarnate fiend of hell is the dirtiest, low-down, damnable business on top of this old earth." -Billy Sunday

Sadly, it's rare to hear a preacher speak out against any sin this boldly for fear of offending, losing members, or being viewed as a "closed minded hell-fire and brimestone preacher". Maybe we need more hell-fire and brimestone preached from our pulpits to melt the icecubes in the pews. Billy Sunday wasn't afraid to call a sin a sin, and because of it his impact is still felt to this day. Praise God!

For Billy's entire sermon on Saloons, visit The Curse of the Saloon at Jesus-is-Savior.com.
SHAKE THAT TREE, BILLY!!!