Saturday Prayertime

God, I have to make decisions every day of life. Some are big decisions; others are simple decisions. Please help me not to presume I know everything, but to come to you in faith. Show me who would be a good counselor to keep me accountable and help open my eyes when making weighty decisions. I pray that you will give me wisdom and direction...and spiritual discernment to know what is the right decision. God, thank you for being the great Counselor, for loving me, and for correcting the mistakes I sometimes make. Bless You, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Sunday Prayertime

I praise You Lord, for Who You are; the Alpha, Omega, Beginning and the End, Savior and Lord, You're my best friend; Creator of all. Thank You for being my best friend forever. Thank You for being my heavenly Father, always present and always there for me. Thank You for being my sustainer and protector. And thank You for saving me and setting me upon the solid Rock--Jesus. In His name I pray. Amen.

Saturday Prayertime

God, I come to you seeking your face, searching for answers so I can do something about the problems. There is so much turmoil in the world. There have been so many disasters, many beyond man's control. I pray that You will broaden the minds the people affected by each incident and open their eyes to see what you want them to learn. And I pray that they will respond in the right way. I know that you sometimes allow pressures in my life to bring attention to an issue you want me to take care of too. I pray today, that you as my Loving Father will make known anything that stands in the way of fellowship between you and I. I want to turn from any wrongdoing, and "step up to the plate" to do the right thing, no matter how great or how simple it may seem. I praise you for who you are, for all you do, and for the fellowship we share through prayer. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Financial Burnout Restoration

"He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.' For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place...." Mark 6:31-32 (HCSB)

As we are looking at the epidemic of burnout in today's clime, we have sought ways from Dr. Richard Swenson's book Margin on how we can restore balance in our lives. we have mused over Emotional, Physical, and Time restoration, and today we will ponder Financial restoration. Again, Dr. Swenson lists 16 prescriptions, we will consider a couple of them.

We need to be people who are moving counter to our culture - the one that teaches us to spend and get. We need to learn to live within our harvest, in other words - make do with what we have. This is not easy, nor popular today. Consider all the ads designed to make us feel that we need the latest whatever to live a happy life. we have to discipline our desires and redefine what we see as needs.

So, what can we do? First we must either/or increase our income or decrease our spending. If we can't increase our income, we must "bite the bullet" and decrease our spending. This causes us to make a budget - and then stick to it. I have OCD tendencies and when I set up something like this I become very structured to do it - it is a compulsion. As a TV character Monk used to say - "It is a blessing and a curse." Budget in savings, discard use of credit cards, resist the impulses when watching TV or shopping. Consider the usefulness of what you are seeking to spend money on.

Most importantly, put the Kingdom first. We need to give tithes and offerings to God through His church and other Kingdom related enterprises. Matthew 6:33, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount reminds us to "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you."

Today, ponder over the needs you have in the financial realm, and then consider how you can gain control over these. When our finances are in balance, we reduce the possibility of burnout or restore our personal balance in life.

* Material used this week is from Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Published by NavPress:Colorado Springs CO. 1992

Time Burnout Restoration

"He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.' For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place...." Mark 6:31-32 (HCSB)

As we are looking at the epidemic of burnout in today's clime, we have sought ways from Dr. Richard Swenson's book Margin on how we can restore balance in our lives. we have mused over Emotional and Physical restoration, and today we will ponder Time restoration.

In his book, Dr. Swenson lists 16 prescriptions for restoring balance to our lives. And, once again I will just touch on a couple of these. A few of these can be considered a "duh" if we are honest. To regain balance we need to learn to say "no." We need to prune our time from trying to accomplish all things to setting true priorities - and then seeking to achieve these. It may mean we need to turn off the mind vacuum (television), it may mean we need to seek more simplicity, we need to expect the unexpected.

We often seek to attempt to much only to feel frustrated and a failure in our attempts. We need to develop a plan to not only do the right things, but to do the right things right. Don't compare yourself to someone else - Paul makes a good point about this in 2 Corinthians 10:12, where he states "For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding." Do what you are capable of doing.

Finally, if you are a Type A personality [like me], train yourself to create buffer zones and free time in your life. Learn to smile, listen to others as they speak, stand in the longer line, and generally force yourself to make room for slowing down. Be sure to use this time to ponder and thank God. One thing I am learning is to relish the journey as well as the destination. Am I there - no. Am I still working on it - yes.

Today, muse over the points given for emotional, physical, and time restoration in your life. Attempt to develop one new habit. It will be hard, but in the long run being restored from burnout will be one of the greatest releases and refreshments you will ever know.

* Material used this week is from Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Published by NavPress:Colorado Springs CO. 1992