TickTockTickTock

I am going to start this post out by being honest and saying something that may shock some of you....I'm not very self disciplined! Take a second and breathe deep. If this news has caused you to have a heart attack, then call 911 and I did not mean to surprise you like that. Those of you that know me got a good laugh there but is a struggle. I am not good at
-getting up early
-stopping when I'm full
-regular exercise
-setting a budget
-keeping a calendar(and updating it)
-keeping an address book updated(my sister Becky tried to help by buying one as a gift and filling it up from hers)
All these are struggles for me but I have improved quite a bit. But I find myself thinking about time. For a few weeks I have begun getting early for my work out and bible reading. I have been fascinated by the people who could get up early, I have long done a poor job. But it seems to me time management is such a sign of priorities. Dr. Rushing was a prof at Grace U and I spent time with him in and out of the classroom and he said one thing that has really stuck with me:"The best way to measure your heart is to look where you are spending your spare time and disposable income. You use those to invest in what is important to you" I confess that is not an exact quote but I know I got the gist of it right. Some interesting thoughts.....
-When Dawson Trotman(founder of Navigators) was traveling he would take a secretary that he would dictate to. He would also write down scripture to memorize and review. A great book called DAWS reveals how he used his time.
-I once heard that Dr. Eckman(Grace U Pres.) planned out his day in 15 minute increments. He is an amazing(and busy) man between writing,his radio show,providing campus leadership, and teaching Church History without notes.
-After being on facebook on for a while I have noticed a trend. My facebook friends who I respect the most for living purposeful,gospel-driven lives are never on facebook! Instead it is always the same people but I realize I am questioning if I am one of these people. Understand this is a general trend with many exceptions but I think it is true.

Generally when I post about something it is an issue I have been thinking about for a while. 9 days ago my pastor preached a sermon called no mulligans(a golf term for do-over). He talked about how he plays in a group that allows them and as a result his golf score is always much better. This has given a false idea of his ability and skill. When later playing in a group that did not allow mulligans his score ballooned and he was caught off guard by this. He thought he was a better golfer than his score indicated. Then he applied this to time. We don't get time back. He talked about how much he still want to teach his sons and in 6 years he will have an empty nest. When we evaluate time based on this concept of no mulligans it takes on an urgency that should push us to focus more on what is important in life. Most of us think we do a better job than we really do. I hate the fact the sermon was so much better than my recap but you get the idea.

The funny thing for me was my struggle the last few days is one I didn't see coming. I am up early,exercising,eating well(get behind me Satan/Garrett). The hours I waste are at night. Whether they are unproductive based on wasting time on facebook or just staying up and not sleeping. I actually think it it is harder to go to bed early than get up early. I want to read,sudoku,spider solitaire,and do many other noble things. I hope this post is a valuable use of your time. Feel free to post or comment your thoughts if you read this(or if you look at the site and don't read it)