January 10th

I was glad to see that Eric got his bible story yesterday.
Just a few days ago we were discussing the importance of taking time for reflection and now here we see Paul who has nothing but time on his hands and look at all the good accomplished through his reflection. Upon reflecting he wrote to encourage (sometimes admonish) other believers and these letters have been helpful to people around the word for centuries. What a great use of his time. Makes me stop and reflect on how my time is wasted, activities, TV or other electronic devices.

I've heard stories of people who come to know the Lord while in prison... shut off from the normal distractions of every day life (traffic, electronics, work, etc) with nothing else to do but sit, think, and read. I remember a 60 minutes episode on the lives of monks, and how they live in solitude. Although not a prison, there are similarities. Unfortunately society seems to be headed in the other direction, with new and "exciting" time eating gadgets coming out all the time; Facebook and Twitter being great examples. We're always connected and that may not be a good thing!

I remember watching a talk show on TV where a researcher by the name of Laura Vanderkam was talking about how people today complain that "there are not enough hours in the day" to live the way they would like. This was causing great unhappiness or problems within their family. Her position is that THERE IS PLENTY OF TIME, it's just that we don't use our time efficiently. The result was a book 168 that explores how people could use time better. We seem to struggle in the slightest of tasks, even at times failing to "have time" to do this simple devotion. Below is a summary of her book, sounds interesting.


There are 168 hours in a week. This book is about where the time really goes, and how we can all use it better.

It's an unquestioned truth of modern life: we are starved for time. With the rise of two-income families, extreme jobs, and 24/7 connectivity, life is so frenzied we can barely find time to breathe. We tell ourselves we'd like to read more, get to the gym regularly, try new hobbies, and accomplish all kinds of goals. But then we give up because there just aren't enough hours to do it all. Or else, if we don't make excuses, we make sacrifices. To get ahead at work we spend less time with our spouses. To carve out more family time, we put off getting in shape. To train for a marathon, we cut back on sleep. There has to be a better way-and Laura Vanderkam has found one.

After interviewing dozens of successful, happy people, she realized that they allocate their time differently than most of us. Instead of letting the daily grind crowd out the important stuff, they start by making sure there's time for the important stuff. They focus on what they do best and what only they can do. When plans go wrong and they run out of time, only their lesser priorities suffer.

It's not always easy, but the payoff is enormous. Vanderkam shows that it really is possible to sleep eight hours a night, exercise five days a week, take piano lessons, and write a novel without giving up quality time for work, family, and other things that really matter. The key is to start with a blank slate and to fill up your 168 hours only with things that deserve your time.

Of course, you probably won't read to your children at 2:00 am, or skip a Wednesday morning meeting to go hiking, but you can cut back on how much you watch TV, do laundry, or spend time on other less fulfilling activities. Vanderkam shares creative ways to rearrange your schedule to make room for the things that matter most.

168 Hours is a fun, inspiring, practical guide that will help men and women of any age, lifestyle, or career get the most out of their time and their lives.