Godward Toil

My Godward Toil Story (Part 2)

(continued from Part 1)
In my searches, I looked at lots of productivity systems, including the most common ones.  I eventually found my way to David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) work via the MindManager world. I had purchased Mindmanager a week earlier, and had barely begun to experiment with it. I don't remember the exact search string, but it doesn't take long to find GTD if you enter "Mindmanager" and almost any productivity-like term.  I started surfing blogs and blogrolls, and eventually understood enough about GTD to know that I wanted to know more.  It was a case example of the power of Web 2.0 social networking (though I had never heard that term at the time).

I borrowed the book from our wonderful town library.  As a Christian,I am wary of any kind of self-help book.  Most pop psychology or self-help books glorify the inner power of the human being.  They make much of people, and little (or nothing) of God.  They offer people the promise of change and happiness, if only they will believe in...themselves.  I understand and respect the earnestness and good intentions of authors in the genre (and, in a previous time looked for Answers in these and New Age spirituality books), but most are not compatible with a Biblical worldview.

So, I approached the book with skepticism and caution.  In fact, I was even a little embarrassed when I checked it out of the library.  And, indeed, I did find some of the hallmarks of humanistic self-help and the elevation of human potential (in the last couple of chapters of the book, in particular).  But I also found a methodology that was manifestly sound, and, in ways I didn't expect, adaptable to my worldview.

The bottom up approach of GTD is what makes it so compelling in this way.   The methodology can be applied as a discipline, without even needing to buy into "stress-free productivity" (the subtitle of the book) as a primary goal.  Rather, the methods can help a reader bring order to his life, such that he can more effectively discern and pursue the right ends (telos).

Nevertheless, the Biblical Christian does need to do some work to filter, alter, and morph GTD in order to bring it under God's authority and to make it consistent with a life of Godward orientation and childlike dependence in faith.   That is the work I aim to do in the seminar I'm developing and in this blog. 

To be continued in Part 3...

My Godward Toil Story (Part 1)

On December 9 2005, I was at a Christmas Open House at my pastor's home.  Around 9pm, I got into a conversation with a young brother who asked work and family.   I answered him honestly,  "I'm fed up with myself.  God has given me so many great things to do, but every time someone asks how I am, all I ever do complain about being too busy or stressed.  I need a change of heart and attitude, and some way practical way of keeping better track of everything."

Not long after that (I don't remember how long), my cell phone rang.  The caller ID showed the home phone number of Bill, a colleague of mine.  It was strange for him to call me on the weekend, so, concerned it might be a clinical emergency, I answered:

"Hi Bill."
"Tony!  How are you?"
"Good. I'm at a Christmas party. What up?  Everything OK?"
"I just looked online and didn't see your part of our presentation proposal for APA [2006 American Psychological Association Annual Convention].  Did you submit it?"
"What?  Oh no...no....NO!...Oh my goodness"
"The deadline is tonight at midnight."
"Oh no...no...no!  I can't believe I did this.  I am so sorry, Bill.  I'll go home and submit it right now."

I quickly excused myself from the lovely party and went home to put a proposal together with the clock ticking.  I had a terrible pit in my stomach.  If I couldn't do it, I would disappoint both Bill and the other colleague (from another institution) with whom I had agreed to present--for one of them it was a presentation about his central area of study.

I prayed, pounded something out, and hit "Submit" on the APA website at 11:59pm.  I took a screenshot to record the moment, then spent the next 2 hours searching the web for "time management," "organization," "task software," and every other name I could think of...until I figured out that the category I was looking for was "personal productivity."

(...to be continued in Part 2)

Filing for fruitfulness

I got feedback from two of the participants in the pilot seminar that they have begun filing systems!  The first person thought it would take her 4 full weeks to organize all of her papers, but she did it in three concentrated hours!  She's using a simple alphabetical filing system.   Her husband told me, "I haven't seen her smile like that since our wedding day!"   There is such hopefulness in this kind of stewardship of the stuff God gives us.  One feels ready to take whatever next step God asks.  Another participant decided to gain control of her bills and file them in a way that she can track them better.

This was hopeful feedback for me.  I believe each of these people took these steps in faith and with the desire that God receive glory for their small efforts to honor Him.   Nothing feels better than to bring Him glory in how we conduct our busy lives--including how we manage the paper he has ordained to enter our homes.

Godward Toil Pilot Seminar

Last month, my wife and I hosted three couples at our home to participate in a pilot seminar, "Godward Toil:  Peace, purpose, and productivity when there's too much to do."   I worked on the seminar for many months, so it was a joy to finally share it.

The presentation was 2 hours long.  The first half of the seminar focused on theological foundations--what does it mean to "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men," (Col 3:23).   We examined scriptures about how God wants us to approach the full lives he has given us.  The second half revolved around methods for honoring God with all that he puts in our lives.   Much of the second part drew from principles of David Allen's Getting Things Done, and applied them in a God-centered way with a Godward focus.  The aim of the Christian Life is to glorify God in all that we do and feel.  That aim influences how one thinks about and implements GTD methodology or any other system.  In future posts, I hope to share of the mindmaps I presented (using MindManager by Mindjet).

It was a stimulating and enjoyable evening for me.  These were dear friends and sincere Christians--all ready and open to focus on what God wants from them "when there's too much to do."  It showed me how hungry God's people are to honor him more in how we handle the stuff of everyday life.

We had a lot to cover in a short time.  I started about 5 minutes late because of a clinical emergency I had to focus on from work.  Then it took me a few minutes to shift mindset and start.  That was both difficult for me, and a wonderful illustration of how God puts things in our lives that we don't expect or plan on.  At 6pm, he gave me a calling I didn't expect when I scheduled the seminar for 7pm!  That's what the seminar was all about.

Our friends had lots of questions, especially about the practical outworking of the principles.  They asked for examples.  I gave a few glimpses into my own system by showing portions of my task list.  I'm not sure if that was helpful or overwhelming.  I'll have to think about that for future discussions.

I requested feedback via Survey Monkey, and got feedback from 4 of the 7 participants.  It's hard to draw conclusions with that response rate, but at least the ones who responded were highly positive about the training.  I asked All would recommend it to a friend, and all wanted to participate in a follow-up.  Interestingly, when I asked people to rank what they most wanted in a follow-up seminar, extensive Q&A was at the top of the list.   I'll be sure to incorporate that feedback.

Overall, I am so thankful about how the evening went.  I felt like I honored God in how I talked about his work in our lives and how I handled the Scriptures.  I enjoyed doing it in that special, inexplicable way that one enjoys working in the Spirit, doing exactly what He wants at a particular moment.   And, I think my friends left with some concrete ways they could honor God more with their lives.

Re-thought, Re-named, and Re-launched

This blog has had some false starts.  I finally figured out why:  I was being perfectionist and prideful about the kind of content I would share on it.  I had the idea that I was going to post well-worked-out ideas about how to think about, embrace, and be fruitful in the work God has for us in life.  But I sat there not knowing what to post first, feeling frustrated and overwhelmed when I thought about this project.

Whenever I feel that way, it means I need to pray and think...to discern what God really calling me to,  and what is holding me back.   What I discovered is that a need a platform for working out those ideas, not a pulpit from which to preach them.  I need a blog more like what Merlin Mann of 43Folders described in a recent post:

"Remember that your blog is only incidentally a publishing system or a public website. At its heart, your blog represents the evolving expression of your most passionately held ideas. It’s a conversation you’re holding up with the world and with yourself — a place where you can watch your own thoughts take different shapes and occasionally surprise you with where they end up…”   

So, I have deleted some of my previous posts, and changed the blog subtitle from "Peace, purpose, and productivity" (which seemed to imply that I already arrived--the blogger's version of an overrealized eschatology) to "Pursuing productivity from God, for God, and with God" (which, I hope, implies that the blog is part of a pursuit in progress.)  I plan to use the blog as a way to pursue a passion God has given me to be more faithful in everyday tasks, more peaceful in adversity, and more trustworthy in my relationships and commitments.  May God bless this pursuit, this blog, and this weak Christian.