Godward Toil

Challies on his tools

I've mentioned before that I admire Tim Challies. He wrote a nice post this week titled, "How I get things done," in which he describes a few productivity tools in his usual concise, elegant manner.

Related posts:

Response to Mac Switcher interested in productivity

Using Prayer Journal to pray in concentric circles with daily themes

Autoresponses and filters to delay responding to email

Doodle scheduler: Tool for kingdom productivity

Using Prayer Journal to pray in concentric circles with daily themes

A reporter from the LA Times interviewed me on Friday about how I use mobile applications in my spiritual life. She was particularly interested in Prayer Journal, and the effect that putting your most intimate needs and desires on an iPhone has on your relationship with the device. The conversation was interesting, and at some point I plan to post more thoughts about the risks and benefits of using technological tools for toil and the "relationship" one forms with the tools one selects.

But for today, I thought I'd just explain how I'm using Prayer Journal right now. I have been using the app for about a month. I have not totally committed to using this application for my prayer life, but I have benefited from using it so far. Please note, I have looked at but not tried any other prayer apps; there are about half a dozen in the iTunes store.  I can't say that Prayer Journal is better than these other options, but it has been a useful little app to me so far.

I use Prayer Journal a little differently from how it is set up by the developer. The application is set up to enter prayer requests by person. The prayer request dialog gives you a text box to enter a person's name and a text box to enter the prayer request.  When you go to pray, you have the option of seeing your entire list, praying through a portion of the list (there is a setting to specify how many requests you see when you select a "Pray for Portion of List"), praying for a specific person, or praying for a randomly selected person from your list.

  As I have described previously, I have found it fruitful to order my prayer life to pray in concentric circles with daily themes. I have certain people (including myself, my wife, and my children) for whom I seek the Lord's mercy every day, and other people and institutions that I pray for once a week. Of course, I feel complete freedom to deviate from this order (the structure is there to serve me, not me it), but I find that I am often most faithful and fervent when I follow this structure.

Prayer Journal's simple interface does not have the option of adding a day-of-the-week layer to the prayer structure, so I have modified how I enter names to accommodate that additional structure. Here is what I do (See screenshots below): When I add a prayer request, instead of just entering the name of a person or institution (Like, "Me", "Work," "Martin" or "Reformed Forum") I write the number and day of the week (2Mon, 3Tues, 4Wed), followed by a dash, then the name. For daily requests I type #Daily instead of a day of the week. There is a setting in Prayer Journal to sort your list by name or by date. I sort by name so the app alphabetizes the list. The three requests above would appear like this:

•  #Daily-Me
• 2Mon-Work
• 3Tues-Martin
• 4Thurs-Reformed Forum

Each day, with my Bible still open, I can open the app, and pray through the @Daily prayers and the prayers designated for that day of the week. Needing to do the # and numbers is a little janky, but it serves.

What I like about Prayer Journal:

• Simple interface. The interface doesn't get in the way or encourage a bunch of fiddling. I can enter requests quickly and get on with conversations, ministry, and life.
• Unitasking. I have enjoyed keeping prayer requests in a different application from the rest of my tasks and responsibilities. I use Omnifocus heavily for the rest of my task management, but I like being away from it while I'm praying.
• Ubiquity. This prayer list is always with me.

Wishlist for Prayer Journal:

• Built in way to order prayers as daily or assign them to a day of the week.
• Sync option. Syncing to desktop or ipad through WebDav or MobileMe would be nice. Nothing fancy needed, but I'm often at my computer when I want to add something to my prayer list and it would be good to be able to get it there more easily.
• An option to not have the "answered" button appear and/or an option to enter text after using the "answered" button. I'm ambivalent about even having an "answered" button at the bottom of my prayer requests. I want to pray expectantly and to be reminded that our prayers are real causes of real events, but having a little slider there does feel a bit mechanistic and perhaps presumptuous. So I may or may not use that button. If I do use it, I'd like to enter text to journal what I mean by using it.

It is too early to say whether Prayer Journal or any other application will replace a good old-fashioned paper prayer list. I'm pretty sure there is no replacement for a paper journal for actually praying and reflecting in writing. At least for me, typing or dictating does not create the kind of unselfconscious flow that I think it best for journaling.

I'm still trying to figure out what combination of digital and analog tools will serve me best as I serve the Lord in daily disciplines--and at the same time, trying not to focus too much on the tools. The Word is living and active, and Jesus did not need a computer. He did create all things for Himself (Col 1:16-17 ); so here were are, seeing dimly, toiling to use all things digital, analog, animal, and mineral for their created purpose.

Screenshots:

 

Related posts:

Encouraging faithfulness to core disciplines

Getting things done with prayer

Killing sin as a GTD project

Matt Perman on Connected Kingdom Podcast

Tim Challies, a brother whose work on the web I admire and appreciate, has a relatively new podcast called the Connected Kingdom (iTunes link). This week (episode 9) he hosted Matt Perman, the senior director of strategy for Desiring God. Matt blogs about productivity and other kingdom work at What's Best Next. The discussion between Tim and Matt this week will be a great interest to readers of this blog. These two godly men tackle many of the themes I've blogged about here, and do so from an intelligent, gracious, and measured way.

Here are some of the topics they discussed and the approximate timecode when each starts:

• Matt's testimony and recent biography (0:55)
• Defining productivity as getting the right things done (7:30)
• Risk of making efficiency and productivity functional idols (10:15)
• Productivity and list management software, and the "strange" mindset one can fall into  (12:50)
• Getting Things Done (GTD) strengths and weaknesses from a Christian perspective (15:15) (includes incisive contrast around the 23-minute mark between the approach to peace of mind in GTD and Philippians 4)
• The value of forgetting, and the potential tyranny of lists (27:00)
• Recommended books (28:15) (includes helpful discussion about reading Covey with discernment)
• Life at Desiring God Ministries with John Piper on leave of absence (33:30)
• Gospel-oriented book on productivity Matt is planning to write in August (35:00)

Near the end of the episode, Matt mentioned that he is writing a book this summer on productivity in the context of the Gospel. That is a book that I have desired to write (and read!) for a long time, but which I've never believed God had called me to commit to. I'm thrilled that God has given a reformed brother like Matt that desire, and the resources to accomplish it. I will pray for him in this effort. Please do the same--the Church needs it!

 

Mommy's inbox is a good place for a birthday wish

 
My four-year-old son seems to have adopted at least one part of the GTD workflow. My wife found this note in her Inbox yesterday. This made me smile. He's watching our habits and he likes what he sees!  He sees stuff go in to Mommy's box--notes from Daddy, party invitations, educational articles, church bulletins. He watches Mommy faithfully process these many inputs onto action lists each day (note the InboxZero state in which he found her--what a wife!). And then he has the privilege of seeing the whole process culminate into action as she diligently works her lists. The boy knows a fruitful process when he sees it. He figured out that his chances for a "higHer Bascetball hoop.For my Birthday" are best if he presents the request to Mommy in a context in which she put it on an action list.

He has also started to put his preschool work into my box when he gets home at lunchtime each day. I think he enjoys having a place to put things where he can (a) trust I will see them soon and (b) not have to clutter his brain or room with things that can't be acted upon until I'm home from work. When I get his little treasures, I bring them to him so we can enjoy them together.

Now, all of this asynchronous communication through inboxes could lead a person to object, "OK, you're getting things done, but isn't this a sterile form of communication? I mean, is he your son or your employee?" Fair question. I can imagine scenarios in which children can only communicate their needs and love through the inbox of an absent parent. Daddy works 14 hours a day, so the kids can only share their drawings by placing them in an inbox where they get processed along with the utility bills. Mommy is so preoccupied with her own life that she wouldn't remember her son's birthday if he didn't put it on her list. 

The sin and sadness of those scenarios don't have to do with the inbox, of course. The problem is in the parents' hearts and lives. My wife and I are not immune to such selfishness. We need the gospel everyday to cleanse us and turn our foolish hearts back to the superior pleasures of God. As that happens, though, He does orient us toward nurturing, teaching, and encouraging our children. And as they experience us pouring ourselves out for their good, the inbox becomes an extension of a trusting relationship--a symbol of affection meeting action. The inbox and project lists bring the security that Daddy and Mommy guard their attention and keep their commitments.

Speaking of project lists, my wife and I have an active project to carve out some space in our home for each of our children (turning 3, 5, and 7 year-old soon) to have their own in/outboxes, files, and work surface. Although they are so young, God is bringing inputs into their lives all the time. They have ideas and goals and responsibilities. We keep a wiki for my daughter of writing ideas for her 1st grade assignment--our goal is for her to take that over some day. Whether our children will ultimately adopt these habits as their own, only God knows. But we're trying to share with them as much of what we've learned as we can. Whatever their habits, may they be productive for the Kingdom!

Related Posts:

A Heritage of Habits: GTD for the family

His eye was undimmed, his vigor unabated

Several times this week I felt tired, old, and weary. Too many deadlines and too little sleep. At one point, I read this, which reminded me of what seeing the glory of God can do for a man: "Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated." (Duet 34:7)

Doodle scheduler: Tool for kingdom productivity

A tool I've been using for a long time is starting to catch on at my church.  Doodle is the simplest imaginable tool for polling a group of people for their availability.   You just create a poll, offer dates and times, then send invitees to a website where they fill in their names and check little yes/no availability boxes.  It provides an instant, easy to interpret visual representation of which are the best days and times for the greatest number of people (without a single "reply all" email clogging your inbox).

I used Doodle to schedule meetings for the children's ministry, and almost instantly other groups at the church started asking me about it.   Even people who are slow to warm to new technologies see the beauty of this tool right away.  My brothers and sisters are starting to use it for Men's Ministry and for scheduling visitation and prayer for the sick.  Praise the Lord!  May he use it for many more good works.  So, since I had gotten so many questions, spontaneously, I thought I'd share it here too.

Doodle is free.  There is an option to register so you can manage multiple polls more easily, but a logon registration is not required.

The purest words ever spoken from a pulpit

The first 17 minutes of this sermon by John Piper put a stake in the ground for my life.  Pastor John recites scripture from the heart the way I want to, and want my children to.  Paul said to the Corinthians, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."   So I am within God's plan for the body of Christ when I desire to imitate this precious brother's Word-soaked life.   These 17 minutes are my vision of biblical productivity.  These words are tools for Godward toil.   If you do nothing else on the Internet this week, watch or listen to (don't just read) this sermon about Scripture memory.

Encouraging faithfulness to core disciplines

I've been considering this morning how to encourage faithfulness to the core disciplines of hearing from God through Bible reading and prayer.   This topic has come to mind for three reasons: 

1. I am always seeking strategies for defeating sloth and distraction in my flesh. 
2. My current focus on church ministry teams has me pleading with God for a team of brothers and sisters who are in the word and praying every day because (as I've discussed in my posts on Psalm 127), the house we build will either fall down or do no lasting good unless the Lord builds it.
3. I recently listened to John Piper's annual sermon exhorting his people to faithful and fruitful prayer.  It is always one of my favorites of the year (last year's blew me away).  This year Pastor John strongly emphasized building habits around prayer, including committing to a time and place.

I've heard the exhortation for having a time and place many times, and of course it is wise.  But I also sense it is incomplete for many people.   I needed to link my disciplines to other actions and habits in my life.  For me, the most helpful strategy has been the "no email before bible" resolution.  This strategy built Psalm 127 thinking into my day--I was essentially saying to myself, "Don't fool yourself into thinking that any work or personal correspondence that is not build upon your relationship with God will be any good to anyone."    I was also trying to defeat Satan's subtle tactics to get me off track with what is most important--"just take care of this one thing and get it off your mind so you can really focus on your Bible," the devil would prompt--which of course just got me off to the races, never to return to my plan for quiet time with my Lord.

I have not always been faithful to my resolution, but it has helped a lot.  I'm considering upping the ante on it by changing some usernames or passwords to include phrases like "IvereadmyBibleGod" somewhere in them (note to hackrs:  this is an example and it won't be in any of my passwords, which will be way more disguised:).   I've also thought about a yellow sticky over the keypad of my work and cell phone that says "Remove only after daily devotions" which would require me to take it off before the Lord prior to using.  After all, the whole reason he has blessed me with a phone is so that I can do my work or ministry for Him!   How silly is it for me to use a phone without seeking him for purity and purpose in all I do?   I'd love to find a way to disable my car with a prayer detector that wouldn't let it start until I had earnestly sought Him!

Now, I know these kinds of suggestions open one to charges of legalism, which is why I LOVED Piper's direct response to this criticism in the prayer sermon this year:

And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? Do I go to pray with many of you on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m., and Wednesday at 5:45 p.m., and Friday at 6:30 a.m., and Saturday at 4:45 p.m., and Sunday at 8:15 a.m. out of duty? Is it a discipline?

You can call it that. It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater. It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers. It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns. It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food. It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water. It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid. It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin. It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey. It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.

It goes without saying that just because I remove a yellow sticky from my phone, read my Bible pray, doesn't mean that my heart is with the Lord.  The habit doesn't make the heart, but not having the habit can destroy chances of developing the heart.  That is too big a risk for me.  I  fear wasting my life and time building houses, keeping watch, rising up early and going late to rest (Psalm 127:1-2) if the Lord is not in it.  I also fear for a church ministry team that would meet to talk, plan, and work without every person continually asking God for an renewed mind (Romans 12:2) and a pure heart (Psalm 51).  Join me in praying for faithfulness to core disciplines this year.

A lesson from a customer support experience from Pelotonics

As I mentioned in my last post, I am thinking a lot about ministry team productivity.   I want our children's ministry team to be massively productive for the Lord.  

We have a large team that is responsible for a large ministry.  One of the "tools for toil" I see as potentially helpful is a collaborative project management website.   I have tested several sites, and recently found one, Pelotonics, that I think will best match with the needs of our ministry team.  I have yet to roll it out to the team, so the proof will be in the putting, but my initial work with the site has given me a favorable impression.

That impression was strengthened today with a customer support experience that surprised and challenged me.  It was so good, and put such a stake in the ground for me in terms of productivity, that I have to share it here:   I completed a technical support form on the Pelotonics website with a question I couldn't find answered on the site's forums or wiki.  Within hours, I not only had an answer by email, but the company's founder, Troy Malone, recorded a video response to my question.  The response answered my question, and went on to offer additional useful information related to it--information I had not yet thought to ask for, but which will help me down the road.  I later discovered that Mr. Malone also streams live from his office during many points in his workday to engage with and support his product's consumers.

The reason to mention it here, other than that I was thankful and impressed, is that it presents a challenge to me to think outside of the expectable and strive to surpass it. This company has decided that customer support is central to their model.  Almost every company would say that.  But this company also decided to redefine what customer support means.   From a business standpoint, it will be interesting to see how this scales when Pelotonics grows, but from a ministry standpoint, it is relevant because whatever challenge our team faces, we should ask God to show us the best way to meet it, and open our minds for him to show us something different and more glorious to him than the status quo.  I think this is particularly relevant to ministry with children, whom many churches and parents have underestimated.   Scripture memory:  how about whole books of the Bible?   Lessons:  how about systematic theology?   Sing-a-longs:  how about five verses of the great hymns?   I think our church and many of the families in our congregation do think big about our children, but I always want to be open for God to show me something bigger--even to redefine what I think of as big.

Lessons about how great God is come from the strangest places, don't they?  Ustream??  It should not be surprising, since all of creation and history are a drama that is ultimately about Him and for Him:

For by him [Jesus] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Col 1:16)

Response to Mac Switcher interested in productivity

I don't usually write about productivity software or gadgets.   It's not because I don't value tools that make me more fruitful in the work God has given me.  The tools I use on my computer are as important to me as a saw and plane are for a carpenter.   But there are already lots of sites dedicated to the electronics of productivity, and I've found that, when people ask about the specific tools I use, they sometimes get discouraged in thinking that being productive is too elaborate or requires too much computer knowledge to even try.   When I talk or teach about biblical productivity, I always emphasize that Jesus didn't have a laptop and Paul probably had to scrounge around for parchment to write on.  They were plenty productive for God.  Any discipline worth having should be possible to perform in prison as well as in a cubicle.

That said, I do have friends and students who ask me about my set-up.   Today, a friend who recently switched to using a Mac asked me to point him in some productive directions with his new machine.   Although I never want this blog to become a "tricks and tips" site, it seems reasonable to share my response to him here, since it is directly related to productivity and is a question I get fairly often.

Because I work in front of a computer most of the day, I have tools for many different scenarios and needs.  Some scenarious come up more often than others.  For my friend, who has been a basic-level PC end-user for years, I wanted to boil things down to a short list of programs and utilities I use every day.   I also wanted to major in tools that have a free option, with only a sprinkling of premium products.  So here is what I told him.  Only read it, if you have already memorized the first verse of Psalm 127, and read at least some of my posts on prayer and productivity:

Advice to a Mac switcher interested in productivity

The Basics
Read Walt Mossberg's very basic switcher tips.
Review Apple's tutorials for switchers.

Utilities
Watch video demo of Dropbox and install on all of your machines.
Watch video tutorial, puchases, and install Textexpander.
Read wikipedia explanation of Quicksilver and install it. Once you have it installed read some of these tutorials.  Tuaw's tutorial is also helpful as a start.
Get Firefox, then install Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer to synchronize bookmarks across machines.
Download free version of Flip4Mac (to view Windows Media files), if that is relevant to you.

Project/Task Management
Watch the video demo, then purchase Omnifocus, my tool of choice for project/task management and review.

Tools to promote universal capture of tasks, ideas, conviction, and promptings of the Spirit
Watch the video tutorial, and install Evernote client and bookmarklet on all devices (mobile and stationary)
Get Jott to aid in universal catpure of ideas and tasks on the fly using cell phone.

Textexpander, Omnifocus have cost, rest are free with the option to purchase premium features or more space as your use and need determine.  The two applications I use everyday, but did not include on this list are 1Password and Mindmanager.   1Password is the ultimate password manager, but my friend will be moving between his Mac and a PC, and 1Password is mac-only.  If you use secure passwords, it's hard to be without them on your second computer.   Mindmanager is central to my writing, planning, presenting, and brainstorming.  Fantastic software.  However, the mac version, while still excellent, is no where near is good as the Windows version, so it didn't seem appropriate to have it on the Mac Switcher list.   In fact, even though I have Mindmanager for Mac, I usually use it on the Windows side of my machine with VMware Fusion (which is also a helpful utility I use a few times a week, but don't put it in the must-have category).

I hope this list is helpful and read its proper context and purpose:  for the glory of God in software, hardware, and all things.