Hello, and happy official start to fall!
Today's newsletter will be more of an update on some things I've been doing. But I've also managed to work in some Scripture, so keep an eye out! ;)
Last week, I participated in an online course called the HB90 Bootcamp. HB90 was developed by a self-published author. It is essentially a way to plan out your schedule 90 days at a time.
Now, I'm leery of anything "productivity" related because I've heard all the tips and hacks. I usually come away from these systems feeling guilty for not getting enough done. But HB90 seemed different. It's not about trying to "do more" but about being realistic with the time and capacity you have. Sometimes that means doing "less," but being more purposeful with your time instead of running from project to project like a headless chicken!
The key to HB90 is choosing 2–3 goals for the upcoming quarter. That doesn't mean you only do 2–3 things, but that everything you work on flows out of those goals. For example, tomorrow I may get an idea for a new video series. It may be an awesome idea, but if it doesn't serve one of those goals, I don't act on it. Instead, it gets put on the "Maybe I'll Do This Next Quarter" list. This "restriction" leads to freedom! (How's that for a biblical analogy?!)
The goals then get divided into projects, which in turn get divided into bite-sized tasks and put onto a Kanban Board. (Or, in my case, a digital Kanban Board, because me and sticky notes don't play nice with each other!) Seeing those tasks move from the "Doing" column to the "Done" column is a momentum builder.
One of the goals I've set for this upcoming quarter is to research and write half of my next devotional book. I am excited to reveal that book #4 in the Nobody Left Out series will be about... the parables of Jesus! Woo-hoo!
This week, I started the research phase by digging into a massive, 800-page book called Stories with Intent. It's a pretty scholarly book, so I can only read it for small portions at a time before I need to take some aspirin. But I want a solid overview of parables as a whole before I choose the individual ones to write about.
The biggest thing I'm learning is that Jesus' parables are not like Aesop's fables. Yes, fables and fairy tales can (and often do) contain elements of truth. But they speak in generalities. Jesus told his parables in the context of his ministry in a first-century world. He had a specific intent for each one. It's important to understand what circumstances prompted Jesus to launch into his tales.
My book will be a 40-day devotional looking at 8 of Jesus' parables. As I approach each parable, this question will guide my writing: What does this story teach us about living out God's kingdom in a messy, broken world?
I hope to start writing in mid-October. My patrons will get access to each devotional as I write it. But I will also post a few here in my newsletter for everyone to read!
Beginning a new project is exciting, but it can also be intimidating. I am already feeling woefully inadequate for the task (or tasks, according to my Kanban Board). And that is where today's Scripture comes in.
When God's people return to Jerusalem from captivity, a man named Zerubbabel is tasked with rebuilding the temple. It is an enormous job. Zerubbabel gets the foundation laid but starts to lose zest for the project. That's when God speaks these words through the prophet Zechariah:
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand. (Zechariah 4:10, NLT)
A plumb line was a tool that builders used, similar to a level. And God rejoiced that it was in Zerubbabel's hand, even though the work was nowhere near completed.
I imagine God saying to me, "I rejoice to see the work begin, to see that 800-page hefty commentary in your hand."
What is it for you?
What is that in your hand that signifies an endless road of work ahead of you?
Is it a pen and a blank sheet of paper? Is it a new box of fresh diapers you've just opened? Or those expense reports your boss threw on your desk and said, "I need these done by 5!"
Maybe it's job or college applications, a busy weekend ahead, or a long line of sticky notes on a Kanban Board. Or maybe it's a literal plumb line because you have a building project to tackle.
Whatever it is in your hand, if it honors God in some way (and I trust it does more than you probably think it does), then God rejoices over it!