When life gets busy I need systems and structure to keep on track. In fact putting boundaries in place around different activities allows me to be quite impulsive and creative in those times and not getting stressed because of all the ‘urgent’ things that I need to do.

This is where “Chunking” comes in for me!

Life seems to always be adjusting the definition of busy to include more and more into that definition. What was busy for me last year doesn’t seem to be so busy for me this year. The tasks that were required last year in children’s ministry are not as many that are required later in ministry. This is the way it should be because we should always be growing and taking more territory for God. So here is a quick run down of how I chunk my time.

Chunking is not a new concept by any means and I’m probably not using the terminology correctly – but it’s what I call it. I believe that what gets measured gets done efficiently and effectively. This includes time as well. I started by doing a time journal, as I spend my time I log it down. I keep track of my time over a couple of weeks to be able to see patterns and it helps to end odd items that seem to happen in life. After the couple of weeks of time journaling I then will look to see the natural flows that take place in my life. Here are just a couple of examples: Mondays for example seem to be a day that I naturally spent more time evaluating, doing admin stuff and vision casting. Tuesdays seem to hold more meetings than other days, and more networking took place.

After examining the natural flow of my week it took a little adjusting and discipline to make sure I kept all meetings on Tuesday (there are exceptions but I limit them as much as possible). My Mondays became my evaluation, vision, admin day. I would tuck myself away some where with very little distractions, that means not my office.

All of sudden, instead of multi-tasking my week, it became very focused and was accomplished in large “Chunks” of time. Now that more was able to get accomplished, more focused time was the result of what I could pour into what God called me to do, be a children’s pastor.

Hope this brief overview of Chunking will aid you in being more productive like it has for me over the years.

If as though my iPhone 5s was not already one of my main productivity tools, now I stumble upon these new apps which has just raised the bar for me. The iPhone has quickly become a main tool for me in my productivity since I got my mophie rechargeable case and my new gold 64gb iPhone.

Here’s the new apps I stumbled upon that may prove helpful for you as well.

Socialradio. Here is an app that will read your tweets to you and even play background music for you. I have set this app to read certain groups/list to me while I drive. It also allows me to retweet once it reads a tweet that I want to retweet.

Songza. This app will help pick the music for the mood you are in. You can also just pick songs or genres that you want to listen to. I enjoy sung this app while writing blog post like this one or creating new curriculum, messages and more.

News360. This is one app I use to draw in from several places news feeds that the app allows me to choose from.

Theres a few apps that I have recently added to my iPhone. What others would you add that have proven themselves to be useful toward your productivity?

The book is divided into four sections: God Says I Am, God Says He Will, God Says He Has, and God Says I Can.

Each and everyday we need to decide what dialogue we are going to listen to, and respond to. What dialogue we choose to invest ourselves in will shape how we experience life and our relationship with God. I was challenged immediately from the beginning of the book when Furtick asked a few reflection questions concerning the voices we listen to and the impact it has not only on ourselves, but the very plans God has for us. There is no way this review could go any further than to also mention at the start of the book the lessons that are provided as we look at exactly why happened in the Garden of Eden and how we really have not progressed any further than fallen prey to the same chatter that Adam and Eve fell victim to.

Beginning of chapter two, where Futick discussed the Voice was another great segment for myself as well, because I enjoy the Voice. On the Voice, the judges decide talent sight unseen. It is a good feeling, when a judge chooses you because you are apart of the competition. You have a chance to win. It is another thing when all four judges choose you. On the other hand, the scene changes when no one chooses you. No one likes your voice. Maybe you simply are not ready for a higher level of competition such as the Voice or Idol. The contestants want the judges to turn around in the chairs to choose them. It’s not Idol where the bad singers sing for our amusement, on purpose, during the auditions. The beauty of the passage was even though people will reject us for one reason or another, God will never reject us when we seek his name.

Throughout this book Futick does an incredible job of laying out and helping you see in-depth what the chatter is, and how to overcome it. At the end of the book he event tries to prepare you for what it will be like when you can crash the chatter box. In his own words, “What an you expect when you start resisting the chatter, pushing past insecurity and fear and condemnation, moving in the direction of the voice of the Lord? Louder chatter, increased resistance, and greater discouragement”.

Going to the next level according to Futick isn’t about “graduating from difficult circumstance and dark emotions. It’s resolving to live with the mind-set that declares, My joy is not determined by what happens to me but by what Christ is doing in me and already through me.”

After reading this book you will be better equipped with the tools to Crash the Chatterbox around you. This is one book I recommend, and have bought several cope of to give away to team members on my teams.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their blogging for books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Ever noticed how truly mobile and productive someone can actually be with just an iPhone?

I have apps that capture business cards into my contacts. Apps connect me with my children’s schools, translations and Bible resources, help me as a parent and children’s pastor to continue the lesson beyond Sunday, check in kids, print remotely, run video team mtgs, create video announcements and more.

What do you use to help you reach kids and run your ministry while being mobile?

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Was spending some time this morning thinking about how great it is to be a dad.

* What a great responsibility it is as you have the privilege of building the right foundation into the lives of your kids.
* What great fun it is as you get to play with your kids and their toys while using the excuse it is all for them.
* The sadness that overcomes you when you see one of your kids fall and get hurt
* The joy that comes when you get to be the hero as you bring the band-aid and so gently put it on their ouchie.

Here is a video from Skit Guys that does a good job of showing some more great things about being a dad.

Simple but really good. If you have ever eaten at a Maid-Rite you find out real fast that it is not a complicated restaurant. It simply serves Maid-Rite sandwiches and very little of anything else. But they taste great and you choose to keep coming back.

We can learn from this in our children’s ministries. It can be easy to get caught up in trying to be everything to everyone and still not truly reach anyone.

Why does God have you in your community? You are Maid-Rite for what He wants.

Every time one of my kids come to me and there I am sitting on the couch with laptop on lap, or ear buds in the ears listening to a leadership book, maybe Skypeing with some children’s pastors solving the volunteer crisis that has been around since anyone can remember and ask, Dad can we play…. You fill the blank in.

Yes we are all very busy, but I urge you to think before you give a quick answer of – “later” or “Let me finish…”. Listen to this song that every time I hear it reminds me of the importance of stopping what I may have before considered more important and instead give priority to my true priorities, my family.

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Now, go and spend time with your family. Don’t waste such a great gift.

Read the post because at the end of this I have a FREE Aha book for the winner of a drawing on March 31, 2014. Post or email me an encouraging story when you were able to experience the love of God like the prodigal son was able to do through his father. On 3/31/14 I will throw all names together and have one of my kids church kids draw it. Make sure you have your email included. I will email you on 3/31/14 and get your address if you are the winner.

In Kyle Idlemans book, AHA (Awakening, Honesty, Action) Kyle takes us through the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Describing the experience of being in the distant country, (this Distant Country can be defined as any area of our lives that we have walked away from God) and then coming to his senses.

What drives many travelers to the Distant country is that they are running from a god that doesn’t exist. Kyle goes on to discuss that for one reason or another, their perception of God doesn’t match up with reality. They are rejecting a god they created and not the true God who created them.

The prodigal son and his perception of what it would be like without his dad but only with his money was not correct. The son still chose to leave and do it his way. Sooner or later living in the distant country the alarm will begin to sound saying stop, turn around, change, get up and to of here. Too often we do like the prodigal did, we ignore it. The prodigal son in Luke 15 didn’t hear the alarm until the pig pen.

- Didn’t hear while he made his request to his father asking for his share of the inheritance.
- Didn’t hear as his wallet became thinner and thinner while in the Distant country.
- Didn’t hear it while a famine swept through the land.
- Didn’t hear it while he took the job of a pig sitter.

He continued to hit snooze. God will allow us to experience a sampling of what we can expect if we don’t wake up.

Grab this book and read the painful but extremely encouraging and hopeful adventure as Kyle lays it out in everyday language and examples with scripture to prove it.

In closing, I enjoy the most where Kyle points out: “We expect God to be an angry father who demands justice, but through Jesus, He gives us love and grace when we don’t deserve it. Ultimately, the story in Luke 15 isn’t about two sons who disobey. It is about a Father who loves His children unconditionally.”

How would your life be different if you woke up when God sounds the first alarm?

I have received this book from David C. Cook, AHA by Kyle Idleman, that I am so excited to read and do a blog post over.

Here is just a snippet that I read from Kyle and was only a few pages into the book. Enjoy.

“I’ve discovered that what drives travelers to the distant country is that they are running away from a god that doesn’t exist. For one reason or another, their perception of God doesn’t match up with reality. They are rejecting a god they created rather than the true God who created them.”

This is feeling like it is going to be a good book. Stay tuned.

“How to be Rich lays out clear principles for carrying that load, making sure your wealth remains a blessing not just for you, but for your family and your community for generations to come.” – Dave Ramsey

If that endorsement is not enough to make you want to read this book right away, I’m not sure what it will take. I truly enjoyed this book from the first page all the way to the last page. Reading this book has provided many challenges to myself and my wife as we had several points that we could identify with.

In fear of not ruining the book for anyone I will try to just give you some nuggets that I found myself saying after reading them…”Wow that is good!”

- The richer you get the more your priorities begin to separate from real needs…Our appetites for progress don’t turn off.
- Greed is the assumption that everything that is placed in our hands is for our consumption.
- In Andy sharing on giving he says, “…the percentage is more important than the amount.”

I really could go on and on. This book for me proved to be one of those books that will amount to some great times of personal reflection, great discussions with my spouse and timely teaching with my kids.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publish through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”