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Getting Things Done
Posted on June 29th, 2009 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: My Life.
Here is a Todo List that I found that I really like. I have adapted it using a little of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. I also have changed a few other things as well. In fact, barely anything is actually mine.
Let me know if you like it.
To Do List
Instructions:
- Everyone has the same amount of time. The question is not how much time you have but what do you do with your time. Plan your time before the week begins not day by day.
- Each day has it’s own to do list. You only put things under the specific days when the thing has to be done that day. Also record anything under that day that took a considerable amount to time so that you know where your time went that day. Make sure that you accomplish things that are not urgent first if you can. Each day you will find yourself doing every-day tasks, short-term, and long-term planning. If you will put the short-term and long-term planning first, you will find that the urgent things will soon dissipate.
- Beside each day are colorful boxes. These are for you to check off when you have done these tasks. These are not to be done each day but to make sure you are prioritizing correctly throughout the week. Each block is an hour. Some days you might spend more time creating and other days you might spend more conversing with people. That is okay. Just make sure that you try to keep a balanced life.
- Under “Other Stuff that’s on Your Mind” write down any todo that needs to be done during the week but doesn’t fall under a specific date. When you have all your “Other Stuff” down, number them in order that you will accomplish them.
- The key to time management is actually in the short-term and long-term planning. If you put these as top priorities, you will find that the things that you are pushing on the time deadlines will soon start to disappear. Things that are neither important nor pushing for time, just don’t do.
- At the beginning of your day, before you check your email and facebook, start accomplishing the things that must be done for that day. Next start accomplishing things in order of the other stuff.
Soul Cravings
Posted on June 18th, 2009 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: My Life.
Once again an incredable quote.
“I’m often accused of being irreligious, and I suppose it’s for this very reason. Whether it’s Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Judaism, or any other ism, when a religion is created on the subtle premise that God withholds His love and you must submit to the system to earn that love, I consider it the worst of corruptions.
“But again these traps work only because of two things: we long for love, and we are convinced that all love is conditional.
“Ironically, this is where so many have a problem with Jesus. For centuries the church has been telling us if we want God to love us, we need to follow the rules. It’s been far more important to focus on the sin problem than the love problem. This is the only way the institution can maintain control over our lives. After all, if love is unconditional, what will keep them following our rules? Don’t we want people, first and foremost, to be good? If our goal is to get people to conform, you can accomplish that without love, but you can’t maintain a civilization without the rule of law.
“What governments have not always been able to do, religions have accomplished with amazing effectiveness. They keep people in line.
“What in the world would happen if people actually began discovering the actual message of Jesus Christ-that love is unconditional? What would happen if we began to realize that God was not, is fact, waiting for us to earn His love, but that He was passionately pursuing us with His love? What would happen if the world got out that Jesus was offering His love freely and without condition?”
When will churches start being about selling Jesus and not programs? When will we quit trying to get people to fit into our programs and into Jesus? Could this be the reason we haven’t seen the Presence?
Bitterness
Posted on June 15th, 2009 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: My Life.
“Bitterness, for instance, is like a cancer that makes you blind. I had allowed hurt to make my soul toxic, From my end, I was sure that I was just becoming a realist. In fact, I was desensitizing myself. Why risk being hurt more? I didn’t realize I was becoming blind to love. I couldn’t see the people around me who really cared. Their sincere efforts went unnoticed. If you had asked me then, I would have said they weren’t there. I look back now and realize I just couldn’t see them, but they were right in front of me the entire time. Bitterness turned to skepticism, which turned to cynicism, which turned to an emptiness of my soul.
“Bitterness is the enemy of love because it makes you unforgiving and unwilling to give love unconditionally.
“It is the enemy of hope because you keep living in the past and become incapable of seeing a better future.
“It is the enemy of faith because you stop trusting in anyone but yourself. I bring this up because I think many of us become blinded by a bitterness of the soul. If we are not careful, we will lose the ability to see such things as beauty, truth, or even affection. More importantly, you may close your eyes to what your soul needs you most to see.”
-Soul Cravings, Erwin Raphael McManus
Is this what my church work has become? This weekend has been a free-for-all love fest on self in the worship department at Faith. Members getting jealous of one-another. Others blew attitudes. One member looked me straight in my face and told me that I was successfully making them look stupid.
What hurt was not the comment. What hurt was the fact that the comment didn’t hurt. This was stated right in front of an intern. He asks “If this is what ministry is like, I don’t want to be a part of it.”
I lied to him. I told him that it was not. Well… it shouldn’t be.
Mission Texarkana
Posted on June 5th, 2009 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: My Life.
Transition video for Mission Texarkana.
June 4, 2009
Posted on June 4th, 2009 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: My Life.
Finally finished the live concert. I was very surprised of these musical abilities. I had sold them out thinking that they were just a 90’s band. I didn’t know of their bluesy abilities.
June 2, 2009
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: My Life.
It’s getting late. I have realized that I am biting off too much than I can chew. This Saturday, I hop in a truck and truck-it to OK for a band rehearsal. Come back on Sunday and lead worship for Faith. Starting Monday I will be editing videos for Mission Texarkana then lead worship for them at night. This lasts until Friday. On Saturday I spend the day with the kids in Tyler. Sunday I preach at Ebenezer. Plus get website stuff done.
So what’s next? Today I continue to work on Corriculum for the music ministry. Also, work on long term planning for the music, children, and education ministries.
I think that the bigger reason for the long term planning is that once it is finished I will be sent on the mission field where I will get to put all this stuff to use.
If God is calling me to church planting, then I have a few questions. Evangelism is non-existant. I imagine that this will need to change before I start. How, when, huh? Even I don’t have a clue on what I am doing. What are something that I would do to start a church? Why aren’t I doing that now at Faith.
I am currently reading through Essential Church that is personnally growing me. Good read.
May 28, 2009
Posted on May 28th, 2009 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: My Life.
Brett’s 3rd Brithday.
Nice day. Got to play in the sprinklers with Brett on my day off. Last night I blew up his new bouncy ball that he can sit and hop all over the house, kick over the furnature, break everything in his path, and be heard all across the neighborhood with his thuds.
He actually is asleep with his ball.
He got to eat supper anywhere he wanted to. He chose McDonalds. Any surprise there? Afterwards we got ice cream and Cold Stone. Very nice. Because there were no seats on the inside, we sat outside where there was a very cool mist blowing from the eastern winds. Savor that moment because it’s Texas and that will stop very soon.
Sitting there I came down with mountain fever. I’m ready for the Colorado Rockies. Won’t happen this year.
May 26, 2009
Posted on May 26th, 2009 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: My Life.
I felt like a dead man all day. Its like I enjoy what I do, you know, worship leading and all. But I feel just so dead. Not in a tired sort of way but more in a depressed sort of way. The first reaction is to move on. Just move away from the stress and the problems. But that’s not right. I surrendered to God so He is the one who is in control over that. But I do feel alive the more I talk about church planting. Do I really want to lead worship right now? No, and yes, but mainly no. I guess the best way to describe it is, I really just want to be used. I don’t feel like anything that I am doing is actually making a difference in peoples lives and nothing matters for the kingdom.
Although, Isaiah when through the same issues, I take very little comfort. Its as though I stand at a cross road. I will either suck it up and keep going straight, take another road to get to a different church (but will it take me in the same direction as right now? Will I be feel useful in a few years there?), I could take off in a totally different direction (full time church planting, full time media assisting a church plant, full time pastoring, back to school, finish my pysch degree). I don’t know.
This week, I have made it a priority to get back on track with scripture memorization. Hopefully I can get it back up and running.
May 25, 2009
Posted on May 25th, 2009 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: My Life.
It was a great relaxing day. Sure I still had a stuff to do. Today was the first day we actually saw our kitchen counters. They have been packed with birthday stuff all weekend long. But today I got to hang out with the family. It was nice.
There are plenty of pictures of Brett and Brennon running around in a sprinkler which Brett received for his birthday. You might even find Rachel running through there.
Later, Daniel came over. I barbequed chicken and ribs out on the grill, which I think I am getting a lot better at. Fresh charcoal makes the world of a difference.
Brett is finially going “potty” without having to tell people. Its nice to see him just going to the restroom and washing his hands afterwards and not having to help and follow. He is a great and sweet kid.
Brennon is got use to his crib a lot faster than expected. We put him in the crib to start a “cry it out” method. It took about 10 minutes of screaming then off to lala land he went. Can’t wait until he is sleeping most of the night. Course Rachel will be even more excited about that day.
But it is also bittersweet because we see this little baby growing up. I don’t mind them not growing after their potty trained at least. But that’s not happening. Maybe I should start them on cigerettes. That should stunt their growth.
This night, Rachel and I got to enjoy a movie all by ourselves (and some smaller voice that we locked in a closet saying “Water Mama”. Mall Cop was a very clean and good movie. Kudos to Adam Sandler who might be catching on to making more family films.
May 24, 2009
Posted on May 24th, 2009 by Brian Sparks.
Categories: My Life.
This Sunday was one of those Sundays were I ran late on just about everything. I woke up around 8 and left for church around 8:50, where I should have been there around 8:15. Same thing happened for Sunday Night. But everything turned out just fine.
This was also the first Sunday in the last 11 weeks that I had an oppertunity to take a nap. For the last few weeks we have been teaching Crown Financial Bible Study at Highland Hills. Finially the course is overwith and I can go back to my naps. Yeah.
Leading worship was much easier this Sunday. I have really felt at peace with this idea of church planting. With this thought in mind, I realize that my current position is only to train me to be better on the field. Leading worship right now doesn’t seem to be so pointless.
This afternoon I had hooked up Brett’s “computer” which he got for his birthday. It wasn’t long before “trying to show” turned to “taking over”. And once again, I am playing video games made for 3 year olds.
While I was playing, I heard Brett in the kitchen snacking on something. I soon discovered that he didn’t get into his birthday cake but was eating the candle on top. There were two chucks missing from the candle. Course this starts a panic attack from Rachel. She’s wanting to call poison control. So the picture is of Brett’s small personal birthday cake, which is untouched, and next to it is the candle. Great stuff.
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