I won’t take credit for the quote that you will soon read.  I have been rereading Andy Stanley’s book The Next Generation Leader and I found the quote there.  I read the book several years ago while we were living in Ohio and although I found it okay to read, it was not really relevant to where I found myself at that time.  Well, least I thought so.  Perhaps if I had taken the time to slowly digest what he wrote I would be a better leader now.  Ain’t (excuse the poor English) that the way it is with a lot of things though?  I know I could spend my life with “If only” living in my front living room.  Anyway, here is the quote:

“Devoting a little of yourself to everything means committing a great deal of yourself to nothing.”

Okay Andy, so why don’t you stab me in the heart?  I was talking to someone on the phone just yesterday afternoon almost about this very thing.  My lovely wife and I are going away next week from Wednesday through Monday (she was able to get some time off work) for some much-needed time away (for both of us).  We plan to visit her sister in Ohio whom we haven’t seen since Christmas and our grandson (and his parents) over the weekend.   We plan to visit this church (Loudonville campus) with an old friend (Gary)whose family went to the first church I ever pastored from 1976-1981.  Gary called me to confirm we were still coming and I told him that I needed to get away…it was the first time in probably 6 months.  When he said, “Wow!” I said, “That is what happens when you are the only one on staff.”  But even as I said that I knew I was digging my own grave.  I work with a group of 3, now 4, elders who would give me time away if I needed it.  Sometimes when one is the only pastor on staff, he finds himself doing things out of his “zone.”  I have been that way but thankfully some folks have stepped up to take that away from me (techgeek and his wife and Dan Drewes and his wife are two of them-thank you, thank you, thank you).   But even as I was doing all this other stuff, I was living out Andy’s quote.  Yikes!  I didn’t even realize how large that boulder had become until recently.   Busyness = productiveness.   At least we have been somewhat conditioned to believe that. In reality is should say “Busyness does not equal productiveness.”  All that to say: I look forward to getting my bearings again and hopefully become more productive in the things that I excel in (I just gotta figure out what those are!)    It will start with a closer look at Andy’s book.

What about you?  Are you confusing busyness with productivity?  What is it you really need to focus on?  Get rid of?  I would like to hear from you.