Living incarnationally, serving others, building relationships… that takes a lot of time. Where can we find it? It’s extremely difficult—if not impossible—to do so when our commitments in the existing church are too extensive. We try to hang onto the old too much, which leaves us no time for the new.
How can you free up one hour per week? And then how can you spend that one hour? Anyone can free up one hour per week? How do you best spend it?
Then try five hours. How can you free up five hours, and how can you best invest them? Don’t think in terms of all or nothing, but in terms of how you can strategically move forward.
I recently made the decision to eat dinner earlier on Thursdays and instead facilitate a five-week group for people in a recovery center on “Living Life as God Intended.” I found the time by not watching the news that evening as I usually do after dinner.
Post one way you have freed up some time in the comments section.
In his book Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work, Eugene Peterson says, “A sense of hurry in pastoral work disqualifies one for the work of conversation and prayer that envelops relationships that meet personal needs. There are heavy demands put upon pastoral work, true; there is difficult work to be engaged in, yes. But the pastor must not be “busy.” Busyness is an illness of spirit, a rush from one thing to another because there is no ballast of vocational integrity and no confidence in the primacy of grace. In order for there to be conversation and prayer that do the pastoral work of meeting the intimacy needs among people, there must be a wide margin of quiet leisure that defies the functional, technological, dehumanizing definitions that are imposed upon people by others in the community…” (pg. 61) (emphasis mine)
As a self-employed person, I now leave work early three days a week to prayer walk different areas of our town, looking for persons of peace. This had freed up about 6 hours a week.
I worked with Dave Jacobs, coach for pastors. He & I found a creative way to cut my wasted time and give more time to God. Dave has a great time management system worth looking into! Dave Jacobs. http://smallchurchpastor.com
I have systematically cut down my need for sleep from 8 hrs to 5 netting 3 hours in 24. When I get up between 4 and 5 am, the house is very quiet for about two hours while the rest of the family sleeps. This gives me quality time to fellowship with Father and Jesus in solitude. Of course, with my office in my home, I need to guard against the temptation to jump right into my work! So the computer remains shut down till at least 7 o’clock.
Caveat: This is not for everyone. Your biological clock may work differently. Also, some medical experts insist that you need a minimum of 6 – 8 hours of sleep. But it works for me. I feel totally rested and have experienced no negative side-effects for the past 30+ years. Don’t try to cut down your sleeping hours all at once. Instead, reduce the time in bed incrementally by 15 minutes a night weekly over a period of several months until you reach your goal and personal comfort level.