They told me the truth. Time does go faster as you get older!!
Einstein's theory of relativity must apply to time. On one level I know I have as much of it now as I had when I was twenty (very busy in medical school) or thirty (very busy in medical practice and church planting) or 40 (trying to adjust to life in the United States) or even fifty, by which time we were well into the current simple church movement along with running The Karis Group, the company that I started in 1996. But . . .now, when I have a wonderful couple, Paul and Lori Byerly who handle nearly all of the day to day running of House2House, when I have Jacki (my wonderful "Secretary in Israel-see www.secretaryinisrael.com) who keeps me organized at work, and the rest of the team who do most of the real work at The Karis Group, I find myself busier than ever. So what is happening?
I have recently come across a facinating group called C12, who work with Christian CEO's to help with their life planning and to provide an "alternate board" where they can raise business challenges. On their home page is a very timely saying, "Priorities are what we do - everything else is just talk!" So what are you doing with your time.
A couple of nights ago I watched a movie that one of my kids recommended to me. OK, OK, maybe that should have been my warning. I am not recommending the film. It was very crude in places. Certainly the language was terrible in parts. Anyway, I am not that into scifi type films. But Wanted had a memorable ending. As our "hero" finally finishes off the villain of the movie, in reverse slow motion I should add, he says directly into the camera, "This is me taking control of my life. What the *** have you done lately?"
Good question? And worth thinking about. Whatever we may say, it is the "doers" that Jesus commended. Now don't get me wrong. I know as well as you do that Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing. But He must have seen His Father doing a lot, because reading through the Gospels, as I have been doing repeatedly recently, he seems to be a perpetual motion machine, including His times alone with His Father. John, who self describes himself as Jesus' best friend (OK, he didn't put it quite like that, but what else does it mean when he calls himself "the disciple who Jesus loved") says at the end of his account of Jesus' life, "If I was going to write down all of the things that Jesus did, I doubt I could fit it into all of the books that have ever been written.
My secretary back in my British days once said to me that she didn't know how I could cram so much into one day. I think that she meant it as a compliment! Recently (actually, now that I think about it, this happened about 10 years ago-how is that for "relativity?") the Lord brought a prophet across my path, who after telling me some stuff that was going to happen in the next few days, proceeded to tell me that I needed to get fit, because God had a lot more that He wanted to do with me, and I would need to be fit to keep up with Him. That was a wake up call. Since then I have lost about 20 pounds, and I exercise vigorously three times a week (playing squash if you want a game). And yes, I sleep better, I seem to think better, I get more done when at the office, I enjoy the time off when I get it even more, etc.
Maybe I will even get to the place where I remember to write in this blog more often. Was it really 5 weeks since I last commented here?
This is me learning to let God take control of my life. What are you learning lately?
I have recently come across a facinating group called C12, who work with Christian CEO's to help with their life planning and to provide an "alternate board" where they can raise business challenges. On their home page is a very timely saying, "Priorities are what we do - everything else is just talk!" So what are you doing with your time.
A couple of nights ago I watched a movie that one of my kids recommended to me. OK, OK, maybe that should have been my warning. I am not recommending the film. It was very crude in places. Certainly the language was terrible in parts. Anyway, I am not that into scifi type films. But Wanted had a memorable ending. As our "hero" finally finishes off the villain of the movie, in reverse slow motion I should add, he says directly into the camera, "This is me taking control of my life. What the *** have you done lately?"
Good question? And worth thinking about. Whatever we may say, it is the "doers" that Jesus commended. Now don't get me wrong. I know as well as you do that Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing. But He must have seen His Father doing a lot, because reading through the Gospels, as I have been doing repeatedly recently, he seems to be a perpetual motion machine, including His times alone with His Father. John, who self describes himself as Jesus' best friend (OK, he didn't put it quite like that, but what else does it mean when he calls himself "the disciple who Jesus loved") says at the end of his account of Jesus' life, "If I was going to write down all of the things that Jesus did, I doubt I could fit it into all of the books that have ever been written.
My secretary back in my British days once said to me that she didn't know how I could cram so much into one day. I think that she meant it as a compliment! Recently (actually, now that I think about it, this happened about 10 years ago-how is that for "relativity?") the Lord brought a prophet across my path, who after telling me some stuff that was going to happen in the next few days, proceeded to tell me that I needed to get fit, because God had a lot more that He wanted to do with me, and I would need to be fit to keep up with Him. That was a wake up call. Since then I have lost about 20 pounds, and I exercise vigorously three times a week (playing squash if you want a game). And yes, I sleep better, I seem to think better, I get more done when at the office, I enjoy the time off when I get it even more, etc.
Maybe I will even get to the place where I remember to write in this blog more often. Was it really 5 weeks since I last commented here?
This is me learning to let God take control of my life. What are you learning lately?
Tags: fit., keeping, management., time
Comment
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Comment by jhonmichael on September 11, 2009 at 3:17am -
Persons in every age group wonder why time seems to move so much faster than it did in their pasts. It seems as if there is never enough freezers time to get everything done and that the situation only gets worse. Many explanations have been offered for this, but few seem to hit the target water filters as well as Phil Yaffe's explanation. We hope you enjoy and find it provocative.
Phil has been a writer and kitchen sinks journalist for over four decades and is able to write eloquently about his personal experience with accelerating time.
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Comment by Carolyn on May 9, 2009 at 10:16pm -
Tony, and all, i just ran across your blog about time going faster... and I have a theory...
Remember Matt 24: 22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Well, I think they are being shortened... why else would the same 24 hours not hold as much as it used to hold?
I watched a pioneer movie once, and if you realize that they had to kill the cow before they could even get dinner, they got a lot more done in a day than we can ever accomplish... so its got to be true! Carolyn
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Comment by Clark Wade on February 10, 2009 at 5:51pm -
I told this story in our fellowship last Sunday that is worth repeating here. There was a young lady (in her 30's) who was stricken with an inoperable cancer. She was married with several beautiful children. And she described her dying as an onion that was being peeled of its many layers. When you have a terminal illness, all the layers that have us trapped and so distracted, start to come off, one by one. All of those things we attend to that have such minor importance in relation to the kingdom of God. "Martha! Martha! You are distracted about so many things. But there really is only need of one thing." The young lady I am speaking of said all of these layers came off until there was but a single core of the things that were most important, most vital. Her Lord Jesus Christ and family. Now if we are indeed crucified with Christ and risen to new life, shouldn't the onion of our lives already gone through this process without a cancer? Know what I mean?
I do picture Jesus' time with His father as a time of "stillness" rather than activity as such. A crucial time of "radical receptivity," of "inpouring" of the Father's life and will. One could say that in such times with the Father, Jesus Himself became a "Mary" at the feet of His Father, listening, watching, receiving instruction. That's kinda how I picture it. And in "doing the one thing necessary," all the other things that we "should be doing" are given to us, more clearly defined, and more "in Christ." I just want my "doing" to be of His doing rather than my own. I feel I'm just learning this lesson; and I've been a Christian for about 40 years.
Clark
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Comment by Bruce G. on February 10, 2009 at 2:56pm -
Tony, I'm noticing the same things you are. More & more I have needed to shave things down to the
top priorities. Also that when I tell God that I am totally available, I'd better be ready to flow with
what God gives me to do. Your blog is a blessing, Bruce
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Comment by Ron Kellington on February 10, 2009 at 1:54pm -
Thanks for the "update" Tony... Learning that so much that comes at me in the world is temporary and of little value and wondering why I so often resist 'letting it go' to take up my cross and follow Him... to enter into His rest and take on His yoke... The times I do that, I feel so much better. But, I gotta admit, this "process" of being conformed into His image... of maturity and perfection... of union with God (as much as is possible while we're in this world.... is getting better. Appreciate your encouraging testimony.
Ps.24:6
Ron
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Comment by Mitzi Cox North on February 9, 2009 at 10:13pm -
Hi Tony,
Thanks for your blog..."What am I learning?" The same as you...letting Him have control. My earnest desire is to do "what I see the Father do." Easy to say, but very hard to do. So many things call to us...but only the things that He calls us to is really what matters...I often remember Mary and Martha...Sometimes I'm a Mary and sometimes I'm a Martha..My desire is to choose the better things. Thanks for your words of encouragement..Mitzi
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