Only two weeks ago, I was preparing myself to lose a very dear friend. We prayed over him, and trusted God that He would work things out for good, but I still traveled through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
I know each of us owes a life, and I know none of us will get off this world alive, unless Jesus comes back first. It doesn’t make it any easier to think about losing your friends and loved ones.
Well, today I’m celebrating! I saw with my own eyes how God handles things. My friend is up walking around, talking, seeing and hearing – even though doctors were afraid he would lose all those things. He spoke to us this morning about concerns for our town, and he was as sharp as ever. He came in to the meeting under his own power. He heard what we said, saw us, and was able to tell us what he thought about things; he remembered details from earlier discussions, and knew details about the projects we’re currently working on.
I struggle each day to praise God in all things, good and bad;I have a song that encourages me to do just that – it’s one of my favorite songs “I’ll Praise You in this Storm” by Casting Crowns; here are the words:

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it’s still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
“I’m with you”
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:
And I’ll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I’ve cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can’t find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
(words by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms)

I’ll hit the half-century mark in just a few days – boy, that sounds old! I don’t feel that old, but apparently I am, because my kids say so… they think some of my views on life are wacky and outdated, but I know why I feel that way.
Some of my favorite memories of childhood involve what’s now called classic TV. I grew up when ‘Leave it To Beaver’, ‘I Love Lucy’, ‘Bonanza’, ‘Dick Van Dyke’ and ‘Andy Griffith’ were seen on television. I look at the world today through eyes that grew up on those shows, and I learned the truths of life watching them.
Uncle Jed was always as meek as a lamb, but wise as a serpent. He saw the best in folks, always tried to help out the less fortunate, but he didn’t let folks take advantage of him, and he stood up for what was right. He didn’t let all that money change him from the good man he was.
Laura Petrey always met Rob at the door, glad to see him, and she was sexy in her capri pants.
Lucy’s harebrained schemes rarely worked, but she always had good sense of humor when she messed up.
Ward wanted his boys to behave their best, and sometimes went too far in his expectations, but he also was man enough to admit when he’d messed up, and would ask their forgiveness when he did.
Pa Cartwirght expected his sons to work hard and play fair. He used the power his money and land brought him to help those around him, and make the whole community a better place.

My kids and I watched a movie called “Pleasantville” when it first came on television, and their response to the black and white section was ‘that is so boring’… as a parent in today’s society, I think sometimes boring might be a good thing. School shootings, teen pregnancy, drugs, and a general sense from most folks that there’s no such thing as the sanctity of human life – those things might be exciting, but I don’t think that makes them very good.

Last week I wrote about contact management- today I’d like to say a little about time management.
We all have the same amount of time each week to get things done. There are so many hours each day that are already spoken for – you have to sleep, eat and refresh yourself physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
So, you’ve got to make the remaining hours count. There are all kinds of time management systems on the market, so there’s sure to be a system that meets your needs.
I use the Franklin-Covey paper system in combination with Outlook. My daily tasks go into my datebook, with recurring tasks set in Outlook to remind me. I’ve tweaked both systems until they work the way I want. I use some FC forms; some forms I’ve found on other forms on 43 Folders that I like, and other forms I’ve created on my computer to print as I need them.
Most every seminar or class on time management that I’ve attended has used the pickle jar story. The basic story is that if you’ve got to get a whole bunch of stuff in a pickle jar, start out with the big stuff, then move down the list; in other words, plan for your most important tasks, then work the others in as you’ve got time.
My point is that everyone should be able to find some system that works for them. Once you find it, USE it… it does no good at all to have a beautiful leather planner with all kinds of forms, dated pages and envelopes in it, if all you do is lug it around and show it off to people. It’s kinda like those folks who own a gorgeous Yamaha Raider motorcycle that’s completely dressed out with every chrome bling on it that’s available; but they’re afraid they’ll get it dirty so it sits in their garage – it’s basically a huge paperweight…
I have two planners I use – one has 1 1/2 inch rings, and the other has 2 inch rings. It depends on how full my life is at the moment – right now, things are very busy so I use the bigger rings to hold more ’stuff’. In a few months, things may back off and I’ll move back to the smaller rings.
If you’re not sure what system might work for you, check out some of the following places to get some ideas. Franklin Covey, 43 Folders, DayRunner, Outlook/Palm (if you’re running a computer with Windows, you’ve got Outlook Express, which may work for you, but you may need more). And don’t be afraid to ask others what system they use- they’ll be flattered you want their input, and they may have some ideas you hadn’t considered…

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