July 22, 2012

"I no longer ask the young man's question: How far will I go? My questions are now those of the mature person: When it is over, what will my life have been about? First as Martin Buber taught, life is meeting. We come alive only when we relate to others. Secondly, we are here to change the world with small acts of thoughtfulness done daily rather than with one great dramatic leap in results. Finally, we are here to finish god's labors. One of the sages of the Talmud taught nearly two thousand years ago that God could have created a plant that would grow loaves of bread. Instead He created wheat for us to mill and bake into bread. Why? So that we could be His partners in completing the work of creation." 
 - Rabbi Harold Kushner Like us on Facebook 


IN THIS ISSUE
Productivity: The Pomodoro Technique
Creative Ministry: The North Hill Cafe
2015 Pastor's Convention
Reading: Code
Quotes: "If there are nine rabbits on the ground, if you want to catch one, just focus on one."
Resources: NY13 - First major mission to the cities project
POMODORO!
Maylan Schurchby Maylan Schurch, Bellevue (WA) Seventh-day Adventist Church

 Every once in  awhile a productivity tool comes along which is so good, it's scary. For me, this is the Pomodoro technique. As you'll see when you click on the link at the end of this article, it's a research-based mind-focuser created in the 1980s by an Italian professor.

"Pomodoro" is Italian for "tomato," and refers not to the fruit (vegetable?) but to a kitchen timer with that brand name, which looks like a tomato with a slit along its equator. You turn the top half to set the timer. During his research, the professor handed these out to his students.

Here's how it works (and you don't need an actual Pomodoro timer): Set any timer for 25 minutes. During that time, work steadily on one task and nothing else. No checking your e-mail, not even a bathroom break if you can help it. When the timer rings, give yourself a five-minute break, and (if you follow the Pomodoro technique in the full-bore way described in the link below) make a mark on a piece of paper. Then set the timer for another 25 minutes, and do some more work. 25 minutes, according to the research, is the optimal time to work on a task before you need a break.

Here's what I've found with my on-the-ground testing of Pomodoro.

It works. Whether I'm trying to decide on a sermon topic, or outlining the sermon itself, or doing some other brain-intensive task, the Pomodoro technique gives me permission--or, depending on my mood, goads me--to set everything aside and work on one thing. 25 minutes later I am impressed, and just a bit frightened, with how much I've accomplished.

A loud ticking sound helps. I have an iPad, and I found a Pomodoro app which doesn't show a tomato but has a 25-minute timer and--here's the best part--a loud, hollow ticking like a huge grandfather clock parked right next to your ear. My wife tells me that the ticking would drive her bananas, but for my woolgathering brain it's perfect. Every tick says, "Time's a-wastin', Maylan. Focus. Focus."

I have to force myself to keep using Pomodoro. Paradoxically, the reason is that it's so effective, and my sense of inertia (translation: laziness) keeps whispering to me, "You don't really want to work that hard, do you?"

Check it out (and download a free, no-obligation copy of the professor's book) at http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/

Talk with Maylan about the pomodoro technique at our Facebook page.
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NORTH HILL CAFE MINISTRY
McClartyby John Mclarty

 If you walk into our church about 6:30 on the last Friday night of the month, September through May, you'll find the lobby full of people. A feast is spread out on a long table on the left side of the lobby. Groups of two and three or more are clustered around tall round tables, eating and talking.

If you're a first timer, you'll probably get your food and head on into the performance space (our sanctuary, the only large space in our building). Inside, people are seated at candle-lit, five-foot round tables, eating and talking. The house lights are low. The stage and the fabric backdrop are dramatically lit.

Promptly at 7:00, a tall guy in a fedora, Jeff Keating, walks on stage and introduces the evening's program. He prays, then heads back to the sound system.

The first set of music lasts about an hour. Then a preacher (usually me) talks for five to seven minutes before announcing an intermission. Following the intermission, there's another hour-long set of music.

I would like to take full credit for this creative program since I had dreamed for years of something vaguely resembling this. The reality is, Jeff showed up at our church and after attending for awhile, asked the board if he could put together a cafe program. (Maybe I can take credit for not saying, "no"?)

When Jeff first started, he planned only a couple of events. People immediately began demanding that he extend his schedule. This fall will be our fourth season.

Members help with food. Some help with set up, though Jeff does an astonishing amount of the work himself. The church budgets money to help with expenses.

More than half of the musicians have been non-Adventists. Often more than half of the seventy or so in attendance are non-Adventists. For some of these visitors, their monthly attendance at the Cafe is their only church experience. They are becoming part of our community through the ministry of music. In addition to providing an entree to the Adventist Church for non-members, the Cafe also has become a meeting place for Adventists throughout the area who value contemporary music.

It's a lot of work. It's a lot of fun. We couldn't do it without Jeff. Jeff couldn't do it alone.

Talk with John about the North Hill Cafe on our Facebook page.
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NAD AREA WIDE PASTORS CONVENTION SLATED FOR 2015

Save the date. All pastors of the North American Division should save June 28-July 1 2015 for the NAD Pastor's Convention to be held in Texas preceding the GC session. Ivan Williams, Director of NAD Ministerial, would be delighted if every pastor of the NAD could attend. Union presidents and ministerial directors are already working on financial assistance with the hope that every pastor in the NAD will be able to afford to go. The date was penciled in by the NAD Ministerial team after informal research with pastors and venders suggested that the days just before the General Conference Session are preferred. This will make it easier for those who are already planning on attending the session to come a few days earlier for the Pastors Convention. Conferences are encouraged to schedule camp meeting and other events at other times in 2015 to keep from conflicting with this historic NAD wide Pastor's convention. The NAD ministerial staff is hard at work choosing a theme, speakers, venue, budget and everything else involved in planning the largest pastors convention ever to be held by the NAD. Pastor Williams seeks your prayer and input as he leads out in this herculean task. 

READING FOR PASTORS
How not to deal with complainers. Quote: "If the complaint was presented in a mean-spirited, hurtful manner, deal with that. Deal with that clearly and unequivocally. To let such behavior go unchallenged will only lead to more problems in the future."

When a 300-seat church plans to build a 5000-seat sanctuary, is that faith or foolishness?

Mark Driscoll on 5 things that can divide a church.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church makes national news about name dispute. (Discuss on our FB pageLike us on Facebook)

Is conflict in the leadership team a good thing? Quote: "Team members that fight together are more likely to be united in purpose."

TO THE POINT: PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY

Just get started. There are some days when you don't feel like heading out the door for a run, or figuring out your budget, or whatever it is you're supposed to do that day for your goal. Well, instead of thinking about how hard it is, and how long it will take, tell yourself that you just have to start.
~Leo Babauta   

 

Section the Post-It into four squares, put your most important task in the top left, and then use the other three for things you'd like to accomplish today.
~Adam Dachis   

 

If there are nine rabbits on the ground, if you want to catch one, just focus on one.
~Jack Ma   

 

 We have a strategic plan. It's called doing things.
~Herb Kelleher   

 

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
~Neal Donald Walsch

 

You need to write down an unrealistic goal and start to live and breathe it every single day. This can be simple, or more complex. Make it crazy though! The sky is the limit, and trust me, people have been up there too.
~Everett Bogue

  

A wonderful emotion to get things moving when one is stuck is anger. It was anger more than anything else that had set me off, roused me into productivity and creativity.

~Mary Garden

The perfect is the enemy of the good.
~Voltaire


Even though worker capacity and motivation are destroyed when leaders choose power over productivity, it appears that bosses would rather be in control than have the organization work well.
~Margaret J. Wheatley 


The problem with college is that there's a tendency to mistake preparation for productivity. You can prepare all you want, but if you never roll the dice you'll never be successful.
~Shia LaBeouf
IDEAS, EVENTS, RESOURCES, ANNOUNCEMENTS

Humor: Amazon Yesterday Shipping

 

Does your community know you're there? An instructive story from Southern California. 

 

NY13 - Get a free banner with your order of supplies. (While they last).

  

An update on the Great Controversy/Great Hope project.  Also, dealing with problem passages, and Great Hope/Great Controversy study guides

  

I'm proud! This past week, the Oakwood University Aeolians Choir won three gold medals at the 7th World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Oh. 

 

GODencounters: Pastor Sam Leonor, chaplain at La Sierra University, will be the featured presenter at the 2012 GODencounters Conference, August 30 - September 1, 2012, held at Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church, 4409 Pleasantview Drive, Arlington, TX 76017-1427. For more information go to www.YGchurch.com

 

Previous resource links:


Best Practices for Adventist Ministry is published by NAD Ministerial. Editor:Loren Seibold . Managing Editor:  Dave Gemmell. Copyright 2012 North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. v(301) 680-6418