I just finished a great Bible study, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World," which focuses on finding intimacy with God in the busyness of life.

The author includes a poem by E. Stanley Jones: "Oh, Christ, do not give me tasks equal to my powers, but give me powers equal to my tasks, for I want to be stretched by things too great for me. I want to grow through the greatness of my tasks, but I shall need your help for the growing."

The book was a great reminder of how important it is to make time to step away from the tasks at hand (get out of the "kitchen") and make room for more intimate fellowship (spend more time in the "living room"). Not trading one for the other, but finding balance between the two. We're all busy and juggling a variety of tasks, each of which threatens to fall if we don't keep them all in motion all of the time. And it's so easy to get caught up just in keeping those balls going. The book emphasized that the secret of finding the right balance is maintaining your relationship with Christ. The deeper the relationship, the steadier the balance. It's just something that's good to hear again to keep me on course.

Speaking of streamlining your life and tasks, I highly recommend that you take advantage, if you haven't already, of the myriad of software packages available to help you, and your staff members, with a variety of your daily responsibilities at work, from projecting your message, to managing your congregation's information, to referencing the Bible in your sermon preparation. A wide variety of options exist to make your job easier.

Our annual software focus should help you navigate the market for the best fit for you and your worship facility.

I'm always interested in hearing from you. You can reach me at jill@rpnmag.com.

God Bless,

Jill Pinheiro
Managing Editor