A Theology of Workflow

Matt Perman on how Christians should think about productivity.

Interview by Sarah Pulliam Bailey | posted 11/11/2010 11:12AM

 

Matt Perman wants to help you get your inbox to zero. He wants you to effectively multi-task, organize your desk, and schedule your day. But Perman, who blogs at whatsbestnext.com and is working on a book on productivity, is interested in more than managing workflow. CT spoke with Perman, who is senior director of strategy at Desiring God, about how his tips to manage productivity connect to theology.

Do you think Christians downplay the importance of productivity?

Yes, I think some do. Because we can think, Oh, it's not spiritual. You have to make a living and learn to do that job well. So I realized that I need to know more than theology; I need to know how to do my job well. That made me realize the importance of learning about the practical.

How does productivity fit with theology?

 Theology gives significance to the practical. The practical helps advance theology. It's not that we have theology over here, here's practice, let's do these practical things that will help theology; rather, we can think theologically about the practical. That means we realize that the practical things we are doing are part of the good works that God created us in Christ Jesus to do. So when we're doing practical things, we're actually doing good works. That's a theological understanding of the things we're doing every day.

Read more at ChristianityToday

Giz Explains: An Illustrated Guide to Every Stupid Cable You Need

We put up with too many cables. There are at least four different kinds of USB plugs, two kinds of FireWire and like a million different ways to connect something to TV or monitor. Modern gadget life can be kind of retarded in this way. Why not one kind of cable, or just a couple? I don't know. But until everyone gets on the same appendage-to-hole scheme, in the meantime, you can use this: an illustrated guide to pretty much every kind of cable you will see in current gadgets and what it's used for (unless, you know, Sony springs a new one on us overnight, which is honestly possible).

Read more at Gizmodo

10 Commandments of Scripture Interpretation

Skye Jethani's simple guidelines for engaging the Bible and avoiding unhelpful controversy.

by Skye Jethani

I. You shall not make for yourself an idol out of Scripture.

This is a particular temptation among evangelicals who hold a very high view of Scripture. We forget that our highest calling is not to have a relationship with the Bible but with Jesus Christ about whom the Bible testifies. (John 5:39)

II. You shall honor the Scriptures as sufficient.

We have a common temptation to get “behind the text” or discover what “really happened.” While archeology and other disciplines are incredibly important, we must not forget that what God has given in the Scriptures is enough for life and faith.

III. You shall remember the metanarrative and keep it wholly.

In my experience more Christians can recap the meta-narrative of the Star Wars saga than can recap the biblical meta-narrative. It’s not enough to know the stories and events in the Bible. We must know how they fit together to tell a single story.

IV. You shall honor the Church as the recipient and the guardian of the Scriptures.

The books and letters in the Bible, with a few exceptions, were not written to individuals but to communities of believers. We must be careful not to read everything through the lenses of Western individualism. And we are wise to listen to how Christians in ages past have understood the teachings of Scripture.

V. You shall not neglect the context.

Proof texting (finding verses to make your point), isolating (removing a text from its surrounding material), and synchronizing (taking different gospel accounts of the same event and smashing them together) are all ways of abusing the text and landing on bad interpretations.

Read more at Out of Ur

Want your staff to be happy? Here are the four components of happiness

There’s been a lot of talk about happiness and general well-being of late. Here we explore the four components of happiness and ask if busy executives can ever achieve a happy state.

According to Tony Hsieh, the four components of happiness are:
 

• Feeling CONNECTED to a group of close friends and colleagues
• Having CONTROL over work and life
• Making PROGRESS towards goals, whether they be career, knowledge or fitness
• Having a clear sense of PURPOSE in life and work.

Deficits in any of these four areas are likely to bring us down. As the corporate world demands more from its people for purposes far removed from individual goals there’s a real and present danger of making those valuable human assets miserable, demotivated and unproductive. Possibly so much that they’ll leave for smaller employers, able to offer the above.

Read more at FreshTracks

10 Ways to Minimize Your Regrets at the End of Your Life

If we had to quantify it, probably 80% of what is considered important right now will mean absolutely nothing at the end of your life. What are the things that dominate your worries and thoughts? The mortgage and car payments? Job performance and promotion?  Hey, it’s important to take those things seriously because that’s the way our world functions.  However, nobody lies on their death bed thanking God that he made all his mortgage payments on time. What about the remaining 20% of what you consider important in your life?  Those are the moments that will become your legacy…the moments that define you.  Here are some thoughts to help you live a life without regret.
1. Family First
   Possibly the most common regret at the end of a life is, “I didn’t spend enough time with my family.” When we’re young, we are so eager to start our grown-up lives that we neglect our parents. When we’re adults in the midst of building the life we imagined, we neglect our wife and kids. What’s left at the end of that life is a sad and lonely person. Your family comes first—always. Cherish your wife.  Never stop earning her love and devotion. Adore your children and spend every second you can with them.
   
2. Faith
   Life has a far greater purpose beyond our human knowledge. “All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. Faith gives you the inner peace in knowing that all is not in vain. Your life matters greatly. Our time on earth is but a blink of the eye in comparison to eternity.  Faith in something greater than you = zero regret.
   
3. Color Outside The Lines
   As soon as our life begins, society creates boxes within which we’re supposed to live. Order is certainly vital to a prosperous people. There are lines a decent human being should never cross. On the other hand, there are times when you HAVE to cross some cultural lines if joy is to ever going to find its way into our hearts. Dare to color your life outside of pre-determined boxes. Step out of comfort zones. As the saying goes, dance as if nobody is looking.

 Read more at All Pro Dad