Here’s your weekly roundup of insights and resources to help you on your journey to becoming a more productive Christian.

In Today’s Issue:

• Closing the Gap Between Work & Worship
• Paul Washer on Busyness
• Sabbaths for Moms
• Video Games & Christians
• Book Recommendation on Scheduling

Dear steward,

Last week, I wrote about my quarterly goal-setting process. In that essay, I shared how one of the domains of stewardship I have been less than faithful in is rest and recreation. So, my first move toward rectifying that evil is to take a much-needed vacation next week.

Since switching to working on Redeeming Productivity in March of 2021, it's been hard to justify taking a break. But resting from our work is one of the ways we acknowledge our dependence upon God.

So, there won't be a newsletter next Thursday, as I'll be busy acknowledging my dependence upon God in sunny Florida.

And speaking of rest, that's one of the topics I address in this week's essay...

Closing the Gap Between Work and Worship

Worship isn’t just what you do when your hands are raised in church but also when they’re typing at the keyboard, turning a wrench, or greeting a customer.

In this week’s essay, I outline three ways to worship God through your secular vocation.

Reagan’s Roundup

​Paul Washer on Being Busy (6 mins)

“We are not called by God to do everything. We are called to do His will.”

In this short video, Washer explains that in our distracted world, the only way to fight back against busyness is to get really clear on your priorities.

He especially points out three key priorities.

1. Prayer - This is foundational. If you’re too busy to pray, something is wrong with your priorities.
2. Relationships - Family, friends, church, the lost.
3. Work - When you’re at work, work hard. Get the work done so you have time for your other priorities.

If you complain that you’re too busy with other stuff to focus on your priorities, then you need to start cutting the other stuff.

“When I'm laying on my deathbed, I will have many regrets if I have neglected the relationships that God has given me—especially with family and brothers and sisters in Christ. I don't think I'm going to be very, very sad if I was not able to do Twitter; I was not able to maintain a Facebook page. Get your priorities together, and you'll not have much problem with time.”

​Sabbath for Moms: How to Practice Rest with Kids (6 mins)

Monica Geyen / Desiring God

Sticking with the theme of rest, here's an encouragement for mothers—a group for whom rest is so often elusive.

“The fourth commandment — “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8) — came not only to working men, but to mothering women. Moms wonder, “How do I rest with so much at stake? How do I rest with so much on my plate?” Rest, we know, is not ultimately found in a place, season, or circumstance, but in a person.”

​Talking Video Games & Christians on FamilyLife (30 mins)

I was on FamilyLife’s Real Life Loading… podcast this week, discussing a topic that is near and dear to my heart: video games.

We focused in particular on how believers in high school, college, and their 20s can navigate the place gaming has in their lives.

Our conversation centered around some of the topics from my book A Student’s Guide to Gaming.

Book Recommendation: At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof

I just finished reading At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy & Priorities Working in Your Favor by Carey Nieuwhof.

At Your Best is a practical guide to creating a daily schedule that most effectively utilizes your varying energy levels throughout the day.

Carey is a former pastor and a leadership development teacher. And he says one of the mistakes most of us make with time management is thinking about hours and minutes but not energy levels. Not every hour of the day is of equal value. And many of us are squeezing our most important work into the worst hours of the day.

According to Nieuwhof, each of us has three zones of energy during the workday.

• Green Zone - Your peak 3–5 hours of energy
• Red Zone - The 1–2 hours where your energy is lowest
• Yellow Zone - Everything else. You aren't at your best but can still do decent work.

The book and accompanying worksheets walk you through a process for creating what Nieuwhof calls a "Thrive Calendar," a daily schedule that helps you identify your zones and pair them with work appropriate to each energy level. As the book title suggests, the goal is for you to design a schedule that has you doing your most impactful work when you're at your best.

This is probably one of the best new productivity books I've read in recent years—great insights paired with highly actionable frameworks. Highly recommend!

Quote of the Week

Final Word

One last thing before you go.

This past Tuesday, in the Redeeming Productivity Academy, we had our Q4 Goal Planning event, where members chose a big goal for October–December, broke it down into milestones, and committed to a singular habit to help them reach it.

Here are some goals a few of our members set for the quarter:

• Lose 25 lbs by the end of the year
• 45-mins devotions 5 days per week
• Grow monthly business revenues to $5k+/month

What's different about the way we approach goal-setting in RPA is that we focus on connecting your goal to God's purposes, help you create a plan, and then support you with tools and accountability alongside other believers.

So if you'd like to make a big change in your life over the next 3 months, there’s still time to join us and get help reaching your own God-glorifying goal. Weekly accountability check-ins kick off next week!

That's all for this week. Than

I'll see you Thursday after next!

​

For His glory,

Reagan Rose