The Missional Network

I just recently finished reading Dr. Richard Swenson's book,Margin, and have to admit it spoke directly to my life.  Today's culture continually pressures a man to fill his plate to overflowing with all sorts of "good" things.  The result is men and women, even those in ministry, who are running from this activity to that meeting, never slowing down to enjoy and cultivate what we all really need, relationships.  This book has given me the freedom to say no to some good things so that I will have the flexibility and availability to love people, spend time with those in need, and enjoy the life God has given me. 

Do you deal with the same struggles of always feeling overwhelmed?  Do you wish you could devote more time to important people in your life?  Are you barely getting by with deadline after deadline?  Has the thought ever come to mind, "this can't be the life God wants me to lead, I can't handle it"?

I am interested in hearing you're thoughts on Swenson's book, how you deal with an overloaded life, and how your schedule affects your health, family, ministry, job, education, and spiritual walk. 

Jeff, I haven't read the book - it sounds good - but I was exposed to the principle through some of Zig Zigler's teaching. He always said, "you have to say "no" to good things in order to say "yes" to the best." It was great advice. If the book is a case for arranging your life around that principle I'm all for it. What would you say is the most important application you took away from the book?

To continue the trend, I've not read the book either. However, it's a battle that I think we do face with regularity... one can take a "spiritual" perspective and see them as tests or attempts to sidetrack us from ministry, etc...

 My point of view has become rather firmly that I need to just do what I believe God is asking me to do. This requires a lot of regular communication with him, which is mostly silence and listening. I've discovered God has a few things He wants me to be up to (including my family, amazingly!) and I have quite a few ideas I think are neato. So I try to separate my "neato" from the "needed". It's not always perfect, but honestly the simpler I try to make it the better it suits me.

That may qualify as almost a non-answer though :)
 

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"Turn the other cheek" was never meant to be an idealistic aphorism, but instead a way of living.