Biblical Productivity
I never thought I would be drop kicked and punched in the throat at the same time by Rev. C.J. Mahaney.
If you’re not familiar with Mahaney, he’s a pastor in Maryland, a prolific author, and is normally a very godly man, except for that one time last Monday night when he did the aforementioned throat punch / drop kick.
The assault came as I was reading a series of blogs by Mahaney titled Biblical Productivity. I was reading them more out of frustration than anything else, because I was in the middle of having an overwhelming moment / panic attack / pity party as I looked at my calendar for the next several weeks and the ensuing horror that would accompany the thing called my schedule.
In short, Mahaney came off the top rope on my self-sufficient ideas of busyness in my world. He reminded me busyness does not equal diligence, it does not equal faithfulness, and does not equal fruitfulness. He helped me to think of life and work in the realm of roles and goals rather than to-do lists and checklists. He blew up the idea of scheduling-as-normal and made me consider what it is that my dependence rests on: not a schedule, but God himself.
I’m still sore from Mahaney’s attack. I still have much to think about in light of this new way of looking at my busyness. And I commend to you this series of posts, because it is seriously some good stuff. But when you’re black and blue and bleeding from your eyeballs, don’t say I didn’t warn you. C.J. ain’t no slouch.
Start the journey here.
Maybe a change in perspective could help you deal with your soreness from Mr. Mahaney. Consider this truth from Psalms, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” I am very busy too, and sometimes wonder what it is that occupies my days as I rush around and wonder if any of it has any lasting value. When the dust settles, the truth is that every thing we do, with the right heart attitude, is ministry. From where I sit, my friend, you and Merriem have your hearts geared toward serving the Lord. You lead well. You encouage well. You serve well. Your writings inspire and entertain. Your plate is indeed full. My best advise for you as you serve and work at this very busy time of the year at Summit, is a quote from Elisabeth Elliot when she was speaking on having a hectic schedule. She said, “Do the next thing.” As you lick your wounds from CJ and ponder the simplistic advise from Elisabeth, be encouraged: You are diligent. You are faithful. You are fruitful. Maybe the fanny whooping you got from CJ is actually a faithful wound that will work for your good.