Power of a Focused Life

“To squander hours doesn’t bother most people… but to squander their destiny in God does. But let me tell you… it is exactly the same thing!”- Mike Bickle

Recently, God has been highlighting to me the importance of effective time management. Hours and hours I could have spent in prayer and in the Word, I’ve wasted on things with absolutely no eternal value. Not because I wanted it this way, but because of my apathy in stewarding time. Thank God He has given us the Spirit of self-discipline! (1 Tim. 1:7).

Here are some practical points from the, “Power of a Focused Life”, teaching by Mike Bickle. I found the power of simply writing these things out, and actually acting upon them very useful!

COMPONENTS OF A FOCUSED LIFE

A.            Overall life vision – primary purpose in life

B.            Life goals – applying my life vision to each specific area of my life. Long-term goals (over 10 years) and short-term goals (3 months–3 years)

1.            Spiritually (prayer time, Bible study, fasting days, etc.)

2.            Relationally (family, friends, etc.)

3.            Vocation (marketplace calling, etc.)

4.            Ministry (in the church, outside the church, etc.)

5.            Economically (spending, giving, saving, investing, etc.)

6.            Physically (exercise, health, diet, etc.)

7.            Rest (recreation, vacation, play, entertainment, sports, etc.)

C.            Action plan – for each long and short-term goal in each area of your life.

D.            Schedule – for each action plan, i.e., focuses us to prioritize. This is where our life vision most easily is derailed and lost.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

(Proverbs 29:18, KJV)

Deeper…

Standing ankle deep in water as I gaze upon a vast ocean before me. Water every direction as far as the eye can see. A feeling of awe overcomes me. How could I begin to explore the depths of this ocean?

This ocean I am referring to… is the nature and character of God. And I stand at a loss of words when I reflect on the greatness of who He is. His everlasting kindness, His love unconditional, His judgments unsearchable, “Who is this King of Glory?”

These last few years God has been taking me deeper inch by inch into his character. The result? My life’s been radically transformed. I was spiritually bored and trapped in the fear of man. Praying and reading the Bible were chores. I did them because I knew they were things I “should” do.

Now I look forward to every time I can spend with the Lord. It’s my favorite part of the day. Reading the Word is like life to my dry bones. Dialogue with God is like fire on my cold heart. Now I’m gripped with the desire to know God and to make Him known to those who have yet to encounter Him.

Thank you Lord for all that you have done. Give me a heart to seek you. Give me a heart for the nations. Take me deeper.

Global Call2all Congress!

[Nov 29-Dec 3] At the Longbeach Convention Center!

call2all.org

Summer Update (Return from the Philippines)

Hello all!

Last I talked to you I was sweating in 95 degree weather in Southeast Asia… Now I’m still sweating, but this time it’s at home in the summer heat of Kansas City!

I returned from the Philippines about five weeks ago, and while I was there God did some amazing things! In the three months there God touched the lives of many people in a significant way.

And, personally, God touched my heart during this time in more ways than I even know…

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But like I mentioned, I’m currently at home in KC enjoying time with the family. This is my first extended time period at home in two years, so i’ve really enjoyed it.

So far my summer has consisted of:

1) Spending time with family       2) Working       and…        3) Helping prepare for a wedding!

That’s right on Aug. 6th my 21-year-old sister will be getting married! Which means for two weeks we’ll be having 17 people staying in our house! I’m excited it’ll be a fun time.

So that’s a quick update on the last few months. I’ll keep you posted on what the outlook is on the next few months!

- Jonathan

Filipino “Radio/TV” [Video]

Recently our CPS team was given the opportunity to share on a Filipino Radio/Television show. Here’s a snippet from it.

Snapshots [First two weeks]

[April 10-14, 2011]

Days-8, 9, 10, 11- Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Damain and I traveled across Mindanao to attend the national Ywam conference. This was a time of meeting many new people, hearing from the national leaders, and having a good time in fellowship.

Swinging from a jungle tree in Northern Mindanao.

Our Room

[April 9th, 2011]

Day 7- Tagum City, Philippines

The “Run of Peace” Event. Danny ran 21k, I ran 10k, and Damian ran 5k. (I was interviewed after the race and I guess was on the local news the next day).

Run of Peace

[April 7th, 2011]

Day 5- Tagum City, Philippine

Our team made it on the front of the local newspaper as we talked with a city official about joining the “Run of Peace”.

Newspaper Cover- CPS Team

[April 7th, 2011]

Day 4- Tagum City, Philippines

We were able to join a youth group at their all night retreat. The Pastor allowed me to share with the youth my testimony and about evangelism.

Sharing With at a Youth Retreat

The whole group at the retreat

More info in the Photo Section.

The “GP” Experience

An idea of what transportation looks like in Tagum City, Philippines.

Pre-Philippines [Video]

A short description of what the Church Pioneering team will be doing in the Philippines.

What are we doing in the Philippines?

“What are we doing in the Philippines?” maybe isn’t the right question… “Where do we fit in what God’s doing in the Philippines?” is probably more correct.

Because we, as a team of 10 people, have many different talents and skills, and we work very well together. We have talented musicians, athletes, gifted public speakers… but all of this is nothing if we trust in our own strength rather than in God.

Here are a few goals we have as a team to see radical transformation among the Filipinos:
* In all of these we want to serve and work alongside the local believers.

1)    Reaching the lost (in a way they can relate)
2)    Prepare the believers in discipleship to get ready for the Impact world tour that is coming in the fall.
* Impact world tour saw 80,000 come to the Lord last year alone.
3)    Initiate a church planting movement that can handle rapid reproduction.

These are a few of the things we would like to see, but we understand that the only way for any of this to happen is by obeying the Lord.

____________________________________________________________

With these goals in mind here is what the overall layout of our outreach will look like.

Our team will be in the Philippines a total of 10 weeks. The first 7 weeks will be in Tagum city, and the last three will be in Manila.

Tagum City is a city outside of Davao, which is located on the island of Mindanao in southern Philippines. Tagum City has started slowly becoming a cultural epicenter with music, sports, and education on the rise. Here we would like to use a variety of ways to relate the gospel to the people in a way they can understand. This will likely include diverse forms of: music, art, and sports.

The last 3 weeks of our time we will be ministering in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines (north). Here we will have the opportunity to be an influence in several areas. First, we will be able take part in a “Regional Congress”, where many of the top Christian leaders of the Philippines will meet. This will give us a good opportunity to create further unity among the believers in the Philippines, and also really learn how we can serve the Filipino people. Second, there is an area in the city of Manila that is known as the “garbage city” (Smokey mountain), and here we will be able to minister to people who’s lives have consisted of digging through trash in order to survive. These are just a few of the many things that we will have the privilege to serve in.

Through it all, we are praying to bring the reality of God’s Kingdom to the Filipino people.

I kindly ask that you keep us in prayer as we look to bring redemption to the Philippines.

Blessings,

Jonathan

http://jonathanander.wordpress.com/