Big Picture

A few years ago a viral video circulated of Navy Seal Admiral McRaven giving the commencement speech at University of Texas, Austin. The memorable quote came when the admiral said that the best way to start off your day was by making your bed. He listed the benefits of putting bed-making first, and how it sets off a chain reaction of productivity and order in one’s life. It was good, simple, and...

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how it has seemed harder and harder for me to carve out the same amount of focussed time of prayer and Bible study in the morning than it used to be. Certainly, I am weak and easily distracted. But it is no help that an entire economy exists to deliberately distract me by twinkling shiny bits of content in my eyes with the goal of gaining my attention so...

I almost never wake up to an alarm. In fact, I stopped setting an alarm a long time ago. What’s more, I wake up alarmingly early—usually between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. No, I don’t have insomnia. Yes, I am employed. And, no, I don’t go through the day feeling like a tired zombie. The funny thing is, this isn’t actually a very difficult habit to cultivate. What follows is my simple...

Productivity has to do with work—specifically being more effective and efficient in getting work done. What we may sometimes forget, however, is the ultimate reason for which Christians should try and be productive in our work. We should be productive in our work because we were made in the image of a productive God. The book of Genesis demonstrates this profound reality. The Bible throughout...

No matter what each day holds, or how bad things might get, I have an overarching reason to always get out of bed in the morning. I have not just a purpose to my life, I have the purpose of life. Today, whatever I do, I get to glorify the Maker of heaven and earth.

I don’t know about you but there’s only one place I’ve ever heard someone use the word “stewardship” and that’s in church. It’s not an exclusively Christian word, but if Oxford ever published a Lexicon of Christianese, “stewardship” would most certainly have an entry. Sadly, if this theoretical dictionary did exist, the definition for Christian stewardship would probably just say, “See tithe.” I...

All philosophies of productivity, at bedrock, contain a theology. Therefore, there is a genuine need for a distinctly Christian productivity in the church.

Do you ever get that nagging feeling when you’re trying to take a break? “I should really be working.” I’m willing to bet that if you’re reading a productivity blog, you’re someone who feels guilty when they relax. I want to show you one method for how to relax without feeling guilty that’s worked for me. Working in college and campus ministry, I have had...

I’m going to argue that there is a real Christian benefit to spending time alone in nature. To some that may seem obvious, to others it may conjure up images of mystics in caves, granola munching hippies, or just the discomfort of sweat and bug bites. But there is something about even just a brisk walk in the woods by yourself that does wonders for the soul.