Let’s take a moment and reflect on our Pause: Making Time for What Matters Most series. (If you missed any of the weeks you can listen online by clicking here). Here is where we have been the past 5 weeks:

• Slow Motion: Refusing to Live in Fast Forward

• Widescreen: Defining Limits

• Zoom: Magnifying What Matters

• High-Def: Focusing Your Life

• Universal Remote: Keeping it Simple

Each week we took a different look at how we could reorganize our lives around what really matters. I am so grateful to God for the people He has placed in my life to remind me to Pause… I thought I would give out some props right now.

• Bill Billingsley (a pastor and mentor): taught me to Pause so I could really connect with my children.

• Ron Sylvia (personal friend and pastor/mentor): reminded me to Pause before I spoke and wounded people that I loved.

• Sandy, my wife: taught me to Pause and slow down so I could enjoy my family.

• Steve Stroope (Church at the Bay partner and mentor): taught me to Pause by taking a day off each week.

• My Family: has pressed their pause button every Sunday afternoon and reminded me of the gift of God that I have- a great family.

• Coach Jay Dye (High School BB Coach): reminded me to Pause and really focus my life.

• John Parsons (college friend, boss and mentor): taught me to Pause and make sure I was putting my wife first.

• Church at the Bay: has reminded me that when I take time to Pause I can discover what is God’s next step for my life.

• God: forgave me and reconciled me to Himself in the greatest Pause button in history- The Cross.

Talk Back

Who has taught you the value of a Pause?

Finally, if you are looking for the Pause blogs- just click here.

This past weekend we discussed that God’s ultimate goal for our lives is for us to become more like His Son (Romans 8:28-29). I mentioned 2 areas God will use to shape us- circumstances and spiritual disciplines. Let’s all remember disciplines won’t take you to heaven. We are not trying to earn God’s favor. That is why being a Christ follower is different than every religion in the world. All the religions begin with “D-O” in order to gain God’s favor. The Christian faith begins with “D-O-N-E”. So the Holy Habits are not about earning favor- they are more about us allowing God to mold us… He is the potter and we are clay- and He wants to shape us. So I thought today I would give you 2 tools for developing the discipline or habit of a daily time with God.

Click on this Link for a pdf developed by Rick Warren to help you get started with a daily time with God

Click on this link for a step by step practical message (you can listen online) I taught at The Bay focusing on how to spend time daily with God

Remember- no one enjoys discipline but everyone likes the results!

Finally! My home internet is back up. It went out last Thursday and made life difficult. I was surprised how much I really go to the internet to get just basic info like:

• Weather
• Movies
• Final Four Info
• Banking
• Etc

When I first lost connection, I tried the following:

• Finding and unencrypted neighbors wifi- nobody would share!

• Spending 1.5 hours on the phone with a technician

• Booting and re-booting

• Plugging and unplugging

• And yes… I prayed

On Saturday morning I lost connection to the rep (my cell phone battery died) and I just gave up. This morning I shut everything down and booted up the systems one at a time. I reprogrammed my wireless network and BOOM- I am back on.

Here is my thought- how serious is my connection with God? How long can I go without a full connection? What do I do to reconnect? Do I give Him the same attention I give my internet?

For me, I mess up my connection with God daily- often hourly because of my sin. I would like to tell you that when the connection is gone- I give it immediate attention. I said I would like to tell you that- but it would be a lie. Too often I lose my connection and go on as though nothing had changed. I know I am disconnected and so does God. My system needs re-booting and often re-programming. That is why most morning I start my day by unplugging from life, shutting my systems down and re-booting. I do this during my time with God. I actually turn off my email during this time because I know my tendencies.

Talk Back

1. When do you do to re-boot your system? Anything creative?