Last Post

This is my last post on my Blogspot page, but I will continue to post on my new blog, which you can follow here.

Or if you would prefer an easier way to follow/subscribe to my blog, you can have blog posts sent to your e-mail. Just click here and enter your e-mail address.

Information Overload

Living in the Information Age, we can at times (more often than not!) become overloaded and overwhelmed. I read an article in Reader's Digest and thought I'd share with everyone a short excerpt about this.

8 TIPS TO FIGHT INFO OVERLOAD

1. Spot the Signs. Feel alone even as you communicate with people all day? That's a signal technology is dominating your life.
2. Take baby steps. Try being inaccessible for short spurts to see what happens. The world probably won't implode.
3. Repeat these four words: "I have a choice." People who say, "My boss wants me to be reachable after 8PM" are likely exaggerating the control others have over them.
4. Set limits. Rein in office e-mail and instant message traffic. Who truly needs 35 daily FYI's on the Henderson case?
5. Give clear instructions. Try an e-mail signature that reads "I answer e-mail at 10AM, 1PM, and 4PM. If you need a quicker response, please call.
6. Make a task list. If you're interrupted, you'll get back to work faster if you have one.
7. Stick to a schedule. Handle recreational Web surfing and e-mail at set times. Dipping in and out is classic self-interruption.
8. Do a reality check. After five minutes of unplanned surfing, ask yourself, "Should I really be doing this now?"

You can read the rest of the article here.

Get a Handle on Reality

Any normal pastor would agree that they would love to have some kind of handle on the reality of where their church is spiritually. Measuring a person's spiritual health is such a difficult thing, and if done with the wrong motives can actually be a very destructive thing. But as a pastor, it's important to be able to gauge the effectiveness of your discipleship programs. Are they doing what we think they're doing? Pastors can take a guess or just hope they are, but unless you have visible proof, it's very difficult to have even a grasp on the reality of your church's spiritual health. And while you can't really gauge a person's spiritual health because it's such an intangible thing, you can measure how many people are placing themselves in a healthy discipling environment (small groups, Sunday School, etc.).

Here's a few questions to ask yourself to see where your church is?

* What does an individual in your church do to be discipled? Is their a program or process to walk them through a journey of discipleship? If not, you might want to work on that.
* What percentage of those that attend your church on a Sunday morning are going through your discipleship process? You will never have 100%, but a healthy percentage is 50-60%. Don't get discouraged if you're well below this percentage. The big thing is that you're actually looking at the number. Part of grasping the reality of your church's spiritual health is measuring. Looking - not assuming.

The Big Announcement!

Well, the time has finally come for this Big Announcement I've been talking about for probably too long! :)

To recap, here are the two hints I've given:

It will change the way you view me.

It will require you to do something.

And here are some of my favorite guesses you guys have come up with!

anonymous said, "You are dyeing your hair? You are changing your fashion style to the '50's? You are growing a goatee???"

drew said, "I'm going with you're getting a tattoo. Maybe a big heart with "MOM" etched inside. :)"

anonymous said, "I know what it is...You are having bariatric surgery to gain weight? You are moving to Asia to study the Chinese language??? You are donating all of your T-shirts to Speed the Light????"

And now for the Big Announcement: Beginning next week 'A Poole of Thoughts" will be no more. In its place I am launching NickPooleNow.com. It is more than just a blog, but a whole website. You can check out the new digs here.

For those of you that subscribe via e-mail or would like to, you can subscribe to the new feed here.

Also, for those that subscribe with a blog reader or have me on your blogroll, don't forget to change to the new site.

I will be posting on both sites for the rest of this week, but then just on the new one, so make sure you switch everything over soon!! Have a Happy New Year!!!