So I present to you(us) some ideas to help clear out the clutter of our days. Some of these come from a handout of 66 ideas that I received from a good friend who found them somewhere online. And to these I have added some of my own.

1. Nuke it!. The most efficient way to get through a task is to delete it. If it doesn’t need to be done, get it off your to do list.
2. Pareto. The Pareto principle is the 80-20 rule, which states that 80% or the value of a task comes from 20% of the effort. Focus your energy on that critical 20%, and don’t over-engineer the non-critical 80%.
3. Bible. Read a portion of God’s Word first before you read the morning paper or get online news. It gives perspective to the news and the day unfolding.
4. Batching. Batch similar tasks like phone calls or errands into a single chunk and knock them off in a single session.
5. End it. End any relationship that is not necessary to your life and well-being. We have far too many “acquaintances” that we try and develop beyond our time and emotions to do so. This does not mean we are unfriendly to all whom God puts in our path. But it means that we understand that we cannot meet the friendship needs of everyone we meet.
6. Nap. Make time in your day to stretch out and shut your mind down. A few minutes of rest will increase your productivity and outlook.
7. TV-Free. Turn off the TV, especially the news and talk shows and recapture many usable hours.
8. One thing. Focus on the task (or person) at hand. Thinking about all the other things to be done in such a way that distracts you is called worry.
9. Delegate. Turn over tasks to others. It is surprising how much we do that others can do as well, if not better.
10. Remember Priority One: “But ONE THING I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. (Phil. 3:13-14)

But it is hard to deny their enduring popularity. This month is the 40 year anniversary of The Beatles groundbreaking Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. While most albums up until 1967 were a collection of one or two hits padded with filler songs, the Beatles filled Sgt. Pepper’s with an unifying theme, no silence between songs, printed lyrics on the record jacket and took advantage of multitrack recording techniques—all firsts for rock bands.

Their popularity is due though to more than their creative and technological savvy. What is confounding the critics is the four decades plus of fans, many of whom were born in the 90’s(Just for the record, I was born before 1990…). Those who organize Beatles conventions in the USA and Britain say that half of the participants are under 25.

The big question is why, and not just a few in the music industry are discovering some surprising answers. And it’s in these answers is advice for Christians. I know some of you were wondering where I was going with this…. Yes, there are some lessons for followers of Jesus as we strive to be the church in our culture.

First, the tunes are incredibly catchy, singable, fresh, vibrant. They simply are attractive to many music lovers. Which leads me to compare our witness in the world- do we portray an attractiveness to those who observe our life of faith? Are people drawn to Jesus because of what they see in us?? Too often Christians are not seen as winsome(catchy, vibrant, etc.) and that’s a shame. Even when we must stand against sin, we should also be seen as humble, loving, honest, and people of unquestionable integrity.

Second, young people long for the original model. Many of the bands are seen as copies of the Beatles, lacking in creativity and fresh, thematic ideas in both lyrics and score. In other words, there is a whole lot of sameness to much of the music today and young people are voting with their pocket books. Except for the 1980’s, the Beatles have placed at least No.1 album in every decade since the 1960’s. Phenomenal!

In the church, we are not exempt from copying a form that we think works. If a successful church does ministry one way, we pay big bucks to attend a conference to find the formula that will work in our church. The result is becoming all too clear: we are creating a “Wal-Martization” of the church. Attend one church, you have attended them all. For me, I love the variety of denominations, ethnic diviersity in fellowship, styles of worship and the different ways of conducting church and ministry. I believe God is calling us to be unclassifiable, peculiar, noteworthy, unconventional, original, unafraid to be who we are and excited about where we are as the Great Commission is lived out through us.

And finally, as individuals, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison were good, but not great musicians. After the band broke up in 1970, their individual success never did rival the success they had as The Beatles. But only as a band, as a team of musicians in their unique and distinct personalities, did they produced exceptional music.

And here I am reminded of the image of the body of Christ, working together to further the mission of Jesus on earth. Individually, we will never accomplish the rich, complex, diverse, enduring communication of the Gospel through one personality or life. It is only when we come together does the vibrant, catchy, fresh tunes of the Gospel life attract people to Jesus. While it may be a long and winding road(sorry, I couldn’t help it) the result is a revolution of humanities’ view of religion: Jesus is the only one of a kind, true religion is action not words, and a life of faith in Christ is exciting, lively and irresistible.

Both Peter and Paul, apostles whose works are found in the New Testament put pursuit with peacemaking. Paul in Romans 14:19 in the context of living in unity with other Christians who have different views on what are supposed to be non-essentials. He writes that we are to “pursue what makes for peace and the mutual upbuilding..” And Peter writes that one key to a long and fruitful life is to “seek peace and pursue it..”(1 Peter 3:11) I want to say to him, “Yeah right!! Have you not been in the middle of a conflict? It seems to shorten life, not prolong it..”

I think my current tiredness is breeding a bit of cynicism. I know some rest from recent challenges in my church family will refresh my spirit. And I need to be reminded of these words of wisdom from Scripture. The issue still remains to be, how to find ways to maintain the pursuit and see it as a part of life that is joyfully long and prosperous.

As I sort through my fatigue I am coming to some realizations. One is, that in the area of friendships, both with Christians and non-Christians, it is sometimes best to end the relationship. Some people just do not want peace. Again the words of Paul a few lines before the above text, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all”(12:18). Sometimes it is simply not possible because it does not always depend on me. No matter how hard I try, peace is not welcomed, the hurt is chosen to remain, the feelings nurtured and even enjoyed and, pride in personal positions unyielding. I am finding that there is a difference between loving and liking. I am always to love, but does that mean that I like the person? Or, should I desire to be around them? I do not think so.

Love goes beyond the feeling of love to the commitment of the relationship. Love always endures, helps when needed, forgets a wrong, etc. But that is not always reciprocated and that is where I see a distinction. I WILL always love but a close relationship, hang out time friends, deep soul-uniting conversations….? No, that is not possible with all people and it is this realization that begins to bring rest to my peacemaking frazzle.