Redeeming Productivity

Feeling overwhelmed and unproductive? The answer isn’t to do more. What image forms in your mind when you think of productivity? An assembly line? Spreadsheets? Business suits or workplace uniforms? In the ancient world, productivity didn't conjure images like these. Instead, it referred to crop yield and fruit bearing. This agrarian imagery helps us understand productivity through a biblical lens. Jesus taught, By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit (John 15:8). Who doesn’t want to have a truly productive life—to bear much fruit? But how does this happen in the places we hold dear—the home, workplace, and in our communities? We often feel overworked and overrun, defeated and discouraged. The world says be productive so that you can get all you can out of this life. The Bible says be productive so you can gain more of the next life. In Redeeming Productivity, author Reagan Rose explores how God’s glory is the purpose for which He planted us. And he shows how productivity must be firmly rooted in the gospel. Only through our connection to Christ—the True Vine—are we empowered to produce good fruit. This book shows how we can maintain the vitality of that connection through simple, life-giving disciplines. Readers will discover manageable applications like giving God the first fruits of our days. Additionally, Reagan discusses how our perspective on suffering is transformed as we see trials as God’s pruning for greater productivity.

Manage your time the way Jesus managed his with a biblical antidote to swamped to-do lists and hurried schedules. “A highly practical road map.”—Mark Batterson, New York Times bestselling author and lead pastor of National Community Church Despite the overwhelming amount of resources for time management and work-life balance, the ability to cultivate the efficiency and equilibrium needed to manage all our worthy pursuits can often feel frustratingly out of reach. The reason for our struggle is that productivity and time-management systems focus on individual habits rather than more meaningful and lasting lifestyle changes. But as it turns out, there is a better way to reach our full potential. We don’t need just another approach to changing our habits. What we need is an operating system that takes into account the full scope of our lives. In these pages, bestselling author Jordan Raynor presents this system, using seven powerful time- management principles drawn from the example of how Jesus lived: 1. Start with the Word: Find meaningful connection with the author of time daily. 2. Let Your Yes Be Yes: Accept only the commitments you can fulfill. 3. Dissent from the Kingdom of Noise: Create room for silence, stillness, and reflection. 4. Prioritize Your Yeses: Confidently maintain your commitments. 5. Accept Your “Unipresence”: Focus on one important thing at a time. 6. Embrace Productive Rest: Live the God-designed rhythms of rest which are productive for our goals and souls. 7. Eliminate All Hurry: Embrace productive busyness while ruthlessly eliminating hurry from our lives. With these principles, you’ll see how Jesus managed his time on earth and how he responded to human constraints much like the ones you face today. More than that, you’ll discover corresponding practices that will help you embrace the best, most Christlike version of yourself possible: purposeful, present, and wildly productive.

In this punchy and wise book, Douglas Wilson considers the theology behind technology, work, wealth, and mission and gives unforgettable advice on how to be productive-and to think about productivity-in the digital age.

Money. The thought of it can be overwhelming, and the pursuit of it can be addicting. Our society constantly promises us that money will provide what we want—success, comfort, peace, and happiness—leading our fickle hearts to trust money for things it was never intended to give us. Even if we think we know what the Bible says about money, there seems to be a gap between our theology and our everyday money struggles. In this practical and hopeful book, best-selling author Paul David Tripp shows us how to view and interact with money in a God-honoring way. Through chapters that expose the depths of our heart struggles and our need for grace, this book offers a roadmap to find peace, generosity, and joy in the world that God created.

How can the arts witness to the transcendence of the Christian God? Many people believe that there is something transcendent about the arts, that they can awaken a profound sense of awe, wonder, and mystery, of something “beyond” this world—even for those who may have no use for conventional forms of Christianity. In this book Jeremy Begbie—a leading voice on theology and the arts—employs a biblical, Trinitarian imagination to show how Christian involvement in the arts can be shaped by the distinctive vision of God’s transcendence opened up in and through Jesus Christ.

A fully developed biblical perspective of work and leisure finds the holistic balance missing from today in Puritan enjoyment of both as important to life.

By anchoring your understanding of productivity in God's plan, What's Best Next gives you a practical approach for increasing your effectiveness in everything you do. There are a lot of myths about productivity--what it means to get things done and how to accomplish work that really matters. In our current era of innovation and information overload, it may feel harder than ever to understand the meaning of work or to have a sense of vocation or calling. So how do you get more of the right things done without confusing mere activity for actual productivity? Matt Perman has spent his career helping people learn how to do work in a gospel-centered and effective way. What's Best Next explains his approach to unlocking productivity and fulfillment in work by showing how faith relates to work, even in our everyday grind. What's Best Next is packed with biblical and theological insight and practical counsel that you can put into practice today, such as: How to create a mission statement for your life that's actually practicable. How to delegate to people in a way that really empowers them. How to overcome time killers like procrastination, interruptions, and multitasking by turning them around and making them work for you. How to process workflow efficiently and get your email inbox to zero every day. How to have peace of mind without needing to have everything under control. How generosity is actually the key to unlocking productivity. This expanded edition includes: a new chapter on productivity in a fallen world a new appendix on being more productive with work that requires creative thinking. Productivity isn't just about getting more things done. It's about getting the right things done--the things that count, make a difference, and move the world forward. You can learn how to do work that matters and how to do it well.

Gaming is multi-billion-dollar industry, which has been growing massively in the last few years. It seems that everyone is gaming in one way or another. You might not think that the Bible has anything to say about gaming, but Reagan Rose has written this helpful book on what our relationship with gaming should look like. Track is a series of books designed to disciple the next generation in the areas of culture, doctrine, & the Christian life. While the topics addressed aren't always simple, they are communicated in a manner that is.

Productive days don't just happen. They're the result of upending the habits that aren't working for us and developing ones that will. Using his proven 7-minute framework, productivity expert John Brandon reveals how to radically reduce digital distractions and revamp your routines for better focus, efficiency, and outcomes. The 7-Minute Productivity Solution shows you how to - start your day - manage your schedule - stop obsessively checking email - take effective breaks - create compelling presentations - and more It only takes 7 minutes to transform your days from mindlessly reacting to whatever comes your way to mindfully structuring your time for maximum impact.

"In this distinctively Christian approach to habits, Greg Gifford makes the case from Scripture that both heart motivations and godly practice are critical for growth in Christ. He shows that progressive sanctification travels on a bidirectional highway between our hearts and our habits-we do what we love and we love as we do! Filled with concrete examples and exercises to address our hearts and habits in the various spheres of life, Greg helps the reader put into practice the fear of the LORD (Psalm111:10) in everyday life."-MICHAELR.EMLET, M.Div., M.D., Dean of Faculty and Counselor, Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), and author of Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners: Loving Others As God Loves Us