As many of you know, I’ve been spending many-an-hour in front of the mac-screen lately.  Plugging away at getting some books finished so they can be sent off for final edits and the rest of the publishing process. Well, the mind can only take so much time without needing a little distraction.  Some of these distractions are great, others start out great and then become consuming and some should just never be entertained at all.

For today’s Top 5, I’ll give you my top 5 time fillers.  The things, that if done in moderation, serve me as good break from the norm.  The criteria: these are all things I find myself doing to take a break from my writing/studying while at a coffee shop (since this is where much of my writing gets done).  Perhaps another top 5 will list my biggest hindrances!

Without further ado, the list…

Five: The iPhone. The quick phone call, text message, game of hearts or searching for a new app.  The iPhone really is a nice distraction and breaks concentration for just long enough to feel like I just had first recess back in elementary (you remember that really short 10 minute recess?).

Four: Virtual Meetings. Surfing through some Facebook pages, chatting online with a friend or following a few folk on Twitter, these are the virtual meetings I’m talking about.  Amazing, but in five minutes you can learn a lot from the quick read or iChat conversation.  I spend five minutes reading a favorite blog, or three minutes on your Facebook page looking at your recent pictures and then get back to my work… a nice little break with the virtual world.

Three: Blogging. Doing this blog has really been a blessing.  There are times where I wonder if it is something that I should do? However, I have really enjoyed the discipline part of it.  I’ve had nearly 31,000 visits to the blog in the 17 months, so I guess it serves some purpose in the lives of others, and I know that it allows me to exercise some writing muscles and keeps me thinking creatively.

Two: Impromptu Meetings from Real People. Of course I have the run-ins with friends, former church members, current church members, other Youth Pastors, students from Youth Groups, Youthmark or Young Life, etc. who just happen to come into the coffee shops I frequent.  Every now and then I have the intentional drop-by visit from friends or family who know where I am!  The little blessing of my son seeing me across the cafe and saying “Dadda, Dadda!” as he waddles toward me is awesome!  Getting a squeeze from Halle, an “I love you” from Audrey and a word of encouragement from Elisabeth during my day is a very welcome little surprise!

*Interesting that as I type this my friend Jess Champers, a local pastor just came in!  He was blessed to be that Real Person I just spoke of!

One: Sharing Jesus! I would guess that it averages out to about one-time per week that I have (or take) the opportunity to either initiate or respond to a conversation at my local coffee shops which leads to a witness opportunity.  Sometimes its a question about the superior Mac (vs. PC) that causes a conversation, other times its my open Bible sitting next to me and every now-and-then its eaves dropping on a conversation that needs to then be interrupted.

I guess it really isn’t time-killing, it’s a calling!  “Lord, may I take every opportunity to share you!”

Well, there you have it, the top distractions that serve as a blessing.  Of course numbers two thru five can serve as unnecessary distractions as well.  Balance is the key.  Speaking of balance, time to balance out this writing with some real writing now!

Hope I have served as a sufficient time-killer for you today!

Grace,
Brian