Author Archives

    Jamie Booth

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    Summer Reading

    I have picked out a few titles for some summer reading.  The hope is to stay on track with reading a book a week.  We’ll see how I do.  At any rate, here is the proposed reading list….

    1. Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper
    2. The Monkey and the Fish by Dave Gibbons
    3. Less Clutter.  Less Noise.   By Kem Meyer
    4. Church Unique by Will Mancini
    5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
    6. Unfashionable by Tullian Tchividjian
    7. The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy
    8. God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens. (Got to read the other sides opinions.)
    9. The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus
    10. Joan of Arc by Siobhan Nash-Marshall
    11. Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson
    12. More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey

    I am sure there are other great titles out there that I don’t even know about.  What are they?

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    A New Approach

    I have been trying a new approach to my devotional times over the last few weeks.   I have been using a Life Journal, and I think I like the way it sets everything up. The basic idea is to spend 20 minutes reading Scripture, 20 minutes journaling, and 20 minutes praying for God to help you apply what you read and wrote about.  I am not much of a writer, so no poking fun of me, but If you would like you can check out a blog I wrote a week, or so, ago entitled "20/20/20" which shares one of my journal entry's.  If you are interested in picking up a Life Journal you can order one from www.lifejournal.cc, or if you are are CCC'er, you can just pick one up in the church resource center.

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    Only One Thing is Needed

    You’ve heard the story before.  Jesus goes to visit Mary and Martha.  Martha, because of her love for Jesus, wanted to be sure everything was just right for His visit.  So, Martha, spent her time tending to the many details that she felt needed to be taken care of. Mary on the other hand, because of her love, sat and visited with Jesus, being sure to enjoy His company. The story continues with Martha getting upset that her sister is not helping out with all the work and is just sitting around talking.  Jesus rebukes Martha by saying “only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better”

    Here is what I notice about this story…Jesus said only one thing was required.  He didn’t say that 10 things were required, or even just a few important things, but one thing. Jesus was apparently not too impressed with Martha’s attempt to get lots done.

    I love to do lists, shopping lists, priority lists, lists of core values, and lots of other lists and checklists.  I’m a list nut…a Martha by nature…always on mission, always a list of things to get done.  My lists help me keep a lot of things in focus, things that my brain would otherwise forget.

    In the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus shares that there is only one main thing to keep in focus, and that one thing is Him.  Or to put it another way, it’s not the things on our lists that matter most, what matters most not forgetting the reason we are doing them in the first place…to serve him, to worship him, to simply enjoy his company.

    John Piper reminds us, “The opposite of wasting your life is to live by a single, soul-satisfying passion for the supremacy of God in all things.”  A single, soul satisfying passion. A passion for God.  A passion like Mary had just to spend time with Him…just to focus on Christ.

    I need to apply the story of Mary and Martha, along with John’s thoughts, to my life.  In the business that life presents, I need to remember to slow down and focus on the one thing that matters…Him. Both Mary and Martha loved Jesus, both had the right intentions, but only one did it the right way…the one who focused on Him.

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    10 Lessons Learned from A Walk with Jack

    Jack and I went for a walk today.  The goal was simply to get to the playground and back, but I thought I would let Jack lead the way this time to see if he knew how to get there.   A few observations from our journey….

    1.  It doesn't matter what path you take as long as you get to the destination.  It wasn't the way I would have gone, but we still got to the playground.  Sometimes it is good to let others lead and try a new approach.

    2. When you let someone take you on a new path you meet new people and see new things.  I met some neighbors today I didn't even know I had.

    3. Kids will miss some nice stops along the way without guidance.  Jack wouldn't have had the chance to see the "big trucks" unless I pointed him in the right direction one time.

    4. People will lose heart from time-to-time and need someone to prod them on.  At one point Jack just wanted to take off his shoes and quit.

    5. You need someone to keep you from running out in front of moving cars.  Literally in our case, figuratively for many others.

    6. Sometimes we get distracted from the ultimate goal by something as insignificant as jumping off stairs.  It's nice to have a partner there to remind you that there are swings and slides waiting just ahead. 

    7. Life is better when you take time to enjoy with those you are on the journey with.  Sometimes it is nice just to stop, sit down under a tree, and take a break together.  

    8. It is nice to have someone carry you up the big hills when you are exhausted.  It is tough to finish the big journeys in life alone.

    9. It takes a little longer when you let a one year old lead, but the
    lessons they learn along the way make the longer journey worth it.      If you don't let others lead, they may never learn their own way around the neighborhood.

    10. There is a reward at the end.  It's true whether you are talking about swings and slides, or eternity.

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    My New Shoes

    I am really looking forward to my birthday.  I am sure I will get gifts that I will like, but I am especially  looking forward to opening one gift…a new pair of shoes I am getting from Becky.  I am not really a clothing buff, but I am really looking forward to getting these shoes because they are from Tom’s Shoes.

    Here is what makes these shoes so special…for every pair of shoes that Tom’s Shoes sells they give a another pair away free to a child in need.  To date they have given away over 140,000 pairs of shoes.

    Here is the website in case you want to order a pair for yourself…http://www.tomsshoes.com/

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    Katie’s #5 Priority

    A few days ago I was talking with Katie, one of our Zion interns for the summer.  We were talking about priorities.    When I asked her about her top priorities, she had many of the same ones I have…God, family, friends, etc…   But what stuck out to me was her fifth priority, which was simply to be a dependable person.

    I appreciate her having this priority.  I don't think that there are too many people who would put being dependable on their lists of priorities for life, but Katie does.  Whatever she does in life, she wants to be known as someone who is dependable….someone whose "yes" is "yes" and whose "no" is "no", someone who does what they say they are going to do.  The thing about it is, having worked with her for a while now, I can say that she lives out this priority (although she did stay home sick today, but I suspect that was due to eating to much chocolate the night before!).

    At any rate, props to Katie for her inspiration to me, and hopefully a few others, to be more dependable.

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    Priorities – My Top 10

    Earlier this year I sat down and revisited my list of priorities.  At that time I knew that some changes needed to be made.  I still struggle with living out the priorities I have written out, but I am doing better.  In fact, this year has been the most balanced year I have ever had.

    Here are my priorities.  They maybe different than yours, but I imagine there are some similarities.

    1. Relationship with God – Gotta’ put my relationship with God first.  This is not the time I spend at the church, but time developing my personal relationship with God.

    2. Becky and Jack     – I love my family, and spending time with my family.  They make life fun and full of joy.

    3. Church & Ministry     – Making sure I am spending my time wisely, and doing the most important tasks first.

    4. Personal Growth & Study – Trying to spend more time reading and studying this year than I ever have before.  I am already seeing the fruits of making this a priority.

    5. Finances – Really trying to be sure I am doing the best I can with handling my money, and using my families finances to live out our core value of being generous.

    6. Fitness – This is where I need to do a better job of living out my priorities.  I have been to the gym more than I ever have been before, but not nearly as much as I should be going (as some of you have noted!).

    7. Key Leaders     – I am really trying to do a better job of coming alongside key leaders and involving them in the process of what we are doing in childrens ministry at the church.  This ties in to priority number 3, but I at least for the next year, or two, I wanted to keep it distinctly different.

    8. Friendships – Trying to take more time to slow down and spend time with friends.

    9. Writing – Trying to take more time to write, even if it is just random thoughts here and there.  You are reading the fruit of this priority right now.

    10. Global Issues     – Finally, getting more involved in global issues like child poverty.  Currently I am working with a few different organizations around the globe.

    This is my list.  It may not be the perfect list, but it is what is important to me at this stage in my life.  What is important to you?  What are your priorities?  I would love to know.

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    20/20/20

    20/20 vision means you have 'perfect' vision.  You can have better vision, but 20/20 is the standard when it comes to having good eyesight.  I don't know that it will ever become the standard of devotions, but I have recently adopted a new approach to my devotional time.  It is the 20/20/20 approach (yes this idea I took from someone else).  The idea is for me to spend 20 minutes reading my Bible, 20 minutes journaling on one verse from my reading, and then 20 minutes praying about how to apply that verse to my life.  One hour, broken down into three equal, 20 minute, sections.

    Here is my entry from my 20 minutes of journaling this morning.  Not terribly profound, but it is what I wrote.  My reason for sharing is not to enlighten you with some great truth I found in scripture, but to show you my recent approach.  That way if you want, you can take and use it as well.

    Oh yeah, one more thing, you have to read the title in a cheesy television infomercial voice.

    title// double your learning capacity in one easy step!

    scripture// whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.  proverbs 12:1

    observation// a short verse, but a powerful truth.  being open to correction gives us opportunities to grow and mature that we otherwise would not have had.  being defensive and not open to listening to the instruction of others does not allow us to learn from our mistakes, and limits our opportunities for growth.  solomon, the author of this proverb, realizes if we are to 'grow in knowledge' as much as we should, we need to be open to correction.

    application// someone smarter than me once said, 'if i can learn from my mistakes as well as my successes then i will learn twice as much in life.'  i would love to be able to say i always do this…that i always try to learn from my mistakes, and the correction, i receive.  the reality is though when someone addresses an issue with me i usually slip into defense.  i try justify my actions, or deflect the blame to someone else.  i am not sure why i do it.  insecurity….perhaps.  a need to always be right…probably part of it.  whatever the reason, it is certainly true that i do not 'love' correction.

    prayer// GOD help me to be open to correction.  i realize that correction is one way i grow as a person and in my relationship with YOU.  help me to not justify, rationalize, or cover up my mistakes, but to learn from them, and the correction that comes with them.  help me to love correction, so i can learn twice as much in life.

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    Straight C’s & T’s

    Jack received his first report card today, and he got all C’s….and T’s.  For those of you who might not familiar with nursery school grade card lingo, there are only 3 options…C for Can Do, T for Trying and N for Not Yet Introduced.

    If an A is worth 10 bucks in high school, and a B is worth 5, what kind of reward do you give a one year old who gets a T on their report card?