Mark 9:30, 31  Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there, for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” (NLT)

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Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there,
for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them.

“Timeout!” 

Team sports include within their rules scheduled pauses and a limited number of flexible breaks called timeouts. Some coaches are good at managing their timeouts for maximum benefit to their teams. Others, not so much. The Chicago Bears head coach was fired after the Thanksgiving Day game in part because of how he failed to use his team’s timeouts at the end of the game resulting in an unnecessary loss.

Timeouts are an essential part of life. Jordan Raynor has a good book to help us manage personal timeouts called Redeeming Your Time. You can also find a seven-day devotional based on the book in the YouVersion Bible app. 

Rick Warren, the longtime pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, provides wise guidance about timeouts. He says we should

* Divert daily
* Withdraw weekly
* Abandon annually

My coworker, Becky, adds to this, Schedule a DAWG Day monthly. This stands for Day Alone With God, in case you’ve missed the other occasions when this has been mentioned. 

Jesus practiced personal prayer retreats. He also took his disciples on retreats like the one mentioned in the verses above. This occasion was for special teaching and training in advance of what was about to happen when they made the journey to Jerusalem. Jesus would be betrayed, beaten, and crucified. His disciples needed to understand as far as possible that this was all part of the plan. 

Our family has focused on a special opportunity, not a big problem, for the last few weeks. It gets significant attention daily. This may go on for a while, but the result should be delightful. Thankfully, we have had flexible time because of the holidays to lean into this matter of focus.

* What do you need to focus on today? 
* What do you need to focus on this week? 
* What do you need to focus on this month? 
* What do you need to focus on this quarter? 
* What do you need to focus on this year?

This is the time of year when most people think about planning and resolutions. Establishing and cultivating rhythms and routines that become habits provides a great deal more success than writing down a personal wish list without the necessary daily steps and helpful accountability. 

John Maxwell says, “Nothing changes ultimately until we change something we do daily.” If you have a goal to lose ten pounds, what will you do daily to get you there? How long will that take? Who can help you succeed? 

What other goals require a new habit to achieve?

Also, the idea of accountability is often thrown around like it’s about someone invading your personal space to boss you around. I much prefer the definition of accountability from the book The 12 Week Year. The authors say accountability is a promise we make to ourselves that we invite others to help us keep. This works best when the others are also working on the same promises to themselves. 

Mutual encouragement beats pugnacious policing any ol’ day.

Which level of withdrawal do you need now? 

Who can encourage you toward success?

What are your best next steps?

When will you get started?

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I will withdraw this week to finalize my annual goal, quarterly plans, and daily action steps. 

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Our Father, give we increasing wisdom for cultivating rhythms and routines that become life-giving habits. Surround me with likeminded friends who will help me keep my promises to you and to myself. Empower me to serve others who need to learn what I am learning. Teach us what we need to know for the season to come. Amen.