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The Fellows Program and Creating Margin

Is your life overloaded? How do you handle the busyness, stress, and the rush of modern life? Whether it’s an overflowing email inbox, incessant smart phone notifications, or two toddlers pulling at your legs, there’s a host of demands on our time.

If you’re like me, you need God’s help to prioritize and manage your moments well – let alone make it through each day!

As a husband and father of four young kids (as well as a full-time worker and carrying a host of other responsibilities) managing time is a challenge. How can I set apart space and time to meet with God and emphasize the relationships and tasks that matter most? (Do you ever ask yourself such questions?)

 

Ordering Life Around God’s Priorities and Promises

Recently I joined the Year One Fellows Program at the C.S. Lewis Institute. I see this as a God-given opportunity to go deeper in my faith and seek to order my life around God’s priorities and promises. The Fellows Program offers a year of intensive discipleship through Bible Study, classic readings, lectures, group discussion and prayer, personal spiritual mentoring and accountability.

During the first months of the program, Fellows focus their attention on “creating margin” and receiving and living in the grace of God. It’s about soaking in God’s undeserved kindness and love as we build a foundation for ongoing spiritual nourishment and growth. Part of this involves thinking deeply about how we spend our time.

“Spending time” of course is an interesting phrase. Much of the way that we think about time in the West is related to economics. Our time can be budgeted, saved, spent, or wasted. But how does God view time? Is time marked by money, clocks, calendars and deadlines? Or is it measured by the rotation of the earth and movement of the sun? Or should our time be ordered more around relationships, meaningful events and gatherings?

“The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:25

While we may not know how much time we have or what will happen from one hour or one day to the next, the good news is that God transcends time and He “sees it all.” God is Eternal. Every moment is sacred, and God is the great compass who can help us set our course upon the seas. It may sound simple, but by inviting God to inform our perspective and choosing to “wait” on Him we can set wise priorities for each day in light of eternity. For me, this means starting each day by reflecting on the story God is writing across time and space, the great adventure of redemption through Jesus Christ.

I look forward to continuing to learn, grow, and “wait” in the months ahead through the C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows Program. If you’re interested in learning more about the Fellows Program, please click here.

 

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Dave Chaves

Dave Chaves, Technology and Product Development Manager, has worked in nonprofit, Christian communications for over 10 years, including most recently with Five Talents USA. He holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University and an MDiv from Africa International University. He’s been involved in cross-cultural missions in East Africa for over 10 years and is an Associate Missionary with the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders.  Dave met his lovely wife Lucy in Kenya and they have four children. He is excited to be part of the CSLI team and to support communications and technology to further the ministry of discipleship.

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