If I had to pick only one book that I’ve read in the past several years that has had the biggest impact on my life then Getting Things Done would be at the top of my list. Most books on time management take a “top-down” approach starting with life purpose, long-range goals, annual goals, and how to block time in your calendar to work on them. GTD uses a “bottom-up” approach and starts with getting on top of the piles on your desk and getting your email inbox to zero everyday. I can get more done each day because I now have a system that captures everything I have to do. This allows me to focus on what I’m doing instead of trying to remember everything that I have to do. I have tweaked the settings on Microsoft Outlook so that it works the way I do. No need to buy any other expensive software or add-ins. I recommend the book for anyone who feels overloaded at work and struggling to find more balance in life.

I recently returned from a board meeting for the Caspari Center in Israel. After the meeting the entire board attended a Caspari teacher training workshop in Beer Sheva for Messianic congregations. The training was conducted in Hebrew with translation into Russian and Spanish. Because there are so many recent immigrants in the Messianic community in Israel, any resources we produce are normally printed in several languages. Similarly, any workshops we conduct usually require translation into several languages. I was amazed to see five Israeli publishers marketing their materials at the conference. This is a strong sign of growth and maturity in the Messianic movement in Israel. The photo is from the ruins at Beit She’an, the city where the bodies of Saul and his son were hung on the city wall after being killed in battle.