Come Monday, It'll Be Alright!

It's Monday and am I ever thankful. It has been a weekend of acticity around here. We attended a Leadership Summit, cared for a sick daughter, taught 30 4&5 year olds how "Love is not rude", and even squeezed in time to make a pot of chicken and dumplings, watch 2 football games, have a fire, do some laundry, and thankfully take a shower.

This is the pace of life these days. It is similar to the Nascar race I watched some of yesterday. We fly around the track of life at 180 MPH, let off the accelerator a tad and 'slow' down to say 165 in the corners, only to mash the pedal to the floor about 2 seconds later as we enter the next straight away.

When I was in Alaska, I thought I was busy. I now realize that I had no clue of the definition of busy. We are so busy in life these days. Not just Rachel and I here in KC, but western society as a whole. We live a drive-thru lifestyle. Drive up, place our order, drive to the window, get our order and drive off. Instant gratification at its finest, only with little nutritional value.

So lets stop and look at that a little more. sometimes it is great to be busy. Things can actually get done. However, all too often it seems that we get so caught up in being busy more work is created in our haste. Details get forgooten that have to be fixed later. Plans are made without the full consequences being considered. Big decisions are made in a snap instead of going thorugh the proper sequence of garnering the counsel of wise people, praying over the decision and examining the heart of everyone connected.

Then there are priorities? Do you even know THE or A correct priority structure? Here is mine:
GOD FAMILY CHURCH
Sounds simple huh? It's not. Throughout my marriage, even in the beginning when i was such a jerk it is a MIRACLE Mrs. Pleasants stuck by me, we made family first. I have left jobs paying great money, because the demand on my time crossed the line of time with the family. Family comes first. Time and time again I see business people and ministers giving themselves to her things than their family. Then they wander why their kids are getting into trouble, why they seem aimless, why their marriages are falling apart. If priorites are straight, things seem to work out. It wont be easy and the battle will rage for what sems like eternity as people attempt to impinge on your priorities. However, in the end, the reward is huge.

Here is my challenge to my WHOLE family, mom, dad, and sis, this means you (the rest of you join in too). Go find a bible. Then read Matthew 5, 6, 7. Do it right after you read this. IT wont take long, and I promise it wont hurt you. Then for the rest of the week, or longer if you can, try and live like those chapters talk about. This isn't about being a "holy roller". It is about living life well and treating others the same. Exactly the way my father raised me to be!