Redeeming Productivity

Reading is important. And it's especially important to Christians since our God has chosen to reveal Himself to us by means of the written Word. If we are wanting to live lives of productive stewardship for God's glory, we should all want to become better readers—not just of the Bible but of all kinds of books. So, for those who want to read more and get better at retaining what they do read, the 10 tips we cover in this episode are for you. Links Many of these tips came from Mortimer J. Adler's book, How to Read a Book. That's one that is well worth your time. I've also been experimenting with creating a video version of this podcast. You can find that over on The Redeeming Productivity YouTube channel.

In this episode, I am joined by Adam Ford. Adam is the creator of The Babylon Bee, The Adam Ford Newsletter, and his latest venture, Disrn News. In this interview, we talk about everything from the genesis of The Bee; the Christian’s relationship to news and politics; and of course, the tools, techniques, and mindsets Adam employs to bring glory to God while being productive in his work. Links For more about the start of the Babylon Bee check out Adam's interview in episode 19 of the Babylon Bee Podcast Support Redeeming Productivity on Patreon This Week on the Blog: How to Master Any Subject by Making it Interesting

Theologians speak of the sufficiency of Scripture—the doctrine which states that all that believers need to live the Christian life is contained in the Word of God. But when it comes to personal productivity, is the Bible really the only thing we need in order to know how best to steward our work, time, and energy to God’s glory? Links The Truth Matters Conference — Full video and audio from the conference will be posted here in the coming days.The 1689 Second London Baptist Confession.I reference Episode 3 several times, so check that one out if you haven’t listened to it yet.Follow @redeemingprod on Twitter.

In this special 10th episode of the podcast, I tell the story of how I became an accidental minimalist and ended up living in an RV for four years with my wife and dog. I share some of the lessons I learned about “simple living,” minimalism, and the sinfulness of the human heart throughout this journey. Links What Living Full Time in an RV Taught Me About Minimalism and ContentmentThis Week on the Blog: How to Stay Productive, Even When You’re SickDrop us a line at mailbag@redeemingproductivity.comFollow Redeeming Productivity on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

In this episode, we talk about the perfect morning devotions plan. Many Christians wonder how many chapters they should read, should they be studying deeply or reading broadly, or exactly how long they should be spending in the Bible each morning. Is 10 minutes enough, or should I be dedicating several hours each morning? We answer all those questions and more, on this episode of The Redeeming Productivity Show. Links Blog Post – Why Reading Your Bible Every Day is the Best Way to Be ProductiveBlog Post – Biblical Meditation, How to Get StartedAt the time of this podcast release, Phil Johnson’s sermon on Psalm 1 was not yet posted online. You can find it here when it becomes available. It will be the one which was preached on September 29th, 2019.An excellent book on praying as you read the Bible: Donald Whitney – Praying the BibleEvery year, Ligonier updates this post with links to a variety of Bible reading plans.

In this episode, Reagan is joined by Eric Weathers, who serves as Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships with The Master’s Academy International. Eric and Reagan discuss the topic of Christians working in the secular marketplace and Eric’s doctoral work on the writings of John C. Maxwell. Links The Master’s Academy InternationalEric Weather’s chapter on John C. Maxwell from his dissertation

In this episode, we examine the benefits of living a life of integrity. We also explore why the reasons which are usually offered for being people of integrity fall short of the Christian standard. Then, we open up the Bible and examine what the Scriptures say about integrity. God calls us not just to be people of integrity, but to be people of ruthless integrity. Links Redeeming Productivity’s InstagramA great article on the subject of Christian integrity: Integrity and Identity by Jeremiah JohnsonThis week on the blog – Paper vs. Digital Productivity Tools

Today I am joined by Drew Dyck to discuss his new book, Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science. Drew is an acquisitions editor at Moody Publishers, a contributing editor at Christianity Today’s CTPastors.com, and the author of several other books as well. We discuss how self-control fits into the Christian life and how believers can cultivate more of it in their own lives. Links Get Drew’s book, Your Future Self Will Thank YouDrew Dyck’s WebsiteMy review of Your Future Self Will Thank You for The Master’s Seminary Blog.This week on the Blog: How to Organize Your Writing with Markdown

In this episode, we look at the phrase “redeem the time” from Ephesians 5:16 and how having an appreciation for the preciousness of our time changes how we live. From the writings of Jonathan Edwards, we examine four reasons why time is the most valuable resource on earth and what that means for how we spend it. Show Notes Welcome Welcome to the 5th episode… If you have questions, suggestions for topics or just want to say hello. Send me an email at mailbag@redeemingproductivity.com. Be sure to check out the companion blog post 1:21 - Episode Introduction What makes things like gold, diamonds, oil, or other natural resources valuable? The most valuable resources are useful, rare, and nonrenewable. Given these principles for value, the most valuable resource on earth is time. With the help of Jonathan Edwards, we will take a look at Ephesians 5:16 and that phrase, “redeem the time.” 4:20 - Context for Ephesians 5:16 In Ephesians 5:15, the apostle Paul begins a section on “walking in wisdom” so we need to understand the instruction to "redeem the time" in that context. This is one of the ways in which believers are to walk in wisdom. We walk in wisdom by, as it says in the ESV, “making the best use of the time.” 5:26 - Explaining the Phrase That phrase “making the best use of” in the ESV is actually just one word. Some translations render is simply “redeeming.” And that is a good translation because it carries the idea of buying, especially buying back or buying out. Paul uses the same term in Galatians 3:13 when he writes, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us….” And he uses it similarly to our passage in reference to time in Colossians 4:5, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” Making the most of the time is the opposite of delaying, it is taking full advantage of every opportunity. 10:48 - Edwards on The Preciousness of Time American Puritan Jonathan Edwards addresses this important issue in his 1734 sermon “on the preciousness of time and the importance of redeeming it”. In it, he gives four reasons why time is precious. 13:05 - First, time is precious because eternity depends on it. 14:20 - Second, time is precious because it is very short. 17:02 - Third, time is precious because we do not know how much we have. 22:40 - Fourth, time is precious because once it’s gone it’s gone. 24:40 - Application Links 4 Reasons Time is Precious - Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards - The Preciousness of Time and the Importance of Redeeming It - PDF

Ever dreamed of retiring early? How about retiring at 25 or 30? In this episode, we talk about a movement that is inspiring young people to be very productive now, so they can be far less productive later. The financial independence, retire early movement, or FIRE for short, has continued to gain traction among millennials, including some believers. But how should Christians think about this? Is financial independence a worthy pursuit? And most importantly, what does the Bible have to say about it? Links 7 Things You Can Learn From The ‘FIRE’ Early Retirement Movement – Huffington Post Financial Independence subreddit More on Vicki Robin, the Godmother of FIRE More on our time living in an RV – What Living in an RV Taught Me About Minimalism & Contentment Article I wrote for The Master’s Seminary Blog on the deceitfulness of riches – 3 Lies Money Tells This Week on the Redeeming Productivity Blog – 10 Spiritual Benefits of Journaling