The Blazing Center

Does Your Job Really Matter?

18 June 2009

25539 CommentsDoes+Your+Job+Really+Matter%3F2009-06-18+10%3A00%3A08Stephen+Altrogge

You are one of 4,000 residents of Cubicleville USA, and you do the same thing every day. You enter your sensory deprivation chamber, turn on the computing device, and fire up your favorite spreadsheet. For eight hours you crank out numbers that are somehow related to something called “gross market value” and “the bottom line”. [...]

GTD for the Glory of God

10 February 2009

18668 CommentsGTD+for+the+Glory+of+God2009-02-10+10%3A00%3A59Stephen+Altrogge

By now you’ve probably heard of David Allen’s book Getting Things Done. In essence, the book promises to help you organize every facet of your life, from your retirement to your sock drawer. The book has a strange effect on many people, myself included. Reading it sends me into a breathless euphoria, and visions of “Next [...]

The Dangers of Productivity

9 July 2008

57711 CommentsThe+Dangers+of+Productivity2008-07-09+10%3A00%3A24Stephen+Altrogge

Confession: I’m a productivity fiend. I love the whole idea of getting things done, banging through a checklist, and keeping on top of things. I love hearing people’s tricks and tips for becoming more productive. And I do believe that there’s a biblical precedent for being productive. Ephesians 5:15-16 says, “Look carefully then how you [...]

Doing Vs. Loving

19 June 2007

64 CommentsDoing+Vs.+Loving2007-06-19+13%3A15%3A00Stephen+Altrogge

I’m a doer not a lover. Yeah I know, it sounds like a cheesy lyric from a love song written in the 1970’s, the kind of song that shows up on Time Life Compilation CD’s. But unfortunately this statement is often true of my own life. As I’ve continued reading Getting Things Done, I’ve [...]

Our Very Happy God

18 June 2007

52 CommentsOur+Very+Happy+God2007-06-18+13%3A37%3A00Stephen+Altrogge

Have you ever felt the satisfaction of accomplishing something, of having your plans succeed? It’s a really good feeling. Or, have you felt the burning frustration that comes with having your plans thwarted? Nothing is more maddening than seeing a well laid plan shot to pieces. As I’ve read the book Getting Things [...]

The God Who Gets Things Done

17 June 2007

43 CommentsThe+God+Who+Gets+Things+Done2007-06-17+12%3A00%3A00Stephen+Altrogge

I’m going on vacation this week and plan on reading the book Getting Things Done, by David R. Allen. This productivity oriented book has generated an almost cult-like following of people who walk around with lists in their pockets and categorize every to-do into a “Next Action”, “Project”, “Someday”, “Waiting For”, “If I Don’t [...]