The first thing on my todo list is to make a todo list.

     If you could imagine walking into a closet that has tile walls, floor and ceiling with one of those super bouncy balls that isn't round but has one of those odd shapes that makes it bounce all different ways in your hand. Then you throw the ball as hard as you can against one of the walls and then your try to catch it. That is how my mind works. I never know where it is going and sometimes I don't even know where it was. Focusing on one thing isn't always easy for me. Not only am I easily distracted but  lots of times I don't even need a distraction to get distracted.
     To give you an example of how my mind bounces, as I was turning onto Grace Chapel Road this

morning off of Falls Avenue I was going over my outline for Sunday in my mind. I saw a power pole on Hurricane Hill Road and that reminded me of last night when our power went off. That was followed by memories of other times our power has gone off. Then I saw the old Grace Chapel Fire Department. My thoughts went to how excited I am they will be at our Block Party in June and that reminded me of a decision I need to make on the inflatables for that day. I pondered on that for a bit until I remembered I need to pressure wash the pavilion area because all of the hard rain has mud everywhere. Then my mind went to how much fun our Fire Pit Dedication was last Sunday night. Then for some reason I asked myself if I fed the dog before I left. (I did.) So I ran through my morning to see if I did but before I got to that point I shifted gears to hoping my wife felt better soon. I tried to remember the last time she felt as bad as she did this past weekend. I remembered all the way back before we were married and she had her wisdom teeth took out. Which reminded me of Abby, my daughter, wanting hers out now because we were talking about how rough it was the older you got. She doesn't even have them yet. And as I pulled into the church I was wondering how the Panthers will use Christian McCaffrey this fall. That was almost six thoughts a mile for that two mile drive.
     Like most people with minds that fly around I have found some things that help me focus and ways to be productive. I have found deadlines are key in helping me focus even if they are self imposed. The closer they are the more focused I become. I hardly ever work on one thing at a time. I work on one task until my mind will no longer focus then I switch to another task and then back again. Music helps. Taking notes when I read and drawing lines or circles while on the phone are very good at keeping my mind from running twenty places at once.
     The one thing that works best for me is todo lists. Now I have researched todo lists. There are some similarities in most people's tips for writing todo lists. Things like, "Keep it simple" and "Limit your list" and "prioritize". There are great debates on how much detail to put and if you should schedule when to do each item on your list. I have found a system that works for me when I take the time to use it the right way. During the last week of a month I look at the next month and I write down the things I need to do that month. Each week I make a list of things from that list that I want to finish and add them to my regular weekly tasks. Then I pick a few things off that list for each day. I don't always take the time to write it down and that is when I start to leave things off a list or I do something that can wait instead of what needs to be done before tomorrow. So I have wrote down in my todo list for Friday to come up with an easier way to write everything down that works for me. Of course as my mind has wondered from place to place today it already has an idea. My mind also reminded me I haven't made those bacon wrapped potato skins in a while.
     So why am I telling you about my todo list? Am I trying to advertise a conference I am leading called, "Making Successful Todo List" in the near future? No. I wanted to get your mind focused on focusing. We focus on our jobs, our families, our todo list around the house, our hobbies, our grocery

lists, our vacations, our projects, our friends, our car's needs, the weather, the latest news, our social media accounts, the barking dog next door, the release date for that movie we want to see and 100 other things but we lose focus on what really matters, our relationship with God. We do the same thing at church. We focus on our committee work, the next event, the prayer list, our part in the worship service, wondering who those new people are, wondering where those other people went, if we got to speak to everyone, what needs to be done around the church and making sure we grab a bulletin so much that we lose focus on what matters, our relationship with God. If doesn't matter if you are a todo lister, a fly-by-the-seater, or a naturally focused person you need to make sure you schedule time for you and God. During worship on Sunday morning doesn't count either. You need that time to slip away so you can pray, study your Bible and LISTEN to God. Make a prayer closet if you need a place with no distractions or go to a park to get a way from distractions. Focus on God because He is always focused on you. Don't say I will if I have time. Instead say I will make time. It will be worth every second you schedule.

Parting Thought: The Telephone Law says when you dial a wrong number you will never get a busy signal.