I must admit that I stole the title of this post from Dave Cheong. You can find his post here, and its a valuable read.

My friend Earl taught me the value of “cross-over principles.” He introduced me to writings outside of ministry that have so many basic lessons in them that could be applied to ministry settings. Books and blogs by people who write for small businesses, for example, can have great insights into leadership that could be applied outside of business. Thanks, Earl, for challenging my thinking.

The above post is one of those writings that has great cross-over value for ministry. Read the post, then go to Nehemiah 6:1-9. Look at how Nehemiah in verse 3 realizes that the developing situation would just distract him from the work that really needed done. Verse 9 captures Nehemiah’s thoughts well also, and it makes me think about my own life and ministry.

What is the main focus of my ministry and life, that I need to make sure some things don’t distract me from it? I think its a question that warrants some attention, otherwise we’ll be sidetracked into doing everything, and we’ll do nothing well.