Photo and Commentary ©2026 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath, July 11, 2026
I think I’ve almost weaned myself off the habit of mooning around in thrift store office-supply sections hunting for fascinating notebooks. Part of my recovery is because I actually possess at least one of pretty nearly every kind of notebook, and I really need to weed them out of my life. So nowadays, when I drift through thrift stores, I tend to smile sadly and pass along to the used-book section.
However, a couple of weeks ago I saw this notebook and almost bought it. Its title is slightly misleading. At first glance it might strike you as a sinister and even Satanic manual for heavy-handedly manipulating other people, but it’s not that at all. It’s about dominating your personal day – getting a grip on your priorities and your schedule. If you open to any two-page spread, you are urged to “List the top five most important decision-making criteria,” and it gives you space to do that. Then, “Which tasks do I do that fit into the highest number of these criteria?” Then you are challenged to “bucket your tasks,” and finally to give yourself a reward if you’ve successfully done these things for a month.
As I say, I resisted the temptation to buy this notebook, even though its suggestions are all very good. But since I’m a Christian, and a Christian pastor, I believe it’s less important to mindlessly handcuff myself to tasks which might hamper me from responding properly to a sudden crisis in the life of a church member. Over the years I’ve challenged myself to do my work, on time and as good as I can, while asking the Lord, “Lead me to someone who needs me today.”
Here are two Bible verses to guide us: