How To Be Focused In a Distracted World

We are SO excited about our new book, "Focus" on Amazon Kindle. When my husband and I preached the 4 part series together last year, we knew it was something that everyone struggles with and could benefit from learning about. Here is a short excerpt from the last chapter:

In his book, Deep Work: Rules For Focused Success In A Distracted World, Cal Newport writes: ”In order to produce the best possible results, we must become a disciple of depth in a shallow world.” Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It is based on our need to concentrate, replacing distraction with focus.

There is a natural instinct to avoid depth or deep thinking which allows us to focus.

Have you ever cleared your calendar, prepared your work space and sat down to begin a project that calls for deep focus and suddenly...you find yourself surfing social media or going through emails?

I call it ”shiny-object distraction”. It’s a real thing! My mind wanders easily and indicates this urge to turn my attention toward something superficial. Everyone fights distraction...I’ve read that even Award-winning authors struggle with it.

Some people need seclusion to focus on important tasks. I (Camille) am one of them. But there are times when creativity is helped along by collaborating with someone.

When I collaborate with others, in this instance with my husband on this project, it is an incentive to focus. Knowing we are writing together helps me to buckle down and focus.

Another tip I’ve learned is you can train yourself to be organized. When I sit down to work, I find my mind wandering to my to-do list. I am easily distracted by things left undone. So, get a few to-do list items accomplished during your morning routine and out of the way so you can focus on the important goals.

Designing a work routine can be most helpful to get focused:

1. Determine your top priority goals

2. Decide where you’ll work & for how long

3. Set-up rules for when you are working

4. Support for sustainability: get your coffee!

Download "Focus" today by clicking here:

https://amzn.to/2HnnyPa

It's important to identify distractions in your faith journey and learn to become better focused on the things that matter most. Are you looking to discover the importance of renewing your mind and setting attention on spiritual things?

In "Focus", you will discover what focus really is, identify distractions, and discover how to overcome the things that hold you back from a thriving relationship with God.

Goals of this book:

Focus Forward

Focus on Jesus

Focus on Right Thinking

Focus on the Prize

Focusing on Tasks

Camille and Tim McIntyre draw from 30 years of ministry experience in NYC to help readers get the "bigger picture" concerning the importance of "focus".

Why Do I Worry?

Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why Do I Worry?"

When my daughter was about 4 years old, she fell while running away from me one night, right before bedtime. She was so cute. She said, "Mommy, you can't catch me!" But as she turned to run away, a mother's worst nightmare happened right before my eyes. Her feet slipped out from under her and she fell, face-first on our wooden dining room floor!

As she began to cry, I screamed for my husband who came running. He grabbed her and as he turned her over, we could already see the blood. It came streaming down from her mouth, as her tiny, two front teeth were literally hanging by a thread. She had knocked both of them backward.

We rushed her to the hospital right away. My husband was a rock. I, on the other hand, was not. They took her into the emergency dental department and asked for one of us to hold her down while they wrapped her in a papoose-like straight jacket to keep her from moving. They would extract then suture her up.

It was pretty clear from my queasy, ashen face that I would not be the one called upon. They had me leave the room because I thought I was going to faint. My husband had to hold our little girl's head still as she screamed in pain and fear, begging her dad to make them stop.

I sunk to the floor outside the door, almost having a panic attack. I had never felt such fear in my life. All I could do was bawl my heart out to God, crying out to Him to help my little girl and husband. Right then, the question popped into my mind, "Why are you worrying?" Can you imagine the moment? I pretty much sneered at the question, "Are you joking? Don't you see what's happening, God?!"

Remarkably, the surgery was over before I knew it. They came out to tell me she was ok. I could hardly go in to see her little swollen face, already turning black and blue. She was such a trooper! All she heard was that the Tooth Fairy was going to be extra generous tonight. I even had a special Tooth Fairy pillowcase ready for her, which made her so happy.

As Ellie healed, her doctor and dentist advised that she was young to lose those two front teeth and raised concerns. The gap could lead to further issues as her adult teeth came in. There was the possibility that she would suffer ridicule from her peers, since Ellie would have this gap for a few years before all her classmates began losing them as well.

They recommended a flipper which is a removable partial denture. All I could do was worry about what to do! What was best for her? Would she suffer at the hands of unkind children? Would her future adult set of teeth be affected?

Well, I'm here to tell you that after much prayer and discussion, we decided we would allow her to go without the flipper and navigate her through the peer pressure as she got older. It became a bit of a problem with her speech because without the front teeth, her tongue was not used to sitting correctly and she began developing a lisp. Sure, it was cute but my mind wandered to worrying about unkind children.

All in all, she did not really suffer. It became a lesson where she learned resilience. Her adult teeth did come in crowded which led to extractions and braces but now, her smile is beautiful!

I did struggle with worry over this situation for many years as she grew up. We did have to suffer through countless questions when strangers saw how young she was without teeth. I would doubt and second guess our decisions. I learned how worry could strangle you if allowed to go on unchecked.

You can become overwhelmed by the circumstances that come in life. I have many friends that struggle with anxiety. I hate the token phrases thrown at them that "God has not given us a spirit of fear..." although we grasp onto that truth, it's easier said than done.

But Jesus does teach us in Matthew 6 how useless worry is. What can you accomplish by worrying? It becomes a weight on your shoulders. There comes a time as it did in this situation with my daughter, that you must get alone with God, seek and ask Him to help while reminding yourself to focus on His goodness. It's always helped me to use scripture and gratitude in my prayer time.

It's during these times of prayer that I realized the weight lifted off of my shoulders because He took it from me. I use this one often:

Cast all your worries and cares on God, for He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7

The situation with my daughter was not the last time I would encounter this kind of emergency in our lives. Our youngest son, Aaron, suddenly could not walk. One minute our 5-year-old was running and playing, the next...crying on the ground that he couldn't get up! I screamed for my husband again and away we ran to the emergency room. This time it was a build-up of fluid surrounding his hip joint and doctors said he needed it to be drained by an enormous needle.

But THIS time, I was ready! As the doctor left the room, my husband and I turned to each other and and said, "Oh no he won't!!" We laid hands on that boy and prayed that God would spare him from such agony. The next time the doctors came in to CT Scan him, they said the fluid was gone and he would NOT need the procedure!!

What was the difference? Yes, God was there through both situations but my immediate reaction the second time was to put my faith in God. I fought the initial fear. I put my trust in God to provide a miracle!

I pray that during these next few months of extremely difficult things ahead, you will join me as I learn from Jesus who said, "Therefore, do not worry."

I trust because He has shown me His faithfulness. Try it. Put your trust in Him. He is trustworthy.

God's Got You

I know. It’s been a very difficult and trying week. Our country’s presidential election has clearly shown what divides us. I’ve been meditating on scriptures throughout the week and I’m sharing what's been speaking to me here on the blog. And I surmised, God really is holding everything in His hands.

I've found such comfort when praying, using these names of God that I have been meditating on:

• Covenant-keeping God

• God of all creation

• Everlasting God

• Ancient of Days

• Majestic God: El Elohim

• Almighty: El Shaddai

• Most High: El Elyon

• God of Hosts: Yahweh Tzevoat

These scriptures below have spoken to my anxious heart this week. My hope and prayer is that they calm yours, as they have mine.

Psalms 33

6 The Lord merely spoke,

    and the heavens were created.

He breathed the word,

    and all the stars were born.

7 He assigned the sea its boundaries

    and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.

8 Let the whole world fear the Lord,

    and let everyone stand in awe of him.

9 For when he spoke, the world began!

    It appeared at his command.

10 The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations

    and thwarts all their schemes.

11 But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;

    his intentions can never be shaken.

12 What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,

    whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.

Habakkuk 2:20

“But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.”

2 Chronicles 20:12

“For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

Acts 17

23 So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.

25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Proverbs 4:18

“The way of the righteous is like morning light that gets brighter and brighter till it is full day.”

Symbolism about walking, the way or paths, is common in Scripture. The general idea is that evil creates a dark, jagged road which causes people to be lost, or to fall. Truth and godliness are compared to bright, straight, safe roads. As stated here, following godly wisdom is like walking on a road lit by light of dawn, brighter and brighter until it bursts into full day. 

This is especially appropriate, since Jesus, the sinless Son of God, is defined as "the true light" (John 1:9). He called Himself "the light of the world," and said, "Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). The apostle Paul addressed the believers at Ephesus as "light in the Lord" and exhorted them to "walk as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8). The apostle John wrote that "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). He added, "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). As believers walk in the light, others see our good works and glorify our heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16).

King Solomon urges his son to choose the positive path of wisdom and avoid the negative ways of wickedness. Those caught in evil are portrayed as overcome, addicted, and desperate. Solomon concludes this section by comparing the path of the righteous to bright light and the way of the wicked to deep darkness.

1 Kings 3

9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

Daniel 2:21

And He changes the times and the seasons;

He removes kings and raises up kings;

He gives wisdom to the wise

And knowledge to those who have understanding.

So friends, I pray that you let the peace of God minister to your hearts as you read through His Word and let the Holy Spirit grant you peace that surpasses all understanding as you walk in the light as He is the light. Shine the light. Let His light shine forth from you into this dark world and remember…

He really does hold it all in His hands.