Jamin Rathbun & Superdink.com

Who is this Jamin guy anyway?
I am the husband of one and the father of nine. I was created to sing, to worship, to encourage, and to be steady. I am the Owner & Executive Director of Trinity Arts Center, a multi-disciplinary Arts Center in Eastern Tennessee, and the President of Trinity Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization focused on funding arts education and performance. I've been involved with four music projects in my life -- Hot Pink Turtle, Spin Radio, Stand Like Stone, and of course, Jamin Rathbun.

In 2013, I added my Twitter feed to this site (below). To view the old content, just scroll down past the Twitter timeline. To keep in the loop on new posts, thoughts, and updates, just follow me on Twitter using the button below. Thanks!

Tweets by @jaminrathbun

bible

Ecclesiastes 10:18
If a man is lazy, the rafters sag. If his hands are idle, the house leaks.

Ouch! This one really hit home today because I was reminded of a small leak in my attic that I haven't fixed yet. About 12 months ago, I placed a small plastic pan underneath the leak to catch any water so that the leak wouldn't cause any damage to the interior ceiling. After each rain, the pan fills with a shallow layer of water that evaporates, usually within a day. The sad thing is that I probably could have fixed the leak in the same amount of time it's taken me to place and test the plastic pan rig and continue to check on its continued success after each heavy rain.

So am I lazy? Are my hands idle? I think I'll plead the fifth on this one. = ) What I will say is that...

Sure, I am busy. Sure I have five kids. Sure I homeschool, and lead worship, and work, and volunteer, and teach, and maintain this site, and help the widows in the neighborhood and yes -- I am trying to start a new business. But the truth is -- I've probably spent over 1000 hours watching TV over the past year and at least that much time surfing the web so... It's not that I don't have the time, it's that I choose not to work.

"Choose not to work" isn't exactly accurate. The reality is that, most of the time, I do choose to work. I just choose to work on something that is more "fun" or something that is more interesting at the time. I may do some research online. I may study a while. I may fiddle around with the details of a new idea or plan. It's not exactly laziness. It's more like good old fashioned procrastination. = )

OK... so the first step is admitting that I have a problem (I assume some of you are admitting this along with me). What's next? How do we change or -- do we even want to?

The truth is that I get a lot of things done while I'm putting off other things. = ) Sure, it sometimes puts me up against a hard deadline with more stress than necessary but is there really anything wrong with it? Maybe or... Maybe not?

What I do know is this. When I find that I am consistently dropping a ball that I would prefer to carry successfully... I change the game. I make it a team sport, rather than an individual one. If I want to play guitar more often but find myself letting it slip... I sign up to teach lessons. If I want to write and study my Bible more often... I create a web site and tell everyone that I update it every day. = )

It's not ground breaking. It's nothing new. It's just accountability. If I'm accountable to others, I'm much less likely to let it slip, in part, because I don't want to be embarrassed or look bad. In part, because I want to perform well. But mostly, just because someone else is aware of the goal. The twisted procrastination logic in my head doesn't seem to be nearly as effective when I'm forced to discuss it out loud, with others. = )

With all that said... I'll end with a few passage that are loosely applicable.

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Ecclesiastes 4:12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 8:15
So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.

Psalm 127:2
In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat -- for he grants sleep to those he loves.

I have no idea how to sum that up into a nicely packaged moral so I'll just encourage you to find your own way and wish you luck. = ) (That reminds me of my "Ugly Preaching" post in March.) If Solomon couldn't get handle on it... I'm confident I can't either.

Maybe my posts on "How Many Days Do You Have Left?", "Do Your Thing.", or "Flow Theory." can add something to the discussion as well. (?)

P.S. Merlin Mann, the famed organization expert over at 43Folders, recorded a short podcast relaying his experiences procrastinating the task of writing a book about personal productivity. He drops a few mild expletives in the process but -- it's a good listen, if you have 10 minutes to spare. = )

stuff

I'm off to the lake for the week so...
I've already posted tomorrow's stuff a day early. (woo-hoo!) Anyway... Have a great weekend. I'll talk to you on Monday!