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learn to say no

Another excerpt from the review of “The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs” at Leading Blog.

Say No to 1,000 Things. Simplify. Think differently about design. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, according to Jobs. From the designs of the iPod to the iPhone, from the packaging of Apple’s products to the functionality of the Apple website, innovation means eliminating the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. Jobs: “I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do.”

I’ve met many pastors who struggle to say no.  No to meetings, no to appointments, no to people.  By not saying no, they overstretch and over-commit.  Eventually they might even burnout.

The same is true in our approach to ministry, be it evangelism, education, or worship.  We sometimes say yes to too many things.  We try to fit everything into a calendar, or shoe-horn multiple elements into a worship service.

Simplicity is the result of clarity.