Slow Down
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and the sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
by Andrew Quinley
These days we’re all about speed & efficiency. High speed internet, more mpg, tv on demand, twitter accessibility anywhere; all so that we can keep moving and not have to slow down. I’m one of those people who always has to be doing something. It doesn’t matter where I am, I’m just wired for activity, oftentimes multiple activities at once. Which is one of the reasons why my wife, Jacki, is so perfect for me.
I catapult out of bed in the morning, my mind blazing with to-do items. Jacki lingers, enjoying the softness of the sheets & the coolness of the morning air. It’s one of the most frustrating &, yet, most lovely things about having her in my life. She slows me down. She helps me engage the moment.
Not that there’s anything wrong with being a driven, hard-working individual. But what do we spend so much of our life working for, if not to enjoy the fruit of our work? It’s not the grand scheme or laborious accomplishment that truly give our life meaning, but the journey getting there. It’s the details, the little moments, that make up the story of our lives. If you don’t take the time to slow down and savor them, then you are losing your life bit by bit.
So I’m pleading with you, slow down & cherish the details of your life. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share with you some of the practical ways that I have found of slowing down my lfie & enjoying the moments. I would love to hear from you about some of yours.
Simple Math and Your Relationship with God
Most people hate math. Do you remember sitting in that math class when you were a kid and asking yourself, “how am I ever going to use this in my life?” Maybe you were even bolder and you asked your teacher the same thing. I only bring up math, because I want to ask you a question. Have you ever sat down to take a math test, looked at a problem, and 10 minutes later realized that you had made that equation way more complicated than it really was? I did that constantly. I would begin throwing in tangents and powers of 22, and before I knew it, I was closer to charting the course of the planet Pluto than I was to solving that problem. I tend to do that in life too. I’ve realized that it’s not just me, and maybe you can relate too.
Often, we miss the most elementary truths as we complicate life’s issues. We make our pursuit to become a great leader or to be successful and wealthy. We develop elaborate expectations and laws for ourselves that we feel God has of us. We judge our standing with God by how we avoid sin and how much time we are spending in prayer and evangelism. The apostle Paul, however, breaks it down for us in his letter to the Romans, “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God” (5:1).
From the beginning, the point of life has been relationships. When God created man, he created him for a relationship. Because of that, we cannot find fulfillment in life unless we first are in an ever-deepening relationship with God: the entire reason why Jesus came and died for us. This means that the point of every day is not to build a better church or to make enough money to live a comfortable life. It’s not even to avoid sin and become a better person. It’s even simpler than that. The simple truth is that God just wants a relationship with us, a genuine, loving, deep relationship. It can’t get any more basic than that. And it shouldn’t get much more complicated either.
Questions:
1. What do you like/hate about math?
2. What expectations weigh you down? They might be expectations that others have of you, that you have of yourself, or that you feel God has of you.
Love You With My Life
by Tracy Reynolds
Worship is my response, individually and corporately, to who God is and what He has done. God initiates. We respond. It begins and ends with Him. He is literally the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. We are His, and as His, we respond to His holy stimuli. Because we are not our own, but are bought at the price of the precious blood of Jesus, the ultimate extent of our worship is a life of abandon to His will and His way. When our lives are lost in His and our identity is found in Him, our very lives become an expression of worship. We love Him with our life.
We sing, clap our hands, and shout our praise to Him because it is all we know to do. But, worship is far more than these activities. Worship is responding to God’s love and grace for us by surrendering all we are to His purposes. Any activity, if offered unto the Lord, becomes an act of worship. Worship becomes more than just an activity; it becomes a way of living our lives before an audience of the King. Our household chores become sanctified work as we offer them as unto the Lord. Our interactions with everyone we meet during the course of a given day become holy encounters as we offer them for His glory. When any part of our lives is offered to God it becomes an act of worship and an opportunity for the Lord to receive glory and honor.
A few years ago, I heard a song that really caught my attention with the simple phrase, “I Love You with My Life.” While it is a great song, its lyrics are excellent theology! The songwriter, Bryan Duncan, seems to define worship as a way of life. Worship is more than a part of our congregational gatherings on Sundays. While the songs we sing and the outward expressions of praise and worship important, the fundamental issue is the ultimate desire of our hearts. True worship is a heart condition. It is a heart response to the nature, character, and presence of God in our life and culture. Loving God becomes a way of living as we seek to honor Him in all we do, all we say, and all we are. The longer I serve the Lord, the more I want to give Jesus more than my songs and corporate expressions of public worship. I want all of my life to be a grateful response to the Lord for all He is and all He has done. I want to love Him with my life.
Looking in the Mirror
by Fred Garmon
Examine for a moment Ephesians 4:1-3 (New Living Translation):
The Apostle Paul says, “…lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.”
My initial assumption is that you are reading this article because you are a “leader” or aspiring to “leadership.” So, let us discuss this extremely popular subject and narrow our focus to “Christian” leadership.
I have been intrigued by the study of leaders (people) and leadership (a process) for more than thirty years. My passion for leadership was and still is driven by the desire to learn as much as possible so that I could teach others how to be more effective leaders. But three decades of study and experience has revealed a wise revelation—while the process of leadership is about serving others, becoming a leader is about learning to play and tune your own personal instrument; and that instrument is the self—the instrument is YOU. Yes, becoming a leader requires that you turn a scrutinizing eye on yourself—and in so doing you will find that a few moments of brutal honesty can save you (and others you lead) years of pain.
The context of Paul’s instruction implies that the life Paul is alluding to is non-other than your own—“Lead YOUR life!” It is, therefore, from this scriptural foundation that I announce our first leadership principle; “Leadership development begins with self-development.”
So, pause for a moment and think deeply about this principle and let us begin our time together by wrestling with and discussing the following question:
What does “leading your life” or “self-development” look like?
Especially in light of the characteristics the Apostle Paul includes in this passage of scripture?
Don’t Just Do It
by Apples Knapp
When I was in college, I enjoyed my Food Service Management classes. So, it wasn’t long before I applied to be a manager of a fast-food chain in Manila. I remember enjoying the interaction with the customers (except when they were complaining) and the managerial responsibilities of handling people and products. When I was transferred to a different branch in my 2nd year, though, I hated my first few months at the store. I had a boss who was demanding and was used to degrading her people publicly. There were days that I would cry and complain. I dreaded going back to work after my days off. I persevered, though.
When I went into full time ministry in 2004, my first project was to open a café in Thailand. It scared me and made me nervous. Soon, however, I realized that all the things I had learned working under that hard boss at the fast food chain had equipped me more than I knew. Now that I look back, I see that the experience not only gave me the skills I needed to start the café, but it also developed my character, especially in relating to people.
Whatever you are doing right now, whether you are in school or at work in a secular job or in full-time ministry, keep in mind that it has a bearing on what the Father has in store for you tomorrow. Maybe it is time to stop grumbling and start appreciating what you are doing and learn from it. Don’t just do it to get by. Do it with excellence and passion. Remember, whatever you are doing is for God and not for your human bosses or family. It may be a small or big responsibility. Give it your best shot. This time may be difficult and challenging, but God is teaching you and developing you through these circumstances. He’s preparing you for the big things that he has in store for you in the future!
Question:
What difficulty are you facing right now?
Action Step:
Take ten minutes right now to pray about it and think about how you are growing from it and what you are learning. Write that down and put it in your wallet/purse/mirror and look at it whenever you need to remind yourself why you are going through this.