By Tom Sine —
Friends of all ages tell me they tell me they are slammed by the growing pressure on their daily lives. Are you experiencing a time crunch trying to keep up with work pressure, time for relationships, working out, screen time plus a little time for being present to God and Neighbor?
You are not alone. Part of the reason for the growing pressure is that we seem to be living in a world changing at warp speed. Often there is another reason…many of us haven’t discovered how to create the disciplines we need to CREATE OUR BEST LIVES.
Too many of us are settling for less and missing God’s best. Most of our evangelical churches have courses on discipleship and mainline churches have classes on formation. These courses do offer help to many in terms of our spiritual lives.
However, few of these classes give people much help in really creating their best timestyles and lifestlyes to enable us to actually create and live our best lives as followers of a Jesus who calls all of us to put first things first. I sure find I need help with this and I bet many of those reading this do to.
I am sure many of you remember a book a few years ago called The Purpose Driven Life. Christine and I actually wrote a book that was published 3 months before that, titled: Living on Purpose, Finding God’s Best for Your Life! With Baker Books that is still available in the E version. However, we have not been afflicted with 52 million sales.
Living on Purpose for followers of Jesus always starts by finding an intentional way to make God’s purposes our purposes. Failing to do this our jobs, our economic pressures, our kids activities, our consumer and screen time addictions largely define the direction and quality of our lives.
Then when these pressures and addictions cause us to crash and burn we turn to God to help bail us bail out. However, few of us ask our God to help us discover a new reason for being. If you seriously want to discover God’s best for your life I urge you to consider making God’s purposes your purposes…in a new intentional way.
In Living on Purpose we urge readers to make God’s purposes our purposes. Remember when Jesus announced how he intentionally connected his life purposes to God’s compassionate purposes for a people and a world?
Listen again as he reads from the powerful words of God’s purposes from the prophet Isaiah: “The spirit of the Lord is on me because he anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release for the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19.
Do you want to find God’s best for your life? Then follow Jesus by also making God’s compassionate purposes for a people and a world your purposes to.
In Living on Purpose we offer a brief “active listening process” for small groups of disciples that also want to make God’s purposes their purposes. Here is a brief version of how to help one another to listen to diverse ways God is speaking to all of us. It might help you and your small us formulate a clear purpose statements….to help us take the first step in creating your best lives…in turbulent times like these:
- First invite everyone in your listening group to prayerfully study scripture during the week, starting with Christi’s purpose statement, to discern how God may be calling you invest your life to make a little difference in the lives of others;
- Then invite everyone to spend the next week listening to the needs of others or threats to God’s good creation that stirs your spirit. This too could be a part of God’s call on your life;
- Week three make a list of what you believe are your natural and your spiritual gifts. Also make a list of your broken places and areas of addiction. God can often do more by using our shortcomings to make a difference in the lives of others than our gifts;
- Next draft a beginning mission statement for your life or family that incorporates that scripture that calls you beyond yourself;
- Identify one specific way you can give weekly expression to your calling statement either in your work life or discretionary time and share it with your group:
- Use your calling statement to re-invent your timestyles and liftestyles to invest your time and resources in what matter most…including daily time to be present to God and weekly time to make a little difference in the lives of others.
- Invite those in your group to celebrate every step forward as you help one another to create your best lives by learning to live on purpose.
For example, Ian and Judy drafted a family mission statement stating they felt God was called to be the hospitality of Jesus in their neighborhood. They invited each of their three kids to take turns to invite different neighbors over for dinner every Wednesday night. Ian and Judy were surprised and delighted that their kids actually became invested in creating new ways to be offer welcoming hospitality their guest each week,
Fred, a corporate executive at firm in Canada placed a three-year cap on his salary of his administrative team to upgrade salaries of lowest wage workers. Janet freed up an hour a week to start tutoring kids in her local elementary school who were struggling.
“Nothing could be more important for pastors, church planters or small group leaders to empower busy people than helping them discern how to find a sense of focus for their lives. Wouldn’t you like to enable your people:
- to live with a clear sense of biblical purpose;
- to use this sense of purpose to become whole life disciples… freeing up time to be present to both God and neighbors;
- to create not only a more purposeful way of life but also a festive way of life than any thing that instagram envy culture can offer! ‘
What is your way to give expression to your sense of God’s call on your life?
Write and tell us how you plan to create your best life this summer by putting first things first. We would like to share your examples. twsine@gmail.com www.newchangemakers.com
This post was first published on V3 movement blog.
by Christine Sine
I am writing this from Edinburgh where Tom and I have landed after our wonderful retreat time on Iona. As I reflect on these first 10 days of this celebration of our 25th anniversary, I am very aware of the lavish hospitality with which we have been blessed. From our time in London where we stayed with a community of people we had never met before, to visits in Durham and now in Edinburgh with friends we have known for many years, the richness of God’s hospitality to us is almost overwhelming. And then of course there was Iona, a very special place that has given the gift of hospitality to thousands over the centuries. All so special.
Today I recognize myself as both a guest in God’s world and a host for God’s world. All I receive is a generous gift of God’s lavish bounty. Beauty, abundance, joy, all these I have received and much more. I pray that I will always take notice, always be grateful and always be willing to share, giving generously just as I have been given to.
Celtic Christians saw themselves as hospites mundi, or guests of the world, living lightly on this earth and not becoming attached to possessions or to one location. These followers of Christ, saw all of life as a pilgrimage, a journey towards God on which they were dependent on God for daily provision.
Celtic Christians also believed that hospitality was not only meant to be a custom in their homes, it was a key into the kingdom of God. They were not only guests but also hosts. To offer hospitality was seen as receiving Christ into their midst and fulfilling the law of love.
View from our B & B on Iona
My visit to Iona has made me very aware of my status as a guest and my responsibility as a host in God’s world. Every time someone prepares a meal for me, smiles at me, helps me with my bags, shares their hopes and joys with me, I am a recipient of Gods hospitality. Every time I give a smile, say thank you, acknowledge the generosity of friends and strangers, I am becoming a host for God. And in Seattle, even from a distance we are hosting friends and strangers alike in our home. I pray that I will always share with joy, reach out with compassion and embrace with God’s love.
What Is Your Response?
As I continue to travel over this next month I plan to reflect more on my status as both guest and host. There are two questions I will ask myself each day that I encourage you to contemplate too.
- What have I received today as a gift from God?
- What have I given today as a thank offering for God’s hospitality?
By Lilly Lewin
If I could go back to my 20 something self and to my 30 something self, I would tell her that she needs to stop with the over busyness and packed agenda and the intense desire to perform! and instead, take the time to be still and get outside in nature and start learning to practice silence and solitude. We can not keep pouring out our cups if they are empty! Solitude and Silence restore our souls and then we have the space to fill up our cups and we will be able to hear from God again.
So in the midst of this weekend, a long holiday weekend here in the States, make the time to be alone. make the time to stop the ‘to do list’ and be still. Make the time to get outside, take a walk, breathe! Saturate your soul with silence and solitude, even if it’s just 15 minutes! or even start with 5! then look at your calendar and plan a half day or even a whole day to be quiet with God sometime in July!
I find i need to make silence& solitude an appointment or schedule silence as a meeting on my calendar so it will actually happen! and in the midst of our crazy world we need silence and solitude more than ever ! Regardless of our age!
WE ALL NEED MORE REST AND MORE SILENCE THAN WE THINK WE DO!
And what would our world look like, if we started teaching our kids to practice silence and solitude before they reached the “burn out” stage of life?
What if we teach them how to experience God in nature, to take time to be still without devices or media? to take a chair or blanket outside and look at the clouds or the stars? Teaching them how to listen to the still small voice of God? and help kids of all ages see that quiet is a good thing, not a scary one!
That’s my prayer today…for all of us to make time to saturate our souls with silence, solitude,
and the beauty of God.
Make an appointment to be still. Mark your calendar and take a meeting with yourself and God outside, or somewhere quiet and just be still.
Saturate yourself with silence and allow Jesus to restore your soul!
“Solitude–when you get saturated with silence and landscape, then you need an interior work, psalms, scripture, meditation But first saturation. How much of this is simply restoration of one’s normal human balance?” Thomas Merton.
By Lynne Baab—
I speak and teach a lot about the Sabbath because I have kept a Sabbath for more than 30 years. Plus I have written a book, a Bible study guide, and many articles about it. When I speak or teach, I get two questions quite frequently: what’s the difference between a Sabbath and a day off, and what do you do on your Sabbath? I’ll use some thoughts about the first question as a bridge to my answer to the second question.
A day off and a Sabbath are similar because they are both a day to stop working. Many people, however, have found that a day off can easily become a harried blur of errands and chores with nothing Sabbath-like in it. So what is the difference?
Watercolor illustration by Dave Baab
Part of the difference lies in a person’s intent, and the intent shapes the actions on the Sabbath day. The two versions of the Ten Commandments have two different reasons to keep the Sabbath day, which illuminate two of my three significant Sabbath intentions.
- Remember creation.
In Exodus 20:11, the reason for the Sabbath goes back to creation: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.” Because God is our Creator, and God rested on the seventh day, we stop our own productivity and remember that God made us. We also remember that everything good we have comes from our loving Creator.
Many of the Sabbath keepers I interviewed for my book and articles find that the best way to draw near to God on the Sabbath is to enjoy nature: a walk, bike ride, beach, or garden. On the Sabbath we are invited to enjoy God as Creator.
- Remember freedom from slavery.
In Deuteronomy 5:15, we are invited to keep a Sabbath because we have been freed from slavery. “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” We know that in Christ, we have been freed from sin, evil, death and fear of death. The Sabbath is a day to celebrate the freedom God gives.
For most people, spending a day running errands or doing housework doesn’t feel like freedom. What activities do you need to stop in order to feel free? What activities help you feel free? The answers to those questions should shape your Sabbath day.
- Stopping. The Hebrew root word that “Sabbath” comes from means stop, cease, desist, or rest. Stopping much of our activity one day a week helps us remember God is God and we are not. We are not in charge. We are not at the center. We are not indispensible. We stop work so we can know, deep in our hearts, that Someone Else runs the universe and we do not.
I check my email first thing in the morning on my Sabbath day, and then I don’t look at it for the rest of the day. Why? So I can act on the truth that I am not indispensible. (I also experience freedom from email for a day.)
What else do I do? My husband and I spend about 45 minutes praying together on our Sabbath day. Half of that time is prayers of thankfulness. God is Creator and has freed us from so many forms of slavery. Taking the time to notice the good gifts and the various forms of freedom in our lives helps my husband and me lift our focus off of the hard things of life.
My major Sabbath activity is reading novels. Someone Else is running the universe and I can relax. I sometimes cook, skype with family members, or sit on a bench at the beach or in a park. Sometimes I go to the gym and enjoy experiencing the profound truth that God created my body. The day has no “shoulds” about it. I stay out of my home office so I won’t be tempted to work, and I stay out of stores so I won’t be tempted to focus on what I don’t have.
The Sabbath is a day to stop our everyday activities so we can experience God as Creator – the One who gives every good gift – and Redeemer – the One who frees us from slavery. The intent shapes the day.
Tom and I are are currently on Iona where we have the privilege of a very special retreat. What I realize is that I rarely spell out what a retreat is all about or how to conduct one. I thought this was a good time to rectify that and reshare this post from a few years ago.
The spiritual practice of retreat is I believe one of the most powerful tools we can implement to increase our faith and draw us closer to God, to each other and to our responsibility for God’s world. The Bible is full of examples of those who periodically removed themselves from the world to draw closer to God. Jesus himself went into the desert for 40 days immediately after being baptized.
Never underestimate the potential of this discipline for transformation and renewal. Anything is possible, from solidifying an already strong faith to experiencing a major spiritual breakthrough. Anyone who truly seeks to be closer to God will not be disappointed. The success of one personal retreat will spill into the next, inexorably expanding one’s faith in all directions.
The kind of retreats I am talking about here are not highly structured or expensive. They can be done anywhere that you can find a quiet place to draw aside for a day, let go of the distractions of your busy life and focus on God. Tom and I usually go to an inexpensive dog friendly motel in Anacortes. Occasionally, like this, we have the opportunity for more extended retreats, pilgrimages to holy sites. Our last trip to Iona was for a very special week in 2005during Holy week.
So what should a retreat look like? To be honest, this is a hard question for me to answer. What looks good to me may not appeal to you. But there are some guidelines that you may find helpful
- Choose a quiet place that offers comfort and the minimum of distractions but with opportunities to enjoy yourself between your spiritual sessions. Tom and I love to browse antique shops and also to walk. Our Anacortes get away offers both possibilities that enhance our enjoyment and relax us for the next session.
- Schedule yourself loosely. This good advice from spiritual director, author and retreat leader Jan Johnson is a wonderful reminder that retreats are for renewal and refreshment. If we bring the same busy schedule we are addicted to at home into our experience we will get very little out of it. Retreats are like Sabbath meant to renew our connection to God, revitalize our relationships to each other and restore our passion for the work God has called us to do.
- Spend time in prayer and scripture reading. This can take many forms. You may like to start with a familiar psalm or gospel portion. Or you may like to read through a book of the bible you have never read before. Do this in a reflective mode – you may like to use the process of Lectio Divina to help you.
- Keep a journal. As you know I am very keen on journal keeping and though I am not good at doing this on a daily basis it is part of my weekly rhythm. Each Sunday Tom and I go out for breakfast and journal about our week. I ask myself the questions – What am I grateful for? What was your biggest struggle? What bears the fingerprints of God? I then use this material as foundations for my retreat process.
- Break up your retreat time into “sittings” (or sessions). Normally these should not be for more than an hour; stop while you’re still enjoying it. Consider these sessions “prayer periods”—times of more formal interaction with God. More good advice from Jan Johnson. You might like to develop a structure for each session or plan the day so that each session flows from the work of the previous one. I will talk more about the structure Tom and I use tomorrow.
- Between sessions, enjoy doing something that doesn’t require concentration such as taking a walk or hike. Jan Johnson suggests doing something that uses the right side of the brain – woodworking or stitchery; painting pictures or doodling; listen to orchestral music or Taize worship. Do not do anything that distracts you like checking email or surfing the internet. Even reading a novel or watching a video will change the train of thought God has had you on.
So my question for today: Will you plan a retreat day before the end of the year to renew your priorities and refocus your faith?
By Shelby Hofer –
In the midst of an emotional breakdown last night I uttered a cry of complete desperation to my husband, “I am just a mom!” and was drawn up short by just how true that feels to me these days. Now, I don’t mean “just a mom” in the sense of what a mom DOES, because as we all know, that’s a freakin’ big job to DO. I meant “just a mom” in the sense of who I am, and that is what feels frightening to me. That is what stopped me mid-sob, because the truth of that statement is exactly what I’ve been trying to pinpoint these last few weeks as “The Problem”, the thing that is eating me alive and stealing my sense of reality. Another identity, a giant beast called “I am Mother”, has risen up and eclipsed all that I am, the very real “Me”, and that, my true identity, who I am, is helpless; slow-drowning in a bog of expectations and tasks that engulf me in a never ending set of tidal waves. The “I am” of the very core of my identity tries to rise from the undertow and gasp for a breath every now and then, but all too often these days just spends her time rolling around on the bottom of the ocean, lost in the ebb and flow of the storm, waiting for a breath, wondering if it will come, and falling into that slow death-like sleep that takes over just before real Death comes to claim us.
This is “The Problem”, or at least a very large part of it, “The Problem” being that I can hardly make it through a day without feeling like I’m literally, and very slowing, going insane. I can watch myself from outside of my body, and reflect on this interesting phenomenon fairly dispassionately, until the cries and needs of my children unsympathetically pull me back into my body, kicking and screaming, to face once more the emptiness that is “Me” while simultaneously trying to be everything that I’m supposed to be, do everything that I’m supposed to do, and clinging fruitlessly to the scraps of what I used to know as who I am.
It used to be that when people told me to “cherish every moment of this season because it passes so quickly!” that I wanted to punch them in the face. Now I don’t even have the energy for disbelieving anger. Now I just stare at them with glassy, tired eyes, and start to cry slowly inside. Because I am “just a mom”, and that just feels…bad. I don’t want to cherish every moment of this empty, dark place, because it feels like hell, and it’s not something I want to relive any more than my current reality demands of me. Yes, there are the small moments that shine like rays of sun through the gray clouds of my days. The first moment they say, “momma”, those smiles that melt your heart, those days where they sleep normally and you get an extended moment of peace. But then the clouds close up again, they start screaming for no known reason (or just because they are stubborn), they argue with you constantly, hit each other, fight, yell and generally misbehave. You can’t cook or clean or do the laundry because they crawl all over you, all the time, like tiny parasites that weigh a ton and suck the soul from your body. Pleasant, isn’t it?
I wish I had some sunny anecdote to share with you, and myself, that would make it all ok. Some small thing to give that would make it feel better, but the only thing I have to give is the knowledge that you are not alone. It feels that way sometimes, I know, but even though you may be “just a mom” right now, I have faith that the real identity of who I am, of who you are, will rise up one day, from the ashes of the destruction of this season, and will grow into something even more beautiful than it was before. I have Hope, and I give it to you, to me, and to those who suffer with us. It’s small, and fragile, but beautiful, and it will grow, just give it time.
When we are in a season of trials and suffering, often HOPE is the only thing we can cling onto. So if you are in one of these seasons – cling on to the Hope of Jesus and the new season that will come soon. As we end this month, find rest in that we don’t always stay in dreary winters.
Shelby is a full time stay at home mom to two little ninja-pirates, a part time missionary to Switzerland, and a full time lover of Jesus. When she’s not being yelled at for trying to pee alone, she enjoys coffee, talking and listening to people’s stories.
by Christine Sine
Tom and I are on our way to Iona, Scotland as part of our celebration for our 25th wedding anniversary, so it isn’t surprising that Celtic prayers are uppermost in my thoughts, or that today’s post is particularly short. Today’s prayer was inspired by Patrick’s breastplate and by John O’Donohue’s prayer I Arise Today which I posted a couple of weeks ago. The rich sense of history, the closeness of the presence of God and the wonder and joy of exploring this precious place once again is amazing for me.
I appreciate your prayers as we travel, soak in the rich history and wonderful spiritual environment of this place and just enjoy each other and the gift of travel God gives us. I hope you enjoy the prayer. I think this trip could inspire many more!
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