The Tent: A safe place for shepherds to reflect together
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Jamie
Joined: 11 Dec 2007 Posts: 35
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Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 7:37 pm Post subject: Getting some real rest |
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“Do you give your people a chance to rest?â€: Another great question! Sadly, I believe that most churches unwittingly endorse a form of evangelical workaholism. There is significant pressure, even among laypeople, to perform, to produce, to use one’s spiritual gifts in ministry, to attend all of the church functions and meetings, etc. To put it bluntly, many evangelicals are over-churched. They are so busy “doing church†that there is precious little time left for those outside the church.
One of the most significant moments of 2006 for me was when I took a few days for a personal retreat in the aftermath of a difficult summer. As I was driving up to my campsite, I asked God if he had any words for me for this time. Often when I pray prayers like this, I get frustrated because I don’t “hear†anything. But this time I distinctly heard him say, “Linger.†I began to think about what that word means and what it would look like to linger during my retreat. (I tend to be a rather driven, task-oriented person, who finds it difficult to simply “enjoy the moment†because I am already thinking about the next task.) It is no coincidence that I had just begun working through a set of meditations (Ignatius of Loyola’s spiritual exercises) specifically designed to help me learn to linger in God’s presence. The intro to the meditations states, “Enjoy your time, even if it is seemingly unproductive or quiet.†It was a real stretch for me at first to become comfortable with “quiet times†that might not necessarily “yield fruit.†But I am growing to love these meditations, to give up the right to see results from my devotions. I am only beginning to understand that “linger†was not just a word for my retreat, but a word for the rest of my life. |
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corinthpastorbob
Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 42 Location: Hickory, NC
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:30 am Post subject: You Would Have None Of It |
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Great reminders, Jamie. Echoes of Isaiah 30:15-18 -
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.'
Therefore you will flee!
You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.'
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill."
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
Whether we are running away from a threat or running toward more activity, sometimes the voice of the Lord just says, "Wait. Trust. Rest. Linger." _________________ Bob Thompson |
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