Category Archives: Happy Tensions

When you’re approaching burnout. (6 simple ways to avoid burnout)

Posted on by

“It is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less. On, on, on for ever, without recreation may suit spirits emancipated from this ‘heavy clay,’ but while we are in this tabernacle, we must every now and then cry halt, and serve the Lord by holy inaction and consecrated leisure. Let no tender conscience doubt the lawfulness of going out of harness for a while.” —Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, 161.


Thus the need for constant renewal. For most of my adult life I’ve battled against burning out, in part because my inner-desire to work hard (a healthy drive and work ethic) often meets the insurmountable mountain of tasks and people clamoring for time and energy. (I work with people, systems, and ideas — all three are breaking on some level, and as a natural control freak I tend to think it’s my ‘job’ to fix all of it.)

Having much to do is a good problem to have, but one’s aspirations for productivity must be thoughtfully and carefully managed. In recent years Kari and I began intentionally establishing more and more healthy boundaries, adapting them over time to fit the various seasons of ministry. With each season of faithfulness, more perseverance has been required of us, leading to a renewed need to collectively rejuvenate on an ongoing basis.

We’ve become more and more proactive in carving out the good life, which involves less overcommitment (responding to every ‘need’) and more sensing God’s call to serve out of His resources.

Let’s become wise and recognize the limitations of our own bodies and souls. We are nobody’s saviors. And even Jesus, The Savior, needed time to rest and renew while on earth. Yet, even our rest is not about merely resting.

The following infographic summaries six simple ways to avoid burnout. We personally incorporate all six into our rhythm of life. Scroll down to see all six effective ways:
Continue reading →

 

Farther along.

Posted on by

“Farther Along” – Josh Garrels from Josh Garrels on Vimeo.

(RSS readers click through for audio & video.)

Josh Garrels performs his new song “Farther Along” live at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland, OR, July 30th 2010. Video footage and editing by Dustin Whitaker.

Portlander Josh Garrels has generously made this album, “Love & War & The Sea In Between,” available as a free download.

The lyrics of Farther Along:

Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this, all by and by
Continue reading →

 

Too busy not to rest.

Posted on by

Are you really busy?

I hear it all the time, “I know you’re really busy …” and “You must be so busy …” Thankfully, the first quarter of 2012 has been less busy for our family. No less to do, no fewer commitments, and no less pressure, but we’ve enjoyed a renewed commitment to finding the Spirit’s rhythm for our shared life. On facet of this is returning to sabbath rest.

I’ve mentioned the meaning of Sabbath rest before. It signifies more than a weekly day off. Here’s another dimension for how we can live out the implications of God’s design for our taking time to rest each week:

“The purpose of Sabbath rest is not simply to rejuvenate yourself in order to do more production, not is it the pursuit of pleasure. The purpose of Sabbath is to enjoy your God, life in general, what you have accomplished in the world through His help, and the freedom you have in the Gospel – the freedom from slavery to any material object or human expectation. The Sabbath is a sign of the hope that we have in the world to come.”
—Timothy Keller

J.R. Vassar writes on Sabbath rest [an excerpt]:

“The real issue of Sabbath is this: When it comes to the ultimate issue of life, being fully forgiven and accepted by God, our only hope is to cease from our work and trust in His work for us in Jesus. We are not saved by our efforts; we cannot earn our acceptance before God. Our works are not sufficient. We must cease from our efforts and trust in God’s provision. We must rest in Christ and his finished work for us. If we can rest in Christ for the ultimate issue of our life, can we not rest in Him for a day?”

 

Be convinced of this:

While we rest in Him, God works.

 

Sustainable Ambition. (Or, when the words of culture complete the words of faith.)

Posted on by

Earlier this month a colleague told me I have the habit of using “secular” words to describe biblical truth. He meant it as a compliment, and I received it as one.

Not everyone expects their leaders, and especially not their pastors, to be well-informed about what goes on “out there.” We expect our pastors to be experts on many things, especially “religious” things, yet the least of these is what we call “daily life.” So, what I’m learning, is that when a pastor uses everyday jargon to describe truths found in the Bible, it takes a moment for the crossover effect to kick in. Yet the long-term benefits far outweigh the momentary obstacle. (And I’m not talking about being trendy, hip, cool, or other attempts at being “relevant.”)

Why do I use words like ambition and sustainable to describe Paul’s vision for the Christian life (as described in Colossians 2:6-7)?

Isn’t “ambition” bad when it rears its ugly head in the church? And “sustainability” sounds like one of those catchwords only an earth-worshiping environmentalists would say as they tell me about global warming.

Nope and nope.

  • Ambition, when given God, is neither selfish or destructive. When He does a great work for us (by the Gospel), and in us, and through us, then the ambitious work of God will bring great healing and hope to a broken and lost world. Selfish ambition is the great enemy (Philippians 2:1-5), which Jesus defeated for us by emptying Himself, with the greater ambition to live as a Servant and joyfully do all of God’s will. God is ambitious. More than we’ll ever know.
  • Sustainability is no mere buzzword to be employed by environmentalists (of which I am one, and think Christians should be, but that’s another discussion for another day).

Think about the day before you go on vacation. How fun is it to meet all those deadlines, set things up for your colleagues to succeed and your customers to be taken care while you’re gone? Then waking up in a cold sweat on the morning of your vacation as you remember “just one more thing” you must handle before leaving on that jet airplane. What about you and your smartphone being the reason the plane can’t take off, because you’re still on your phone as the doors close at the gate? (I was that guy recently. Sorry again to Alaska Air flight 861.)

Is working each day like it’s the day before vacation sustainable?

No.

Rather, we toil long and hard so that when we go to play, we are free from our other obligations. Then think about your vacation time, of lounging around, reading a good book, taking in the sights, eating out for lunch and dinner, and caving into the urge to buy that trinket you know won’t make it home in one piece. Is that sustainable?

Neither state is sustainable — from being only a producer (making things and money), and then switching to consumption mode (taking in experiences, food, etc.) — which is why sustainability makes sense when we talk about following Jesus. Otherwise we’ll have a passion ambition to “do something great for God.”

As a pastor I daily encourage to focus on the great work Jesus has done for us, which becomes what He does in us as we trust and obey Him. His work is not yet complete as He does this same great work through us.

Jesus calls us to follow Him fully, as ones rooted in the faith, built up, strengthened, taught, and overflowing with thanksgiving (returning to Colossians 2:6-7). Paul used everyday words from daily life that evoked pictures of reality they knew well (walking, growing like a plant or tree, the realm of construction, laying a foundation, learning in a classroom, and flooding like a river, to name six in those verses).

What’s the real reason I use words like that?

Because we are hard-wired for compartmentalizing our faith to the “spiritual” side of life, and then getting on with our “real” lives. And pastors can be terrible enablers in this. Know this: Jesus will have nothing to do with that split duality. He gets right at our heart issues, not content to deal with merely our felt needs. (With that impulse in mind, my wife daily writes on the Sacred Mundane, because everything matters, not just our so-called “spiritual” life.)

 

When you must create something.

Posted on by

Christians are called to be “salt and light” in our culture, which is to say we must create culture, not just critique it. We have special resources to renew, restore, and create godly culture embodying the life of Jesus. He told us not just to believe the things He said; He taught us to also do whatever we saw Him doing. Since He is the one Creator, we get to borrow His creativity as co-creators.

Many today are “culture warriors,” which is to say they want to go to war against any and all anti-Christian sentiments. They battle against evil worldviews with the force of their far superior “Christian worldview.” I think a biblical worldview is important (and am convinced you cannot attain one without meditating on the Scriptures constantly), but what I find lacking among these “culture warriors” is an awareness of the true enemy. Paul said we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but rather an hidden, wicked enemy, that (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Are other people the real enemy, whatever their category or label? Are these our enemies: liberals (or conservatives), those for (or against) gun control, politicians, public schools, taxes? Our enemies become our prime targets in an election year like 2012. (Maybe you’ve seen the expensive propaganda mailers in your mailbox already.)

Let me ask you: is this really making things better? Can someone be salt and light, known for the message of Jesus, if they’re whole platform in life is what they are AGAINST?

How about we fight the real enemies that war against our souls: pride and greed.

How about we rail against those?

Pride and greed are daily on display in our foolishness, where we resist following God’s ways and choose to run our own lives. When we try to be the hero of our tiny stories, and be sure to “get ours,” we become everything we ardently criticize. Yet we remain blind to our real problem, thinking it is “out there.”

 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. —Philippians 2:14-18

When we resist the urge to grumble and complain, we give ourselves opportunities to cultivate a culture of grace and peace, right where we live. As we follow Christ (who never complained or played the ‘victim’ card), we become like Him, borrowing powerful light from the Light of the World. As His light shines, we become co-creators of new, attractive opportunities for righteousness, peace, justice, mercy, and grace to live.

One day the whole world will be just as He designed it to be. Until them, we’re invited to live like we are as He designed us to be — loving God and loving people. We’ll be imitating Jesus who created the world, and then stepped into our fallen mess to re-create it again in His image.

Go create something good.

In the meantime, if you have a hard time knowing what to create in the darkness, trying some of these:

20120211-085249.jpg

Top photo credit: “Go on creating” by fotologic

 

Getting #Linsanity: waiting for your big shot.

Posted on by

20120221-031836.jpgWhat do you think of Jeremy Lin’s story? Are you caught up in #Linsanity?

The power of his story has almost single-handedly saved the lockout-shortened NBA season, and reminded us of the pure joy we find watching players who make everyone around them better, lead by being generous more than prideful, and the team becomes a more powerful force than they could be as a random assortment of stars.

“The Lin story has broken out into the general culture because it is aspirational in the extreme, fulfilling notions that have nothing to do with basketball or race. Most of us are not superstars, but we believe we could be if only given the opportunity.”

David Carr (via New York Times), adding:

“We are, as a matter of practicality, a nation of supporting players, but who among us has not secretly thought we could be at the top of our business, company or team if the skies parted and we had our shot?”

Do you secretly have those same thoughts? Are you patiently waiting for your ‘big shot,’ toiling away in obscurity while embodying faithfulness and perseverance, on the path toward gaining godly wisdom?

Source: Getty Images

 

Just having a conversation about Justice.

Posted on by

Today and tomorrow I am at The Justice Conference, hosted here in Portland. So grateful to join in the conversation.

The Justice Conference 2012 is the second annual international gathering of advocates, activists, artists, professors, professionals, prophets, pastors, students and stay-at-home moms working to restore the fabric of justice. For some it means speaking. For others it means singing. For some it means going. For others it means giving. For all, it means living with mercy and love.

Justice Conference founder (and lead pastor of Antioch Church in my beloved hometown of Bend) Ken Wytsma writes on why justice matters to followers of Jesus and all who trust Scripture:

People matter to God and therefore they should matter to us – every bit of them from the salvation of their souls to the meeting of material needs (see 1 John 4:20-21).
Justice is rooted in the character of God, commanded in his Holy Scriptures and exemplified in the life of Christ and the history of the church.
Justice is the right ordering of our relationships with God and neighbor.
Justice, in all spheres and slices of life and especially in the social sectors, is biblical, God-honoring and right. Politics, theories or political platforms, however, are open to dispute and disagreement.

Because Justice is much bigger than “social justice,” he gives a helpful pie-chart to see how various kinds of justice are interrelated:

 

Hello (9 years after I caught on fire).

Posted on by

Nine years ago she said Yes.

I proposed in an old fraternity building undergoing massive renovations, the least likely place she would anticipate. Yet, if you know me, it kinda makes sense. After using a Lite-Bright to ask the big question, we sat to thank God and in the middle of prayer my shirt caught fire from a rogue candle.

True story.

I can confidently say it’s been the best near-decade of my life.

Still get goose bumps when she walks in the room.

 

Trouble: the rush and pressure of modern life.

Posted on by

“There is a pervasive form of contemporary violence… activism and overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence… It kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.”

—Thomas Merton, via Chad Lewis of the Sojourn Network, who adds:

“If you are not doing the hard work of sitting at Jesus’ feet daily, you are in trouble.”

So true.

 

When you lack hope. Why pray?

Posted on by

“If God is composing a story with our lives, then our lives are no longer static. We aren’t paralyzed by life; we can hope.

Many Christians give in to a quiet cynicism that leaves us unknowingly paralyzed. We see the world as monolithic, frozen. To ask God for change confronts us with our doubt about whether prayer makes any difference. Is change even possible? Doesn’t God control everything? If so, what’s the point? Because it’s uncomfortable to feel our unbelief, to come face-to-face with our cynicism, we dull our souls with the narcotic of activity.

Many Christians haven’t stopped believing in God; we have just become functional deists, living with God at a distance. We view the world as a box with clearly defined edges. But as we learn to pray well, we’ll discover that this is my Father’s world. Because my Father controls everything, I can ask, and He will listen and act. Since I am His child, change is possible—and hope is born.”

—Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life: connecting with God in a distracting world

 

A whole new American dream.

Posted on by

GOOD has a great new infographic out: Not Your Parent’s American Dream: a whole new national ideal [flat, larger version], based on the 2011 MetLife study on the American Dream.

Overall, the new generation of young adults (Gen Y) is more likely to want to own a home than get married. I dare say it’s much easier to buy a home than build one that shall abide in love and peace. Marriage is seen as more an “non-essential” than going to college or owning a home. Yet, which of those pursuits is more rewarding? After owning four homes, I can say it’s overrated. There’s no price one can put on a thriving, happy, godly marriage.

Click below to see the whole graphic, which is a wealth of information (no pun intended), though I wish it more clearly showed what the “American Dream” looks like now across generations. (There are some good clues.) It goes without saying — but I shall say it — that we, the new, hip, cool, new kids on the block — Millennials (Gen Y) and the now less-famous Gen X (my generation) — are living the lifestyle benefits come our way through the hard work and persistence of those before us. I doubt our nation’s founders envisioned the luxurious lifestyles we now enjoy; today, even the middle class lives like kings.

In the course of the last few years, Kari and I have begun to dream anew about our hopes and goals. We dreamed out downsizing our life and becoming more generous, giving away more than we spend on ourselves. There were times when that seemingly noble dream had to die, and I’m grateful to journey through our momentary life story, together, and on the same page. Truly, it’s more blessed to give than to receive.