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Archive for the ‘Rest’ Category

Overwhelmed.  I hear this word or something like it so often these days.  The feeling that there is just so much to do that we constantly feel under great pressure accompanied by anxiety and feelings of failure because we just can’t get it all done.  This seems to be especially true in the working world.  How many times have you heard people express something of that sort.  Probably more than you even realize as it seems to be said so often that you don’t really even “hear” it.

I have experienced this feeling so many times in my life and work that I think I have allowed myself to be deceived into almost thinking that if  I am NOT feeling this way, then I must not be DOING enough.  What a crock!  Jesus does not want us to live perpetually in this state which is entirely inconsistent with the teachings of the Prince of PEACE.

The only way I have found my way out of this state is giving up the illusion that I am in control of hardly anything.  Only through prayer am I able to mysteriously let go of the worry and anxiety that so often accompanies these times of feeling overwhelmed.  I don’t really understand how it works, I just KNOW that it does.

If you are feeling overwhelmed at work today, stop for a moment and give it to Jesus.  Lay it in His hands and he will gladly accept it and you will not only experience a sense of relief, but often times you will experience insight and new directions that, if you will be honest, you know could only have come from the Lord.

I love how Philippians 4:6-7 is stated in The Message.  It says, “Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray…….Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good will come and settle you down.  It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry as the center of your life.

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60 Days…Be Still

“Be Still and know that I am God.”

Philip Yancey writes that this familiar verse in Psalms contains two commands of equal importance.  ”First, I must be still, something that modern life conspires against.  Ten years ago I responded to letter within a couple of weeks and kept my correspondents happy.  Five years ago I faxed a response in a couple of days and they seemed content.  Now they want email responses the same day and berate me for not using instant messaging or a mobile phone.  Mystery of another world, an emphasis on being rather than doing, even a few moments of quiet do not come naturally to me in this hectic, buzzing world.  I must carve out time to allow God to nourish my inner life.”

When a journalist asked Thomas Merton to diagnose the leading spiritual disease of our time, the monk gave a curious one word answer: efficiency.  Why? “From the monastery to the Pentagon, the plant has to run….and there is little time or energy left over after that to do anything else.”

I am guessing most of you can relate.  The amount of stuff we feel that we have to get done seems endless.  More often than not, it seems that we just keep taking on more and more.  We feel we must continually do more and do it faster.   The thought of doing less sounds good, but usually is quickly discarded with a “yeah, right” kind of attitude.  It seems that activity, busyness and constant action in both our work life and home life is what is applauded.  We all constantly complain about how busy we are, but I think we secretly want others to praise us for it.

What gets squeezed out in this kind lifestyle?  Time with your kids? Time with God? Time to rest? Time to think? All of the above?

As you plan and prepare for next year, pray over the verse above and ask God to show you what you can do to have more balance in your life and how you can say NO to something that will allow you to be more of a “human being” instead of a “human doing.

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One of the greatest blessings our Father gave me long ago, was to be raised in the Church singing the timeless old hymns again and again. Last night,  I found myself in bed awake and struggling to get back to sleep.  Not too unusual for me, but annoying none the less.  It seems that in a little while, the words of these great old hymns proceed into my mind, transforming my racing thoughts into songs of prayer and praise.  One of my favorites songs to pray to the Lord is, “O Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

Meditate on these beautiful lyrics as prayer, at home or at work, and hopefully you will discover a whole new dimension to your prayer life.

 

O thou fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing they grace;

Streams of mercy, NEVER CEASING, Call for songs of loudest praise;

Teach me ever to adore Thee; May I still Thy goodness prove,

While the hope of endless glory, Fills my heart with joy and love.

O to grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be!

Let they goodness like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee;

Never let me wander from Thee, Never leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart , O take and seal it, Seal it for the courts above.

 

Have a blessed Lord’s Day!

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Be Still…

How often are you “still”? Does watching TV count? Still for how long?

This morning, in our 6:30 Bridging the Gap group meeting, we discussed how often we practice Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” We talked about “meditating on God’s Word”. We went around the table and told stories of  (rare) times in our lives when we pulled back and spent a few hours, maybe a day, just listening. Being God-centered, not self-centered.

The stories were inspirational because most of them were not huge sacrifices. They were intentional uses of time to seek God. Here are a few examples:

  • Premeditated long drive after work. He fasted that day. He asked his wife if he could miss dinner with his family that evening. He drove to a secluded park. He prayed about an issue at work that was continuing to trouble him. He listened.
  • He mowed a four-acre yard. He premeditated to use that time to “shout to the Lord” (no one can hear you anyway). He prayed about an issue dogging his Church. He received a clear message from the Lord.
  • She spent 30 hours in a place she never expected to be. So she used that time for “intense” prayer. She “talked to God”.
  • Driving to Oklahoma City, he premeditated not to listen to the radio. Total silence. All the way there and back. He did not receive a word from God that day, but he felt a sense of calm and peace he had not experienced in a long time. And, the issues he tabled that day were big issues…game changers. And since then? Receiving lots of directional signs, so he knows his time in meditation was very well spent.

We are all running so fast. Some of us manage a quiet time in the morning. But how many of us pull back and look for a window of time to seek God and listen? I have been inspired to do just that. I would covet your prayers as I spend the next 24 hours being still, and knowing that He is God.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

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Summer R&R

We have all been pushing really hard. 2010 has been no easier than 2009 in the workplace, has it? Some of you are still looking for jobs. Most of you are working harder than ever. If you haven’t already…it’s time to think about your summer. And specifically, to consider your personal need for R&R.

So what does R&R stand for? How about Restoration and Renewal!

As many of you know, we just completed our 2010 Leadership Conference where over 1,500 leaders invested in their futures. Two days later was Mother’s Day. The day after that was one of those “decade” birthdays for my wife Theresa. We needed some R&R. And we were blessed to be able to get away and celebrate her life, our marriage, and to simply…rest. 

I was amazed at how badly we needed restoration. Each morning, I would get up early, sit on our deck and just have some great thinking time. It was a time of great restoration for me. A time to pray and read and write the blessings of my life. I could begin to feel God’s renewal that we all need so badly from time to time.

So how about you? What do you have planned this summer to restore and renew?

Would you like a great jump-start? Two years ago, Steve Graves spoke at our June Eight-to-Five event on “The Summer of Your Life: Making Progress Where It Matters Most“. Give it a listen. It will inspire your summer R&R.

http://www.workmatters.org/events/eight_to_five_unplugged/listen_to_speakers

Lord, we try so hard to do our work with excellence. We push so hard to lead at home in our marriages, our parenting, our friendships, and our serving. Will you give us the wisdom to see R&R and the courage to go get it. Amen

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