Slow Down

Three Keys to Becoming a Servant Leader

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5,6 As we wrap up our discussion about what it means to love our enemies and bring unity to our workplaces, I want to offer three practical tips that will help you to be a conduit of peace from the inside out. You see, becoming a servant leader is not a matter of trying harder, it’s a matter of the heart. The more you trust the Lord with your life and the more assuredly you believe that serving others is His best plan for you, the more naturally peace and goodness will flow from you. That said, here are a few things to remember: First of all, be patient. Intentionally practice patience and quit hurrying through your life. Instead

May 1, 2022 1 Comment

Leave Room for Gaps

“While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.’ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’ Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.” – Matthew 9:18-22 We’ve been discussing several habits and behaviors that will help us live abundantly in the new year this week. We’ve discussed intentional relaxation and ruthlessly eliminating hurry so far, and today I’d want to introduce you to a third discipline that I

January 12, 2022 No Comments

Jesus was at Ease

“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” – Mark 6:30,31 We talked about the power of intentional rest the other day, and how it may help us free our minds and find peace. Today, I want to give you a second challenge for the new year, one that I feel will significantly improve your quality of life — don’t hurry! You’ve undoubtedly heard me say it before, but you must “ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life,” as Dallas Willard, one of my religious heroes, puts it. Slowing down my pace has improved my quality of life and my capacity to be an effective Jesus follower significantly.

January 11, 2022 No Comments

Rest with God

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” – Hebrews 4:9-11 It’s the weekend again, and I want to encourage you to Sabbath, or truly relax, as you establish new habits this year. There’s a reason God advised the Jews to set aside a specific day of the week to relax and unwind. Rest is a sacred thing, and I believe that God’s Spirit resides in times when we intentionally relax and slow down. He communicates to us, leads us, and blesses us with great interactions with Him in such moments. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that our world is strained, and it’s stressed like crazy! People are

January 8, 2022 2 Comments

The Origins of Overload

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:29,30 I don’t know about you, but emerging from the strange season we’ve been in for much of the past year has been a challenge. While I’m very excited to be living life and resuming normal activities, I’ve found that I need to ration energy as I pick up the pace and move ahead. Something about being totally slowed down and then going forward at full steam has been a struggle. In fact, it reminds me afresh of the incredibly fast pace of our 21st century world, and how it can take its toll on our souls if we’re not careful. You see, I believe our minds are like computer batteries, and when

August 7, 2021 5 Comments

Help Isn’t Hurried

“In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.’” – Luke 10:30-33 Today, I want to remind you of something important: you cannot help people and be in a hurry. Yesterday, we talked about becoming compassionate listeners and how, by opening our ears and hearts up to others, the Holy Spirit can use us to bring healing to the world. However, if

July 31, 2021 2 Comments

The Solitude of Jesus

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.” – Matthew 14:13 Yesterday, we talked about the importance of having good habits in our lives, and we affirmed that how we use our time determines the course of our future. For the next few days, I want to dive into this topic further and examine three regular disciplines of Jesus that we can apply today. First of all, our Lord had a practice of solitude. Withdrawing to a place of peace and quiet seemed to be a top priority for Him, especially following a public outpouring on His part. After His baptism and commission to ministry, the Holy Spirit led Him to the wilderness where He lived forty days and forty nights without food or water. This was a season of immense

June 4, 2021 No Comments

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:29-30 Our world is so stressed out. Not you, though, right? You’re not stressed, but everybody else out there… they’re stressed. Everybody’s so busy. Always hurried. Our society is not only busy, it seems to have made “being busy” a virtue, somehow. If I say to you on the phone, “‘I know you’re super busy,” it’s a compliment, isn’t it? But if I say to you, “I know your calendar is wide open, you probably don’t have anything to do.” That’s pretty much an insult, isn’t it? In our culture, being busy, having a cluttered schedule, never resting, always going, and never stopping is the right way. But walking in rest and rhythms, saying

January 1, 2017 No Comments

SLOW DOWN

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. – Psalm 37:7

September 28, 2016 No Comments

Slow Down

Three Keys to Becoming a Servant Leader

Leave Room for Gaps

Jesus was at Ease

Rest with God

The Origins of Overload

Help Isn’t Hurried

The Solitude of Jesus

Slow Down

SLOW DOWN

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