There are two extreme approaches to work:

1) Work is necessary evil. Do just enough so I never have to work again.
2) Work is the ultimate good to pursue.

We’ll look in depth at these two kinds of extreme approaches to work next week, and how they can damage us, then the next week, we’ll see what good work looks like, and how it ties in with God’s purpose and rhythm for both work and rest.

We saw with the recent devastation in Quebec how disastrous it is when trains go off the rails. They are made to run on rails. The rails are not about restricting their freedom, however. The rails give them freedom – when they hop the rails, they lose all freedom.

God has given some tracks for us. A rhythm of work & rest in a week…a year…and a lifetime.

Work is not a temporary, troublesome virus in our lives, but part of who we are. And the rhythm will help us see that while work is important, it’s not all important.

Balance and rhythm are the way to keep away from those extremes.

Challenge: Draw a continuum between these extremes – work is nothing, everything. Where are you? Where are those you know and work with? Where would you like to be?

 

Acknowledgements: Tim Keller, Every Good Endeavour and Work & Rest

Ryan Sim - October 21, 2013

Monday - A New Idea - Becoming Like Family

In our last series, we talked about loving our neighbours, and stepped through six shifts. From stranger to neighbour to acquaintance to partner to friend to becoming “like family”. It’s possible to become like family with a focused group of people, where you practice loving your neighbours within that small group, and see that spill over to others outside. This series looks specifically at this stage of being “like family” with other followers of Jesus. It’s called the church, believe it or not. Important that explore what church means as we prepare to launch a new church in Ajax in 2014. You probably have all sorts of preconceived notions of what that word means. Attached you'll find a video of some people on the street who were asked about what they think of when they hear “church”. You can find the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLHSahGqlJs&feature=youtu.be&t=35s Question: When you hear the word “church” what do you immediately see, or think? Make a list, there may be several. What experiences have informed you?

Related Topics: Church, Family | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

From Series: "Becoming Like Family"

This series looks at becoming “like family” with others learning to follow Jesus. We're exploring how the church is not a building, institution or event, but a community of people. It's important that explore what church means as we prepare to launch a new church in Ajax in 2014.

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