So far this week, we’ve looked at rhythms for rest, but what should one actually do with that time?  One author, Tim Keller, has suggested two main categories of rest.

1) Doing nothing at all.  Kick your feet up.

2) Do something different from your usual work.

If you work in a bank, volunteering to help launch our church is a form of rest.  But if you work in a church, then it isn’t rest…but doing the books for your favourite charity could be.

If you’re a fisherman, then fishing isn’t rest.  But if you’re a videographer, it is.

If you’re a landscaper, then cutting the grass at home isn’t rest.  But for many people, it’s therapeutic!

Not sure what that might look like?

It could be contemplative – spend some time praying, reading something spiritually focused, watching a sunrise.

It could be recreational – playing soccer, rock climbing, hitting the beach, learning a new skill, reading something just for fun.

It could be aesthetic – going to an art gallery, climbing the CN tower to look over the city, watching an outdoor movie like we’re hosting this September.

Rest is going to vary depending on your work and your personality.

For me – rest is reading, or outdoors.  Hiking, rock climbing, camping, all use muscles, parts of my brain and energies that writing these challenges and standing here in front of a camera talking to you does not!

Question: List your favourite way to find rest in each of these categories:

  • Doing Nothing:
  • Contemplative:
  • Recreational:
  • Aesthetic:

Then put down when you’ll plan to do that next.

We meet for coffee this Wednesday night at Starbucks in the Chapters Store in Ajax, in Durham Region just East of Toronto.  Maybe we’ll see you there?

Ryan Sim - October 2, 2013

Wednesday - Change It - Acquaintances to Partners

Won\'t You Be My Neighbour?

Yesterday we saw Jesus saying the way we treat a hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, or imprisoned person says something about our desire to join his kingdom. What is the consequence of this story? The story makes it clear that Jesus’ kingdom is based on generous sacrifice. Our motivation for compassion and care is not to be someone else noticing, or that we’ll get thanked, paid back or will otherwise benefit. It’s not even entirely about the other person’s benefit. It’s simply the right thing to do, and it’s the overflow of a relationship with God in Jesus. The deck-building neighbour I described on Monday was also married to a great neighbour. She was a nurse, and one day she came over to check on my wife, who’d fallen asleep laying on the grass resting from gardening. This was part of that nurse’s vocation, it’s not just a job to help people in need, it’s actually part of who she is, and what she is called to do. Christians have the same kind of vocation to love our neighbours, with friendship, words, and also our actions not because there’s something in it for us, but because it is who we are as citizens of the kingdom of God. Sometimes this isn’t as easy as checking on a friendly neighbour – not everyone finds visiting prisoners easy, it can be scary. Serving the thirsty can mean travelling places we’d rather not see. Helping those with no clothes can be awkward! But this is how Jesus challenges us to dispay kingdomliness. He calls us to overcome our fears, prejudices, anxiety for the sake of his kingdom and its values. Q: List the six needs Jesus wants his followers to meet: + The hungry + The thirsty + The stranger + The naked + The sick + The imprisoned. Who do you naturally have the most compassion for? Who do you find most challenging to show compassion for? Why? Remember, we meet for coffee every Wednesday night at Starbucks in the Chapters Store in Ajax, in Durham Region just East of Toronto. Maybe we'll see you there?

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