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 23, 2013

Wednesday - Change It - Becoming Like Family

Every family has routines and values, and these are closely connected. Take suburban family life as an example. On the surface, we can see routines: wake, eat, drop-off at daycare/school, commute to work, work, commute home, pickup kids, make and eat dinner, get everyone to bed, and repeat. But we have to ask what values are behind that. Why do families move to the suburbs? There are choices, you could live in country, or the city. Why here? For some, it’s where they grew up. Others want to be close to parents, or want their kids to have a yard of a certain size, or to be near nature. Whatever the values, we chose the routine because of those values. Yesterday, we saw Jesus shake up his family routine because he was pursuing a higher value. He called it the will of his Father in heaven. We have called these kingdom values, and it can be distilled down to loving God, and loving neighbour. Jesus is challenging the extended family norms of his day, and replacing them with a new one. A new kind of family. With this new family will come new routines, all because of those founding values. The other direction works, too. We are trying to instill some routines in my family like saying a prayer before a meal (grace), asking our son the best and worst part of day, so we can say thanks to God in prayer, and ask for help or say sorry for the low parts of the day. We also read a Bible story and say a prayer at bed. We do this in hopes that our son will learn some values from those routines. Let’s start simple, and look just at what it means to love God, and love neighbour. Question: Based on the values of love God, love neighbour, what do you think Jesus’ family routines would be like? What could your immediate family’s routines look like?

Related Topics: Church, Family, Routine, Values | 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.

Discuss

More Messages From Ryan Sim...

Powered by Series Engine