Tomorrow morning, our family of five are departing for a two-week Florida vacation. I’m viewing as a “buy low, sell high” moment in trading our recent -40’s for some mid 20’s down along the beach.
In the quest for full-blown rest, blogging and tweeting are being left behind as well. I will eagerly resume them upon returning, but for now…
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Welcome to the weekend and to the latest Six-Pack of recent gems I wanted to pass on. Typically ministry-minded or faith-focused, be prepared for a bit of who-knows-what as well.
If six choices overwhelm you, begin with my two *Picks of the Week*, and move from there.
For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter ( @JasonBandura ) to the right of this post. Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.
Today’s edition:
1) Balancing Acts (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Two of the “pastor books” that generated big buzz in 2012 were Andy Stanley’s “Deep and Wide” and Timothy Keller’s “Center Church”. This interview, from Christianity Today, gives both authors some space in which to respond to questions tied to those contributions.
2) A Circle of Honour
By regularly giving people praise and recognition, we reflect Christ’s ministry and the relationship of the Trinity. So says Robert C. Crosby in this piece for Leadership Journal. How could you be a more steady source of such positive forces?
3) They Cuss in E.T.?! WTF!
Is violence now more permissable than swearing or nudity in our movies? Psychology Today explores the evolution of “what goes” in our entertainment.
4) The Top Five Career Regrets
Regardless of how you earn your paycheck, you’ve almost certainly dreamed of other jobs, perhaps even that “dream career” that isn’t yet yours. Or maybe you’re in that job already, just looking to give your best and taste of the resulting satisfaction and success. Whatever your specifics, it never hurts to learn from other people’s mistakes. This HBR post offers you that opportunity.
5) Saved from Meritocracy (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Western society is constructed largely on the ideal of meritocracy, the conviction that if one works hard enough, he can become or achieve anything. While the moral of countless films and stories, the snag is that this teaching runs completely counter to the Gospel of Jesus at several key junctions. The Red Letter Christians offer this perspective on this struggle to “fit” the grand Gospel into our small system.
6) Share the Gospel and Your Life
Writing to the Thessalonians, Paul comments: “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thess. 2:8). The Resurgence offers this piece on how to go about this, the essence of true evangelism.
Blessings on you, my friends. May your weekend be refreshing in rest, play, and worship.
YOUR TURN: Direct other readers to the best stuff above by making a comment below, or weigh in on what you read. Your input makes this post better!
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For any father who’s ever realized that doing his daughter’s hair was WAY outside his skill set, allow me to introduce you to our new hero…
I’m not a huge Oprah fan, though I do appreciate a number of her efforts. Recently, she hosted Rick Warren, who in turn, brought Nick Vujicic.
Wherever you are today, whatever you feel is limiting your life or outrightly stealing it away from you, this is more than a tad inspiring.
Go in strength, my friends. God is your Maker, Provider, and Companion. And with Him, nothing is impossible.
This invitation is among Jesus’ most famous words (Mt 11:28-30):
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Tillers International put out a document on how to build a yoke (in case you were looking for a wood shop project). They noted that a typical wooden yoke might weigh 50-60 pounds, certainly more than I’d care to carry in a backpack each day but hardly problematic to a team of animals who might weigh a couple tons collectively.
That got me to thinking about the yoke Jesus offers.
He says that it will not feel burdensome. He also says that wearing it will be a form of learning.
Yoke-talk was common-place among first-century rabbis. It spoke of whose rule one was living out, whose Torah-interpretation one was holding, whose “way” one was walking. Typically, potential students might approach a teacher under whom they desired to learn. Some sort of “application” would take place, with testing and gauging of whether this student was suitable for this master. Jesus splits from the standard operating procedures immediately by putting out a call of invitation, particularly to those whose current yokes are crushing them. To the wearied and the worn, a restful yoke awaits.
I mean, Jesus is the same one who called his followers to “be holy, as God is holy”. He told them that they would need to pursue a higher form of righteousness than the minutia-minded Sinai-sticklers of their day, so we can safely conclude that he was not speaking of slack standards or halfway holiness.
Picture it.
See the metaphor: View the farm, hear the livestock, assess the fields to work.
Imagine it.
Place yourself there: Smell the dirt, breathe the air, feel the weight of a yoke.
If there is a yoke and we are wearing it, then it seems easy enough to assess our spot in the sketch. We are the beast of burden, ready to plow under the watch of a master. Simple enough.
That seems easy too.
I mean, if he’s the owner of the yoke, then he is the farmer, intent on training us to be obedient and useful to himself. Every facet of that metaphor works for standard Christian teaching.
However, I cannot help but wonder if we’re missing a key–a very key–detail.
Years ago, my wife and I spent time in southeast Asia. At a number of spots, we encountered elephants: We rode some, we fed some, we visited reserves and protection programs. We also witnessed elephants being used as work-animals. Be assured, you can get some stuff done with an elephant! Who needs horsepower when you’ve got elephant power and a trunk?!
One of the trainers said that when they’re working with a new elephant, they match him up with their best elephant. The rookie gets yoked alongside the expert. He gets mastered; he gets discipled.
And that is what I think we’re missing when we read Matthew 11.
It makes all kinds of sense to see Jesus as the yoke-owning, beast-breaking farmer.
Perhaps it makes all kinds of more sense to see Jesus as the yoke-sharing, way-walking beast beside us.
He straps us to himself and shows us how to walk. Like stubborn elephants, we pull against and jostle with the yoke and the partner. And like the steady guide, he holds the line, graciously allowing us to learn and adjust. When pride breaks and rebellion subsides, we discover that we can sync our strides to this steady companion.
And in that moment of coordination and partnership, we discover that we don’t even notice the yoke upon us. The load is shared, and truth be told, he is bearing the weight so completely that our portion merits no mention. Beyond that, we begin to realize that a life of satisfying fruitfulness has begun.
Welcome to the life of the disciple!