This National Geographic video can be your “learn something new every day” moment for today!
Jaguar VS Crocodile
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Six-Pack (69)
Welcome to the Six-Pack!
The weekend slipped by me, but I refuse to miss another Six-Pack post. Let’s get at it!
If a half-dozen links feels daunting, start with the *Picks of the Week*, and branch from there.
For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter to the right of this post. Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.
Today’s edition:
1) The Quiet Strength of a Peaceful Leader (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Gordon MacDonald offers this beautiful — and unusual — perspective on leadership.
2) When Elmer Refuses to Change
Sam Rainer considers the often prickly issue of change in churches.
3) Culture Change: Recognize the Value of Small Groups
Lots of churches use Small Groups — some well, some less well. What’s the point anyway? Quite a bit, it turns out.
4) Playing with Fire
On the blog for Arrow Leadership, Mark Buchanan recently posted this beauty about those things that God obsesses over. If Mark writes it, it should be read — one man’s humble opinion.
5) Canadian Appreciation (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Sports Illustrated is doing a great series on Canada in recent days. Over the weekend, Peter King, one of America’s highly esteemed football guys took in two CFL games, including right here in Regina. His piece is a treat to read!
6) You Couldn’t Tell Me a Super Bowl Would Feel Nicer
Indulge me in one additional football piece — this one by Doug Flutie, recounting his days playing north of the border. Another great piece on a great league!
May your week ahead be filled with life, as you seek the One from whom it flows!
YOUR TURN: Your input makes this post better!
- Which link above was today’s best-of-the-best?
- Why that one?
Direct others to the best of the bunch with a quick comment.
[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]
Thursday Thanks (56-60)
Each week (I aim for Thursday), I’ll use this space to list five things (items, experiences, people, whatever) for which I’ve been recently grateful. Consider it my “blessings count”. Ann Voskamp’s famous challenge to list 1000 gifts seemed daunting — I’m committing to 500, a task which will take me two years of weekly posts to complete!
I postponed this post so that I might include thoughts from my wife’s 20th high school reunion. Here we go:
1) Friends
Everyone could list this one, but there is something very special about friends with whom many miles have been logged. There’s a special gift found with those who knew each other before any of us were anything at all!
2) Rain
My gratitude for the weekend’s rains was tempered by the way that a usually beautiful camp was transformed into a swamp. Unreal!
3) Socks
There is a special joy to putting on a new pair of socks. There is a lesser joy two days of sloshing in your socks. There is another wonderful joy to putting on dry socks when you get home.
4) Showers
I have likely listed this one before, but the first shower back at home after a few days away always strikes me as beautiful!
5) Laughs
A decent reunion is always laugh-filled. Some of the laughter was from hearing stories of the past 20 years of friends’ lives. Some of the loudest laughter was from the retelling and reliving of stories from much farther back than that!
YOUR TURN: Your input makes this post better!
- Did any of this week’s list especially strike a chord with you?
- What’s one thing you’re particularly grateful for this week?
[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]
Sabbath: A Practice of Death
Our church recently worked through a series of teachings on Sabbath. Far beyond a weekly holiday, this biblical concept is loaded with meaning, with each additional layer creating a rich tapestry of teaching that displays the love and goodness of God in fresh ways.
This series of blog posts will aim to capture some of the highlights of discovery along the way.
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In a short film by The Work of the People, Barbara Brown Taylor describes Sabbath as “a practice of death”. Here is some of what she means:
“At least for me, a decline in productivity is a practice in death. Productivity is the universal means of valuing one another. Sabbath is a weekly tonic built into the teaching and the fabric of the universe that once a week you’re supposed to quit being good for anything.”
She goes on to explain that the initial taste of Sabbath is typically pleasure. But if you live there for a while, it becomes unnerving. That nothing can be earned or achieved or measured, this unnerves many of us so intensely that it feels like a form of dying.
This thought becomes especially provocative when we consider Sabbath within the context of the Creation account. In approaching Day Seven, an obvious question gets asked: Why did God rest? If not for recharging or renewal, what was Yahweh doing?
At the least, He was making a statement.
Here’s what I mean.
It’s a lot like Jesus’ baptism. As we read of his journey toward the John the Baptist and the Jordan River, another obvious questions gets asked: Why will Jesus be baptized? Sinless and in no need of forgiveness, Jesus still described the act as being for “righteousness’ sake”. Again, I say: At the very least, he was making a statement.
Jesus’ baptism, seeming unnecessary by our standards, stated the importance, value, and meaning of the act. And a most profound piece of baptism’s meaning revolves around an experience of death.
Likewise: God’s Sabbath, seeming unnecessary by our standards, stated the importance, value, and meaning of the act. And a most profound piece of Sabbath’s meaning revolves around an experience of death.
In a sentence, I’ve never met anyone who moves smoothly or naturally toward death. We are build to live; the drive for self-preservation is relentless. There’s a survival mechanism here that is right and proper. But a troubling paradox lies at the heart of the spiritual life. Being raised follows being laid down, and defeat is actually a pre-requisite to victory.
Life is found in death. Or as St. Francis said it: “It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” And none of our feet move well in that direction.
So the next time you observe a baptism, remember Jesus’ statement act. The next time you squirm in stillness, recall God’s statement act. The Son’s soaking or the Father’s finishing: These are just two of many loving nudges to move us in a direction we’d never naturally choose – the way of life.
YOUR TURN: Your input makes this post better!
- You ever squirmed with stillness or silence? What do you think was behind that?
- How do you process this paradox that we are so uninclined to move toward the death that brings life?
[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]
Sabbath: An Art Form
Our church recently worked through a series of teachings on Sabbath. Far beyond a weekly holiday, this biblical concept is loaded with meaning, with each additional layer creating a rich tapestry of teaching that displays the love and goodness of God in fresh ways.
This series of blog posts will aim to capture some of the highlights of discovery along the way.
–
Digging into the Old Testament concept of Sabbath provides a unexpected shock. The Fourth Commandment seems clear enough: “Observe the Sabbath by keeping it holy.” But Scripture is surprisingly silent about the specifics: How does one keep a day holy? The biblical text spells out harsh penalties for Sabbath-breakers. Additionally, stories of conflict between Jesus and religious leaders of his day indicate a strict evolution of Sabbath views between Sinai and New Testament times. Without doubt, this command was taken seriously. Yet when one considers the extensive detail which the Torah provides regarding issues like priestly garments, dietary rules, sexual conduct, dealing with mold, or managing skin conditions, the law is shockingly vague in regard to Sabbath.
Let me highlight a bizarre example to make the point. When is the last time you read Deuteronomy 25:11-12? If this passage has arisen in a recent sermon or small group discussion, then you are part of one fascinating church!
For the rest of us, let’s refresh:
11 “If two Israelite men get into a fight and the wife of one tries to rescue her husband by grabbing the testicles of the other man, 12 you must cut off her hand. Show her no pity.
Okay then.
On the heels of that attention-grabbing legislation, let’s pose an honest question: How often would a nation need detailed direction on how to deal with this particular situation?
Let’s estimate. Envision a nation of 1,000,000 people (many scholars picture ancient Israel with a population around that). How many such squeal-inducing quarrels might unfold among such a group over the course of one calendar year? I don’t know the answer, but lucky for any judges, there was crystal-clear instruction on how to handle this awkward situation.
Now consider Sabbath. Sabbath was expected to be observed by every person in the nation 52 times per year. That totals 52,000,000 instances when “Observe the Sabbath, and keep it holy” is highly relevant. And yet we are not told explicitly how to do it.
What is going on here?
One clue might be found in the word “holy”. The term speaks of something set apart, different from the common. Somehow, this holy day is to be uniquely marked, distinctly distinguished from the other six days of the week.
Mark Buchanan tells a story of visiting a sick man. This successful gentleman had his rhythm disrupted by an extended illness. In conversing with his visiting pastor, the afflicted fellow processed aloud:
“I know God is trying to get my attention. I just haven’t figured out yet what He wants my attention for. He must want me to do something.”
Mark tenderly replied:
“Maybe that’s the problem: You think He wants your attention in order for you to do something. Maybe He just wants your attention.”
Psalm 46:10 urges: “Be still and know that I am God.” Between those words is a suggestion that some forms of knowing cannot be had without being still. It is highly possible – perhaps a given – that there are times when all God wants is your attention.
It would seem that Sabbath is one of those times. Perhaps the unique marks of a “holy day” involve levels of stillness and attentiveness neither sought nor entered on other days.
If any of this is close to what it means to keep a day holy, then Sabbath is more of an art than a science. It’s not paint-by-numbers, it’s a clear canvas with a specific assignment. Sabbath-keeping demands creative consideration: What practical moves might a man or woman make toward crafting a day characterized by unusual levels of stillness and attentiveness?
Some possibilities:
SHUT IT OFF: Technology time-outs might be a most tangible mark of Sabbath in this day – what would more blatantly mark the day as different than backing away from buttons and screens? It seems no stretch to imagine that the monitoring of steps or limiting of tasks so common in Jesus’ day might revolve around texts or emails or episodes if Sabbath interpretation was unfolding in the 21st century.
SHOPPING STOPPED: I have heard people say that nothing disrupts a holiday mindset like entering a mall or mega-store. Brainwaves change the moment one enters the parking lot, and most of those waves wouldn’t be labeled “holy”! In a more general sense, shopping is an act of consumption, and consumption is common, and common isn’t holy. On a day when even ancient Israel planned to grab some extra at Manna-Mart ahead of the Sabbath, perhaps the goal of one day to revel in God’s provision without needing more is an inspired move in the Sabbath dance.
SHHHH: How about some quiet? It is amazing what happens to our insides when we feed on beautiful words or listen to moving music, when we record hidden thoughts or rest weary bodies. In my home of small children, I recognize that life cannot be entirely shut off. Some of this stillness needs modifying in different seasons. But it can still be pursued. It’s an art – be creative!
SUNSHINE: It is no accident that humanity’s origins were in a garden. Creation connects with our depths as no desk or couch or counter can. You might be an avid green-thumb, planting and nurturing and harvesting. You may just like walking. Lie in a hammock, pedal a bike, stroll in the rain, retreat to the woods. If your skin feels a breeze, odds are high your spirit will breathe. Get out there!
SHAKE-UP: Some are guided by a simple Sabbath idea – whatever you normally do, don’t do that! Change the routine. Physical workers, take it easy. Desk-folks, move that body. Word-people, lay down the book. Lone labourers, make plans with friends. If “holy” is opposite to “common”, then a measured move to “different” might lead you into a wonderful way of Sabbath.
SLACK OFF: Everyone has a list of oughts, shoulds, and need-to-do’s. But they aren’t for Sabbath. Tuck them away. Forget about them – not forever, but certainly for now.
In considering Sabbath as an art, a wonderful surprise awaits. This staunch and stuffy command turns out to actually be a life-giving word. And limits and legalism get quickly traded in for the fun and freedom generated by “keeping it holy”.
YOUR TURN: Your input makes this post better!
- What Sabbath practices have you adopted or flirted with?
- What would mark a day as “holy” within your usual flow of life?
[You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or email, in the upper right corner of this page.]