Life can get busy. And in those busy moments, it can be hard to remember to take the time to slow down and rest in the presence of God. It can be hard to seek solitude and rest.
Slowing down is hard for me. I’m a doer, perhaps not by nature, but by a habit ingrained long enough for it to seem like it’s my nature. I like my routines. I’m pumped when I’m productive. I feel anxious often when I’m not busy doing something. It can be very hard for me to slow down.
Several years ago, I read Leading on Empty, by Wayne Cordeiro. In this book, he stressed the importance of getting away on what he referred to as Personal Retreat Days. After reading that, I jumped into that discipline with gusto, but over time, it kind of slipped to the side and was more and more neglected. I knew that I needed it, but it always just seemed to be something that got pushed aside by other, more “important” things.
Within the past two months, a couple of different things have taken place to remind me of the necessity of getting away for a time of silence and solitude, and to simply seek God’s presence.
For the past year or two, it seems my routines have been out of whack, and it’s been more than a little frustrating. So what do you do when that happens? Eliminate those things that distract!
I am a creature of routine. I much prefer when things go the same way, every day, without change. Change messes with me more than I’d like to admit, and as I get older, I find myself more and more routine oriented… and more and more frustrated because of it.
Routines are good. They can be very beneficial. They can help you make the most of your time, utilizing your days for the most effective impact on your life, on the lives around you, on your community, and the list could go on.
But if there is one thing that is certain, it is that things change. Routine can only work up to a certain point, because the fact that things will change and shift is inevitable. Finding a balance between the two can be tough to do.
I have been in a season of life recently that has messed up my routine. This has impacted various areas of my life, including my desire to write more, to read more, and to study more. And honestly, I’m hard pressed to identify where the time is going that I used to invest in these areas.
Colorado is probably my favorite place on this planet; and to be more specific, a small retreat center in the mountains west of Colorado Springs is my favorite place on this planet. And I go there every year.
Recently, I have been writing about my thoughts and ideas concerning all the stuff in my life, and all the stuff going on in my life. I have come to realize that it is time for some simplification, some reorganization, and some reprioritizing of much of my life. That’s not always easy to do, simply because the regular pressures of the day to day grind can prevent us from taking the time to really evaluate where we are and compare that with where we want to be.
I have found that a spiritual retreat can be a very helpful tool to help accomplish this. This is something I have implemented into my life on a regular basis for several years, and have seen some very amazing results in my life. I do this at two different levels: Annually, I take a week and head to Colorado with several other people in ministry. It’s a time of refreshing and renewal. More on that in a moment.
For the past few weeks, I have been evaluating some of the things in my life, and reducing or reorganizing a lot of it. What I’m doing has been called by many “simplifying.” But I’m trying to be much more strategic than that.
Often, the things that we have can get in the way and become a distraction to us. I believe that is the case much more often than people realize, and when “things” get too important, we lose track of our proper priorities.
The Bible calls that idolatry.
But what we need to stop and realize is that it’s not the thing itself that is the problem, it’s our motives and attitudes towards it. So when we start looking into our lives to simplify things, and to remove distractions, we need to look more into our hearts than into our homes. Because that’s where all of this is rooted.
So I have been seeking to be strategic as I simplify my life some. I have been reevaluating a lot of stuff. Do I really need to keep this? It this something that God can use through my life to accomplish good for his Kingdom? Or is this something that I am attached to too deeply? Those are the kinds of questions I’m asking.
But it’s not just about the physical possessions. Sometimes it’s other things as well. And sometimes, in order to simplify our lives, we need to strategically add some things in as we take some others away.
Right now, I am in the process of purging some of the things in my life that I have accumulated. I’m shooting for something more simplified, maybe even leaning towards minimalism, in theory. And I’m finding it very hard to do.
My life is complicated.
I don’t state that in a complaining fashion, because I know just how many different things I have going on in my life. Some I can control, others I cannot. My wife and I have a large family, with seven kids. A couple of them are in early adulthood, a couple of them are teens, or soon to be, and the rest are younger children. That fact alone ensure that we are busy, and that we live in a cluttered home.
I’m also in ministry. Every time I see something that might be a resource, I’m tempted to grab it and hold on to it. More on that in a moment.
My wife is also very frugal. She’s always thinking ahead, so if she sees a deal on something that we don’t need now, but will need later, it’s quite likely to be brought home and stored until we need it. She saves us a lot of money that way.
There are several key habits that we must develop if we want to grow in our spiritual maturity. Many habits are beneficial, but there are a few that I would classify as critical that we incorporate. Accountability is one of the crucial ones.
Accountability can be difficult, and especially for guys. Maybe it is because women seem to be able to understand relationships better than most men. I don’t know. But it can be tough for a man to build an accountable relationship with being very intentional about it.
But… If you can develop one accountable relationship, it will change your life. It really will. Unfortunately, most men live their lives without ever even attempting to build this type of relationship into their life and growth.
Accountability is, at it’s most basic level, simply an intentionally formed, deep friendship with someone who has permission to ask you some tough questions in and about your life. Proverbs 18:24, describes this kind of friendship very clearly:
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
If this is such a necessary part of our spiritual life, then there must be some benefits from developing such a relationship. Let me suggest four benefits, and then a few tips on how to incorporate accountability so it can be most impactful.
The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus by Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2004)
I am continually on the search for great books. And when I hear of something that is potentially a quality resource, I’m usually quick to grab a copy and read it. Over the years, I have built an extensive library of such volumes, and utilize them frequently, and recommend them to others.
Not long ago, I was listening to some older episodes of one of my favorite podcasts, Every Thought Captive — which is the creation of three current professors at my alma mater, Ozark Christian College, in Joplin, Missouri. In one episode, they made a passing comment about a book that a couple of them have used as a textbook in their classes, remarking that it was the best resource they had found on this particular topic. Of course, I was immediately intrigued.
So I went to Amazon and found myself a copy of The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus. And I have not been disappointed. This book lays out the logical and historical evidences for the resurrection accounts given to us in the New Testament, and they do so in a clear and concise manner that is easy to read and comprehend. They also don’t get caught up in “side issues,” such as the reliability of Scripture and others. These are important topics, and certainly play a part in the discussion, but are topics that can pull the attention away from the discussion at hand. Authors Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona avoid that as much as possible.
The book approaches the evidence from a couple of different directions, from both the proponents point of view, as well as the perspective of the skeptic, answering his questions and opposing theories. Both are equally well crafted and provide excellent information for Christians to use, adding strength to their testimony of Jesus to others.
I find The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus to be both refreshingly new, and timelessly solid. It’s an incredible addition to my library. I highly recommend this book for just about any Christian who wants to become better at sharing their faith in Jesus and the power of his resurrection.
If you are interested in picking up a copy, you can find it on Amazon.
