Often exhaustion happens when one’s output is greater than their input, when doing is greater than being. Jesus deeply understood this and attempted to his life with the Father.
“He frequently withdrew to desolate places to pray” (Luke 5:16). Jesus did this early in the morning, before dawn, to enjoy time with the Father (Mark 1:35). No one else. No demands from the crowd. No demands from the day. No hustle. No hurry. Just him and the Father. This was his custom.
If this was needed for Jesus, how much more of a necessity is it for us? This coming month of July is meant to help you slow down, enjoy the summer rhythms, but also to help you attend to your soul.
Here are a few resources to help you do that:
Dwell Bible App - this is a wonderful bible listening app, where you can listen to various voice artists read various translations of Scripture. If reading is hard for you or you enjoy listening to audio books on walks, this is for you.
Listening Prayer & Lectio Divina Reading Guide - I mentioned this resource in my sermon this past Sunday, as our Session used this on their retreat earlier this month. If you want to do a deep dive, check out Eugene Peterson’s Eat this Book.
Spiritual Reading - here are a few books that I’d love to see every Christian read:
A New Way to be Human by Charlie Peacock. (Yes, this book is written by the guy who wrote ‘In the Light’ and sung by DC Talk). Peacock gives a great picture of what it means to be a disciple and follower of Jesus.
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim Keller. This was originally a sermon, and its an insightful look at the role of humility in our lives.
Extravagant Grace by Barbara Duguid. Barb takes John Newton’s Letters, the priest who also wrote Amazing Grace, to a whole new level by considering the everyday theology of our Christian walk.
Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri. This one is a memoir, and it took me a while to get into it. But once I did I could not put it down, and it’s a powerful, surprising book on sharing one’s story.
Tish Harrison Warren’s Liturgy of the Ordinary. Tish considers how we, as followers of Jesus, are meant to be remade through our tiny, everyday rhythms. To paraphrase: “How I spend my time is how I spend my life.”
If you want to learn more about rest and making it a bigger practice in your life, see: Mark Buchanan’s The Rest of God and John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.