Hurry-sickness is overtaking us. We've succumbed to the feverish pitch of trying to balance life even when it is out of control. In my new book, The Jesus Life, I have a section on re-thinking all of this and suggest an alternative that is not new with me.It was anchored in Judaism; modeled by Jesus, practiced by the early church, yet forsaken in modern times. It is the concept of living your life in a sustainable rhythm.Now, I have some very good news. The chapter on rhythm is now downloadable into a little pdf booklet. We want as many people as possible to have this chapter to read, share, forward and most of all live.It's simple.To get the free chapter all you have to do is to go to: www.myjesuslife.com Click on the Free Download of The Rhythm of Jesus and enter your name and number and it's yours. Free!It's our attempt to spread some hope in this bad news world. The idea is simple. We're majored so much on the truth of Jesus that we have neglected the ways of Jesus. The truth of Jesus together with the way of Jesus will yield the life of Jesus and that's what we want.Rhythm is a vital and critical part of our answer. Get the chapter. Forward this blog to 5 of your friends---heck to your whole small group and Sunday School class!Read it. Discuss it. Live it!
In Search of My Tribe
Social media guru, Seth Godwin says everyone of us belongs to a tribe or we need to belong to one. We belong to a smaller group of people who are like us and that there is a sense of belonging. It’s a part of our survival mechanism to belong to something bigger than ourselves. No man is an island, right? Islands brought together form an continent. Am I an island or a part of a continent. But where and to whom do I belong? That’s the existential question that philosophers pose and poets lament about. Yet, it’s a feeling and longing as sure as love or death. Should I belong to a specific church? Should I belong to a certain denomination? Is my small group a safe place for me to belong? Let’s look deeper for a moment. Where are my people and who are they anyway? Can I find someone like me out here that thinks, smells, acts and believes the way I do? Does belonging mean we are the same—act the same—do the same things—look the same way? Stirring up the pot of belonging is scraping the bottom of the pot which reveals the often burned and hard to talk about subject of community that we must deal with. Community is the place where we most belong. Experiencing community is a hint of discovering your tribe. If you’re in community, then you may know what I’m talking about by being in a tribe. It’s like my group of people I met with on Sunday mornings at my church. In many ways, these wonderful people are like my tribe—sort of. We are missed when we are not there. At least they tell me that. We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and we bake pies when one of our parents die. It’s a way of caring. But in the end, at least for me, I am finding myself longing for some tribe that we might go deeper. We might talk about our longings and fears; our failures and be prayed over when we confess our sins. We would love and be loved; touch and be touched, care and be cared for and celebrate and be celebrated. We would pray and be prayed for. We would matter. Most of us are in the end, looking for a group where we matter. It’s the greatest obstacle to the mega-church. It’s call the “herd instinct.” It’s where we get in and get out without being really noticed; without being really significant; without being really more than a cow herded onto a cattle car. I know that feeling. Don’t you? My tribe and the lack of a tribe makes me feel secure and at the same time lonesome for something else. I want more than Sunday School. I want a tribe—a group of men and women who matter and to whom I matter. Do you understand what I’m talking about? Leave your comments and let’s chat…let’s explore this important subject.