A few days ago, as I was reading my Facebook Feed, an ad appeared inviting me to preview an app for my iPhone called Blinkist. This app is the modern-day equivalent to Readers Digest Condensed Books. By signing up you can read 15- minute summaries of more than 3000 books with titles found in most of the major non-fiction categories. Based upon the ad copy, Blinkist is intended for very busy people who are brilliant, exceedingly important, and above average in appearance. After carefully considering the criteria, I assumed I exceeded the requirements in every category and proceeded to sign up for this exclusive Ap that purported to change my life.
One of the books I reviewed included a title authored by John Mark Comer, a pastor of large rapidly growing church in Portland Oregon. The Title caught my eye, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Mr. Comer believes that the readers of this title can learn to eliminate hurry from their lives and savor every day. Comer further reported that he learned how to slow down, savor the world around him, and start living a much more fulfilling life. In The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, the author promises readers help to understand the following:
- Why we have become addicted to busyness and speed;
- How accepting our limitations can give us more possibilities; and
- Why having more time won’t make us less busy.
So, here are the key points of this book:
- Hurry is a threat to our emotional well-being and spiritual life.
- New technologies have fundamentally altered our relationship to time and made us busier.
- Trying to do everything and be everywhere is unrealistic and is making us exhausted.
- To have meaningful, unhurried spiritual lives, we need emulate Jesus’s lifestyle.
- Make sure to create time for silence and solitude every day.
- Take a day off every week to rest and worship.
- By consuming less and sharing more, we’ll have more time for things that really matter.
- Slow down your life and make it less efficient to attain more peace of mind.
I believe there a so many persons in our community that are exhausted by their chronic busyness. And I believe our church can provide spiritual direction and support to persons who yearn for a better way of life in a Christian context. I think a sermon series addressing these key points starting in Lent is in order.
Come and See,
MCW