Week 1 - April 24: Slowing

If you missed it, catch up on this week's message at live.db.church.


Assessment:

Hurry Sickness Assessment


Book:

The Sacred Slow by Alicia Britt Chole

Formatted as 52 experiences, The Sacred Slow is an invitation to unhurried honesty before God. It reminds readers on every page that God never wanted to use them, He always wanted to love them. The overflow of Dr. Alicia Britt Chole's more than thirty years as a spiritual mentor to leaders and learners as well as her personal, practical, and penetrating tone will guide you to a richer, more life-giving relationship with God.


Podcast:

Fight Hustle, End Hurry by John Mark Comer & Jefferson Bethke


Exercise: 

Taken from The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer


Pick 1-3 neo-spiritual disciplines from our list, or your own imagination, and commit to them for at least a week:


- Drive the speed limit.

- Get into the slow lane.

- Come to a full stop at stop signs.

- Don’t text and drive.

- Show up ten minutes early for an appointment, sans phone.

- Get into the longest line at the grocery store.


See what it does in your soul. Pay attention to the difference in your body as the days go by.

Week 2 - May 1: Sabbath

If you missed it, catch up on this week's message at live.db.church.


Podcast:

Working from Our Rest - Pete Scazzero


Video:

How to Keep the Sabbath Holy - John Mark Comer


Exercise 1:

Gather your family together to discuss how to arrange your Sabbath for refreshment, renewal, and relationships. What are activities that help you relax? What do you find restful? What do you delight in? What are some activities that help you connect with God? Set some ground rules for your Sabbath around social media, electronics, and work. Develop a plan for the next 2-3 months and then meet again to discuss how it went and what adjustments need to be made.


Exercise 2:

Below are descriptors of our source of work (p.149 of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry). 

Prayerfully read over each set of words and then answer the questions below.

Restfulness // Relentlessness

Margin // Busyness

Slowness // Hurry

Quiet // Noise

Deep Relationships // Isolation

Time Alone // Crowds

Delight // Distraction

Enjoyment // Envy

Clarity // Confusion

Gratitude // Greed

Contentment // Discontentment

Trust // Worry

Love // Anger, angst

Joy // Melancholy, Sadness

Peace // Anxiety

Working from Love // Working for Love

Work as contribution // Work as accumulation & accomplishment


Which words resonate with you? Jot them down.

Do you see your work as a contribution or do you see your work as accumulation and accomplishment?

Ask God what He wants to see changed in you. Make a short (1-2 ideas) of the next step.


"People who keep Sabbath live all seven days differently." p.177 The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry


Week 3 - May 8: Silence & Solitude

If you missed it, catch up on this week's message at live.db.church.


In our over busy, digital, distracted world, the first challenge we face in silence and solitude is simply our lack of ability to slow down and focus. To “be ourselves with God,” we must first learn to center our mind and body.


The goal of week one is to first identify a time and place that works well for you to practice silence and solitude, set a modest goal, and then start with the basics: begin with a breathing prayer, and then just spend some time abiding.


It sounds easy, but, like all good things, it takes practice. So be patient with yourself and God, and enjoy the journey.


Suggested Ideas for Silence and Solitude:

1. Set aside as much time as you can to be alone with God. Go someplace quiet – a park, a library, the woods, etc. Turn off your phone and take with you only a journal and your Bible. Repeat as often as possible. Increase the time, as you can.

2. Commit your commute to God. Start by listening to a few worship songs, but then turn off the radio and listen to God. When you arrive where you are going, take a few minutes to recall your thoughts and feelings. Jot them down.

3. Turn off the television one half hour earlier than you normally would and use that time for quiet conversation with God.

4. Sit quietly outside for 15 minutes and ask yourself these three questions, taking time to really think about the answers. What do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel?

5. Take some time to find out what the Bible says about silence. About solitude.

6. Schedule your quiet time so that you’re not tempted to skip it.


For those in the process of identifying our attachment to our phones, check out this Revelation Wellness challenge.


Book:

Invitation to Silence and Solitude by Ruth Haley Barton

This book is an invitation to you to meet God deeply and fully outside the demands and noise of daily life. It is an invitation to solitude and silence. The beauty of a true invitation is that we really do have a choice about embarking on this adventure. God extends the invitation, but he honors our freedom and will not push himself where he is not wanted. Instead, he waits for us to respond from the depths of our desire. Will you say yes?


Podcast:

Jesus and the Lonely Place: Silence and Solitude by John Mark Comer

Week 4 - May 15: Simplicity


'Simplicity is an inward reality that can be seen in an outward lifestyle of "choosing to leverage time, money, talents, and possessions toward what matters most."' 

- Mark Scandrette


Steps for Beginning to Practice Simplicity

Just pick one practice below and try it it for 1 month. Journal your thoughts and what you notice. Add a new practice accordingly. The goal is to become aware and make shifts in our lifestyle.

  • Before you buy something, ask yourself, what is the true cost of this item? [costs to clean, repair, maintain, insure, finance, etc.]
  • Before you buy, ask yourself, by buying this, am I oppressing the poor or harming the earth?
  • Never impulse buy.
  • When you do buy, opt for fewer, better things.
  • When you can, share.
  • Get in the habit of giving things away.
  • Live on a budget.
  • Learn to enjoy things without owning them.
  • Cultivate a deep appreciation for creation.
  • Cultivate a deep appreciation for the simple pleasures.
  • Recognize advertising for what it is – propaganda. Call out the lie.
  • Lead a cheerful, happy revolt against the spirit of materialism.
  • Get rid of 10% - of what is in your closet, of your debt - eliminating it all is the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal); but start with 10%, of the stuff in your attic, of the clothes in your closet, of the junk in your basement, of the appointments on your calendar.
  • Guidelines for purchases:
  • The next time you feel that BURNING desire to buy something, STOP! Ask yourself:
  • What need am I trying to fill?
  • Will this item REALLY fill that need? If not, what will?
  • How will my life change if I buy this?
  • How will my life change if I don’t buy this?
  • Do I truly NEED this?
  • How could I better use this money?


Book

Freedom of Simplicity: Finding Harmony in a Complex World by Richard Foster

Foster finds that simplicity is rooted in the Old Testament through the themes of radical dependence, radical obedience, the generosity of God, the joy of giving, the call to justice, and the challenge to live in compassion and wholeness. The practice of simplicity in the New Covenant is spelled out in faith in Christ the center, identification with the poor, awareness of the dangers of wealth, the incendiary fellowship, ability to surrender one's rights for the good of others, and unconditional generosity.

Foster presents six models of Christian simplicity: exuberant sharing and caring (the period following the Apostolic age); the power of renunciation (the Desert Fathers and Mothers); the joy of simplicity (Francis of Assisi); theology in the cause of simplicity (the Protestant Reformation); hearing and obeying (seventeenth-century Quakers); and simplicity in action (John Wesley and the early Methodists). In the chapters on the practice of simplicity, Foster emphasizes the inward virtues of holy obedience, joy, and humility. He covers many topics in his treatment of outward simplicity including voluntary poverty, unplugging from consumer society, the gift of giving, service especially to the poor, and sacrifice.