six years

Six years ago today
the man without side
died;
the man of ease and play
slipped away;
the man of unknown space
and story untold,
left his mark and
place.


(for Dad)

oh yeah, by the way

solo downtime

Scientists in the Journal of Research in Personality stated that just five minutes of quiet solitude is all it takes to reset the body’s stress-regulating sympathetic nervous system. In fact, when study volunteers took a solo timeout, their heart rates dropped and blood pressure stabilized. Plus, they subconsciously drew deeper breaths. This triple effect left them feeling focused, rejuvenated and 58 percent more energized.

From here.

the myth of monotasking

There is a fascinating podcast over at HBR with Cathy Davidson on how we handle multiple inputs etc. A couple of takeaways for me:

i. the value of disruption - causing us to see things we didn't know were there & couldn't see in our attempt at a singular focus

ii. we all see selectively but we don't all selectively see the same things - thus, the value of collaboration and the need for humility (no-one - not even you - sees everything)

critiquing pietism

In a series of posts earlier this year (part 1; part 2; part 3), Kevin deYoung reflected on pietism and confessionalism and what each can learn from the other. Among his critiques of pietism were that it:

• emphasises dramatic conversions
• tends toward individualism
• pushes for unity based on shared experience
• pays little attention to careful doctrinal formulation
• has tried too hard to be relevant
• has largely ignored organic church growth by catechesis
• has too often elevated experience at the expense of doctrine
• has worn out a good number of Christians by assuming that every churchgoer is an activist and crusader more than a pilgrim

Whether the categories of pietism and confessionalism are familiar to you or not, perhaps some of those critiques ring a few bells?

taking a long view

Every now and then, we in the church need to step back and take a long view. God’s kingdom is beyond our efforts, even our vision. In a lifetime, we participate in only a fraction of God’s work. While we cannot do everything, we can do something. Incomplete as it may be, it is a step along the way, a beginning, and something for God to bless. God’s grace does the rest. End results? We may never see them but only hold them trusting in God’s future promises. We are servants, not saviors. We are ministers, not messianic figures. We are prophets of a future not of our own making but for which we hope and for which we make a defense in our life. We believe God will create a new heart in us and a new world out of the old.

Peter Steinke, A Door Set Open

speaking the language of Jesus' heart

Commenting on Paul's words in Romans 8:14-16, Mark McIntosh says,

Paul is saying that what the Spirit does in us is to draw us into a relationship, a loving relationship into which we are adopted as children of God. This relationship is the relationship between Jesus and his Abba or Father. As the Spirit brings Christ's life to birth in our life, we find ourselves sharing with Christ in the most central and characteristic aspect of his life - namely the relationship that defines him and marks him as God's beloved child, his relationship with God as the loving source of his whole life. And more wonderfully yet, we find that we do not remain mute observers of this relationship but that the Spirit actually teaches us the very language of Jesus' conversation with the Father. The Spirit puts Jesus' words of loving adoration and trust in our own hearts and makes it possible for us to speak them ourselves.

(Mysteries of Faith, p.15)

learning from philip gould

A number of things struck me from Alistair Campbell's reflections on the death of his friend and Labour colleague, Philip Gould - for example, that focus groups were more about making sure lower/middle class views were not overlooked (and, so, were an expression of justice, not pragmatism). But it was this paragraph that most caught my eye, partly because it reflects some of the strengths that pastors need to display:

Like most meaningful activities, campaigns are team games. Philip was the ultimate team player and team builder; keeping spirits up; staying calm when others were falling out or falling apart; never losing sight of the big goals. Perhaps alone of the key New Labour figures, he made few, if any, enemies. He was a healer. Even in these past few weeks, he has been trying to heal some of the rifts and scars of the New Labour years.

your number's up

Apparently (althought I harbour some doubt as to accuracy) I am the 3,214,534,297th person to have been born into the world.

You can find out your own number here.

how to disarm jeremy paxman

This is a great example of clear, gracious, winsome speech.

HT: David Murray