There are several reasons I haven’t blogged in a while. Several of those reasons can be captured in one phrase–Slow, Focused, Creative. This year I committed to living a Slow, Focused, & Creative life with my church. What do I mean?
Slow, Focused, & Creative Living
By “slow,” I mean a slower pace of life and a higher quality of life. Although I traveled to speak at as many conferences in the past two months as I did the whole of last year. So, I’m not referring to a sharp decline in productivity or creativity.
By “focused“, I mean a more streamlined way of living and thinking. This has meant a reduction (not all out elimination) of social media. After all, the internet is changing the way we think and church. By “creative,” I do mean leaning into the creative gifts God has given me, and using them in a more focused and redemptive way. This has meant more writing in less places.
Slow Discipleship
However, adjusting my pace of life, streamlining my focus in media, and leaning into my writing isn’t ultimately what slow discipleship is about. When I say “slow,” what I primarily mean is working from my rest in Christ not working to my rest on the weekend. It’s deliberately taking off the yoke of church planting and taking on the yoke of Christ, taking off the yoke of pastoral care and taking on the yoke of my Head Pastor, taking off the yoke of city renewal and taking on the yoke of the Lord of the city. Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. No need to eat the bread of anxious toil, when the Lord gives to his beloved in their sleep (Psalm 127)!
This has happened, and continues to happen with varying degrees of success, through personal repentance, prayer, and communion with God. It’s been deeply, personally renewing, and I haven’t “planted the church”, pastored God’s people, or “renewed the city” much less. If I’ve piqued your interest, and I hope I have, then you can listen to several messages we preached through in our church. We are still getting feedback on those messages. Fortunately, I’m not the only one slowing!
Writing Update
While being slow, focused, and creative, I finished the new book, provisionally entitled, Gospel-Centered Discipleship (which is almost sure to change). This book is a significant revision of Fight Clubs. I doubled the length of the book. Added fifty footnotes. Included a lot on the Holy Spirit and more practical material. I’m working with Re:LIT right now on cover design.
For those who missed it, I contributed a chapter on “Gospel-Centered Accountability” for an e-Book published by Covenant Eyes. I’ve also been working out some more missional writing, i.e. “The Failure of the Missional Church” and speaking. I put the missional community book on hold, in part because I might write it with someone else. Along with this, I’ll be presenting some material I’ve written on Gospel & Culture at the Acts 29 Bootcamp this weekend. All that to say that something “missional” is in the works. You can look for some new blog posts on Resurgence fairly soon.
I don’t write in the first person much on the blog, ironic, I know. And I’ve had my fill (you probably have too) already. But I wanted to let readers know why there’s been so much silence, as well as pass along some of the sweet lessons I’m learning through believing (and repenting from not believing) in a gospel of rest. Above all, I hope you’ll join me in working from your rest in Christ, not working for your rest on the weekends or wherever you naturally try to find it.
My wife, Robie, has been picked to show her work in the South by Southwest (SXSW) Fashion Show. Check out a a group of her dresses on her friends at the link above. Scroll down to #11.
