Summer Reading Schizophrenia

My reading list this summer has been all over the map. Ministry books, parenting books, and a few business books have stretched me outside of my normal topics. My brother, Pete, recommended The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. It's an interesting look at a new generation of people who have decided to change what success looks like, trading in 80 hour work weeks for more efficient work and time for the things that really matter - pursuing dreams, relaxing, enjoying life, etc.

One of the themes I feel like God keeps bringing me to is this one of how I'm spending the time I'm given. Ferriss's book echos some of that:

"Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference. Being busy is a form of laziness - lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. Being overwhelmed is often as unproductive as doing nothing, and is far more unpleasant. Being selective - doing less - is the path of the productive. Focus on the important few and ignore the rest."

It's the whole Mary and Martha discussion, isn't it? Leave the dishes in the sink - come and sit with Jesus.

Randy Gariss spoke at our Campus Minister's Retreat in June, and he said something about laziness that really rang true in my gut. He said that many of us in ministry are guilty of being lazy.

Oh, we put in a gazillion hours a week, we're always dropping things to rush to the assistance of people and filling our weeks with important meetings and phone calls and projects...but we're living in a reactionary way, rather than a purposeful, intentional way. Rather than pursuing the big dreams God has for us, we settle for days that are consumed by responding to the needs and requests of others. It's lazy.

So, as another school year starts, I'm working on being intentional. And instead of wearing busyness like a badge of honor to show how important or holy I am, I'm going to be slowing down to have time to sit and have coffee (only if it has alot of sugar and chocolate, though).

It's gonna be a great semester!