Understanding God, Ourselves, & the World Around Us
Ever find yourself wondering if your daily grind actually matters? You’re not alone.
We’ve all been there—caught in the routine, wondering if we’re just spinning our wheels in an endless rat race. The midlife crisis hits, and suddenly we’re questioning everything: Is this all there is? Does any of this even matter?
I’m here to tell you: Yes, it absolutely does matter.
Continue reading → “Is That It?” Why Your Life Has Eternal SignificanceFrom Lucas Johnson’s sermon about Work and Success
I spent my formative years working alongside my dad and both grandfathers—manual labor that taught me life lessons I’d never forget. My dad inadvertently taught me I never wanted to be a plumber after we crawled under my aunt’s double-wide to fix a bathtub leak. Picture this: a dirty bathwater bubble trapped in vinyl underneath the trailer that we had to pop. I was convinced I’d drown in that mess, and I knew right then that wasn’t how I wanted to make a living.
My grandfathers taught me about delegation and creative problem-solving—though their methods were… questionable. One had us struggling to move massive tree trunk chunks before casually mentioning his wood splitter could stand upright. The other had me pulling a John Deere horse plow through gravel while he pondered, “How would Abraham Lincoln have done this?”
These experiences shaped how I viewed work, and if you’re from a rural area, you probably have similar stories. Many of us grew up learning that how someone worked defined who they were—their morality, their character, maybe even their eternal destiny.
Continue reading → From Plumbing Disasters to Purpose: A Biblical View of Work and Success
Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a very short book and a quick read, but don’t be deceived. Your toes will be stepped on! I think DeYoung does a great job of blending scientific research, biblical principles, and anecdotes to make his case.
I think we are all too busy for our own good. But I appreciate (and am attacked by) the fact that he points out: maybe it’s not that we’re too busy, maybe we’re just busy with the wrong things. In today’s world it’s so easy to waste away our time on social media, YouTube, or Netflix and feel like we’ve actually accomplished something. We waste time at work scrolling through our Twitter feed and then we spend time at home catching up on work emails.
No matter what your walk of life – whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, a CEO, a pastor, or a plumber – this book is bound to punch you in the gut but also offer hope. DeYoung addresses common culprits in our busyness – pride, expectations, priorities & boundaries, parenting, screen time, lack of rest & time off, and entitlement.
It all boils down to this. We were created to do work, to share in God’s creative process. We were also given the need to rest, relax, and recover. There are times we need to work, like Martha (Luke 10), and there are times we need to sit quietly at the feet of Jesus, like Mary. Our devotion to Christ should be our highest calling. Time is the one resource we all have in equal supply, so let’s focus on the things that matter most by embracing God’s rhythm for our lives.
Daniel N. Lee 