The world is loud, and I add to the noise. My life is full of chaos, and I've found myself unable to process so much of it because I don't allow myself to take time and be quiet. I really noticed this a few weeks ago. Over the past year I've been listening to audiobooks, I've listened to over 80 titles, several of them multiple times, and am currently listening to four (Gone with the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, A Tale of Two Cities, and Becoming Myself). I just finished The Voyage of the Dawn Treader for the second or third time, and am waiting for more audible credits to complete the Narnia set.
I get most of my audiobooks off of YouTube, and pass the days at work by listening to the various titles on the "100 books to read before you die" list (I'm getting close to half way). The issue with work is that the wifi is spotty, and I'm not always able to load books later in the day. In these cases I resort to audible, thus my repeat listening.
A few weeks ago the wifi wasn't working, and nothing in my audible account was appealing, and so I just turned everything off, and went through the rest of my day and drive home with nothing playing. And it was a breath of fresh air. I miss silence.
For some reason, people seem to fear quiet. I think this is part of the reason music is always playing at stores and people are always on their phones. We fear silence and being alone with our thoughts. I listen to music when I study, and I even have a playlist in my phone labeled "Hiking". I have a music playlist to listen to when I'm in the woods trying to escape the rest of the world for a while! I've filled my life with so much noise, and it's hindering my ability to process.
My mind goes to Jesus. "In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there." (Mark 1.35) Jesus was a busy guy, and he was extremely popular. His days were full of noise, and so He began His day early, in a quiet place, alone with God.
The first time I ever traveled internationally, aside from Canada, was in 2009 when I went to Israel for the first time. Jeremy was on the trip as well. The first three nights we stayed at a hotel in Tiberius, right on the Sea of Galilee. One morning, after a day full of touring the Holy Land, being inundated with information and overwhelmed to be walking where Jesus walked, the chaos of everything began to hit me. Jeremy and I got up before the sun and went down to a café, which was closed for the winter, and sat on their patio right next to the sea. It was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life. Watching the sun cut through the haze on the eastern shore, hearing the waves break as they hit the rocks, breathing in the cool air. That moment saved the trip for me.
I find myself longing for moments like this. I crave these moments of quiet solitude, and then I have to remind myself that I'm only missing them because of a lack of discipline. I'm up before the sun everyday, but the covers are so warm. I have time to pray and study the Bible, but with school it feels very academic, and there's some interesting video on YouTube. My drive provides me time to listen to a different book than at work, adding another one to my list. My blog needs to be written, my dog needs to be walked, my school work needs to be done. Noise and chaos.
I want the quiet. I crave it. I need it. It is in these moments when God is most clearly heard because there is nothing to distract my mind. I'm fighting for the quiet moments. I've found myself turning audible off for part of my drive. I've left my earbuds in the car when I hike. I've begun praying the moment I wake up in the morning.
I want to be intentional like Jesus. Getting up, embracing the darkness, and getting alone to be quiet with God.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Monday, February 13, 2017
A Prayer for February 13, 2017 by Aaron
Just wanted to say a prayer for everyone as we begin our work
week:
Lord, you are so great.
You are such a kind Father to us.
You give us so much grace, grace that we do not deserve. As we begin our week, I pray for you to give
us confidence Lord. I pray that you give
each of us confidence to speak to others about you in our work place Lord. I pray that you open up doors for us, throughout
conversation with our co-workers that we will be able to ask them about their
relationship with you. I pray that you
would give us the words to say in those situations Lord, so that whatever is
said to them would speak to their heart.
Father you mean so much to me. You are the Author of life; you are the beginning
and the end of time. We were created to
love and worship you Lord. Your name
means love, help us to be more like you so that we can really understand what
love is. Help us to understand the will
you have for our lives. Sometimes it can
be hard to put the puzzle pieces together Lord, give us grace Father. Jesus, help us to love you more and help us
to love the Father more. Holy Spirit
guide us through life, so that we can be a part of the Father’s will. We want to join you in your work God.
God be number one in my life. Be number one in our lives; help us to live
selfless lives Lord. Help us to put
pride behind us. Help us to be slow to
anger and quick to listen. so that we can fully love our brothers. As we begin our week, I pray for blessings
from heaven. I pray for patience,
kindness, gentleness, and hope. I pray
for those who are going through trials and tribulations at this current
time. Give them peace Lord Jesus. Give them peace to know that they will make
it through their situation stronger than ever.
Their faith will be strengthened and they will learn to love you more as
they go through their situation. Give us
all peace tonight Jesus. I love you
Lord. Thank you for the gift of life. You are so amazing.
Amen!!
I hope this prayer blesses you throughout the week. God loves you so much, and so do I. Have a great day!
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Response to Simon Sinek, by TY
This is a response to Simon Sinek’s video on Millennials in the workplace. It was an informative video that shed some light on new ideas and concepts I had not heard before, but there were some points I had already known from previous research. First of all, all members of this blog’s brotherhood are millennials, therefore, as we each respond we respond as those who are subjects of the conversation, but to varying degrees. Most of us were born in the late ‘80s, so we have elements of our experience that diverge from the millennial caricature, yet at the same time, we are products of our culture and environment. For my post, I have three movements: Agreement/Confession, BlameThrower, and the Church and Its Future.
Agreement/Confession
I pretty much agree with everything he said, however, there were some points of disagreement that I will tackle in the next section. For all intents and purposes, I am a millennial. I may not exhibit all of the characteristics of a millennial, but I was born in the late ‘80s, grew up in the greatest decade of all-time, the ‘90s, and am still very idealistic. Now as an adult millennial, I manage three other American-born millennials. Sinek had four premises or factors that influence the development of the millennial: 1) Parenting, 2) Technology, 3) Impatience, and 4) Environment. I will share how this is shown to be true in my own life.
First up, parenting. I was a classic middle child who never really felt like I got everything I wanted; so though I am a millennial, I do have less of a sense of entitlement and more of a work-hard-reap-rewards mentality. For the most part, my parents did a pretty good job raising me to be self-sufficient, however, I was a little too dependent on them for certain things. My father was really big on protecting and providing for his family, so I never worried too much about security and money. Also, my mother willed me to college. Though I had great grades, it was my mother who kept nagging me to fill out applications and pursue special programs. Now I have three post-secondary degrees. (Thanks, ma!)
When I think about my parents’ generation, however, the deficiency in parenting that gave birth to the millennial mindset was this desire by baby boomers to work hard and do whatever it takes to make sure not to ruin the lives of their kids. I feel this tension too as I consider having kids. A mindset like that can lead to idolatry. If the child is treated as if he/she is the center of the universe, then he/she will come to believe it’s true, which breeds narcissism. Similarly to my contemporaries, I too must confess that I am very narcissistic and self-consumed when giving into the flesh. However, by God’s grace, I feel I am being healed of that.
Second is technology. I plead guilty. We are pretty obsessed with technology and social media. My cellphone, oh man I always have it on my person, table, bed, or sofa. We’re addicted! It’s sad to admit it. It is even my alarm. Though I typically treat Facebook as an email account, event tracker, CNN, and a baby photo album, when I actually post something, I do return frequently throughout the day to check comments and likes. I thought it was interesting that there were connections between social media and depression. This makes sense because if everyone presents the glossed up version of their lives, then of course the person glancing through would be jealous and depressed that their life sucks in comparison. Also, if life doesn’t feel awesome at all and you present your life as awesome with your awesome post, then you may feel less awesome when only a few people like your awesome post. Looking back at my life the most depressing moments were either when I was frequently on Facebook or starving for it. I concede that balance is best.
Impatience, guilty as charged, your Honor. I hate going to restaurants to wait, for what feels like an hour, to get food. I would prefer oatmeal if I can get it in a couple seconds. Also, Amazon Prime, heck yeah! But the thing is, in our impatience, we tend to miss so much of life because we are looking forward to the next thing and not stay in the moment as it happens. We tend not to be content with the process, the job, or even relationships. Just as Sinek said, in reality, the most meaningful things take time, especially love and marriage.
His final focus is environment. He is primarily referring to “corporate America” or the workplace, which can be an unforgiving place. If you don’t put forth the production and numbers, then you don’t get a participation trophy. What I believe Sinek alludes to is a need for corporate America to be more invested in the development of the person rather than the output. This is not a license to cater to their every whim. It is, however, a call to learn how to almost “re-parent” millennials in a way that sets boundaries and cultivates a healthy view of authority. Leadership can work best when establishing guidelines, while also meeting their associates’ needs.
BlameThrower
One area of contention would be who to blame for the negative characteristics of this generation. Sinek places the blame on parents for their “bad parenting” techniques and on corporate America. Though I don’t discount parenting because they create the environment and reality that millennials grow up in and corporate America for the reality that they dwell in as adults, I do think it is a stretch to exonerate the millennial. He made the statement twice, “to no fault of their (millennials’) own”. I disagree. Ultimately, we as millennials must be held, to some degree, responsible for certain things and decisions in our lives.
If I have been nurtured to think or believe or even act a certain way, I still have the opportunity to choose how I must respond. It is kind of a ‘pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps’ mentality, but it is also human sin and responsibility. While certain behaviors may be understandable, that doesn’t make them excusable. If I was conditioned to think I am the center of the universe, then it is understandable for me to be narcissistic. If my parents did everything for me, then it is understandable for me to be unable to problem-solve or cope through life’s difficulties. However, if I fall behind on rent, I, not my parents, get kicked out.
The Church and Its Future
My final section points to a few things: how does a Christian respond, how does the Church move forward, and what does the future look like? As Christian millennials, we must live counter-culturally. There are things hard-wired into the way we live, but by the power of the indwelling Spirit, we must reject the things that conflict with Scripture and walk as Jesus did. I will be the first to admit that I am self-consumed, but Jesus focused on others. Our culture has a sense of self-entitlement, but Jesus emptied Himself (Phil. 2). Our culture tells us to make an impact and find fulfillment in that, but Jesus says, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). As a Christian our responsibility is to submit to the Spirit to bear fruit (Gal. 5), and when that happens we will look less like the negative caricatures of millennials and more like Christ. There’s no room for narcissism in the Kingdom, so I am dying softly.
How does the Church move forward? Well … we will have to be surrogate parents, teaching people what it means to be a biblical man or woman (Titus 2). We have to be counselors, as in, churches will need to beef up their mercy ministries or have licensed counselors on staff because depression and mental illness is real and growing.
Finally, the future! I am fearful of a future ran by millennials. This is a worst case scenario, but if we are unwilling to put in the effort to learn how to work and serve others, or commit to anything, what kind of society will we have? Marriages and families will continue the rapid rate of decline with astronomical numbers. My narcissism impairs me from serving my wife altruistically, so what will become of marriages with narcissists unwilling to change, except greater numbers of divorce. If we cannot commit, the Church will fall because ministry is hard. Though I seem pessimistic, I do believe God can and will accomplish much through His Church inspite of us. It would be a great testimony of His goodness and grace. He can do it! I am definitely an example in process.
Final Thoughts
I agree with Sinek and confess my sin, however, when we talk blame, everyone gets a share. One thing my wife pointed out is millennials are not all bad, not even the caricature Sinek describes is completely terrible. Millennials have a drive to do or be something, which is great. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make an impact or find fulfillment, but the question will always be, ‘to what end and whose glory?’ If the end is self or others, then we will be incredibly depressed. There will be no greater sense of fulfillment, love, acceptance, purpose, security, and identity apart from God. David Wilkerson said, “There is absolutely nothing physical that can give you joy. It’s only what is accomplished by the Holy Spirit when you obey him and take on his heart.” God is the only end worth pursuing, and when self or others become that end, then we make gods of men. Millennials are unique, but we are just as broken and sinful as other generations. Let’s choose to identify with Christ and not the culture.
Agreement/Confession
I pretty much agree with everything he said, however, there were some points of disagreement that I will tackle in the next section. For all intents and purposes, I am a millennial. I may not exhibit all of the characteristics of a millennial, but I was born in the late ‘80s, grew up in the greatest decade of all-time, the ‘90s, and am still very idealistic. Now as an adult millennial, I manage three other American-born millennials. Sinek had four premises or factors that influence the development of the millennial: 1) Parenting, 2) Technology, 3) Impatience, and 4) Environment. I will share how this is shown to be true in my own life.
First up, parenting. I was a classic middle child who never really felt like I got everything I wanted; so though I am a millennial, I do have less of a sense of entitlement and more of a work-hard-reap-rewards mentality. For the most part, my parents did a pretty good job raising me to be self-sufficient, however, I was a little too dependent on them for certain things. My father was really big on protecting and providing for his family, so I never worried too much about security and money. Also, my mother willed me to college. Though I had great grades, it was my mother who kept nagging me to fill out applications and pursue special programs. Now I have three post-secondary degrees. (Thanks, ma!)
When I think about my parents’ generation, however, the deficiency in parenting that gave birth to the millennial mindset was this desire by baby boomers to work hard and do whatever it takes to make sure not to ruin the lives of their kids. I feel this tension too as I consider having kids. A mindset like that can lead to idolatry. If the child is treated as if he/she is the center of the universe, then he/she will come to believe it’s true, which breeds narcissism. Similarly to my contemporaries, I too must confess that I am very narcissistic and self-consumed when giving into the flesh. However, by God’s grace, I feel I am being healed of that.
Second is technology. I plead guilty. We are pretty obsessed with technology and social media. My cellphone, oh man I always have it on my person, table, bed, or sofa. We’re addicted! It’s sad to admit it. It is even my alarm. Though I typically treat Facebook as an email account, event tracker, CNN, and a baby photo album, when I actually post something, I do return frequently throughout the day to check comments and likes. I thought it was interesting that there were connections between social media and depression. This makes sense because if everyone presents the glossed up version of their lives, then of course the person glancing through would be jealous and depressed that their life sucks in comparison. Also, if life doesn’t feel awesome at all and you present your life as awesome with your awesome post, then you may feel less awesome when only a few people like your awesome post. Looking back at my life the most depressing moments were either when I was frequently on Facebook or starving for it. I concede that balance is best.
Impatience, guilty as charged, your Honor. I hate going to restaurants to wait, for what feels like an hour, to get food. I would prefer oatmeal if I can get it in a couple seconds. Also, Amazon Prime, heck yeah! But the thing is, in our impatience, we tend to miss so much of life because we are looking forward to the next thing and not stay in the moment as it happens. We tend not to be content with the process, the job, or even relationships. Just as Sinek said, in reality, the most meaningful things take time, especially love and marriage.
His final focus is environment. He is primarily referring to “corporate America” or the workplace, which can be an unforgiving place. If you don’t put forth the production and numbers, then you don’t get a participation trophy. What I believe Sinek alludes to is a need for corporate America to be more invested in the development of the person rather than the output. This is not a license to cater to their every whim. It is, however, a call to learn how to almost “re-parent” millennials in a way that sets boundaries and cultivates a healthy view of authority. Leadership can work best when establishing guidelines, while also meeting their associates’ needs.
BlameThrower
One area of contention would be who to blame for the negative characteristics of this generation. Sinek places the blame on parents for their “bad parenting” techniques and on corporate America. Though I don’t discount parenting because they create the environment and reality that millennials grow up in and corporate America for the reality that they dwell in as adults, I do think it is a stretch to exonerate the millennial. He made the statement twice, “to no fault of their (millennials’) own”. I disagree. Ultimately, we as millennials must be held, to some degree, responsible for certain things and decisions in our lives.
If I have been nurtured to think or believe or even act a certain way, I still have the opportunity to choose how I must respond. It is kind of a ‘pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps’ mentality, but it is also human sin and responsibility. While certain behaviors may be understandable, that doesn’t make them excusable. If I was conditioned to think I am the center of the universe, then it is understandable for me to be narcissistic. If my parents did everything for me, then it is understandable for me to be unable to problem-solve or cope through life’s difficulties. However, if I fall behind on rent, I, not my parents, get kicked out.
The Church and Its Future
My final section points to a few things: how does a Christian respond, how does the Church move forward, and what does the future look like? As Christian millennials, we must live counter-culturally. There are things hard-wired into the way we live, but by the power of the indwelling Spirit, we must reject the things that conflict with Scripture and walk as Jesus did. I will be the first to admit that I am self-consumed, but Jesus focused on others. Our culture has a sense of self-entitlement, but Jesus emptied Himself (Phil. 2). Our culture tells us to make an impact and find fulfillment in that, but Jesus says, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). As a Christian our responsibility is to submit to the Spirit to bear fruit (Gal. 5), and when that happens we will look less like the negative caricatures of millennials and more like Christ. There’s no room for narcissism in the Kingdom, so I am dying softly.
How does the Church move forward? Well … we will have to be surrogate parents, teaching people what it means to be a biblical man or woman (Titus 2). We have to be counselors, as in, churches will need to beef up their mercy ministries or have licensed counselors on staff because depression and mental illness is real and growing.
Finally, the future! I am fearful of a future ran by millennials. This is a worst case scenario, but if we are unwilling to put in the effort to learn how to work and serve others, or commit to anything, what kind of society will we have? Marriages and families will continue the rapid rate of decline with astronomical numbers. My narcissism impairs me from serving my wife altruistically, so what will become of marriages with narcissists unwilling to change, except greater numbers of divorce. If we cannot commit, the Church will fall because ministry is hard. Though I seem pessimistic, I do believe God can and will accomplish much through His Church inspite of us. It would be a great testimony of His goodness and grace. He can do it! I am definitely an example in process.
Final Thoughts
I agree with Sinek and confess my sin, however, when we talk blame, everyone gets a share. One thing my wife pointed out is millennials are not all bad, not even the caricature Sinek describes is completely terrible. Millennials have a drive to do or be something, which is great. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make an impact or find fulfillment, but the question will always be, ‘to what end and whose glory?’ If the end is self or others, then we will be incredibly depressed. There will be no greater sense of fulfillment, love, acceptance, purpose, security, and identity apart from God. David Wilkerson said, “There is absolutely nothing physical that can give you joy. It’s only what is accomplished by the Holy Spirit when you obey him and take on his heart.” God is the only end worth pursuing, and when self or others become that end, then we make gods of men. Millennials are unique, but we are just as broken and sinful as other generations. Let’s choose to identify with Christ and not the culture.
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