This video has been making the rounds, you may have already seen it. But I think it is an important warning to us all that have smartphones that we need to keep watch on our behavior and maintain some balance in life and pay more attention to people than screens. That phone in your hand, it’s a tool, its a device, its not a person.
Daily Archives: September 16, 2013
reboot part 2
This is part 2 (but it includes the intro that was part 1 – consider it in draft form please)
Sometimes the best thing to do with a PC is just to turn it off count to 10 and turn it back on. I think that, especially if, like me you’re running an older laptop and seldom turn it off, this is the case. We just get too much stuff going at the same time and stuff starts messing up and we need to shut it down, let it rest and start over.
I think we are like that too.
I was talking to an old friend recently who said that prayer and Scripture are dry. It would appear that this is true from time to time for us all. Well, at least those who pay attention.
So, what do you do when this happens? Well, I suggest a reboot.
People in vocational (paid) ministry that are in ‘secure’ positions, often have the ability to and so, take a ‘sabbatical.’ These sabbaticals sometimes last a couple of months. Its like when someone gets sent to rehab for this or that. They often don’t go until they are in trouble, and for many, its too late. I was once told that many ministry leaders wait until its too late and change jobs soon after the sabbatical. The have burned out too far.
But for most people, that is all totally impractical anyway.
So, I thought I would suggest the idea of what I call a “sabbath rest”. The background is that I had been unwell and dried out and blah, blah, blah and was asked the question “Can you take 2 weeks off? Over time a plan developed that wound up being 10 days (which is only 1 day longer than a week of vacation with weekends on each end).
The plan is simple but not necessarily easy. It does require discipline, but if you’ve read this far, you are on the right track and you need help planning and accountability during and after.
1. Go away. Alone. But keep the place simple. You don’t have time to establish routine so you must get there with enough familiarity to walk right into your plan. It’s called solitude.
2. Be quiet if not silent. Really. Keep your talking to the absolute minimum that you can without being rude to people. It’s called silence. If you are married, call daily to stay connected. But be careful about trying to answer the “how’s it going? question every day. That can be frustrating because progress is measured in longer increments not shorter.
More to come…
kingdom travelin' 