Here are a few things I’ve read and been thinking about this past week (or month as the case maybe!)

#1

Certainly the Scriptures teach – as I have insisted – that there is no knowledge of God apart from doing of God’s will.

– from The Open Secret by Lesslie Newbigin

The Apostle Paul says that knowledge puffs up (1 Cor 8.1). Newbigin gets at the point that it is only as we do God’s will do we truly have knowledge. This begins to help us understand why Jesus said in Matthew 28 to make disciples and not students. Setting the bar at doing and not simply knowing is surely a high one. It makes us realize that the more we learn the more we are responsible for putting it into action. Do not merely listen to the Word of God, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says (James 1:22 NLT).

#2

With Handshakes Barred and a Bad Economy These Car Salesmen Try to Seal the Deal

From the Washington Post –

What a great story about a group of people who refused to let the pandemic define what was possible. The same principles are put into action but the delivery system is radically different. It is all about building trust, meeting needs, and being responsive. Any sales team will tell you these are the keys to success. But how they went about doing it changed. And rather than wait around hoping for the day to return to normal, these car salesmen (and women) were humble and hungry enough to pivot. And they aren’t simply getting by, they are setting new sales records.

#3

Sabbath is not simply the pause that refreshes. It is the pause that transforms.

from Sabbath as Resistance by Walter Brueggemann

The pause that transforms. I read this before vacation and it helped me to see that I didn’t only need to be refreshed, I needed some change in my life as well. Time away is not only about rest but reform. In order to lead well (others as well as yourself) you need perspective.