A couple of Sundays ago, in a message on Mary on Martha in Luke 10, I noted how one of the most remarkable things in the story — not to us today, but to its first-century readers — is the way Jesus commended Mary’s choice to sit in the living room and learn…like only a male disciple would have done. I said, that might have been no small part of Martha’s objection, in fact: her sister was acting more like a man (learning) than a women (cooking). But Jesus’ blessing of Mary’s “better” choice was a bold corrective to the first-century Jewish conceptions of gender roles. He was intent to show, not only the priority of “sitting at his feet,” but also the equal place for men and women in redemption, discipleship, worship, etc. Men and woman have different designs for the home and the church, but they do not have different degrees of access to Jesus.

John Piper recently noted the same thing from a different passage: “they marveled that He was talking to a woman” (John 4:27). Here’s the link to a seven minute video of him explaining the verse. Good stuff!

At the risk of recommending so much new reading that I add to your busyness and stress, I can’t pass up recommending one more: “Taking Care of Busyness” by John Ortberg.

This is an article that I just today re-discovered in my files after first reading it in Leadership magazine in 1998. Though more than 10 years old now, the article is probably more needed and helpful today than when it was written, since the problems of busyness and stress have only seemed to get worse.

After re-reading it today, I know why I filed this away: this is a great article. It has pointed conviction, warm encouragement, enlightening stats, practical suggestions, and diverse quotes (from Kierkegaard to Alice in Wonderland).

His prescription is to “ruthlessly eliminate hurry” from our lives. 

Jesus was often busy but he was never hurried. Being busy is an outer condition; being hurried is a sickness of the soul. Jesus never went about the busyness of his ministry in a way that severed the life-giving connection between himself and his Father. He never did it in a way that interfered with his ability to give love when that was what was called for. He observed a regular rhythm of withdrawal from activity, for solitude and prayer. He ruthlessly eliminated hurry from his life.

Go read the whole thing. I really do think it’s worth your time. And then prayerfully seek to apply it. I’m praying for wisdom for you and yours as I write this.

As another follow-up to the sermon on Mary and Martha, this assessment from MSNBC writer, Julia Sommerfield, is illustrative and sobering. She suggests that most Americans are so stressed and harried that they seemingly live to complain about how stressed they are! 

Millions of Americans are so stressed they don’t have time for, among other things: lunch, vacation, sleep, exercise, time with their family or even sex. One thing they do have plenty of time for? Talking about how stressed they are. …

People are now determining their self-worth on how busy they are and how much they have to do …

Ouch! I know. But go ahead and read the whole thing. 

You may have seen this on Zach’s blog already, but it’s worth repeating here since it aptly represents our church’s leadership structure and our desires for accountability.

From J.D. Greeare:

We try, for these reasons, to have a culture of transparency here at the Summit. I never lock my office. Several people have passwords who can get into my inbox if they so choose. My assistant knows where I am every single second (i.e. that my wife doesn’t know where I am), and my assistant can tell any of our executive team who asks. Is that annoying sometimes? Of course. But not as much as looking at my little girls and telling them mom can’t stand to live with me anymore.

Furthermore, I am accountable to a group of men, our elder team, which is made up of both staff and “lay” men. They, as Hebrews 13:7 says, really “know my way of life.” They know where I live. They observe my marriage. They can, and do, stop by my house. We eat dinner together. Our kids play together. I know them and they know me. They watch out for me because I need watching. I am just a man, and greater men than me have fallen.

Does all this sometimes create tension? Of course. Does that mean there are times the “lay elders” seem “behind” in their thinking… and since they don’t live in the “professional” Christian world that sometimes they are not as ready for the changes I want to bring? Yes. But if I’m worth anything as a leader, shouldn’t I be able to convince these godly, mature men of what I’m seeing and persuade them to follow? If I can’t convince THEM, how can I ever expect to be able to convince the church of what I see? Is my ministry all about unchallenged executive power?

I’m not saying we have a perfect system here at the Summit or that it, in any way, guarantees that I or the other pastors will always remain faithful. Our sinful, conniving flesh can always find a way to cheat the systems, even the best ones.

I just know that it is not part of God’s plan for me to live without friends before whom I humble myself, to whom I am “submitted,” and who can observe and speak into my life. And these should be the people who see me and go to church with me. As wise King Solomon says, “Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.” (Prov 27:10) In other words, better a non-trained lay-elder nearby than Billy Graham in another city.

You can read the whole thing here.  

In Sunday’s sermon, Ryan mentioned the book The Overload Syndrome, by Richard Swenson.  This book is about identifying and combating overactivity, overcommitment, busyness, and stress — all of which have become the norm for the average American. Swenson writes from a Christian perspective and from his expertise in the medical field. His erarlier book on the same topic, Margin, is also very helpful. Also instructive on this topic is Charles Hummel’s now-classic booklet Tyranny of the Urgent. But perhaps less well known is the full-book-length version, Freedom from the Tyranny of the Urgent. May these books help you to restore a restful schedule!