Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 27-10-2008
Category : Exodus, R3, trust
Tags: Christian, Christianity, fouth commandment, R3, religion, rest, sabbath
R3 has been in existence for almost 1.5 years. And during that time I’ve never taken a leave of absence. The most time I’ve taken off is over the weekends, or occasionally a day or two when I’ve been sick. But all that’s about to change! For the first time since R3 started I plan on taking a few days off. Two weeks to be exact. But don’t worry. You’ll get regularly scheduled posts over the next two weeks. I have lots of content pre-written.
I’ve never been very good at taking time off from anything. Because I get bored easily, I look to keep myself occupied. Which means I tend to ignore the idea of a Sabbath. But there’s a reason God tells us to rest. Nothing was made to always work. Not even a website.
For me this rest will allow me to catch up on some reading. It will also let me refill my “creative well” so to speak. Those are important reasons to rest. But perhaps the most important reason is to simply see that the world goes on even if we don’t. We often talk ourselves into believing that if we stop working, the world (or perhaps just your house) will fall apart. It doesn’t. The world always goes on.
It’s comforting knowing that when I come back in two weeks, R3 will be chugging along, even without my direct supervision.
Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 25-06-2008
Category : God, R3, faith, hope
Tags: Christian, Christianity, faith, God, hope, patience, religion
A while back I was having lunch with a friend. We talked about the usual things friends talk about. But as always our conversation shifted towards God. I was describing some of the things happening with R3 and what I thought I needed to be working on next. I talked about some of the fears and frustrations I have around a blog like R3. That’s when she said something to me that didn’t really register until a few days later.
She said I was “patient.”
As Moe says, “whaaaaaa-?”
On the surface I find this idea completely ridiculous. I feel so impatient. Some days it’s simply a struggle to believe that God is leading me somewhere because it feels like I’m not making any progress.
Seth Godin has said, “persistence isn’t using the same tactic over and over. That’s just annoying. Persistence is having the same goal over and over.”
I think that’s true. I also think it’s reflected in how God deals with us. He always seems to be willing to change his methods (although never his goals) when he’s dealing with us. Sometimes he talks to us directly, sometimes he uses dreams. Sometimes we get to see miracles, other times we live by faith.
I don’t know if I am patient or not. I just know that God is always seeking a way to engage us. And that can be a hard thing to remember when we’re waiting on him.
reader comment: right where I need to be
Posted by e. barrett | Posted on 17-10-2008
Category : God, R3, bible, failure, hope, reader comments
Tags: Christian, Christianity, depression, failure, faith, fear, God, hope, religion, stress, trust
Not to sound melodramatic but I think there’s a moment (possibly several) in a person’s life where they question if what they are doing is worthwhile. Is the project you’re working on meaningful? Is the business you’ve started going to be relevant. Are you making a difference in people’s lives?
It’s easy to fall into the idea that we’re somehow not doing “enough.” And that’s where I’ve been the last few days. I was wondering if I was doing enough professionally. Was I reaching everyone I could with R3? Should I do more?
I expressed these concerns to a friend, and she said something that froze me in my tracks:
Ouch.
She’s right though. I can’t think of a single example where God said, “why don’t you make something out of yourself? What are you waiting for?” God always says, be obedient, and let me do the rest.
All I need to worry about is listening to God, then obeying.
What a relief!