Busyness

Do you say 'yes' to requests when really you mean to say 'no'? Do you feel permanently trapped by your 24/7 lifestyle? While offering practical help to busy Christians, Tim Chester also opts for root-and-branch treatment: you need to deal radically with the things that are driving you. If you're busy because of the following; 'I need to prove myself'; 'Otherwise things get out of control'; 'I like the pressure/money'; think again! At the root of our 'slavery' are serious misunderstandings, often reinforced by our culture. If we want to be free, then we need to counteract them with God's word. It's important to manage our time, but it's more important to manage our hearts. God has promised his rest to all who are weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28). It's up to us to accept it.

In light of September 11, 2001, we have all come to realize that our world can change in the blink of an eye. In a time of tragedy we tend to turn to the Spiritual and God. It is sometimes frustrating to find that in our most desperate hour we find no solace because we do not recognize His voice. It is to our detriment that we have allowed our busyness to replace a developed relationship with God. The church of today is attempting to accommodate, entertain and retain people rather than providing real answers to real problems. I believe that this is why the church has not progressed to a greater degree toward the mark of "Gloriousness", which Jesus foretold. Why? The church of this age is so BUSY with the BUSYNESS OF DOING; we cannot hear what God is saying. We have become Human "doings" rather than Human "beings". We have lost the art of LISTENING as well as the courage to simply, DO what God is DOING and SAY what God is SAYING. Two household chores "washing" and "ironing" depict what I'm speaking of in a remarkable manner. How do you remove "spots" and "wrinkles" from clothing? Washing and ironing. But, since the art of doing laundry is a thing of the past we miss this analogy. How do you remove "wrinkles" from clothing? You iron them out. What is ironing? It is the application of heat and pressure, which smoothes out the wrinkles. As we move this into the human arena we are confronted with vehement resistance. We do not like "heat" or "pressure". We live in a push button society and a microwave world. Everything is instant! God instructed Israel during the wilderness journey to not erect permanent structures. Why? They were simply passing through to their ultimate destination. They dwelled in temporary structures and did not amass hordes of things or obligations in life. Many of us are stuck where we are today because we have allowed ourselves to become overly encumbered by possessions and obligations. We are so enslaved to this world that we can neither hear God nor follow Him completely. It is God's desire to take each believer into His laundry room and prepare us for service. He wants us to realize that just because we are busy at religious things it does not mean that we are spiritual. We need to learn the four causes of burnout and avoid them. It is imperative that we develop "Ears to Hear" in our relationship with God. As we learn the secret of relationship and God's provisions through His covenant we will find restoration to what He designed us to be. It is my desire to see each person free from the bondage of performance so they can enjoy the freedom of relationship.

Identify and tackle stressful issues in your life through articles, questions, quotes, Scripture, and related exercises in this Discipleship Journal Bible Study.

This book is deeply personal to me. I want to help others trapped in the same cycle of doing at the expense of being. I know how lonely and soul-crushing it feels. But the good news is that it doesn't have to be that way! I want to help you figure out what matters most in your life, and challenge you to get busy (yes, busy) spending your limited, valuable time living life in harmony with your priorities. Believe me, I've heard plenty of horror stories and seen firsthand the carnage that workaholism can bring to lonely families. I've listened to numerous heart-wrenching accounts of hurting marriages and wounded children. And I've talked with a lot of really good people whose souls have been left drained and whose inner-depth has been left dangerously shallow.

"How have you been?" a friend asks. "Busy," we say. Much of our busyness is necessary to our survival or to the wellbeing of others and ourselves. In the whirlwind of our lives, however, it may seem impossible to focus beyond the noise of daily demands. We long for a greater awareness of God with us. This eight-session LifeGuide® Bible Study explores ways of conversing with God in the midst of things, so we can see our day's work as the joyful service of kneeling before Jesus. For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions—making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.

______________________ 'Too much to do? Stop and read this' - Guardian 'For a fresh take on an eternal dilemma, Overwhelmed is worth a few hours of any busy woman's life – if only to ensure that she doesn't drop off the bottom of her own “To Do” list' - Mail on Sunday ______________________ In her attempts to juggle work and family life, Brigid Schulte has baked cakes until 2 a.m., frantically (but surreptitiously) sent important emails during school trips and then worked long into the night after her children were in bed. Realising she had become someone who constantly burst in late, trailing shoes and schoolbooks and biscuit crumbs, she began to question, like so many of us, whether it is possible to be anything you want to be, have a family and still have time to breathe. So when Schulte met an eminent sociologist who studies time and he told her she enjoyed thirty hours of leisure each week, she thought her head was going to pop off. What followed was a trip down the rabbit hole of busy-ness, a journey to discover why so many of us find it near-impossible to press the 'pause' button on life and what got us here in the first place. Overwhelmed maps the individual, historical, biological and societal stresses that have ripped working mothers' and fathers' leisure to shreds, and asks how it might be possible for us to put the pieces back together. Seeking insights, answers and inspiration, Schulte explores everything from the wiring of the brain and why workplaces are becoming increasingly demanding, to worldwide differences in family policy, how cultural norms shape our experiences at work, our unequal division of labour at home and why it's so hard for everyone – but women especially – to feel they deserve an elusive moment of peace. ______________________ 'Every parent, every caregiver, every person who feels besieged by permanent busyness, must read this book' - Anne-Marie Slaughter, author of Why Women Still Can't Have It All

‘Enthusiastic, pleasingly madcap’ Geographical Adventure – something that’s new and exhilarating, outside your comfort zone. Adventures change you and how you see the world, and all you need is an open mind, bags of enthusiasm and boundless curiosity. Recommended for viewing on a colour tablet.

Advances an alternative approach to democratic reform that focuses on building institutions that empower people who have little time for politics. How do we make democracy more equal? Although in theory, all citizens in a democracy have the right to participate in politics, time-consuming forms of participation often advantage some groups over others. Where some citizens may have time to wait in long lines to vote, to volunteer for a campaign, to attend community board meetings, or to stay up to date on national, state, and local news, other citizens struggle to do the same. Since not all people have the time or inclination to devote substantial energy to politics, certain forms of participation exacerbate existing inequalities. Democracy for Busy People takes up the very real challenge of how to build a democracy that empowers people with limited time for politics. While many plans for democratic renewal emphasize demanding forms of political participation and daunting ideals of democratic citizenship, political theorist Kevin J. Elliott proposes a fundamentally different approach. He focuses instead on making democratic citizenship undemanding so that even busy people can be politically included. This approach emphasizes the core institutions of electoral democracy, such as political parties, against deliberative reforms and sortition. Timely and action-focused, Democracy for Busy People is necessary reading.