On Leisure Pursuits – Closing

Greetings Dear Reader,

As a Christ follower I am accountable for all my time.  This means that even my leisure pursuits must be in line with the Father’s design for us.  I must rest purposefully.  I must recreate my life as necessary to conform to the gospel.  I must not abuse sleep.  I must avoid stress and adopt relaxation. 

It seems that managing all this could defeat the purpose of it but this is not how it works.  As will all things I must assure that I make the most of my leisure time.  My leisure pursuits must be ones that recreate and restore me.  Neglecting this will hinder my ability to work and serve will all that I am.

My entire life must be yielded to following Christ.  If I do not follow him in my leisure pursuits then I will not be equipped to do so in the work he has set before me.  It is about being committed to Christ in all that I do.  Even when I am bone weary or emotionally exhausted what I do to rest and recharge must be yielded to Christ and his purposes. 

It comes to assuring that in all that I do I am yielding what I have to Christ.  It comes to monitoring every step of the journey so that they are in the steps of Christ.  I will fail but I must lessen the failures and shorten the time between successes.  Rest well Dear Reader;  we still have work to do.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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On Leisure Pursuits – Honest Recreation

Greetings Dear Reader,

Most of you read that word as “rec·re·a·tion (/rekrēˈāSH(ə)n/)”   I try to always read it as “re-cre·a·tion ˌ(rē-krē-ā-SH(ə)n/).   We define recreation as the pursuit of activities done for enjoyment when not at work.  This is a great way to spend leisure pursuits but I think we leave out something vital.

I think that we need pursuits specifically designed to re-create us.  We all know what that is.  We all know what energies who we are over what we do.  If we have forgotten what does this for us then it is vital to rediscover it. 

There are times when we need major re-creation.  Our lives can become in need of a major overhaul.  We also need daily minor course corrections.  We need episodes where we do things to re-create the little things that impact relationships and focus our pursuits. 

We can re-create attitudes, actions, and assumptions.  We can always find ways to rediscover who we are created to be and reinvent our lives in more pleasing and productive ways.  I must re-create who I am in any area that limits my ability to follow Christ.  I must use my leisure pursuits to re-create the things that nourish my kindness and love.  The activity may exhaust or rest me physically.   What matters is that my mind and spirit are drawn closer to being more like my creator.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

On Leisure Pursuits – Focused Relaxation

Greetings Dear Reader,

Relaxation is defined as an easing of tension or anxiousness.  Since Christ followers are not to be anxious over anything it seems that one should be relaxed most of the time.  This is not the case.  We become anxious and tense over many things both serous and mundane. 

This means that one must focus on being relaxed.  Worry and tension must be intentionally purged.  Our need is further than that though.   It is not enough to release tension.   We must at times truly do nothing.  We must push away even thinking about the things that plague us.

We employ many things to turn off our thinking.   Some of those things are unhealthy.  We indulge in excesses to deal with worry and tension.  This leads to many maladies that in turn increase worry and tension. 

Another form of failure to relax is when we deny our tension.  We avoid and bury problems that make us anxious.  This leads to short tempers, excesses, and failure to be as good to others as we should. 

I must seek focused relaxation.  I must not carry worry and anxiety intentionally.   Further I must assure that I do not use my tension as an excuse to be unkind or impatient.  If I am to follow Christ with my whole heart I must create space for focused relaxation that seeks calm and serenity.  I must become an instrument of peace.

Prayer of Saint Francis – Sarah McLachlan

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

On Leisure Pursuits – Segmented Sleep

Greetings Dear Reader,

I do not sleep much.  It is not lost on me that I had planned this topic for today and I awakened two hours earlier than intended.  I have never like naps and there was even a wayward attempt in high school to wean my life fully from any sleep.  Three weary days and some terrifying hallucinations cemented in my mind that I need sleep daily.

The advantage of needing little sleep is that once I am asleep I do so deeply.  This may account for my needing little of it.  Still sleep is required and missed when elusive.   I realize that as there are those who need less sleep than the norm there are also those who require more.  Sleep is a necessity but can also be a leisure pursuit.  It is in the pursuit of sleep for leisure that we must be vigilant not to abuse it.

As one who does not like to sleep this is not an issue for me but I must consider how I think and feel about those who seem to abuse it.  I have a friend who has admitted that she is addicted to naps.  The Bible does not say a great deal about sleep but warns against too much of it.  It does teach us that we are accountable for all of our time. 

In this pursuit I must get enough sleep to be healthy and not so much that I waste time that should be used for other things   I owe it to my family and work to get enough rest so that I am truly present at required events.  I need to be rested enough to give my best both practically and socially.   I need to be careful not to judge those who need more sleep and those who abuse it.  It is not place.

I am not sure why the Father designed us to need sleep.  Were it up to me I would abandon it completely.   In this as with all things though, I must be subject to how I am designed over what I desire.   Then again I would value it if things stopped mid-day for warm cookies, cold milk, and a short rest.  I would prefer not to nap but I must be aware of the needs of others.  I prefer not to be asleep in the light.   

Asleep in the Light – Keith Green

Do you see, do you see all the people sinking down?

Don't you care, don't you care are you gonna let them drown?

How can you be so numb not to care if they come?

You close your eyes and pretend the job's done

Bless me Lord, bless me Lord You know it's all I ever hear

No one aches, no one hurts no one even sheds one tear

But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds and He cares for your needs

And you just lay back and keep soaking it in

Oh, can't you see it's such a sin? 'Cause He brings people to your door

And you turn them away as you smile and say

God bless you, be at peace and all heaven just weeps

'Cause Jesus came to you door you've left Him out in the street

Open up, open up and give yourself away

You see the need; you hear the cries so how can you delay?

God's calling and you're the one but like Jonah you run

He's told you to speak but you keep holding it in

Can't you see it's such a sin?

The world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can't fight

'Cause it's asleep in the light

How can you be so dead, when you've been so well fed

Jesus rose from the grave and you, you can't even get out of bed

Jesus rose from the dead, come on, get out of your bed

How can you be so numb not to care if they come

You close your eyes and pretend the job's done

You close your eyes and pretend the job's done

Don't close your eyes, don't pretend the job's done

Come away, come away, come away with Me my love

Come away from this mess, come away with Me, my love

Come away, come away, come away with Me my love

Come away from this mess, come away with Me, my love

Come away, come away, come away with Me my love

Come away from this mess, come away with Me, my love

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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On Leisure Pursuits – Accurate Re-calibration

Greetings Dear Reader,

Many of us no longer need to calibrate things hence the word bears defining.  To calibrate is to “correlate the readings of (an instrument) with those of a standard in order to check the instrument's accuracy.”   We need to consistently re-calibrate. 

If left to my own measures I do not always assess my instrument well.  I push too hard when I am ill.  I can at times be too sedentary.   I should exercise more than I do.  I do not always assess myself honestly both on the positive and negative side.

I need to set honest baselines for what I need in leisure.   Diet, exercise, activity, and rest must all become measured and intentional.   This is not a secular issue.  It must not be my priority but it must be prioritized.    

Paul notes that “bodily exercise is of little profit.”   This does not mean that one should not exercise but it does mean that it must be seen in relation to other things.  An honest and accurate re-calibration of how I spend my leisure time is vital to assuring that I follow Christ in all things.

There is no down time from following Christ as I am to use all of my time to do that.  The Father has prescribed rest and relaxation but as with all things it must be tempered.  If I am to manage leisure pursuits properly I must know what I need and discipline every part of it.  This is not a stressful or worrisome discipline.   It is a part of following Christ with all that I am.  Even assessment must be done in faith.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

On Leisure Pursuits – Intentional Rest

Greetings Dear Reader,

Since creation the Father has considered rest important.   When he rested after creation the word used to describe it is the same word from which we get Sabbath and sabbatical.  Rest is designed into the Law of Moses. It was a part of Christ’s weekly life. 

The idea of rest here is to cease from work.  It is important that rest is not doing something as opposed to doing something.  It can be better explained as I am not working instead of I am resting.  It is intentional refraining from work or intentional rest.

In our culture it is expected that we take work home with us.  I have coworkers that work every day.   In my years as a professor I did work outside of work almost every night.   If you do not think almost every teacher does this you are deluded.  I have friends who put in long hours at work and are still spinning late in the evening at home.  

As a writer I have to make sure that there are times when I do not sit down and begin to spin out lines.  I can get distracted by ideas and inspiration.   I must discipline my life to capture the idea but then return to whatever pursuit in which I am involved out of respect for my fellow travelers. 

I must also never assume that it is proper to impede on others when I work.  I must not assume that I when choose to work late that I can involve others without consideration for their needs.   When I supervise others it is my obligation to consider their time and need for rest.    

We are created to rest.  We are created to keep this in balance with our other pursuits.  I must assure that I focus on intentional rest.  I must not allow worry and circumstance to keep me from the rest the recharges me for the next day or the coming week.  I do not live under the law but the practice of intentional rest does make me a better follower. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

On Leisure Pursuits – Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have begun planning vacation time for the summer.  In discussing vacations, rest, and leisure with my friend Marsha I mentioned “Intentional Rest”.  I use this phrase so often the impact on her surprised me.  I will talk more about that in a couple of days.

It did trigger my thinking on the leisure pursuits and how I follow Christ in them.  Leisure like everything else in our lives must be an act of following.  There is not “down time” from following Christ.   Our idle words and leisure time belong to the journey as well.  It is, therefore, imperative that our leisure pursuits yield faithful following and not be squandered.

Please walk with me as I think through some various aspects of faithful leisure.  I need to assure that I follow Christ in all things.  Perhaps we can discover together how to better use down time to increase who we are Dear Reader.  As always I treasure your thoughts and questions.

Cool Change – Little River Band

If there's one thing in my life that's missing

It's the time that I spend alone

Sailing on the cool and bright clear water

It's kind of a special feeling

When you're out on the sea alone

Staring at the full moon, like a lover

Time for a cool change

I know that it's time for a cool change

Now that my life is so prearranged

I know that it's time for a cool change

Well I was born in the sign of water

And it's there that I feel my best

The albatross and the whales they are my brothers

There's lots of those friendly people

And they're showing me ways to go

And I never want to lose their inspiration

Time for a cool change

I know that it's time for a cool change

Now that my life is so prearranged

I know that it's time for a cool change

I've never been romantic

And sometimes I don't care

I know it may sound selfish

But let me breathe the air

Let me breathe the air...

Well I was born in the sign of water

And it's there that I feel my best

The albatross and the whales they are my brothers

It's kind of a special feeling

When you're out on the sea alone

Staring at the full moon, like a lover

Time for a cool change

I know that it's time for a cool change

Now that my life is so prearranged

I know that it's time for a cool change

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)