What Else Is On My Mindgrapes #18
It’s 2:30am and I’m at my desk writing.
So many friends and fellow pastors have reached out to me asking, “How are you doing?” Well, it’s 2:30am and I’m at my desk writing, so I suppose that’s the answer. There is a temptation, in the midst of grieving, to use spaces like this to process life and death. That feels too raw and self-indulgent, and at the same time, it feels silly and obtuse not to.
The reality is that those who support this Substack, my publisher, IVP, my church, my family, and any conference or church where I’m scheduled to speak over the next months or years will hear much of my “processing” (whatever that means) as memories, joys, sadnesses, regrets, anxieties, and all the rest as it slowly leaks out over time.
This year, being largely off social media, being on sabbatical, and slowing down some aspects of my life, have been an attempt to listen to the wisdom of 1 Thessalonians and aspire to live “a quiet life,” or, at least, a quieter one. I’ve discovered that quiet doesn't refer to the noise I make. After all, I’m a fairly quiet person anyway. It is much more about the noise I let in. Some of that noise of life has been where I expected to find it — cable news, the Interweb, radio, television, streaming, and the rest, but I’ve discovered a good bit of noise in other places: negative thoughts, long held and too deeply believed lies about myself and others, limiting beliefs, and goals that sound nice but fail to measure up to what my heart, soul, and spirit actually long for.
There is a lot of noise in our world, and a good bit of it just rattles around in our heads. I doubt I’m alone. My bet is that many of us, perhaps you and your family, could benefit from the pursuit of a quieter life — a life that is less noisy, less crowded, less busy, and less about us all being busy-bodies in the affairs of others.
Books I Finished This Week
The Wager — Named by Amazon.com as the best book of April 2023, this best-seller tells the story of the ill-fated British vessel, The Wager, her shipwreck, and the mutiny which occurred in it’s wake. This true story will keep you riveted and interested.
The Rabbit Hutch — The winner of the National Book Award, The Rabbit Hutch tells the intertwining stories of a group of people living in a housing complex in a dying town.
Movies I Screened1 This Week
You can follow all my movies reviews on Letterboxd
The Fablemans
Bumblebee
The Wonder
The Courier
The Meg
Anon
Oppenheimer2
The Dig
TV Shows
That’s for you, Wade.
You MUST see Oppenheimer and you MUST see it on the biggest screen you can get to with the best sound.