The Hare and the Tortoise:Learning to pace ourselves in a world gone mad

By Andrew Shamy, Sam Bloore and Roshan Allpress

First published in December 2011 by the Compass FoundationPO Box 163138, Lynfi eld, Auckland 1443 | www.compass.org.nz

Copyright © 2011 Compass FoundationISBN 978-0-473-20399-3

This book is copyright. Except for the purpose of fair review, no part may bestored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including recording or storage in any information retrieval system, withoutpermission in writing from the publisher. No reproduction may be made,whether by photocopying or by any other means, unless a license has beenobtained from the publisher or its agent.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Offi ce by Biblica, Inc.™

Typography and design by Saskia ThorneIllustrations by Bevan FidlerPrinted in New Zealand by CCL Communications Group

Introduction

Finding a new rhythm

How to use this book

Rhythms and Rules of Life

Simplicity and Generosity

Solitude and Silence

Community

Learning to Rest

Fasting and Lament

Celebration

Patience and Submission

Meditation and Prayer

Worship

Humility and Service

Living in the Story

Appendix One

Appendix Two

References

In the Beginning…

The Exodus

Entering the Promised Land

The Kings

The Decline

The Exile

The Remnant and Return

The Life of Jesus

Death and Resurrection

The Church

New Beginnings

The Art of Translation

The somewhat enigmatic title of this book was inspired by the even stranger title of our last one—The Insect and the Buffalo: How the Story of the Bible Changes Everything.

Readers of The Insect and the Buffalo consistently ask us two questions: How do I approach reading the Bible? And, even if I know how, When would I fi nd the time? This book is written to provide some clues about how we can start to answer those questions.

Shaped to be franticWe live in a hare-raising world. Pardon that terrible pun, but we do literally raise hare-paced individuals. We raise them, and we reward them. In a culture addicted to living frantically, apparently slow and steady no longer wins the race. Instead, effi ciency and productivity are most highly prized in our never-ending quest to achieve more, in the limited time we have. Time has become the enemy to be defeated.

While our generation may have mastered the art of the frantic life, we are not the fi rst to struggle with it. The Greek moralist Aesop, whose tale we have borrowed for our title, recognised the problem over two and a half millennia ago, and philosophers and theologians down through the ages have continued to confront it. The gospel itself paints quite a different picture of the “successful” life to the picture our culture paints. It is a life marked not by haste and drivenness, but by faithfulness.

And yet here we fi nd ourselves still. Or rather, not still. The simple message of stillness and sustainability from the sages and saints of history, and the call to faithfulness from the gospel, has made its way onto our fridge magnets, but not into our calendars, or our hearts.

Zipping and skimmingWe have more information at our fi ngertips than any other generation in history—but rather than gifting us wisdom and certainty, it has

caused us to become distracted and overwhelmed. In his book The Shallows, Nicholas Carr creatively describes how this explosion of information, especially via the internet, has had a detrimental affect on his ability to read well: “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.”

His metaphor of full emersion versus superfi cial skimming is a good one. But it doesn’t just apply to our reading—it could just as accurately describe our relating, or even our resting. The fl ood of potential activity and communication coming at us in almost every area of life is relentless—and the effect on us is numbing. Faced with “option paralysis,” we give in to passivity. We zip and we skim, but rarely with any intentionality.

Of course, our “spiritual life” is just as affected, because it is, after all, an extension of who we are. We fi dget when we fi nd ourselves alone for ten minutes with Scripture, just as we do when we fi nd ourselves alone for ten minutes in a café. We’re not just “work”-aholics—we fail to set boundaries around our church involvement as well endorsing our hectic pace as “divine” mandate. And so for many of us, our Christian life remains in “the shallows” also; we never grow into the deeper faith and relationship with God we were made for. We have been conditioned to zip and skim, and yet we wonder why we don’t see the transformation and intimacy with God we long for. As UK pastor Mike Breen has observed, “We are a group of people addicted to and obsessed with the work of the Kingdom, with little to no idea how to be with the King.”

No time for the King. That is what’s really at stake here.

The good news is that changing the way we live is not impossible! This book is designed to help you fi nd a new rhythm. It works with a couple of the great resources that the Church has used for centuries and that we can recover: Scripture itself; and, Spiritual Disciplines.

Socrates declared at least 400 years before Christ, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Although it’s unlikely he was setting out to make a theological statement, there is plenty of biblical evidence to suggest that he was on to something. It may not be said in exactly those terms, but many of the psalms, proverbs, letters and examples in Scripture extol the benefi ts of self-evaluation. Why then do we do so little of it?

We are all creatures of habit. We prefer to live with some level of routine than with absolute chaos. We follow patterns; we build structure; we create shorter-term rituals and longer-term traditions. We live by rhythms.

Unfortunately, however, we seldom make a habit of examining our habits. Our schedules, our routines and our habits are for the most part passively acquired. We work “X” number of hours because our job (or our debt!) demands that we do. We commute for as long as is required to make those work hours happen. We gather in groups as our beliefs and pastimes require. We catch up with friends and family when we want to, remember to, or have to—depending on the enjoyment we derive from their company. In the time left over we squeeze in our shopping, our eating, our banking, our cleaning, our mowing, our sleeping, etc. With all of this going on, it is not surprising that most of our decisions are reactive rather than proactive. It’s not that we avoid decisions, we just make most of them on the fl y. They lack intentionality. The resulting problem is that, for many of us, how we live our day-to-day lives has little connection to what we think life is actually all about. As John Lennon’s song “Beautiful Boy” warned us: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

This month, at the start of a new year, we want to encourage you

to pause and ask: “What sort of life do I want to be living?” and therefore, “What do I want the rhythms and habits of my life to look like?” Chances are that you haven’t considered these sorts of questions for a while, if ever. Chances are, also, that your answers will look quite different from your current trajectory of activity.

We are not talking here about hyped-up goal setting. The corporate world is awash with such motivational material and we think its usefulness here is limited. Perhaps we should have realised that focusing on Key Performance Indicators might produce a generation of Christians obsessed with performance. Appropriate goal-setting can be very helpful and there are moments in this book when we will recommend it. But it can also encourage an overemphasis on achievement and end results. We are more interested here in how well we know and imitate Christ along the way—and how well our actual day-to-day practices fi t with this vision of what life is about..

Chris Webb from Renovare—an organisation that works to help Christians live more intentional lives—suggests our daily practices not only refl ect our vision of life, they can change it. “We make some choices because of who we are, but others because of who we wish to become.” This is a crucial insight behind this calendar—how we live shapes who we are.

“Human Becomings” is probably quite a helpful way to think of ourselves—for we are all in the process of becoming. The crucial question is What or Like whom are we becoming? Our hope is that the simple suggestions and discussions to come will assist you in building some intentionality and faithfulness into your own rhythms of life.

Happy New Year!—Here’s to examined lives that are worth living!

Week One - Rest and recreation It’s the fi rst week of the year. RELAX!

We are going to focus on the discipline of Rest for the whole month of May, but it’s worth remembering its importance here too. Most of us are enjoying at least a few days of holiday right now and most of us need it—we are in rest and recovery mode from the year that has just been.

As you read the biblical passages of Creation during this time of recreation, have a think about the implications of that word: re-creation. The Online Etymology Dictionary explains that “recreation” derives from Latin and literally means, “to create again.” It was fi rst used in the late 14th century to describe “the refreshment, restoration or curing of a person.”

What does this, and the Genesis account, tell you about the potential signifi cance of this holiday time?

Week Two - Introducing some intentionalityIf you are still on holiday—ENJOY!

Re-read the section on Rhythms and Rules of Life, and in particular, the questions: “What sort of life do I want to be living?” and therefore, “What do I want the rhythms and habits of my life to look like?”

Start to think about how you might answer these questions. Ask yourself also: How are you living your life now? Are there any things you might change? What would you leave the same? Why have you chosen those things?

Try to fi nd three separate occasions this week when you can spend 15 minutes refl ecting prayerfully on your responses.

Week Three - A Regula VitaeChris Webb explains that most of us would benefi t from the Christian tradition of intentionally structuring our lives through a Regula

Vitae—a “Rule of Life.” Don’t panic, this is not a legalistic set of rules to follow. Rather, it’s an invitation to write down some of your thoughts and responses to the questions you have been thinking about already this month.

Regula was the Latin word for a length of wood with markings, used for measuring and alignment—similar to our present-day classroom rulers. We hold things against a ruler to see if they are straight and if their proportions and measurements are right. In the same way a Regula Vitae—a “Rule of Life”—is an opportunity for us to mark out some of our intentions in advance and then to regularly hold it up to our life and see how our alignment and proportions are fairing.

This week, turn to the back and refl ect on Appendix One: Rules of Life.

Week Four - Writing your Rule of LifeNow the fun part! This week we are recommending that you write out your own Rule of Life.

Don’t feel overwhelmed—this is simply a chance to intentionally write down a few guiding principles for the year. A common mistake with a Rule of Life is to aim too high, to include too many areas and to set unrealistic expectations in each area. This is not supposed to be your description of a perfectly pious life; this is meant to be a way to help you start examining your life and refl ecting on it.

Don’t write too much—leave some room for improvement next year! Appendix One should give you some ideas about the type of things you might wish to include.

The beginning of the Bible impacts everything that follows. It sets the context for the whole story. God has created a world fi lled with beauty and life. He placed people in the world to represent him and he deemed the world “good.” Humans, right from the beginning, were given the task of continuing on the work God had begun, making all the world like the Garden of Eden—full of beauty and life and order.

However, something goes terribly wrong. The very fi rst people (Adam and Eve) sin, and all of creation is misdirected toward decay and death.

The rest of the Bible goes on to answer the question posed by Genesis: how will God fi x and free his creation? Genesis 12 recounts the peculiar answer given to this question, with one family, Abraham and his descendants, nominated to be a blessing to the world.

This month, as you read through the fi rst scenes of the Biblical story, refl ect on what they are telling us about the type of story we are part of, what God’s plans are, and where our hope is. Ask yourself: What does this story tell me about people and life?

Key Moments

Creation: Genesis 1 – 2 | Here we have the opening scene of the narrative of Scripture. The scene is set: a good creation. The key characters are introduced: God and humanity. Male and female together are created in God’s image, made for relationship with God and each other, and for a task—to continue God’s work of creation by loving the world, ordering it, and fi lling it with life.

What do we learn about God and his intent for humanity and

creation in this opening scene?

The Fall: Genesis 3 | Genesis 3 introduces us to what gets called “the Fall” of humanity. Adam and Eve listen to a false story, and seek to become like gods themselves. Our fi rst ancestors are then sent

...

into exile—the state of separation from God, broken relationship with each other and with nature, thereby facing death. The great question of the Biblical narrative is set up: How will God redirect and restore his now broken and misdirected creation?

What do we learn about the human condition in this story? Do you

fi nd any hints of grace and hope?

The covenant with Abraham: Genesis 12:1-3 | God intervenes in history through Abraham and begins to answer the question of the Fall. God will bless Abraham, and through him, everyone on earth. Blessing is an idea that will come up again and again in the Story. A simple (and initial) way to think about it is in terms of welcoming people back into the way of life God had originally created humans for; a return from exile.

What do we learn in this scene about God’s plan to restore his world? What surprises you? What encourages you?

Shedding Light on the Scene

Cain and Abel: Genesis 4 | Things look to be back on track. Adam and Eve give birth to two children, Cain and Abel, and they begin to look after the land as God intended. But the problem of sin has not been dealt with and soon human disobedience escalates into the murder of Abel by Cain.

What picture of human life outside of Eden is the author trying to

paint for us?

Babel and the covenant with Abraham: Genesis 11:1 - 12:9 | God’s covenant with Abraham is an extraordinary promise that through his descendants God will create a blessed people through whom the whole world will be brought back to the life it was always supposed to

have. Consider the connections between the problems of humanity as described by the account of Babel, and the hope and type of life

offered to Abraham.

The family of Israel: Genesis 35 | The names of people and places in the Bible often carry deep signifi cance. So, the re-naming of Jacob, who becomes Israel, is a signifi cant moment.

As you read the passage, stop to consider where the covenant with Abraham has led over human history. What kind of people are

carrying it today, and where does hope lie?

Joseph and the salvation of Egypt: Genesis 47 | Near the end of Genesis, the long account of Joseph is told. We read how he suffers slavery in Egypt, temptation to betray himself and others, and unjust imprisonment, before ultimately being given a break, serving Pharaoh as Prime Minister and through this role, saving Egypt from famine.

How does this story mirror what people and creation were supposed to be about, as set up in Genesis 1 and 2? How would Israel have understood this story during their time living in the wilderness without a land to call their own?

Looking Forward and Backward

The big themes of human life, Creation, Fall and Redemption run right through the Bible, not just in the opening scenes. The following passages each touch on one or more of them. As you read, ask yourself some questions: What do we learn about God’s intent for creation and humanity? What do we learn about what has gone

wrong and what God is doing to put things right?

The glory of creation and humanity: Psalm 8 | The Psalmist

considers the glories of God’s creation and the wonder of the

human place within it.

“One like the son of man”: Daniel 7 | In Daniel’s strange vision, a series of empires that are cruel, brutish and beastly, are fi nally overcome by “one like a son of man.” With Genesis 1-2 in the background, the vision is one of restoration of God’s intended order, with a person bringing order to an otherwise “beastly” world. Many

years later, Jesus signifi cantly calls himself “the son of man.”

The family and fall of David: 2 Samuel 11-18 | When David’s kingdom is at its peak, we read striking similarities to the story of Adam and Eve’s fall. David takes something that was not his, and the consequences ripple outward. Sin remains a profound human problem.

Solomon and the promise to Abraham: 1 Kings 4:20 – 34 | Compare this passage with God’s promises to Abraham in Genesis 12, 15, 17 and 22. With these echoes the author is telling us something about

Israel in the early days of Solomon’s reign.

Prophesies of a new Heavens and new Earth: Isaiah 65:17 - 66:24 After the exile, the prophets look for God to do something new, with the promise that was made to Abraham seemingly broken—the people who were nominated to be blessed are homeless and in misery. The prophet Isaiah’s vision looks beyond the restoration of Israel, to the restoration of all of creation.

Reading the whole Bible

Genesis, Job, Proverbs