The Unforced Rhythms Of Grace

By john brooks

We live in a time where we are pressed on every side. Weary beyond words we struggle on in the name of multi-tasking. The more things we can pile on our plate each day the more productive we believe that we are. But the truth is that God is not impressed with our to do lists, and long resumes of accomplishments.

Instead, He grieves for us because we are missing the one thing that matters. A true, real and unforced relationship with Him that is available to each of us through His Son.

Learning the unforced rhythms of grace is the one thing that we cannot neglect to do if we are to be disciples of Jesus.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543949582

john brooks

John Brooks (1920–1993) was an award-winning writer best known for his contributions to the New Yorker as a financial journalist. He was also the author of ten nonfiction books on business and finance, a number of which were critically acclaimed works examining Wall Street and the corporate world. His books Once in Golconda, The Go-Go Years, and Business Adventures have endured as classics. Although he is remembered primarily for his writings on financial topics, Brooks published three novels and wrote book reviews for Harper’s Magazine and the New York Times Book Review. 

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Grace                       

THE STRUGGLE

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me.""        Jesus

Matthew 11:28-MSG

CHAPTER ONE

I’M DOING MY BEST

What a day!  Up early, planner under my arm and brief case in my hand, juggling a cup of coffee as I head out the door for one more day of who knows what.  It seemed lately that my life had become a random bag of the same things.  There was no longer any fire in my belly for what I did and nothing to look forward to.

Projects came and went, some successful, others not so much.  But still I soldiered on……..afraid to stop……..always silently asking myself, "what would others think?

Before I could even take my coat off and sit my briefcase down it had started.  Questions flew at me like the wind blowing leaves on a fall day.  Problems that needed solving immediately, leaving no time to actually hear what the issues were.  Looking back now I can see that I made many mistakes……..poor judgements based on half told facts.  I had become so overwhelmed with life on life’s terms that my patience was thin at best and I had little time to actually listen to the words being said to me.  Sadly I must admit that I wasn’t sure I even cared anymore.  It seemed that I had given over control of my life to some unseen force that was intent on pushing me until I fell and could no longer get back to my feet. 

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Just as I sat down at my desk there was a knock at my door.  My administrative assistant appeared on the other side of my desk with an armload of mail, post it notes, and a list of things for me to do.  Her first words that morning were, don’t forget the community assistance meeting this morning.  It starts in less than an hour.

She meant well and was an invaluable help to me in the administrative tasks that I was responsible for, but that morning it seemed as if her words of reminder were like a knock out punch from the world heavy weight champion. 

I just dropped my head and said, Ok, thanks for reminding me.  She smiled and filled my inbox with mail that I already knew I would never get to.  Then came the all too familiar list of things that needed my attention that day.  As she waded through the list I remember feeling as if gravity was pulling me down.  If this kept up I was sure that there would be nothing left of me but a spot on the floor……..

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Reading those words I’m sure it would seem improbable to think that my ‘job’ was actually a ministry.  It would seem more like so many other jobs out there………maybe even your’s.

But yet, it was.  I was the lead pastor and administrator of an inner city church.  I knew that God had called me to this ministry, but had to admit that it was much different from what I would have pictured.  The seemingly endless days followed by the sleepless nights were slowly taking their toll on my body.  But even more tragic, my spirit was as dry as a desert. 

Longing to change, but unable to see how I just took a deep breath and pushed one foot in front of the other as I prepared to leave for yet another meeting.  Someone once told me, If you see a fire and it is going out, you can assume that a committee built it.  I remember laughing at the time, but by now I knew that it was no laughing matter.

Every minute was expected to be filled with one task or another to show that I was accomplishing something………what, I do not know.  Meeting after meeting was filled with much talk and little, if any progress.  Arriving at these meetings with a file of things that needed our attention and would require real action, I often left feeling that little was actually accomplished.  Most days completing my to do list was the only thing I really accomplished.  Assuring myself that I had done my best, I would start all over again tomorrow.

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"Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry.  It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it."    A.W. Tozer

CHAPTER TWO

A NEW NORMAL

We had come into this ministry with the desire to make a real difference, but were not prepared for the very real issues that we would face.  The vision of having all day to study and prepare for my weekly opportunity to share my wealth of knowledge with our congregation, as we watched our work grow, was soon replaced by real people with what seemed like insurmountable problems.

If I learned anything that first year it was that Christian slogans, bumper sticker trivia and self help books did not fit here.  To be honest, they don’t actually fit into anyone’s real life.  That is not to say that an encouraging word is not needed by most of us, but we all need more than a pat on the shoulder and the latest popular Christian slogan to help us to our feet as we face the next battle.  Our enemy is relentless and so must our faith be.  Relentless faith benefits and is strengthened by  untiring encouragement.

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One morning after a rather unique counseling session with two men from the homeless shelter, who shared their view of morality with us, my wife looked at me and asked, is there anyone who is normal here?  I laughed, and replied, I guess it depends on our definition of normal.  Sitting opposite each other no words needed to be spoken.  We knew we were experiencing what we would come to know as the ‘new normal.’  Or more precisely, the true normal……..

It is a common saying among evangelical Christians that prayer is the answer to all things.  Although I want to be perfectly clear that I agree completely with that statement, I disagree with the premise that because we have prayed, the struggles and fears of others or ourselves are somehow instantly taken care of.  At one time I believed that, but now, having a much clearer view of what a ‘normal existence’ really is for people, I am sure there must be more.

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It is important that I point out that this ‘new normal,’ as we called it, wasn’t actually new.  The broken, beat down and sin compromised all around us knew it all too well.  It was us who were out of sync.  Having been Christians for some time and living a somewhat unchallenged life as to our faith we had an unclear view of what reality and normal really were. 

Those living this normality were daily being tried, tested and harassed.  Many had fallen for the lies that are so prevalent in our society and their lives clearly showed the scars from close contact with the darkness.

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It had been twelve long years of struggle and dashed hopes.  Promises made that were unable to be kept and now……….this was her life.

Suffering daily from a sickness that no amount of money could seem to cure, this broken woman, considered unclean by those around her, was forced to accept her fate.  She must have wondered why this had happened to her, leaving her sick and alone.  What had she done? 

Her day started like all the rest…….. that is until she heard the news.  Jesus the Nazarene was in town.  She had listened in wonder to the many stories of this man that people were calling a prophet of God.  He had healed others, why not her?  She wasted no time and went out into the street near her home. 

It wasn’t long until she heard the crowd following this Jesus.  Not sure what she would do she quickly moved in the direction of the commotion.  In just a short time she came to a street that was blocked by a slowly moving procession of people.  They seemed to be pushing and shoving as they surrounded someone in the center of this unruly crowd.

As she looked for a way to get close enough to see this man she climbed a set of stairs and standing above the crowd she could see him.  There was something about him that caused a peace that she had never known to flow over her.  Just then, without warning he looked in her direction.  Had he seen her, she wondered? 

Nearly running down the stairs she just knew she had to get through the crowd, but there seemed to be no way.  No one would move for her.  Without thinking she dropped to her hands and knees and started crawling through the crowd.  She was rewarded with several kicks and cursing but none of that mattered.  She was convinced that if she could just touch him……….

Just as she was almost close enough to reach out and touch his robe he suddenly stepped away.  Someone had come up to him seeking his attention.  She couldn’t hear the conversation between them over the noise of the crowd, but somehow knew that if she missed this chance all was lost.  Desperately pushing her way toward this man she reached out and just touched the hem of his robe with the tip of her finger……….

Suddenly the noise stopped and the crowd ceased to move.  Frozen in her spot she didn’t know what to do next.  A voice, gentle, but commanding, rang out over the crowd.  Who touched me?  No one moved or spoke until