The Friday Five (9.6.24)
A Few Things for My Friends
Hey!
This week has helps on tech habits, mental health, hurry, success, and envy.
How’s that for an opening line?!
Enjoy, and have a great weekend.
MK
1. The Hang Ten Movement
Justin Whitmel Earley (author of The Common Rule, Habits of the Household, and Made for People) released something this last week that I am really interested in and encouraged by because it concerns families, habits, technology, and community formation.
Here’s the description:
The Hang Ten Movement is a set of ten technology practices for communities of Christians who want to receive the gifts of technology while fighting against its evils.
It's not a set of rules! It is a vision for how we can communally raise children to use technology for good. We cannot teach children how to use technology alone. We need schools, churches, youth groups, and families all committing together to be a light to the world in a dark cultural moment. The Hang Ten Movement is not a movement about fear of technology. But it is a vision for how the of love of God and neighbor should radically change how we use it.
Check it out here.
2. Inside Out 2 and Internal Family Systems (Being Human)
When this movie comes to mind, one scene stands out to me. There is a moment toward the end where Anxiety is unable to let go of (the) control and is trapped in an effort to protect what feels threatened (which manifests as a panic attack). I’ve written before about living with anxiety, and in that moment of the film, I felt such sadness for where anxiety has promised to protect me with such force that I felt the constrained maelstrom depicted in the movie. In a moment, I was 19 again, sidelined and scared. It has taken decades to see it for what it is, and it’s a work of the Lord’s grace in my life to have compassion on that part of myself, which I’ve often felt better about now by being ashamed of who I was then. That’s no way to live.
Here’s the clip:
On his podcast, Being Human, Steve and Lisa Cuss take the time to walk through Inside Out 2 in relation to Internal Family Systems (they’ve done this before with Ted Lasso). Lisa is an IFS specialist, so she’s an interesting conversation partner on the topic. There is a way here to consider parts (feelings/belief systems) of ourselves that have helped us along the way but need the grace of Christ to serve us rightly in daily life.
Listen here.
3. Love without desiring all that you are not (and all that you have not).
I was reading from Joseph Epstien’s work, Envy, this week and came across this reminder from Auden:
4. Slower I Go (SEU Worship)
One of the dangers of my profession is that I’m often dialed into the logistics of church services, and at times, can be looking at hitting marks or transitions rather than attuning to what is happening outside of all the plans we’ve made for the moment we’re now in.
A fellow elder at our church sent this song today, and I can’t get it out of my head. Everything I want is found outside of the fast lane, and these lyrics hit home.
Lord, forgive me for the hurry.
5. The Keys to Success
In my study of Joshua this week, I came across this line from David Howard. Sometimes things are stated simply, and seem simple, but demand all you have to follow. This is one of those realities:
The keys to success in life lie in being intensely focused upon God and in consistent faithfulness to him and his revealed word.1
Thanks for reading!
If someone forwarded this to you, I write two kinds of emails: one on any given Tuesday about life with God and the other every Friday, where I share things I’ve found during the week. The latest two months of posts are free to all, and paid subscribers get the full archive. If you want to subscribe but can’t afford it, email me, and I’ll take care of it—no questions asked.
I live in Flower Mound, TX, with my wife Carly, our three kids, and our chocolate lab. I pastor, teach, and lead at The Village Church, serving as an Elder and the Executive Director of Discipleship. In my spare time (ha!), I’m working on a Ph.D. in Church History, studying Jonathan Edwards and character formation. Also, I’ve written A Short Guide to Spiritual Disciplines: How to Become a Healthy Christian.
Thank you for reading and supporting my work as I seek to shepherd with compassion and wisdom, equipping people to embody God's truth for all of life.
Talk soon,
Mason
David M. Howard Jr., Joshua, vol. 5, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 90.