Living A Quiet Life In 2024

0:03 We both came down with V-necks on today. V-necks. Ah, hey, this is one of my favorite stories in life. Oh. Where did you get that sweater? I got this sweater in Italy with you, my love. And we have started to take a month every year. These are statements, phrases, and comments that come with an extraordinary blessing, gratitude, and privilege. Also working at the same company for 24 years. Yeah. 25 years. company for 25 years and uh and writing some books and those sorts of things but have allowed us to take a month every year now to turn off our cell phones and just go be with each other and i was in florence italy and i this is a previously owned sweater vintage vintage isn't it funny how like secondhand is like but vintage is so cool yeah i don't really think there's not i want to go back to this this oh that story's great i was i was tired so i sat in the chair and read my kindle while you shopped but you'll regret it till the day i wish i could go back and um and because that was really amazing stuff like that is one of my favorite sweaters that you own thank you and i think uh for the record your v is deeper than my v all right here we go here we go for for anybody who's listening not watching judah has a beautiful royal blue sweater on Indigo blue, I believe.

1:29 Deep V, lots of chest hair. Indigo blue, I believe. I have a camel color sweater on with two gold chains. Which actually, I mean, it kind of fits with our episode we were talking. This could be one of my favorite topics of any topic that you and I have talked about. Whoa. So excited to get into it. Me too. I like this for two reasons. One, because it's one that naturally works better for me. I feel like so many episodes are things that you're good at. And I'm like, yeah, I'm working on that. Yeah, I'm trying. Yeah, I'm trying to make friends. Yeah, I'm trying to express my feelings. Yeah, I'm trying to. And you're just so good at it. It's kind of annoying. This is one that I'm naturally more good at. And you have, you're looking at the cheater. I saw you. I'm cheating a little bit. Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater. Who says that? I do. So you looked at the title.

2:21 What's it say? Living a Quiet Life. 2024. Yes. Yeah. Wow. When you hear that, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? You would hate it if I did that. If you lived a quiet life. Yeah. You love my volume. You're attracted to it and I've created quite an adventure for you. Well, I don't think you. Okay. I have three responses. You have created quite an adventure for me. Thank you, my love. I do love your volume. Okay. Not always, but sometimes like you have gotten into habit lately of I'll be sitting in a perfectly peacefully quiet room and you just walk in and you come in like hot. You come in 10 volume, change all the lighting. We're going to sit here and pretend like I just started doing that? No, but for some reason, I'm expressing my feelings more. It just started bothering me. I welcome those. I was like, I had the lights like that in the TV. I was actually watching the show I wanted to watch. You can't just come in here and change it.

3:18 Your lighting scheme is never as good as mine. That's a fact. Beg to differ. but I'm sorry. Your lighting is too practical. It's too purposeful. It needs to be moody. It's soft and moody. It's just like I can see my hand in front of my face. Here's my lighting scheme. You can see everything. It feels like we're in an examination room of sorts, but. That's not true. I never turn the LED lights. I do not turn on. Yeah, you do. You do. You do trust me most of the time with a lighting. I appreciate that. So anyway, but a quiet life is not just about volume. Or lighting. Or lighting. Or adventure. Yeah. I think all of that can still be had within the context of a quiet life. Yeah. To me, quiet says peaceful. To me, quiet says content. To me, quiet says at ease. To me, quiet says not striving. Do you want those things?

4:10 I do. I do, my dear. I do. With all my heart. And this you have been phenomenal at, which is being determined that you are not going to present yourself as living a busy life. Yeah, because to that point, no one is attracted to the busy friend. No one wants the busy parent. No one wants the busy partner. No one wants the busy lover. No one wants the busy coach. No one wants the busy teacher. Think about it. I've never not one time in 45 years heard someone, I just wish so-and-so was busy. I wish this important person to me was just busy. I wish they were more preoccupied. That'd be awesome. Although I will say when my dad retired, and all of a sudden he was at home with my mom all the time and he was invading her quiet life, she's like, oh, I don't know.

5:03 I don't know. Well, that ruined our whole episode. But I hear you. We were just starting to make a point. Just starting to build a little bit of tension and revelation. and you're like, yeah, except towards the end of your life, you're going to hate it. I don't know. We'll get there. We'll let you know when we get there. Well, thanks for tuning in this week on In Good Faith. Oh, we're not done there. Don't you think busy is more of a mentality than it even is a schedule? And I think that's what we revolted against. You went through a season where you would not allow us to say, you're in charge. You would not allow us to say, we're busy. Oh, I'm busy tonight. Oh, I've got a really busy week. Oh, so busy this week. Thanks. So we started saying full instead, but it's actually true. It helps. And it really is not. Busy is an attitude and a mentality, and it is overwhelming and pervasive. Overwhelming and pervasive.

5:55 And I think it is also very American. Yeah. I remember speaking in Florence and going to Italy. This was one of my favorite things about Italian culture. And we went there. We were there for, like you said, a good time. So we found a really inexpensive but clean Airbnb that we could stay there for a couple weeks. But we were like deep in the middle of nowhere, Italy, like going to small towns where people didn't speak English. And it was pretty, pretty magical. But what blew me away every day from three to five, every restaurant, every shop, everything in the streets shut down. And it hit me as we were there because every day what happened at three o'clock is the school buses where they're dropping off children at their school bus stop. And all the parents were there picking up their kids. And I just thought, oh, I love this culture. Everybody stops at the time when kids come home from school. So it's understood all the way around.

6:49 This is what we do from three to five. We pick up, and I'm now making things up that are happening in the Italian homes because we never went into anyone. That's what it seemed like, though. Yeah, I think busyness is very much an American thing. When's the last time you showed? Not exclusively, but yeah. Yeah, like at a restaurant in America at 3.30, you're supposed to be open right now. Oh, absolutely. Right? Oh, my word. What do you think is the driver of a busy mentality?

7:20 I mean, ultimately, I think the earn and deserve kind of mentality that says, you know, if you go longer hours, you work harder, you grind. It will deliver more results. I think people oftentimes think that maybe the United States of America is who she is in all of her fortitude and power. Obviously, brokenness and weakness as well. But a lot of beauty. But a lot of beauty. Yeah. That is the direct result of hours locked and commitments made and busyness embraced. And so I think that's difficult. I don't know enough about history or know enough about country constructs and how they're built and how they work. I am grateful for this country.

8:11 But when it comes to the way of Jesus and the invitation of Jesus and the teachings of Jesus, you know, it does not run parallel with the busyness of the Western world. Yeah, I actually think there's a lot in the teachings of Jesus and scripture that allude to a simple life and a quiet life. I mean, just think about when Jesus said, hey, look at the flowers, look at the birds, look at the trees. That, you don't do that when you're busy, right? No, no. Like we were just on a getaway with some friends. And how many times did, because we were on a getaway all the years. You're on your phone a little bit. I was here. But it's okay. How many times did we actually stop and look at birds? So many times. Even we were on drives, yeah.

9:04 So much. I was like, oh, pull over. Look at this bird. Look at this bird. Turkey vultures. One of our trip members was really into, like, did you know what a turkey vulture is? No, I really didn't. But- And I'm wondering, do they attack turkeys? Is that what we call them, turkeys? I don't know. Or do they look like turkeys? I don't know. But you and I both played along because we wanted to be cool. Yeah. We acted like we knew. I think the vulture looks like a turkey. So they call it a turkey vulture. That was my conclusion. that have like a gobbly neck like a turkey does? I believe that. Somebody let us know. The weird thing is, I just wish we lived in a world where we had a device where we could just Google it immediately and find an answer. Wouldn't that be nice? But anyways, back to our regular schedule program. You and I both had that thought, but never actually cared enough to Google it on our own free time where we're sitting in the car. I love it when people make that joke because I'm like, no, I didn't care that much, bro. I wasn't going to look it up on my phone. I didn't care to move my thumbs inch by inch type letters into my device.

10:00 So yeah, Jesus said, look at the birds. Here's another verse that doesn't get talked about very often that I think reflects simplicity. Paul is giving his instructions to the church at Corinth, who was a new church, and they were going through some issues. And he said, you know what I want you to do? In whatever state that you are in, when you met Jesus, just strive to stay in that state. And he goes, obviously he was into slavery free and it was not a endorsement for slavery. There's so many things to go into there. Yeah. But it was basically saying, hey, you don't have to, following Jesus doesn't mean you all of a sudden have to strive to be better or different in a different station or area of life than you started out with. Why do people not preach verses on that message? I don't think, sorry, on that passage. Why do people not preach messages on that passage? I don't think you ever have.

10:53 uh whoa whoa whoa i don't know if that's true i doubt it's true i think it's true um i'm gonna go to the archives i think i think in the western world which you know we're obviously far more familiar with that you were almost born into this mentality that is again said to be uh better than or more productive then. And that is an achieving mentality. Free market society, you've got to achieve. And again, I think that colludes with the ancient way and teachings of Jesus and does kind of confuse us a little bit in regards to living a quiet life. I find that some of the decisions even we've made, if I'm really honest, that have led us to a more sustainable, which is another word I'd love to use, quiet, simple, rhythmic life, I felt like we took a lot of flack for it as if we were diluting ourselves and we were divesting and we were pulling back and we were scared and fearful. And when in reality, what we felt was the direction and prompting and nudging of God to do that. But I think our, again, this is, I'm not speaking for people who have concerns and questions. I'm just glad somebody cares enough to know that the decisions we make, they want to critique, you know? Wow, that's an honor. But for us, it was, this is what drove us, is we want to live a, you know, walk with me, work with me, watch how I do it, learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

12:39 Eugene Peterson translates that passage. And I think that's what we were craving. I think in a way I, there was a lot about our former chapter that was not sustainable and, and, and it definitely wasn't quiet. Yeah, definitely wasn't quiet. Sorry. And you just quoted that, which is one of my favorites from the Eugene Peterson translation, but that Jesus said, Hey, are you weary? are you burnt out are you worn out or on on religion come and take a rest with me walk with me work with me watch how i do it and what i find really interesting about that passage was at that point in the history of the jewish community is the old testament laws had been continually and consistently added to and so instead of just the 10 commandments there was 600 plus laws that all of these people were anxiously striving to fulfill and produce and that is the opposite of a quiet, peaceful life. And Jesus looked at his people who he loved and he said, Hey, are you, are you pumped out? You're tired. Hey, come with me, take a rest. And that Jesus answer to, okay, this is going to be a huge stretch. So don't like, don't quote me theologically, but was to take not just the 10 commandments or not just the 600 commandments, but to reduce those down to two and say, Hey, you know what? Love Lord, God with our heart, with mind and strength and love others the way that I have loved you.

14:07 That Jesus actually turned all those commandments and he simplified them and minimized them into two basic ways of living. Do you think there's any parallel to that into our life that sometimes when we find ourselves overwhelmed, busy, anxious, that we need to do a purging or a simplification of fill in the blank of relationships, of things, of jobs, of whatever? I mean, we don't need to get into the nuance. I think it's important to note that obviously that makes a great example and a great parallel. It's poor theology because Jesus fulfilled and satisfied the law in its entirety through his finished work. There's a reason that happened. We're not proposing that the 600 laws now are two and we should just follow two. We're proposing that the law has been fulfilled and now it's the law of love, which I think was what Jesus was alluding to, which is in and of itself not a law as much as it is an invitation for connection and relationship.

15:04 But to your point. Jesus did call them commands, but. Yeah, yeah, well said. But I think in all of those commands, those commands ought to bring men to themselves of saying, I can't actually love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I can't love my neighbor as myself. I don't even know if I love myself. I'm going to love my neighbor, right? All these commandments bring us to a place of like, God, what do you want me to do? And he's like, well, you need me every day to actually do this. And I think that's that invitation to connection and relationship and romance with him. But the distilling process that Jesus exemplifies, I think is relevant. I think there is this idea that life takes on a deeper integration and buoyancy and fulfillment when we simplify and when we have the courage to simplify. I want to ask you a question, which I think may very well be as I'm sitting here in real time.

16:03 And the way our podcast works for those who care is that Chelsea does all her preparation. Welcome to our marriage and brings it to the table. And I am surprised every podcast by the topic and what we're going to cover. And it's, it's a fun thing. It's a fun thing for me. I'm learning a lot through this podcast, but thank you for your preparation. But as we're sitting here in real time, I think the thing that really occurs to me, and I want to ask for your feedback and comments on it, is that I wonder if one of the great obstacles in the modern world to living a rhythmic, sustainable, quiet, again, it's not about volume as much as it's about the sustainable, tranquility tranquility peaceful uh minimizing anxiety i don't know anyone watching or listening who wouldn't be like yo i'm down for more of that is this one of the great obstacles people taking themselves too seriously i wouldn't have thought about that beforehand What do you mean by people taking themselves too seriously?

17:18 There's a lot of things that are serious in life. But life in and of itself, according to ancient scripture, is said to be a vapor. Meaning, I don't mean to lessen the value of every human, infinite value, of which we will go to the war of words, at least with anyone, over the value of each and every, the dignity, the beauty of each human being. But that we get so hyper-focused and individualized. We think that what we're doing, what we're adding is so valuable that we lose proportion. And by nature, there's distortion, meaning what I'm doing is so important. I couldn't possibly take time off. I couldn't possibly disengage. I mean, all right, let's just be honest.

18:13 I'm also speaking from my own life because my life is my life. My professional life is my phone in my office. I think even as we have prepared over the years to take a month off no phone, it's like, well, will the world still work if I'm not available to help people on my phone? And it's like, oh, dear God, I have lost proportion. And, you know, I've never had that issue. I'm like, see ya. You know, everything's going to be great. which I actually find is a little bit more opposite of our personalities. Cause I definitely like control a little bit more than you do. So I don't know. I, it's funny. You think that would be the route. I would think comparison would be so much more of a route of striving and not living a quiet, simple life, which I'm true to ourselves. You probably struggle more with taking life too seriously. And I probably struggled more with comparison. So I would, I would wonder if maybe it's very individualized for what keeps people from living a quiet, peaceful, serene life.

19:12 And maybe. To your point, though, I think in the Western world, constructs like paying the bills. So if I'm honest, these last five years, COVID, everything that's gone on and so much trauma and tragedy and so much pain in the world. there is a real, real like, uh, uh, uh, seems to be justified seriousness to like, uh, I've heard so many people say things like, well, uh, uh, you got to pay the bills. You got to pay the bills. And, and even paying the bills now takes on this, like this ability that it transcends everything else. Like you got to pay the bills, put food on the table. So it is what it is. And, and that takes on a shape of seriousness. And I'm like, is that like, is that transcendent truth? Like, yes, you got to pay the bills, but like. Whereas the teachings of Jesus were, hey, today, tomorrow will have enough of its own. It'll take care of itself. Just focus on today.

20:16 Look at the birds, enjoy the grass. I understand that people can also take that as like, wow, must be nice. You have, you know, you guys must have passive income or you must have this. So now you can say that, but I actually think that the teachings of Jesus are transcendent to every era, every generation, every vertical, every ether, every category of culture, and every human that God himself would help us translate that I think this idea of like the practicality, necessities, and essentials of life kind of trump all else. Therefore, a quiet life is for the privileged elite. For the rest of us, pull up your bootstraps, get up, go to work. And I think the beauty and the majesty and the wonder and the artistry of life gets lost in some of that kind of, and I'm speaking from my own journey, that as a random abstract artist, I definitely have to admit that it really like grates on me when I hear that perspective. But I also feel kind of compelled and persuaded because I'm like, I am such a flighty, flippant person because I don't want to do that. And it's true. I need to like be in the meetings and work hard and pay the bills and take care of people and be serious and not be so bizarre. Like I was the other night in the hot tub on this weekend getaway where I'm like singing to Whitney Houston at 2am and you guys are recording me and laughing at me, but no, I was sound asleep. And you were sound asleep, but like, I want to sing to the stars, you know, Whitney Houston songs, but, but I think so much of life in our world at least is like this is serious stuff and you can't be so look at the birds listen to music touch some grass with your feet and and i just wonder if that's more our culture than it is the way of jesus don't you think part of it too is our inform our knowledge overwhelmingness of knowing all the events in the world

22:22 and at times feeling compelled to have a statement or an opinion on everything that's happening in the world. Like, oh, uh, something, something came up in conversation today about something that's happening. And I just, I had to force my, cause I love having an opinion on things. Makes me so happy, but I had to force myself to say, you know what? I haven't read much about that. I I'm not too sure. I don't really have an opinion on that, but that is, that's, that's, You know, that's a form of quietness that I think is very necessary and freeing. But if we can say, hey, I don't need to have an opinion on how to fix homelessness in Los Angeles, how to fix homelessness in Seattle. I know those are really significant challenges that our communities are facing. And that goes back to taking ourselves too seriously. But I'm not an expert at that. I can pray.

23:14 I can help on an individual level. But from a political level, I don't know the easiest solution. And I think there is a beauty to that kind of quietness, too, of quieting our own opinions. It's interesting because the meter that is tracking everyone online in the worldwide web and the internet can never gauge who's doing what privately. and I would just make a case you want to talk about a quiet life in 2024 I wonder my mom used to say pray and don't say but you know wow we don't I don't post what I do in a bathtub every morning and in my prayers and I don't expect the public to know what I do nor do I necessarily want them. But I think when it comes to global crises, trauma, injustices, pains, problems, plagues, bombs, guns, probably what God and I talk about is probably more impactful than prayers live on Instagram or statements, phrases, or quotes I post, but the culture will never be able to gauge or track that. And I guess I am, I definitely am coming into agreement with you in terms of like, I, I don't think you'll get any press for this or get any applause for this, but But boy, what you and the divine talk about probably is far more impactful than even what you say publicly.

25:06 Which is really fascinating because in Matthew 6 when Jesus was teaching about prayer, he said, hey, when you pray, I want you to go into a solitary place. Close the door behind you and don't announce to the whole world what you're talking about. when I think of a quiet life, I do think of that aspect of solitude, of having a rich inner life between you and God that is just between you and God. And we have daily guided prayers, which I love and we share them. And I think that's powerful. But even in those moments, those private things that I talk about God in those 30 seconds, that's between me and him. And I do believe that is such a significant key to actually having that inner peace is having that solitude alone with God, going to that space, shutting the door for you. It's the bathtub for me. It's this chair right behind you.

25:59 And just having that solitude and letting that be the fuel for my inner life. On top of that, this is way it's super practical. So there's a spiritual thought. Here's a practical thought. Just decluttering. like not having too much stuff like or too much stuff to do if you can declutter decluttering our calendar kids don't need to be in every sport out there you know decluttering our drawers our closets our junk drawers our garages it really does make a difference in our soul and the root of declutter for you and for me, whether or not this is relevant to everyone, but our root is that God is really big and really involved and really in control. And I love the scripture that says he will uphold you with his mighty right hand. He will hold you. And we believe that God holds our marriage, holds our kids, holds our finances, holds our home, holds our friends.

27:10 And so we can clutter. I don't mean physically all the time, but clutter oftentimes is a result of an effort to control all the variables. And you can't and you won't. It's impossible. History will teach us that. And you and I have decided to live a life to the best of our ability to be outspoken figures when it comes to equity, quality, and justice for humanity. But even in that sacred work of preaching and declaring and sharing the passion for all God's people are his children. There are limits to what we can do. And sometimes prayer is the most limitless thing we can do.

28:05 And that's not going to satisfy everyone because someone's like, well, prayer isn't going to give a home to someone who's displaced. And though I understand the sentiment, I actually believe that prayer sometimes is often the most practical thing we can do. Because God is holding the world in the palm of his hand. And if I'm persuaded about anything, I'm persuaded about that. And I love that even going back to the words of Jesus that was, hey, walk with me, work with me, watch how I do it. Jesus spent a lot of solitary time in prayer. Which is outrageous to consider. With the Father because he was God in the Trinity. Outrageous. But if Jesus needed that, I think you and I can need some of that. And if he knew that that was powerful and potent and transformative, then how much more can we live and walk in that? Speaking in prayer, I want to pray as we conclude.

29:09 Jesus, we thank you so much that you made us. And you know us more than we know ourselves. You know the inside of us. You know what is going to bring us life and peace and stability and true fulfillment in this life. And Jesus, as we reflect on some of your words and teaching about solitude and quietness and not getting too busy, Lord, I pray for each one of us that you would truly help us to walk this out. Show us the spaces where we can lean into you, where we can truly walk with you and watch how you do it and work with you because you are the one who is in control. Father, I pray for anybody listening who is having a hard time grasping that, is having a hard time letting go of circumstances and situations, either in our own life or in the world around us, and that it is weighing them down. Jesus, I pray that you would come right now and you would show yourself strong, you would show yourself loving, and you would show yourself good. In Jesus' name, amen.