Review: An Introduction

Last month, we introduced a new series called “Hustle.”

It calls out the hurried tempo of our lives.

And it asks us to invest time with God.

Which in turn aligns our pace and priorities to match the Heavenly Father’s.

This message places a strong emphasis on slowing down so that we can prioritize our time with God.

Review: Our Five Senses Don’t Always Give Us Sense

Last week, we discussed that one of the key drivers of our hustle is the trust we place in our powers of observation.

When we say powers of observation, we’re talking about the information we gather and the conclusions we draw through

• Our five senses
• Our mind
• Our emotions
• Our free will
• Our rationality

There’s nothing wrong with this in general. Certainly, God gave us these capacities.

We’re supposed to use our minds, our physical senses, our powers of perception, but they were never to be used independently of the light that comes from God.

Review: We See Truth When We Have Access to the Best Sources of Light

Ephesians 5:8–10 (ESV): ⁸ for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Psalm 119:105 (ESV): ¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

John 16:13 (ESV): ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

John 8:12 (ESV): ¹² Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

James 1:17 (ESV):¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Review: Why People Avoid the Light

John 3:19–20 (ESV):¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

2 Corinthians 11:14 (ESV): ¹⁴ And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Reason gives light, but it insufficiently illuminates.

Review: The Age of Enlightenment

The Enlightenment period is an age in which people challenged the authority and accuracy of claims made by God and the church.

The lifestyle you’ve developed in which you don’t spend much time with God is part of a cultural phenomenon that has deep roots and a long history.

Review: The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a “process of change” that shifted our economy from one based on agriculture and handicrafts to one based on industry and machine manufacturing. (encyclopedia Britannica).

When you farm and make things with your hands, life moves at the pace of nature.

Men and Technology

Genesis 3:17–19 (ESV): ¹⁷ And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

I’m going to quote Nancy R. Pearcy in a book she writes, titled: The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes [Also check out this informative video about her book and the research that supported it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOMOsogXJYU]

“Because of testosterone, men are typically larger, stronger, and faster than women. In general, they are also more physical, more competitive and more risk-taking.”–Nancy R. Pearcy, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2023, p.18.

“Men and women are more alike than they are different. . . .In fact there is greater difference within categories of men and women than there is between men and women as groups.” (Her emphasis) –Nancy R. Pearcy, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2023, p.30.

“Masculine traits are not intrinsically toxic; they are good when directed to virtuous ends.” –Nancy R. Pearcy, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2023, p.30.

• Before the Industrial Revolution, there weren’t housewives, there were house fathers.
  • “Today we talk about housewives but in the colonial ear, heads of households were sometimes called housefathers. Historian John Gillis writes, men ‘men were as comfortable in the kitchen as women, for they had the responsibility for provisioning and managing the house Cook books and domestic conduct books were directed primarily to them” (Her Emphasis)–Nancy R. Pearcy, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2023, p.74.
  • “Throughout human history, most people lived on family farms or in peasant villages. Productive work was done in the home or its outbuildings. Work was not a matter of the father’s job, it was the family industry. A man worked alongside his wife and children throughout the day.” (Her Emphasis)–Nancy R. Pearcy, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2023, p.72.

• This radically changed after the Industrial Revolution:
  • “For the first time in American history, men were no longer working alongside their wives and children—with people they loved and had a moral bond with. Instead, they began working as individuals in competition with other men.” -Nancy R. Pearcy, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2023, p.88.
  • “Many sons no longer even knew what their fathers did all day. Every morning, fathers disappeared into the public sphere where they became invisible to their families. Often work was so technical and specialized that it was incomprehensible to their children.” –Nancy R. Pearcy, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2023, p.89.
  • “Today, we are so used to fathers being out of the home that we no longer realize what a drastic change it was at the time” –Nancy R. Pearcy, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2023, p.89.

Personal Prayer for God’s Intervention: “I pray that my work responsibilities are such that I have the time flexibility to work on business, creative, ministry and political projects that are dear to my heart and that facilitate my transition into financial independence, that offer me the flexibility to spend quality time with family, friends and other key people in my life. I pray specifically that this includes the flexibility to focus on practicing my instruments, practicing with my band, conducting research, preparing for talks, working on speeches sermons, seminars, and workshops, and writing books, screen plays and music. I also pray for the wisdom to steward all of this. “

© Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2024