Busy Living: Blessing Not Burden

Why are we all so busy? So frequently exhausted? This common 21st century complaint affects the church no less than everyone else. What, then, has happened to 'the peace of God which passes all understanding'? What is it in our culture which makes it so difficult to find God even, sometimes, in the church? And how might it be different? Authors Mat and Emma Ineson address these questions with an urgency that comes from their own experience as busy Christian professionals and parents of young children. They are Chaplains at Lee Abbey, a Christian holiday and retreat centre in the North Devon coast run by a community of 100 people from 20 different nationalities. They job share the Chaplaincy and the care of their young children, having also shared their first curacy, the first couple in the Sheffield Diocese to do so. The answer to the tyranny of 'busy-ness' is not necessarily to 'do' less but to be aware of God's calling in the busyness. Spiritual life is not an 'add-on', causing more guilt and pressure, but part of everyday life. If each of us is following our God given vocation, say the authors, we will find God in the midst of it all. Increased partnership and better communication between the sexes could be the key to unravelling the stress. 'The aim of the book is to help men and women (married and single, employed and not employed, clergy and lay) together to engage critically with our culture so as to find God's priorities for every aspect of our lives and find ways of seeking him in the everyday.' The authors write with theological integrity and plenty of humour, not forgetting the need for practical guidelines and exercises which can be followed by either individuals or church groups.