what to do when you want to quit
Hey folks,
I have struggled to finish well my whole life.
My ability to start is exceptional, but my ability to finish is mediocre.
With so many men today falling along the wayside, I thought I would highlight the importance of perseverance.
Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary wrote, "Of the 2,930 individuals mentioned in the Bible, we only know significant details of 100. Of those 100, only about one-third finished well. Of the two-thirds that did not finish well, most failed in the second half of their lives."
Here is some fuel to be the 30 percent that finish well.
In Today’s Newsletter...
Verses to read slowly and meditate on
Quotes to keep you fighting
3 obscure book recommendations
A paradigm better than a rule of life
The 2 best albums to celebrate the Spring season
The man who discipled a nation by plodding
A poem on learning how to pray
A non-profit to keep pastors in the game
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SCRIPTURE (read these slowly)
See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.
Colossians 4:17
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Hebrews 6:11-12
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12
I have a sermon on this, which you can check out here.
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QUOTES
“Just as a bird who abandons the eggs she was sitting on prevents them from hatching, so the monk or nun grows cold and their faith dies, when they go from one place to another.”
Amma Syncletica
Old men ought to be explorers
Here or there does not matter.
We must be still and still moving.
T. S. Eliot
A brother spent nine years, tempted to leave the cenobium (religious community). Every day he got his things ready to leave, and when evening came, he would say to himself: “Tomorrow, I go away.” In the morning, he again thought to himself: “Let us strive again to hold out today because of the Lord.” And when he had spent nine years in that way, God relieved him of that temptation.
One more day, folks, just fight one more day.
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BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Island of the World: A Novel by Michael D. O’Brien
Top 3 most beautiful and heart-wrenching books I have ever read. About as long as Lord of the Rings, so brace yourself. Here is the overview:
Island of the World is the story of a child born in 1933 into the turbulent world of the Balkans and tracing his life into the third millennium. The central character is Josip Lasta, the son of an impoverished school teacher in a remote village high in the mountains of the Bosnian interior…
In the life of the central character, the author demonstrates that this will demand suffering and sacrifice, heroism, and even holiness. When he is twelve years old, his entire world is destroyed, and so begins a lifelong Odyssey to find again the faith which the blows of evil have shattered. The plot takes the reader through Josip's youth, his young manhood, life under the Communist regime, hope and loss and unexpected blessings, the growth of his creative powers as a poet, and the ultimate test of his life. Ultimately this novel is about the crucifixion of a soul and resurrection.
Chasing Shackleton: Re-creating the World's Greatest Journey of Survival by Tim Jarvis
I assume most of you have read Endurance, the story of Ernest Shackleton’s epic journey, but have you ever wished you could recreate it today and see if you could handle it? Well, here you go. Here is the overview:
In early 1914, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his team sailed for Antarctica, attempting to be the first to reach the South Pole. Instead of glory, Shackleton and his crew found themselves in an epic struggle for survival: a three-year odyssey on the ice and oceans of the Antarctic that endures as one of the world’s most famous tales of adventure, endurance, and leadership ever recorded.
In the winter of 2013, celebrated explorer Tim Jarvis, a veteran of multiple polar expeditions, set out to recreate Sir Ernest Shackleton’s treacherous voyage over sea and mountain, outfitted solely with authentic equipment—clothing, boots, food, and tools—from Shackleton’s time, a feat that has never been successfully accomplished.
Perseverance: Fifteen Reflections on Christian Ministry at the Halfway Point by Jon Thompson
I had coffee with Jon a few weeks back. He is a godly man with a vision for pastors to finish well. I just started this, but I am loving it so far.
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PARADIGM (20-MILE MARCH)
I don’t like the language of a rule of life. My personality bristles against it, and it's often reduced to a kind of religious paradigm to fuel project self. It often lacks the missional component needed in our world today.
I love the 20-mile march instead. Discipled progress in pursuit of mission. You can read about why a 20-mile march enables you to endure the hardest seasons and how to build your own version of it below.
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MUSIC
Yesterday was the first day of Spring for 2024. Here is some magical music to celebrate the new season.
It Might As Well Be Spring by Ike Quebec
This is one of the most beautiful jazz albums ever recorded. Head to the park for a picnic and bring this along. The title track and “Willow Weep For Me” are sublime.
Sense of Spring – EP by Ludovico Einaudi
Ludovico has composed some of the most transcendent music ever recorded. “Adieux” is the standout track here. This is music for reflection and contemplation. Spring magic.
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THE POWER OF PLODDING
William Carey (1761-1834) is known as the father of modern missions.
He grew up poor in England.
He worked as a cobbler and made a map of the world from leather straps. He would pray for the nations while he worked.
By the time he was 21, Carey had mastered Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Italian. He
was working on Dutch and French in case God opened a door for him.
It took him 5 months to sail to India.
His son died.
His wife was debilitated by mental health issues.
He moved to India and worked for 7 years without seeing a convert.
He translated the gospel into 40 languages.
Yet...
On March 12, 1812, much of his work burned to the ground in a tragic fire.
In the fire, Carey lost the labor of years, including all his “Kararnese New Testament, two whole large Old Testament books in Sanskrit; many pages of his Bengali Dictionary; all his Telegru Grammar, and much of his Punjabi; a year’s work of Marshman [his missionary colleague] and himself on the Ramayana; and every vestige of his well-advanced Dictionary of Sanskrit and its Indian Cognates (the magnum opus of his linguistic life). . . . Also lost were 1400 reams of English paper, and much more of their own; 4,400 lbs of English type, and many fonts of English-cast Hebrew, Greek, Persian, Arabic and Tamil; not less than 104 fonts of Nagari, Telugu, Bengali, Burmese, Marathi, Punjabi, Oriya, Tamil, Chinese and Kashmiri (all of these created and cast by them). In addition the fire took all the building, books, printing materials and tools.”
The next Sunday, he preached a sermon with two points from Psalm 46:10—”Be still, and know that I am God.”
The sermon had two points:
God’s right to dispose of us as He pleases.
Man’s duty to acquiesce in His will.
So, he simply kept going and didn’t quit.
William Carey's perseverance literally helped disciple a nation.
He was a botanist, industrialist, economist, media pioneer, medical worker, astronomer, librarian, conservationist, and crusader for women’s rights. He was a missionary, linguist, Bible translator, and lover of the people of India.
He labored to bring hope to India and never returned to England in the 41 years until his death.
When asked what he would want said about him, he replied,
“I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this, I owe everything.”
Plod on, folks. That is enough.
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POEM
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak
-an excerpt from Thirst: Poems by Mary Oliver
I love this simple vision of gathering a few moments of attention, then gathering a few words together, and then growing in prayer. Pray, and don’t give up fellas.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers.
Jon.
In addition, I wanted to let you know that along with my best mate Darren Whitehead, I run a non-profit to help pastors keep going in ministry and finish well. It's called Hold Fast, and you can find more details here. High-end, free events with zero upsell, simply to bless and refresh folks so they don’t give up.
