One.
Please welcome our new sponsor, Bird on a Sheep Clothing Co. β fine woollen goods woven by a bird, apparently.
Two.
In his letter of leadership advice, St Paul wrote that some people βthink religion is a way to make a fast buck.β He follows that with, βBut godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be contentβ (1 Timothy 6:5β7, MSG, NASB).
Paul is writing specifically about a Christian lifestyle here but, like all the best texts, heβs pointing out something universal. When you stop grasping for the material thing you want in favour of contentment, very often a way opens for you to get what you want. The trick is to truly let go, not just pretend to. The best way I know to do that is to develop a habit of gratitude for the life you have right now. Then, even if you donβt get what the thing you originally wanted, you will be happy. Along the way, you may start wanting different things for better reasons.
Hereβs why I chose todayβs throwback and called it βFaith in abundanceβ. I donβt read this as Paul saying we should be thankful for the few scraps we get in a zero-sum game. I see it as seeing the world as a generative place where new possibilities and opportunities are always coming into existence. Gratitude creates a mindset that makes opportunity visible.
(Gratitude can also put us on a path to living wisely and responsibly β rather than rapaciously β in this world of abundance. But thatβs another post entirely.)
Three.
Because itβs Friday, hereβs some pure silly fun with a legendary rhythm section. I have faith that if you stick with it, you will be bouncing (possibly against your will).
Thanks for being part of faith week. If you didnβt catch the link to βConsider a treeβ on Monday, please take a couple minutes to read it now.
Something for the weekend
Right now thereβs a really big mushroom growing beside the road on my running route, so here are two fascinating fungus articles. Mushrooms might save the world.
βThe Secret Lives of Fungiβ by Hua Hsu
βThe unexpected magic of mushroomsβ by Richard Gray
Happy weekend!
Jeff