Understanding When We Are
In his latest book, James K. A. Smith puts forward a compelling thought: knowing when we are can change everything. In his newest book, How to Inhabit Time, he shows us that seeing the spiritual significance of time is crucial for orienting our faith in the 21st century. Smith's encouragement is that we must cultivate the spiritual discipline of memento tempori, a temporal awareness of the Spirit’s presence—indebted to a past, oriented toward the future, and faithful in the present.
Do we know “when” we are? We thought it was a great question for our final newsletter of 2022. Amidst the noise of our moment, can we step back to see the Spirit’s movements throughout history, that might unlock hope, peace, and resilience for our current work?
Below are a handful of resources we have found insightful for exploring both our present moment, and how to better discern our time in history.
Listen/Watch
Resources For Reading the Times
LISTEN: Reading The Times Podcast
Pete Hughes sits down with a dozen different leaders to unpack what it means to “read the times”, centered on Jesus’ charge to the Pharisees in Matthew 16 that they could interpret the meaning of clouds in the sky, but not movements of the age. In this series, you’ll come across familiar, prophetic voices, along with what are likely some new leaders as they discuss what God might be doing in our time in history.
WATCH: Unfiltered: Gen Z Reacts to The Chosen
Many of you have enjoyed the popular series The Chosen and we wanted to highlight a project their team released that deeply moved us. In this 90-minute special, we get a window into how a group of Gen Z twenty-somethings react to who Jesus is in light of their own spiritual walks. We trust as you watch it, you’ll both be encouraged, and sharpened in your understanding of how young people see Jesus and the Church in our historical moment.
Read
Other books to understand our “moment” more:
Strange New World - Carl Trueman
Carl Trueman identifies the historical, philosophical, and technological influences that have shaped present-day identity politics and teaches believers how to shift their modern understanding of personhood to a biblical perspective. Find book
How (Not) to Be Secular - James K. A. Smith
How (Not) to Be Secular is what Jamie Smith calls "your hitchhiker's guide to the present" -- it is both a reading guide to Charles Taylor's monumental work A Secular Age and philosophical guidance on how we might learn to live in our times. Find book
Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman
Amusing Ourselves to Death is a prophetic look at how entertainment and media are shaping us. Unlike the predictions of Orwell's 1984, Neil Postman believes the true risk of the future is our own obsession with being distracted and entertained. Over 30 years since release, the warnings resonate even deeper. Find book
Other Helpful Ministry Resources
COURSE
24/7 Prayer: Origins Course
Origins is a youth prayer course which helps young people to explore the basics of how to pray.
With an easy-to-access PDF leader guide and accompanying video sessions, Origins has been fully revised with new content, practical ideas and reflective teaching.
Origins will help young people to learn about prayer, how to pray and develop regular prayer habits, individually and as a group. Learn more & access the course here.
RESOURCE
Clergy Care by Focus on the Family
A free call-line for ministry leaders and their families to access confidential counselling from professionals by Focus on the Family Canada. Learn more at clergycare.ca.