Patience ≠ passivity

Published about 15 hours ago • 2 min read

Dear ~~Sam~~ Reader,

1. A quick word from Zach

A lot of us use the same spiritual language to describe two very different postures. One is patient, hopeful trust in God. The other is passive drift dressed up to sound godly.

2. Something worth reading

Vodey Bauchum's Family Shepherds is a strong read if you need help thinking more clearly about responsibility, leadership, and what it looks like to move with conviction instead of drifting into passive spiritual language.

3. Something worth thinking about

“

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

~ The Preacher - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

4. Something worth trying

Take 15 minutes this week to pray through the areas of your life where you’ve been tempted toward one ditch or the other.

Where have you stopped moving and called it contentment, and where have you kept striving without rest?

Ask God for the grace to rest in gratitude and move forward in joyful anticipation of what He has next.

That's it from me this week.

P.S. If today's issue of Dear Sam blessed you or challenged you, would you forward it along to a brother who might need to hear it as well?

To thriving,

Zach Wise

Find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube,
or Book a free chat

What is "Dear Sam", anyway? This column started with a real person — a friend and client named Sam. I write each issue with him in mind, and with you in mind, too.

Prefer to not get "Dear Sam" emails? No problem! Just click here to unsubscribe.

Your email preferences
Change the emails you get from me
or
Unsubscribe from all emails

2108 North Street, Suite N., Sacramento, CA 95816

Maybe your job is just to lay the stone

Reader, 1. A quick word from Zach One of the hardest things to accept is that the most important work you do may not be finished by you. But that doesn't make it less valuable work - it may actually be the kind of work that matters most. 2. Something worth watching (or listening to) If you’ve been feeling the tension between fast results and lasting work, this episode of The Surthrivalist Podcast lands right in that space. It’s about recovering the imagination to build something your children...

7 days ago • 3 min read

father looking out window reflecting on time, responsibility, and the life unfolding in the present

The "someday" myth

Dear Sam Reader, 1. A quick word from Zach We all tell ourselves some version of the same story: someday things will calm down, free up, or finally get easier. But while we’re waiting on that imaginary future, real life keeps moving right in front of us. 2. Something worth listening to This podcast with Tim Ferriss will challenge you to think about whether you’re actually living now, or just postponing life for some imagined future version of it. 3. Something worth thinking about “ Rejoice, O...

15 days ago • 3 min read

Bigger, better, faster

Hello Reader, 1. A quick word from Zach I feel the pull toward bigger, better, faster all the time. But the more I sit with it, the more I’m realizing that not every urgent feeling is a faithful one - and not everything worth building can be rushed. 2. Something worth listening to “Embracing a Generational Strategy” - Church and Family Life This is a fitting companion to this issue because it pushes us to think beyond immediate results and recover a longer horizon. Faithful work is often...

22 days ago • 2 min read