TOUCHPOINT The Marble Magazine One West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001-4596 212-686-2770 MarbleChurch.org
JULY & AUGUST 2019
Shifting Gears
I taught both of my children to drive a stick shift What’s the hurry? in the desert of Oman. It was quite an experience! Why wear yourself There is an art to letting out the clutch while giving out? Just what are you after anyway?” it gas. If you get it wrong, the vehicle either conks (2:25). Apparently, out or bucks like a bronco. Unfortunately, I didn’t a part of the human make it easy for either of them. For my daughter, condition is trying to I accidentally had it in third gear, which makes it go faster when we next to impossible to get going. And for my son, I forgot that I had the parking brake on. Despite this, don’t always know both children learned to successfully get the vehicle where we’re going. Dr. Michael Bos moving in first gear. There is a need to create space in our lives to consider where we are and where Here’s an interesting observagoing. As Brenè Brown says, we tion about this process. Once “There is a need we’re need stillness in our lives. She says that they got the hang of this, they wanted to go faster and shift to to create space in “Stillness is not about focusing on noththe next gear, and then faster our lives to ingness; it’s about creating a clearing. opening up an emotionally clutteryet to shift to another gear. They consider where It’s free space and allowing ourselves to quickly went from the difficulty we are and where feel and think and dream and question.” of getting the vehicle going to the danger of going too fast! we’re going.” My prayer for us all is that this summer we get a chance to slow down and There is a life lesson in this. create a clearing in our lives. We need to We are all prone to keep shifting gears so that we can go faster and accomplish stop and ask God, “Just what am I after anyway?” We need to take time to consider what’s most more in life. It’s almost as if we believe that slowing down is a sign of weakness, and so we consign important in our lives, and to discern what we can let go of and what needs to be a part of our lives. ourselves to living overscheduled and stressed lives. It appears this is not a new issue. Over twentyfive hundred years ago, we learn in scripture that Jeremiah said, “Slow down. Take a deep breath.
JULY / AUGUST 2019 SUNDAY WORSHIP, 11AM
JULY 7
Another Option
Rev. Brittany Juliette Hanlin
JULY 21
Balancing God’s Rhythm with the Music Rev. Susanah Wade
JULY 14
JULY 28
Dr. Kenneth Ruge
Rev. Anthony Livolsi
Go Beyond Yourself
Prayer 101
#WEWO: WEDNESDAY WORSHIP 6:15PM Every Week, except July 3