21: Cut Some Slack

On today’s show, Chong and Dan follow up on the topic of building by addressing one of the barriers to it - lack of capacity. We begin by surveying the cultural and economic landscape, where “efficiency” reigns. Dan gets real by sharing about how the pursuit of efficiency is impacting his personal life. We then dive into the antidote to efficiency: slack. What does it mean to have slack and what does the Bible have to say about it? Dan and Chong then ride their respective hobby horses - ministry and finances - in applying slack to our own lives.

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Show notes

Efficiency, efficiency everywhere (5:11)

• Productivity in the Industrial Age and the Internet Age
• The dark side of pursuing efficiency and cutting costs - “costs” can be a good thing
• Dan’s personal lament

What is slack (18:44)

• Slack consists of excess resources that are not spent in the present, for future benefit
• Importance of slack - allows us to adapt and grow; enables us to handle the inevitable ups and downs of life; helps us to prioritise what is important and effective

Efficiency is the Enemy

Slack in the Bible (28:47)

• Rhythm of build and rest in the Creation account - efficiency as “build” gone awry - Genesis 2:1-3
• Gleaning - don’t gather up every single crop, but leave some for others - Leviticus 19:9-10 
• Jesus took his time - to rest and pray (Luke 5:15-16), and to help the least of these (Mark 5:21-43)
• Fulfilling the greatest commandments requires slack - Matthew 22:36-39

Applying slack to our lives (41:46)

• Church and ministry - people are the most inefficient part of ministry, but they are the very substance of ministry
• Finances - major financial commitments can wipe away slack and cripple your spiritual life; be careful!

Conclusion (57:00)

• A good litmus test for whether you have slack in your life - do you have time for your family; do you have the capacity to love those from whom you stand to gain nothing