Alastair Sterne - Rhythms for Life: Spiritual Practices for Who God Made You to Be

InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
ivpress.com

2020 by Alastair Bryan Sterne

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.

InterVarsity Press is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges, and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit intervarsity.org.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

While any stories in this book are true, some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

The publisher can't verify the accuracy of website hyperlinks beyond the date of print publication.

Cover design and image composite: David Fassett

Images: maze with person: CSA Images / Getty Images
man standing on shore: Jarmo Piironen / iStock / Getty Images Plus
postage stamp border: troyek / E+ / Getty Images

ISBN 978-0-8308-3198-2 (digital)

ISBN 978-0-8308-3197-5 (print)

This digital document has been produced by Nord Compo.

FOR JULIA, ANSLEY, MAGNOLIA,

MICHELE, ROBERT, ELIANA,

VICTORIA, CHRISTINE,

LESLIE, AND JOEL

gracious signs of the sabbath

rest around the corner.

Introduction

Rhythms for the Journey

[God] called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 THESSALONIANS 2:14

If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses, what might not the heart of man become in its long journey toward the stars?

G. K. CHESTERTON

I GREW UP ON VANCOUVER ISLAND in the Pacific Northwest. Once my friends and I had drivers licenses, it wasnt uncommon for us to get in the car and drive aimlessly within the confines of our island and the amount of gas we could afford.

We usually didnt get very far.

But the destination wasnt the point.

Our drives were about our enjoyment of each other. The forests lining the contours of mountains and the smell of the ocean served as the backdrop. We drove with the windows down and the music loud, and sang our favorite songs as our sides ached from laughter.

But most journeys require more structure. Especially if they ask for more commitment than a half day. Before we set off on a bigger adventure, at least two questions need to be answered:

• Where are we going?

• And how are we going to get there?

Jesus invites us on a journey. Two disruptive words alter the course of our lives: Follow me. Fishermen lay down their nets. Tax collectors leave their booths. Revolutionaries lay down their arms. And countless people throughout the millennia have reordered their lives around the gospel.

We go wherever Jesus goes.

The invitation doesnt come with a road map laying out the specifics of how the rest of our lives will go, however. But thats okay. What matters most on the journey is that we go with him. Because as we get our feet dusty on the path, we walk with none other than God himself. No wonder Frederick Buechner put it like this: I think of my life and the lives of everyone who has ever lived, or ever will live, as not just journeys through time but as sacred journeys. Much like the excursions of my youth, the journey with Jesus is full of wonder and joy. Because this is the most sacred path we can tread. He has pioneered and opened up the only path to life with God.