Rhythm Series

“Lifehacks” are simple, out-of-the-box solutions for everyday problems. There are websites and articles all over the internet describing various lifehacks, like lifehacker.com, mentalfloss.com, and lifehack.org. For the next few weeks I will share a lifehack with you. Tonight’s lifehack is how to create an external iPhone/iPod speaker using nothing but a paper towel tube and two disposable cups.

It’s really rather easy. First, cut a rectangular hole in the side of the tube. Make this hole as close to the same size and shape as your iPhone or iPod as possible.

Next, cut circles out of the side of each cup, near the bottom. These circles need to be the same size as the tube. Once the circles are cut out, put each end of the tube into the holes, so you have a cup on either side.

Finally, just slip your phone into the rectangular hole in the tube and play your music! Voila, it’s much louder!

There are several variations on this available online as well, by the way. This will also work with any phone that has a speaker in the bottom -- it doesn’t necessarily have to be an iPhone!

Just like there are physical lifehacks, like this speaker, there are also Spiritual Lifehacks. A spiritual lifehack is a simple solution that will help you get closer to God. Tonight’s spiritual lifehack is “Rhythm”. What is rhythm?

It’s kind of hard to define, isn’t it? We all know what rhythm is, of course, but it’s easier to show an example than it is to describe it in words. So, I looked it up in the dictionary, and it said that one of the definitions of rhythm is “A flow, repetition, or regularity”. Another is, “A specifically defined pattern of variation”. In other words, it’s a regular, repetitive, pattern of variation. In music, rhythm is based on variation between the beat and silence.

Why do you think that rhythm is important?

What would happen to our worship service if that rhythm fell apart?

So, you see the importance of physical rhythm. Spiritual rhythm is also important and, thankfully, is different than physical rhythm. This is a good thing, especially for those of us who can’t hold to a beat for anything!

So much for physical rhythm. But what is spiritual rhythm? Like in music, spiritual rhythm is a regular, repetitive, pattern of variation. However, unlike in music, spiritual rhythm’s variation isn't based on the beat and silence, but between time spent with God and time spent with other people.

Before we go into what this looks like, I want to ask a quick question. I think we would all agree that spending time with God is a good thing, right? God loves us, we love Him, so why would we want to spend time away from God? Wouldn’t it be awesome to just spend all of our time, 24x7, with God?

Absolutely, that would be awesome! That is why spending all of our time with God is our reward in heaven. Doing it here on earth, though, is against scripture.

Let that sink in for a moment. Spending every moment with God is against scripture -- at least, while we’re still alive. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. That’s pretty difficult if you never talk to anyone!

So, spending time with other people is important, just like spending time with God is important. So how do we keep the balance -- how can we keep the rhythm?

God knew we would have trouble figuring it out, so He helped us out with one of the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:8-11, “8Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

There are a few things here that I think are important. First, note when the Sabbath takes place: on the seventh day. In the Old Testament, this mean the seventh day of the week. Of course, in the Old Testament days didn’t really have names, either -- just numbers. The first day of the Hebrew week was simply called, “First Day”; the second was called, “Second Day”, and so on until the seventh day, which was called “Rest”.