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While society winds down its calendar year in December, Christians are just beginning their year with the season of Advent. The last Sunday of November and concluding with Christmas day are the days that mark Advent…Our communities need a rest after the frenetic rhythm and demands of daily life; and we take it. Likewise, the Christ-follower begins his year with a season of longing and tension as we embrace the reality of this broken world, but these days not only provide physical rest but more importantly the offering of hope by prophets of a New Covenant brought by the birth of the Messiah King.

When it seems like the darkness is winning, where do we begin to think about thankfulness?

Today is another installment of The Collaborative vlog. If you are reading this on November 11 (the day this was posted), then it is day 240 of Orange County, Florida being under some measure of restrictions due to COVID19. While I am weary of masks and the myriad of daily calculations (i.e. to go or not to go), these are such minor disruptions compared to those related to our work and spiritual livelihoods. Whether or not you are struggling, there is no doubt that you are only one degree removed from someone who’s world is being destabilized.

Today Case Thorp continues his discussion on the upcoming election in the second of three articles. Again, because the election is practically upon we are publishing these blog posts in three consecutive weeks. If you missed the first blog post, 6 Ways Christians Can Be Wiser in Political Engagement, by Dave Strunk and Case Thorp I would encourage you to read it. Just as this one challenged us to be more thoughtful about the election, so too will this week’s article. This year’s election has evoked deep emotions from all viewpoints, making this series all the more important as we should remember that our faith is not rooted in the whim of our visceral responses but rather the strong and unwavering foundation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Happy reading!

Christians can and should pursue wisdom and political engagement concurrently. But in this deeply polarized, reactive political climate, is it possible? We think so.

It’s important believers don’t simply mirror a broken world when engaging politics. Here are six ideas to help frame how our thinking can be more characterized by Christian wisdom than by the ways of the world.

Though on Labor Day we celebrated the vocational work of Americans, we would be shortsighted to miss out on celebrating the blessings of the avocational pastimes we enjoy as well.

Fear is a great motivator, but it will burn you out from the inside.

The Collaborative promotes the value of all work whether paid or unpaid. However, we tend to feature and discuss the paid kind more often, but not today. Elise Daniel challenges us all to revisit how we think about household activities, to reconsider traditions, and to reconsider gender role assumptions in her article, “What is the Best Division of Labor at Home?” She offers great nuggets of wisdom that are all about the promotion of healthy relationships, of grace and gratitude, and the idea of leveraging our strengths. Even if your home runs smoothly, I would encourage you to read this article and think about how things could be improved and maybe this doesn’t result in a reassignment of responsibilities, but rather results in deepening appreciation for one another.

While we do not know when COVID-19 is going to end, staying in survival mode is not healthy. If you haven’t already pivoted in your thinking, you need to make that shift. The pivot is where you quit being consumed by the inconveniences and frustrations or become more proactive in managing these things, and move into living like you know and believe that God has not taken a hiatus. Our spiritually can’t take one either.