Slow + Sacred: Confessions of a Type A Person Learning to Slow Down
The Week of December 30th
Welcome to Slow + Sacred, a weekly companion to Work These Words.
This isn’t a guide or a how-to. It’s my journal—confessions from a Type A personality learning the art of slowing down.
Slowing down isn’t natural for me. I like moving fast. But I’ve discovered that rushing doesn’t leave much room for God’s work in my soul.
So here we are.
Each week, I’ll share what I’m learning about slowing down, living intentionally, and embracing the sacred rhythms of grace.
Think of this as an honest, imperfect journey—and maybe an invitation to slow down with me.
Monday, December 30th
Yesterday was Vision Sunday at Kingdom South—a day filled with energy, ambition, and a clear roadmap for our church’s future.
As a Type A personality, my instinct is to charge ahead, ticking off goals and accelerating toward our mission. If this vision were a race, I’d be the guy running full speed while yelling back, “Keep up!”
But today, in the quiet of my Sabbath, I’m confronted with a paradox: to truly fulfill God’s vision, I must learn to slow down.
In his book Slow Productivity, which made my recommended reading list for 2024, Cal Newport offers wisdom that resonates deeply with this tension. He writes, “This philosophy rejects busyness, seeing overload as an obstacle to producing results that matter, not a badge of pride.”
Our culture often equates busyness with effectiveness, urging us to do more faster. Yet Newport challenges this notion, suggesting that meaningful work requires a sustainable pace. He proposes three principles. I’ll explore one my team and I are embracing for 2025: do fewer things.
To describe this, he writes, “Strive to reduce your obligations to the point where you can easily imagine accomplishing them with time to spare. Leverage this reduced load to more fully embrace and advance the small number of projects that matter most.”
Sir what?
Frankly, it makes me uncomfortable.
My default mode is more, not less.
The thought of doing less feels like I’m leaving something undone, and if you’re Type A like me, you know that’s the worst.
If you’re a coffee drinker, imagine only drinking one cup a day.
But here’s what I’m learning: the drive to achieve can easily overshadow the need for reflection. Plus, I know the consequences of sprinting ahead: a trail of half-baked ideas and burned-out people.
However, embracing a slower pace doesn’t mean abandoning ambition but channeling it more thoughtfully. It means asking myself hard questions like, “What’s truly essential?” and being okay with leaving the rest for later—or not at all.
I’ll admit this is going to be a challenge for me. But I’m committed to trying because I believe that doing fewer things can create space for God to do greater things.
I’ll keep you posted on my progress (and how many times I’ve gotten off track).
Sean
PS: I referenced a book on my recommended reading from the 2024 list. Here is the article containing my complete list. ⬇️
