We are busy people in a busy world. All of us are constantly occupied, in our hearts and minds. And if we’re not occupied with something then we are preoccupied with something - consumed with something before it happens. This constant busyness often stems from an inherent assumption underneath our American culture. We are obsessed with identifying ourselves with what we are doing. This trend–remaining in perpetual motion because our identities are about what we “do”--is destroying us. In the middle of this world of constant busyness, there is a deep undercurrent of despair and anxiety that is running rampant in most peoples’ lives. Loneliness, isolation, lack of relational intimacy, depression, feelings of pointlessness - these are all par for the course today Edwin Friedman, one of the most prominent and renowned therapists of the 20th century, put it this way: “the anxiety is so deep within the emotional processes of our nation that it is almost as though neurosis has become nationalized.” He cites the speed and change with which we live as a primary contributing factor. Another famous psychologist, William James, coined this condition “Americanitis:” the hurry, bustle and incessant drive of the American temperament is like a disease that we can’t shake. Join us over the next three weeks at Midtown as we explore our sickness of busyness, its sources, and the radical and life-giving cure offered to us in the work and way of Jesus.