By Thomas Laughridge
Last Monday, I rushed around the church kitchen, dealing with malfunctioning appliances while trying to save the meal for our Capital Commons meeting. In spite of the burned biscuits, dinner turned out fine, though I was left stressed and irritated. Deep down, I felt that my evening was ruined, and that I deserved to check out for the rest of our time. In hindsight, I can see that these feelings had been building up for a while.
Feeling discouraged and ready to disengage, I was surprised when John Kyle announced we'd play a game in place of our usual discussion. We spent the evening playing Fishbowl, and by the end, I felt restored; eager to dive back in. It turned out that the cure to my anxiety and irritation was simply rest. Not an especially reflective or insightful time, but joyous nonetheless.
John Kyle calls this restlessness the ‘October Blues’ — as the novelty of Fellows wears off and the weekly routines set in, it is easy to start to become overburdened and anxious. As I have begun to experience these feelings, so clearly exposed by my stressed-out cooking debacle, John Mark Comer’s book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, has been at the forefront of my thoughts. In it he says:
“Ultimately, nothing in this life, apart from God, can satisfy our desires. Tragically, we continue to chase after our desires ad infinitum. The result? A chronic state of restlessness or, worse, angst, anger, anxiety, disillusionment, depression—all of which lead to a life of hurry, a life of busyness, overload, shopping, materialism, careerism, a life of more…which in turn makes us even more restless. And the cycle spirals out of control.”
Fellows is full of spiritual highs and beautiful community, but it’s easy to let the busy schedule dictate our lives and obscure our true purpose here: to grow in love for the Lord and in understanding of His design for work. The only cure we have for these burdensome idols of busyness and competence is found here:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)
Fellows is teaching me that rest is about more than simply taking breaks from work. It’s about falling unreservedly into the arms of Jesus and taking up his yoke. Not because it will be easy, but because true rest can only be found in His gentle and lowly heart.
Thomas Laughridge is a member of the Capital Fellows class of 2024-25. He is from Roanoke, VA, and is a graduate of the University of Virginia. This year, he is working at Everfox in Herndon, VA.
Pictures From The Week
Enjoying a restful night off from Commons
Cheering on the MPC Flag Football team
Season 17 + Season 18 Fellows Party
Know a Potential Capital Fellow?
If you know a college senior or recent graduate who should consider joining the Capital Fellows program in 2025-26, please encourage them to get in touch with us. The easiest way to express interest in the program is through our Contact Us Form. You can learn more about the program, including application deadlines, by visiting the Capital Fellows website.
About Capital Fellows. Capital Fellows is an advanced leadership and discipleship program for recent college graduates. Through graduate courses, a paid internship, one-on-one mentoring, and many leadership and community service opportunities, fellows develop and apply their gifts in real-world situations while learning to integrate a Christian worldview into all areas of life. Capital Fellows is a unique opportunity to live and work in the Washington DC area and to be an active member of a supportive community that seeks to serve the city with the love of Christ. It is also a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in the workplace while deeply exploring God’s design for us as workers and contributors to human flourishing.
Pray for the Capital Fellows
Thank you for praying for the Capital Fellows each week!
The Capital Fellows are starting in on two projects this week: the infamous "Daniel" paper, for Bill Fullilove's seminary class, and the MCODE assessment. The Daniel paper is an opportunity to reflect on what it means to live in exile, as Daniel did during the Babylonian Empire. The MCODE is a personality assessment that gives insight into inner motivations. Both of these tools, as with many other aspects of this program, help fellows to go deeper in their knowledge of God and of themselves. Please continue to pray for them as they discover, grow, and prepare to lead lives of servant leadership in the workplace, church, and society.
Want to learn more about Season 18? Click the button below to read through their bios!
About The Fellows Initiative
Capital Fellows is part of a network of similar programs across the country. This network is called The Fellows Initiative. There are 34 Fellows programs in TFI, roughly 3,200 alumni living around the world, and more Fellows programs on the way.
If you know a church in the US or Canada that would benefit from joining TFI by launching a new Fellows program. Please contact TFI by visiting their website.
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