Adjusting to Sabbath Rest

What I learned this week about Sabbath rest is that it is not a one day adjustment. It calls for the adjustment of your whole life. I began thinking about it early in the week, realizing that I needed to change my laundry habit. I also had given thought to simplifying our Sunday meals. I picked up my old copy of Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald that has a wonderful section on Sabbath. I want to enjoy and reconnect with my family as a part of this rest. I desire to refresh my soul with meditative quiet. I tried to prepare. However, I did not fully tweek my week to take full advantage of my Sabbath.

I did get some time with the family. I couldn’t rest enough to take advantage of the early morning quiet I had. I had to late in the week sought out the book I mentioned. And, what bothered me the most is that due to a lack of planning I started my evening Sabbath scurrying to get a hair cut before the shop closed at 6:30. I could not put it off since I was sharing briefly at a friend's church and I looked like a very Grizzly Adams! I consoled myself with he fact that I spent the evening with Grizzly Jr. (Kyril), and had a great conversation with the hair stylist. Nonetheless, it is no way to start a day of rest!

I did greatly enjoy ending my Sabbath rest with 3 friends praying Vespers at The Commonplace. And I did receive a challenging word that I will be meditating on all week as I seek to bring my work in line with it. (That is for another post.)

So, armed with my new knowledge and with 6 days to prepare, I will be in a better place to rest on my next Sabbath eve.

Sabbath Rest

Last post I ended with thinking about a rhythm of life. Work dominates my life. Five days a week I head into Charlotte driving about 45 minutes each way. I am at work for 9 hours. I get an hour for lunch. This is not unlike many people. On Saturday I get up just as early to go to work with Common Cupboard. I am usually done by noon.

One basic rhythm is a sabbath rest each week. It is so important god put in in his big 10. I must confess, I have never truly practiced the rest of a weekly sabbath. I say I am too busy for it. During my spiritual formation group meeting this past Monday I committed to observing the 24 hours from sunset Saturday to sunset Sunday as a sabbath rest.

So I have been thinking this week how to go work free for my sabbath rest. I am going to have to change some things ... simple meals, laundry on a different day, no paper work. there is a couple will be continuing to consider the implications and then enjoy my sabbath rest this week.

Making room for the important

Last blog got me thinking about what I really value. I mentioned a few things that I say I value highly. Some I have made room for and discipline myself to do. Others I have not.

The thing about making room for the important is that something else has got to be replaced. I prefer to multi-task. But somethings just deserve my undivided attention. I must chose to make room for them and allow those things that are truly important to me to create a basic rhythm to my life. Other things need to fit into. that rhythm,

As I go through this day I am going to think more about what my daily life would look like built upon the rhythm of what is truly important to me.

Blog Regularly

Blog more ... This I know I can do. From July to December 30, I did not write a word on this blog. So blogging more is easy ... I have just done it.

But blogging regularly, that is a discipline. A friend of mine, Jeff Gardner, is the pastor of Threshold Church in Matthews. Now he blogs regularly at midweekjolt.wordpress.com. Every Thursday a new post, and in the past couple months he posts notes on Monday from his Sunday talks. So each Monday and Thursday a new edition is available. Good stuff too.

I mentioned the word discipline. I don't particularly care for it, to tell you the truth. I usually see the discipline of doing anything as constricting. I like to believe I am free and spontaneous. But the reality is I am not. I am constantly pushed by the many demands upon my life. Some are relentless. Some are just what I got to do. Others seem to scream out with urgency. Truthfully, I am not as free and spontaneous as I like to believe. Rather, I am driven by circumstances much more often that I care to admit. What discipline really does is make room for what I consider important. If I don't intentionally carve out time for these truly important things, my life will crowd them out. Some of the things I value highly are prayer, meditation, dreaming, spending time with my family, reading good thought provoking books, and putting my thoughts into words. So the discipline of regularity is more of a way to carve out time for what energizes and renews me.

So what will blogging regularly look like for me? Don't know yet! I would love to blog daily, but several times a week is probably a good rhythm for me. Let me think on it and I will get back to you.