Sabbath...

Sitting in staff meeting on Monday at Emmanuel Church of Greenwood, I did not really know what to expect.  It always seems to be something different and exciting every week.  This week we had free Chickfila breakfast and coffee which is always nice, but beyond that there seemed to be a sense of importance to the day.  I did not really know what to think until our senior pastor Danny Anderson came up to the front of the room to give us our Staff Development piece for the day.  On a side note, at most of our staff meetings Danny, or another member of the staff, gets up in the front of the room and gives us a nugget of truth that we like to call Staff Development.  It can be anything from inspiration, to a challenge, but this week was really exciting.  He decided to talk about the subject of taking a Sabbath.

For most the Sabbath is a worn out term that died with those that practiced it in the Old Testament, but Danny challenged us to take it in a much more literal way.  He painted to picture of the Sabbath as a divine law it is to be kept, not only by his pastors and teachers, but by all who call themselves followers of Christ.

The sabbath consisting of three ideas, filling up your emotional, spiritual, and physical tanks.  He described it as such, throughout your week all of these tanks drain out what must be kept in us in order for us to do the work Christ called us too.  Most of us merely hope that we are sustained enough to survive, but we are called to so much more.  We are called at least once a week to take a "Sabbath" consisting of refilling these tanks to the level that is healthy.  This can include, but is not limited to, doing things that truly fill you up which for some could be working out, reading, writing, praying, meditating, working on projects.  But what is most important is that all the things that your do on your Sabbath are centered on glorifying and thanking God for what he has given you.  Truly taking the time to revitalize yourself and your relationship with the Lord, which so often is set aside due to the busy nature of our culture.

Therefore, when Danny challenged us with this idea that we MUST take a Sabbath, I began to think, "am I taking a Sabbath once a week, and if I am what does it look like."  I came to the conclusion that my Sabbath is nonexistent.  Yes, I have my regular spiritual disciplines that include reading, writing, journaling, and prayer, but I am not taking time to truly glorify the Lord on one day.  Am I truly taking a Sabbath?

I am now devoted to finding a time and a place to do just that, take a Sabbath that will refill all of my tanks and glorify Lord in the process.  My Sabbath, whatever day that is, will consist of time studying scripture, blogging, journaling, reading books, sipping on coffee at my favorite coffee shop, watching movies, sleeping in, and a little praise and worship with my fiancé.  All of these things are the things that truly fill me up and bring glory to God in the process.

Although I am not totally sure how to implement this into my weekly life just yet, I am dedicated to making this a part of my routine and especially a part of my marriage.  I have also challenged Jenny with this idea and given her the opportunity to think about what her Sabbath would look like.  It being drastically different than mine, she will find a way to fill her tanks once a week and truly glorify the Lord in the process.

I truly thank Danny Anderson for challenging us with this idea and thank the Lord for setting it on his heart to share.  I look forward to spending my Sabbath with the Lord and seeing the true life change that comes as a result.  I would challenge you to think of this idea yourself and truly begin to examine what your "Sabbath" may look like as your go about your daily life.


till another Day,


normallyINDIE