Sabbath Update

 Here it is... a week later and I'm writing. This week wasn't my best sabbath week. It was just an off week. I had migraines or side effects from migraines (auras and migraine hangovers) most of the week. This makes thinking and focusing a little tougher than usual. But, it definitely forces me to slow down. Sometimes, I think it's part of the plan to force me to slow down because otherwise I don't do it.

I got through the podcast for this week and while it was interesting and gave me a different way to look at some of the stories in the Bible, I didn't get earth shattering ideas from it. The biggest thing I took from it was when they talked about fasting. I've done the 30 hour famine and that's the main fasting I've done. I tried a few times to fast for a day or until sundown, but never consistently. I found out that some places do a Thursday fast. I thought that would go along with my Thursday evening Sabbath time because that's the night I want to enjoy family meal time with my husband and could break the fast that way. Then I remembered that's also the day I do the most working out due to my schedule and I'm not sure it's a good idea to work out for 2 hours and then not eat all day. I thought I'd try doing it during lent, but thought I'd test it out this week. That is, until I got another migraine and had to eat something. So, I'll see how it goes next Thursday.

This brings me to a lent discussion. I've slacked on lent lately. But, this year I'm hoping to focus on it more. There have been years I've thought about doing something but then didn't. There have been years I did something instead of giving something up. There were years I gave something up. I feel like the purpose of giving something up should be to help me connect with God more. But, lately, I've been thinking about just the significance of giving something up for the pure reason of sacrifice, and that should in itself bring me closer to God. So, while I haven't decided, I'm leaning towards that this year. 

So, I'm hoping to do better next week. Hopefully, migraines won't keep me from my intentions. I am not sure if I already talked about this, but I feel like if I'm doing Sabbath right, part of it has to be helping others. Jesus taught that helping others is more important on the Sabbath than following rules. So, I'm making that part of my Monday morning Sabbath time this week. If I can, I may try to make that part of my weekly Sabbath time. But, I'm not setting anything in stone. When I'm done with this study, maybe I should read all of my blogs and figure out my list of possible Sabbath activities- if that's what I decide to do. But, for now, I'll go where I feel God is leading me on my search for Sabbath understanding. 

Thursday, I will try fasting for the day and break my fast at sundown with dinner and time with family. And, Sunday I will be worshipping online and spending some time with family and God. I'll be back here to look back on my week and see how it went. 

So, where was God this week? He helped me through my migraines and kept me calm when I needed Him.

Blessings,

Jennifer

Sabbath Week 3

 Here I am late on a Sunday night writing my blog. But, better late than never! As I expected, writing and taking Sabbath time this week was more of a challenge since I started class. But, I still took time in the morning to walk my dog, listen to my Sabbath podcast, and listen to an inspiring book about two men who were raised in a church and became lifelong friends. It was a really awesome book about their journey through Spain. (If you're looking for something uplifting to read, I encourage you to read "I'll Push You" by Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray.)

This week, the podcast focused a lot on work. What is work that can be done on the Sabbath and what can't. I love how they put it. Work like going and getting the candy on Halloween is what you can't do. Sorting the candy is work you can do. Work that isn't really hard work but is more "fun work" is ok. That helped me figure things out a bit, but I'm still not sure what to do during all of my Sabbath time. I'm beginning to see why there were so many rules about what to do- or not do- during the Sabbath. It would be helpful to be able to look at a list and think "oh this is what I can do tomorrow during my Sabbath time!" So, before I looked at all of the rules as constrictive, but now I'm looking at them a little differently. I'm not going to start following the Jewish laws. But, I'm thinking I might start formulating some Sabbath laws of my own. I'm still figuring out what that would look like. But, I feel like a list of things I can do during that time would be helpful, too. Once I figure out what kinds of things should be on the list, that's a strong possibility it will happen. 

I struggled with my Thursday time. I was tired when I got home and really felt too braindead to write a blog that would make much sense. I knew listening to anything constructive wouldn't set in either. I ended up just watching tv and going to bed. So, not much of a spiritual Sabbath time. But, I did rest and settle in. So, I suppose there are worse things.

This morning I got to worship at church. This is my weekend to be home on Sunday morning. It's easier to worship in person. But, I think having designated Sabbath time is even more important on the weekends I don't get to worship in person. The intentional practice is another reminder of how important it is to worship regularly whether in person or online. 

I'm three weeks in to this study and I'm finding myself more aware of taking time, whether people call it Sabbath or a pause or something else. The book I was reading talked about Sabbath as a way of life, of being intentional and living in the moment, being present for the people we love and for God. I don't necessarily agree that that's the purpose of the Sabbath, but I think it's a good way to be. I can't remember where I heard someone talking about "taking a pause", but it was something in mainstream media I was listening to and the intent was to take some time to think, to regroup, and to rest. That sounds a little like Sabbath time to me.  

One of my biggest struggles, if not my biggest struggle, is slowing down, taking a pause, just being. When I'm not doing something, I think I should be doing something. In fact, I can't just take Sabbath time! I have to study it and write about it to motivate myself to do it and feel like it's ok. Realistically, I know it's what I'm supposed to do. But, my brain tries to get me to think otherwise. I wonder how that started. How many people really observe the Sabbath? It's probably the least observed of the ten commandments. I mean, everyone has probably told a lie. But, if a person is caught in a lie, typically that person feels guilty. If someone came up to you and said "did you observe Sabbath time this week?" If the answer is no, would you feel the same as if caught in a lie?  I know for me, that's been the case. But, looking deeper into this, I need to rethink my attitude. This week, I think the podcast is going to talk more about the ten commandments and Moses. I'm curious to hear about how the Sabbath should be fitting into our observance of the ten commandments.  

I'd love to hear from others about how they observe the Sabbath. Feel free to leave a comment here!

Pause

 It's the Sabbath! There's a word I heard recently (maybe even on the blog I'm listening to) that is hard to describe the meaning. Basically, you suddenly hear about something constantly because you start studying it even though you hadn't heard much about it before. The question then is whether it's just more recognized or whether perception has changed turning thoughts and things into that subject. I'm not sure what the answer is, but since I started studying the Sabbath things have been popping up randomly. This weekend, I helped to lead a confirmation retreat. During some downtime, someone put on an episode of "Word Girl". It's a kid's cartoon about words. 

Each episode features a different word and throughout the episode examples of real life are shown of the focused word. You'll never guess what the word reminded me of! What? How did you guess?! The word was "pause". The whole world had paused, frozen as if someone had hit a pause button on the world. That's pretty much what happened on the show since the bad guy wanted to eat some almost expired cheese and figured pausing the rest of the world would give him a chance to eat his cheese in time. But I digress... 

Shabbot means to stop. The Sabbath is a time to stop, to press the stop button on the world so that we can spend some time settling in with God rather than being distracted by the world. I don't think this means we have to cut out everyone. Afterall, sometimes experiencing God is through the experiences we have with others, like spending time in worship or having a family meal. So, when we think about the Sabbath, we need to pause the things of the world that are distracting us from God and settle in with the things that draw us closer to Him. 

I'm still working on figuring out what those things are for me. But, one thing I have learned during this Sabbath journey is that writing to process things brings me closer to God because it helps me figure out what my understanding is. So, hopefully, this will be a Sabbath habit I can keep.

As I think about the Sabbath as a time to pause in order to get closer to God, I am reminded that lent will soon be here. I haven't focused deeply on doing much during lent lately. With covid, it seemed like everything was paused already for a bit! But, this year I want to focus (see how my word is helping me?!) more during lent by pausing something to help bring me closer to God. I'm not sure what that is, but when I figure it out I will let you know. 

I have to wonder, with my word choices being the same, how the Sabbath and lent are different. They definitely have similarities in that something is paused for the purpose of helping us focus more on God. But, I think there is so much more worth exploring for both things and I hope I'm able to during the next few months.

Blessings,

Jennifer

Confirmation

 This weekend I got to do something I hadn't done for three years! I got to help lead an overnight youth event! It was actually a two day confirmation retreat. The Sunday before actually kicked off our 18 month confirmation class so this event was really about getting to know each other and introducing them to confirmation.

Events were always one of my favorite parts of leading youth ministry. I remember so many youth leaders saying how much they disliked lock-ins, but I think I was always more excited than the youth.... and they were pretty excited! So, I feel grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this ministry again. I have missed it in its absence and whenever I start doing things, I realize how much I miss it and how much I realize it's one of the things God has called me to do. I'm so glad I can still do it even though it's not my full-time job. 

Why do I love these overnight events, where sleep is at a minimum, energy is at a high, and there are so many unknowns about what the time will hold? That's just it! I get to experience all of that! And, while all of that is happening, relationships are forming- relationships with each other, with adults, and with God. Events are like the fast track to connection. This makes the other times extremely important, too because they are the glue that holds everything together. But, by the end of an event, so many things always happen that couldn't be planned, but that just happened. 

When I plan an event, I typically plan to the minute. And then God laughs and laughs... 

I plan out what we are going to do, but then I let God take over and decide what really needs to happen during that time. I never let the youth see the schedule because it's going to change as God decides. And some of my youth would have really been stressed by that. There was the time we were told after the first day on a mission trip that we couldn't come back because the youth were under the required age limit, even though we had sent them all of the paperwork way ahead. There was the time we had to build a ramp with no instructions, or when emergencies came up with volunteers. The snow storm that happened when we were supposed to spend time somewhere else and had to rethink our activities. So, many little things that changed our course and by the end, I knew God had stepped in. He always does. 

This weekend was no different. God stepped in. He changed some things on our schedule and that was just the way it was meant to be. During the weekend, these are some of the thigs I got to experience. I saw a group that didn't know each other well spend time laughing and being silly. I'm pretty sure someone got a new nickname (grandma!). I saw adults come to spend time with youth and talk to them about faith, about their lives, and build relationships. They learned from people of other generations, they taught people of other generations. They prayed out loud. They got more comfortable looking things up in the Bible, and they had fun doing it! They thought of people in the community that needed prayer. They asked questions about God, about creation, about death. They ask questions some adults want to know but are afraid to ask. They learned a body prayer and created their own, and used it as part of waking up the next day! When someone was upset, another one comforted her and assured her she wasn't alone. They got comfortable in the church. There is something about sleeping in the church, getting in your most vulnerable state, that makes the connection with the church so much stronger. When asked what impacted them, they shared about the connections they had made throughout the day, with each other and with the adults that came by. They loved serving others at the soup kitchen because they said it made them feel good to help others and that that was what they are supposed to do. This generation is working to save the world- to help each other and the environment and to stop the hate of discrimination. I love seeing the potential and the depth that happens when a group of youth come together for a couple of days. Who wouldn't love to experience this?

While I know this is my thing and not everyone's, I also know that everyone has gifts and that there are ways to use them. Part of the blessing of ministry is connecting people to use their gifts in ministry together. One person can lead, another can donate food or supplies, another can teach something, another may love playing games, and someone may have a mission opportunity they could use some young people to help with. To me, that's what it's all about- ministry, church, being a Christian... sharing our gifts to help each other, to show God's love to each other, and to make disciples for God. That's exactly what happened on our first annual confirmation retreat this weekend! 

So, where did I see God today? He was everywhere in the people I was surrounded by!

Blessings,

Jennifer

Sabbath- week 1 part 2

 This is my second part of my Sabbath time. Tonight is a little different than what I plan to do. But, I want to focus on what I've been thinking about while studying and listening to my Sabbath podcast. So, bear with me as I process while rambling and working out what Sabbath time should entail. 

Tonight's episode talked about two different Hebrew words- one meaning Shabbat, which means literally  "to stop, to rest". I get that. During Sabbath time, we should stop work, but that means different things to different people. In Jewish culture, that means not only to stop a job or vocation during Sabbath time but also things like cooking, cleaning, driving, etc. Jesus looked at it differently. He healed a man on the Sabbath and upset the pious Jewish leaders. But, if we are to live like Jesus, should our Sabbath time include a time of helping others? Or, was the point simply not to get too caught up in the logistics nd rules. Should our Sabbath time be not so set and regulated as I am trying to figure it to be? I'm hoping by the end of my study, I'll have a better picture of this aspect of it.

The other word that they talked about is one I was not very familiar with, although I had heard it in another series they did a long time ago so I vaguely recognized it. "Nuakh" is a Hebrew word that means to rest, but more than that. It means to settle in. One mentioned "nesting" may come from that word. When I think of nesting I think of expectant mothers settling in by cleaning and getting things ready, which doesn't necessarily sound restful. But, cleaning, simplifying, and decluttering is a calming activity for me and I could see that as a focused part of my Sabbath journey as I find peace from it. Settling in also brings thoughts of relaxation and getting comfy. I picture a cozy fire, comfy clothes, and sitting on the couch with a good book on a cold winter day. Maybe I'm thinking of the line from "Twas the night before Christmas" where they are settling down for a long winter's nap. Should Sabbath time include a time of just settling in with a good book or a movie, relaxing and enjoying a time away from work and the hustle and bustle of life? One site I looked up says this. "On the seventh day YHWH rested… and He wanted us to do the same… but not just us. All of His creation was to rest after a time period of “seven”, including the land...Rest was important for every aspect of creation… humans, animals, land… everything needed to be given a break so they could refresh and be the best human/animal/farm they could be." (https://hebrewwordlessons.com/2020/04/19/nuakh-i-will-give-you-rest/) 

Nuakh is also the Hebrew name of Noah. This is interesting to think about in regards to the Sabbath. He spent time working hard to get ready for the flood, building the ark and collecting the animals. Then, once the rain started, there wasn't much he could do besides hang out on the ark. Although, while one article talked about that being a time of rest, I can't imagine a lot of rest with all those animals to care for! But, I get the point.

Another article that talks about rest and nuakh also says this. "We need to produce order in our six days to enjoy on our seventh." (https://nuakh.uk/2021/07/08/what-is-rest/) I find this an interesting thought. It goes along with my thought the other day about preparing for the Sabbath so that I don't have to work during that time. But, I feel like it goes a little further than just focusing on preparing for the Sabbath and makes me think about the other time in general and if that time leads me to the Sabbath and if it is productive enough, and lastly is the rest of my time planned enough so that I don't have to worry about things during my Sabbath time. 

The article also mentions rest and what the writer thinks the Sabbath is not, which could be contradictory to some of my previous thoughts. So, while I'll keep it in mind, I still haven't come to any conclusions about what my Sabbath time is and isn't. 

"Jesus wants to clarify the meaning of Sabbath for them. The people are in need of rest—to stop hard work (shabbat) and be present with God (nuakh)." (https://bibleproject.com/blog/keeping-the-sabbath-is-it-still-relevant-to-christians-today/) This is taken from a blog on the Bible Project website that was written about the same time as the podcast was done. So, I'm hoping as I continue to explore this, I will come to understand this more and will enjoy my time being present with God.

What do these two words have to do with my relationship with God? How do Sabbath and Nuakh help me get closer to Him? Is that the point? Or is this just a time to rest and by resting I am reenergized to go on and focus more on Him. Does my Sabbath time include this if what I'm doing is positive, my words and actions pleasing to Him? 

So, where was God today? He is guiding me to understand Him better.

Blessings,

Jennifer

Sabbath- Week 1

My word for the year is focus. When my friend and I were thinking about what to study next, I came across a podcast about the Sabbath. What better way to start the year of focus than by studying about the Sabbath?

My practice of the Sabbath has ebbed and flowed over the years. Many times my excuse is that  I just run out of time. When working at a church, the concept of a Sabbath on Sunday is impossible. But, I tried to give focus to the Sabbath another day of the week. At times I was better than others. 

Lately, my Sabbath time has been pretty nonexistent. Besides worshiping on Sunday, mostly online due to my schedule, I can’t say I’ve thought too much about being intentional in the practice of Sabbath time. So, this is going to be a challenge… and I have discovered that that’s part of the purpose of the Sabbath. It’s not supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be intentional and a little bit inconvenient in order to help us understand the importance of it. Afterall, if it was easy everyone would be doing it and it wouldn’t be a big deal. But, I want it to be a big deal. So, here I begin on my journey to understand and practice the Sabbath.

I’ve only listened to episode one of the podcast… and a bit of episode two. Here’s what I’m thinking so far. In order to understand the importance of the Sabbath, I think it’s important to understand the Jewish practice of the Sabbath. Now, they have a lot of rules about it that I’m not going to observe. I’m going to drive, cook, use my keys, etc. even when I’m in my Sabbath time. But, the observance of a family meal, time together, praying and singing, going to worship, those are all things I can do. 

One of the speakers talked about his time in Jerusalem. He said the market was crazy busy before the Sabbath and once the sun went down, there wasn’t a person on the streets. How cool to be surrounded by people who are living the practice of Sabbath so intensely every week! He would sometimes walk around the neighborhood and hear families singing together. I love that! People were all busy before the Sabbath because they had to prepare for their time when they wouldn’t be able to do those things, not by force but by choice.

Today I listened to the first part of episode two. It was about the Sabbath being the seventh day, seven being the key because it signifies perfection in the Bible. There was some talk of grammar, Hebrew words, and the beginning of Genesis. I started to feel overwhelmed and was thinking ok let’s keep going to more of the meat of things. 

Then, they started talking about the first seven days. While we always think about the seventh day as the day of rest, God actually focuses on time on the first and fourth day as well as the seventh day. On the first day He separated darkness and light, creating day and night. On the fourth day He created the sun, moon, and stars, the symbols of day and night. 

Why does this matter? Well, it was really helpful to hear this as I was discerning how to observe the Sabbath. Because of my schedule, Sunday just doesn’t work, in fact I can’t get a whole day off no matter how hard I try. So I decided I would have to observe the Sabbath in parts. But, I still wanted it to be a consistent observance of the Sabbath. So, when they mentioned the three days in the podcast, I felt like that was my cue to take time on the three days God focused on time. So, Monday mornings, Thursday evenings, and Sunday mornings are now my designated Sabbath time. I am happy that even though I can’t observe the typical Sabbath time, there is purpose and intentionality to my Sabbath time.

So, how did that go on my first day? Well, since I just decided today, it wasn’t the greatest time. Here’s what was good about it. I took my three mile dog walk and listened to my podcast, listened and discussed the Sabbath with my friend, and came up with a plan. Part of the plan is writing my blog on Monday mornings. Starting my week looking back at where I saw God and looking ahead to new opportunities seems like a good way to start the week focused in the right mindset. I actually have three blog ideas and wrote the first one this morning during my first Sabbath time. So, I consider that a good thing.

Here’s what wasn’t so good. Since I just decided this morning that my Sabbath would start this morning, I wasn’t prepared. I needed to get some work done on my car before work. So, I had to interrupt my time to take my car in and pick it up a bit later. It brought me back to the point made during the first podcast about how everyone was bustling around before sundown so they could be ready. I’m going to have to work on that. And, I will have to be ready for my three Sabbath times each week. So, it’s all a work in progress.

But, as I continue on this journey of focusing on the Sabbath, I’m hoping to learn and understand more about what I should be doing during the Sabbath time. So far, I understand that it’s a time to set apart for intentional focus on God, an inconvenience by intention to help remind me of its importance, and for me it will be in three sections based on the three days of creation focused on time. I’m learning about the Jewish practice of Sabbath time and how it should be a time we focus on God, my words and actions focused on what He wants me to be doing. While on some level this makes sense, I am struggling to understand what the difference is between this time and other times. I read the Bible or study things daily so it can’t be that the Sabbath is a time of study. I should always strive for my words and actions to be focused on what God wants so the Sabbath can’t be about that. 

So, I’ll keep you posted! I’d love to hear about your Sabbath time or thoughts you may have!

Blessings,

Jennifer

Want to listen to the podcast? Here’s the link! I love all of the Bible Project stuff! Check https://bibleproject.com/podcast/restless-craving-rest/

Mondays

 Here I am with my annual blog about how I am going to write more this year! Yes, I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again next year. But, right now, I have the intention to write every Monday as part of my Monday morning routine. At this point it seems sustainable with my schedule. So, I’m hopeful that it will stick this year! 

2022 was a busy year and it seems like it just flew by! Work seemed to be the dominant factor of my days, but I had some other great things that happened, too! 

I went back to Guatemala and was grateful for another opportunity to serve and learn while I was there. I met some really great people and was grateful for that as well as the time in Guatemala. I had thought about going back in 2023, but it doesn’t seem to be working out. But, I am at peace with that, even if I don’t go back. Before, I felt strongly that I had to go again. Now, I’m ok either way. That, I believe, is God working in my life and directing my path. I’ll wait to see what He has planned for me next!

I had been working with tweens a bit before last year, but with Covid, it became sporadic. In 2022, I was able to dive deeper into that part of my life and am now doing monthly tweens, coordinating youth Sunday School, and this past Sunday we started confirmation! I feel excited whenever I start working on youth ministry stuff and have realized that even though it’s not my full- time job, God is not done using me in this calling yet! I’m so glad because I love it!

I am now less than a year away from finishing school for my certificate. It won;t really get me much further in my career, but I’m really enjoying it anyway! I’m learning a lot and having fun connecting with people who are in the same field. Recently, my professor asked me if I would get one of my assignments copyrighted so that he can distribute it to others. It’s a dating guidebook for neurodivergent people. I’m excited that an assignment wasn’t just something to do, but rather something that can be useful to others! Once school is back in session, I’ll get that done. 

As I look back on the year and ask myself “where did I see God?”, I almost have to ask where didn’t I see Him? He was everywhere! In my jobs, in my family, in my classes, in my church, and volunteering, I was blessed to experience the presence of God. 

As I look to the year ahead, I am excited about the possibilities! My word for the year is “FOCUS”. I tend to be doing a million things at once and sometimes that works out. Other times, not so much. This year, I want to be focused, to be present, and to be intentional in what I’m doing. More on my word and the plans around it in my next blog!

I will say that this practice of writing where I have seen God will be part of focusing. If I’m focused on looking for God, in experiencing God, in listening to God (by the way listen was my word last year and it really popped up more than expected- even in my classes! I even had to take a test on listening!) then taking time to write about it weekly will be a good reminder to continue those practices. I also plan to focus more on Sabbath time. Monday mornings will be a part of that Sabbath time. I can’t do an entire day because of circumstances. But, there is a method to how I’ve chosen when to do my Sabbath time- which is coming soon in a blog about Sabbath! I’m doing an interesting podcast/ study that is helping me learn and understand some things! 

I’d love to hear from you and find out what your word for the year is, where you have seen God lately, and anything else you want to share!

Where did I see God today? Listening to my podcast this morning helped me out some things in perspective and helped me start figuring out my Sabbath journey and where I need to start. And, that’s right here- writing this blog!

Blessings,

Jennifer