Tag: sabbath (Page 1 of 2)

Holding My Breath and 3 Selah Prompts

June 2, 2022 /

It’s summertime, which for me conjures up memories of being at the “Lake House” with my cousins, perpetually in a wet swim suit, rarely out of the lake.  One of the many games we would play was “who-can-hold-their-breath-longest-without-dying”.

Ok, it wasn’t a real active game, but you know…simple pleasures.  And nobody actually died so our parents considered it a win.

Sometimes, as adults, without even thinking about it, we play life like the  “who-can-hold-their-breath-longest-without-dying” game.

When I started running, I became much more aware of the importance of rhythm and rest, and basics. Like breathing.  And not holding our breath til we, you know, pass out.

This is not about Sabbath, but Selah. Selah is a term used mostly in the Psalms and a few times in Habbakuk that is a bit of a mystery.  Scholars aren’t positive what it means, but they think it means “rest” or “pause”.

Mark Batterson says, like in music, if Sabbath is a full rest, maybe Selah is a sixteenth rest.  A chance to catch your breath.

Or maybe Selah is the life jacket that helps us pop up above the water of everyday stress.

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If, as Eugene Peterson says, Sabbath is a day of “shutting down and shutting up.” maybe Selah moments are those in your day where you stop to think about breathing.  Reorient, and remember that you’re not in control, but you know the One who is.

Maybe Selah is a chance to:

  • Let go.  Unclench your hands and surrender to the one who is God since we are not.  I have to pray the Welcoming Prayer as a reminder to myself:  “Holy Spirit, I let go of my need for approval.  Welcome.  I let go of my need for power and control.  Welcome.  I let go of my need to change any person, circumstance or emotion.  Welcome.”
  • Look. “Look at the birds of the air…” Pay attention to the miracles all around.   I’m trying to be disciplined in stopping, standing still outside and looking around, praying:  “Creator God, thank you for…”

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  • Listen.  Our speaking comes out of our listening.  What we say comes out of what we hear.  We can pray: “Lord, what do you have to say to me about Yourself and myself today?”  Listen to words about God’s character in Psalm 46 where Selah is written in the margin in most translations after verse 3.

Mark Buchanan put it this way: When we don’t rest we’re in danger of letting ourselves be “consumed by the things that feed the ego but starve the soul.”

Stopping to breathe in the goodness and sufficiency of God gives oxygen to our souls.

Selah.

You don’t have to hold your breath all day.  Consider setting an alarm on your phone to remind you to stop and breathe. (Isn’t it crazy how natural that is for kids?  And puppies?  They delight in the breaths of each moment.)

What does Selah look like for you?

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This is an edited repost from the past.  Because I need to remind myself to breathe 🙂

Cozy Soul Food for a Winter Weekend

February 4, 2022 /

When I think cozy winter thoughts I think candles, soup, and books. I love lighting a candle in the morning to remind me of God’s presence. Anyone else? Even though it’s not typical winter weather where we’re currently living, I thought I’d share some soup, Sabbath, and book ideas this weekend. Hope they are encouraging to you!

Soup

I’ve often quoted a mentor of mine who said, “If you don’t have enough margin in your day to take a pot of soup to someone in need, you don’t have enough margin.” As a general rule, I agree!

“Soup is cold-weather-dark-sky food. Soup is peasant food – odds and ends, bits and pieces, a way to stretch a piece of meat or a handful of rice… Soup is the wool sweater, not the little black dress. It’s the cardigan with elbow patches, not the pressed shirt and tie.”

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Here’s a really easy soup recipe I give away a lot, and I posted another one on Instagram on January 17th if you want to look there.

My very flexible recipe for Chicken Tortellini Soup:

Sauté 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup (or more) chopped carrots in 1/4 cup butter.

Slowly stir in 1/4 cup flour and 4 cups chicken broth (box of Swansons).

Add some rotisserie chicken (I buy it chopped up at the store) and a package of cooked cheese tortellini. I also usually add a teaspoon of “Better than Bouillon”.

Years ago a friend gave me the idea of picking up baskets at garage sales to give away meals in!

Books

I have never used a book journal, but I feel like this one has enriched my life! If you’re a reader, I highly recommend “My Reading Life” by Anne Bogel!

It has so many great features, with suggestions of books in every genre, quotes, guidance for book group discussions, and of course a great format for recording your thoughts about the books you read.

I really hesitate to recommend books, because everyone’s taste is a little different. That’s one of the reason’s I like that Anne differentiates between your rating of how much you enjoyed the book, how well it was written, and your overall rating.

For example, I recently read Anxious People by Fredrik Backman – the same author who wrote A Man Called Ove. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed reading the book (the characters were really annoying), but it was well-written and it provided good insight into people very different from me, so I was glad I read it.

If you are looking for a creepy thriller, I’d recommend The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. If you want WW2 fiction about strong women, check out The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan. These books are very different, but I liked both of them!

And two more very different books… Live No Lies by John Mark Comer (non-fiction about culture, lies, our souls and Satan!) took me forever to get through because there are so many insights I wanted to think about.

And I’m halfway through Phillip Yancey’s memoir, Where the Light Fell

One Last Thing

I’ve shared here before that Sabbath is a challenging spiritual discipline for me, but one I think is important. On Instagram last week I shared that one way it helps me to think of is is this:

But that takes intention and preparation, right? And it’s going to look different if you have little kids from if you’re an empty nester.

Do you Sabbath? What does it look like? How do you prepare beforehand? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

One Lie That Threatens to Wreck Your Life

October 14, 2019 /

“This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”

Isaiah 30:5

A month ago, humid, hazy sunsets and the sound of cicadas humming reminded me that summer was winding down.

How did summer ending make you feel?

Rested and refreshed?

Stressed about heading back into the chaos of another school year?

Anxious about all to be done at work?

Question: Is summer the only time (if then) that you take a break, or do you have a healthy rhythm of work and rest throughout the year?

And while I’m asking questions, why is it so rare for us, as Christians, to obey God’s command to rest weekly?

Dorothy Bass writes that we’re likely to break any of the 10 commandments, but the 4th, “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy” is the only one we BRAG about breaking. That’s because in our minds…

BUSY = IMPORTANT

Too much free time is evidence that we’re not needed.

We’re tempted to buy into the lie that we’re indispensable.

But living as though we are indispensable threatens to wreck our life because it puts us in the place of God.

“Whoa! That’s not me!” you say. “I would never be that arrogant!”

Ok, how about a little survey? For each of the following statements, would you answer: Never, Sometimes, or Always me?

  • You go through your day with a perpetual sense of urgency or anxiety, afraid you may drop one of the many balls you’re juggling.
  • You find yourself moaning about how busy you are, but secretly feel like it’s also a badge of honor that demonstrates your capacity and importance.
  • You’ve lost a sense of gratitude and wonder about life.
  • The first thing you do in the morning is check your phone – either emails or social media.
  • You have trouble sleeping, worrying about things you haven’t been able to fix or finish during the day.
  • You text or check emails while at stoplights or in line at the store (or at church, or under the table at restaurants).
  • You bring your laptop on vacation.

Now it’s my turn for confession:

I listen to podcasts on 1 ½ speed so I can cram more into my time.

One of the most difficult but most impactful spiritual disciplines of my life has been observing Sabbath. But it’s also been a practice that has surprised me with the joy, freedom, and renewed perspective it has brought.

For me, mainly that’s meant unplugging. Phone and computer.

When God gave us the 10 Commandments, the first thing He said was, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Clearly we have many gods we’re tempted to put before Him. Sabbath is one discipline that helps us correct that – become more aware, and experience the joy of a day that’s different.

When we rest we are trusting God to be God. He’s good at His job.

I get it. There are different seasons of life that make this challenging. I’m not advocating legalism (Jesus didn’t either).

Sabbath may look like you taking a morning while your spouse watches the kids, and then switching roles in the afternoon.

You may not observe Sabbath on Sunday.

You may observe Sabbath as a family together. What would it look like for your whole family to power off one day of the week?

Maybe the place to start is to confess our tendency to put ourselves in the place of God.

Lord, please forgive me for all the times I put myself, and the things of this world before You. Please forgive me for my inflated sense of self-importance. You alone are our all-powerful, sovereign, Creator. You keep the planets spinning. You have commanded us to “stand down”, to set aside a day for rest and worship. Help us to obey this command with joy.

If you’d like a couple of good books on Sabbath, check these out!

The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan 

Sabbath by Wayne Muller

Do you observe Sabbath? What has your experience been? You KNOW I’d love to hear from you! If you get this in email, just click on the title and it will take you to the site where you can post a comment. If it’s your first time, don’t worry if it doesn’t show up right away! And if you’re interested in some smaller doses of inspiration, join me over on Instagram. (You can turn on “notifications” in the upper right-hand corner if you want to know when there is a post.)

Soul Food for Vacation Time

March 3, 2016 /

It’s March, and you all deserve a vacation! At least you do if you live in my part of the country where the winters seem like an interminable movie in gray and white. It’s like God turns off the color, scent, and sound of life for 6 months.

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But we’re a hardy people and we will persevere to Spring which arrives at the end of May and lasts 2 days.

Meanwhile, maybe you’re planning a little escape to tide you over.

If you live by a school calendar you may be preparing for Spring Break.

If you don’t, you still may be planning a warm getaway.

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So this post is about resources for vacation (or even “staycation”) refreshment. Continue reading

Soul Food for a New Month

October 2, 2015 /

It’s October, and I’m with Anne, reveling in a world of good gifts. Wispy clouds across the moon, the smell of cinnamon and wood smoke, crunchy leaves and vibrant color that needs no filter to enhance its beauty.

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You may have noticed that I didn’t post on Wednesday like usual. It was hard for me to let it go, but it’s been an overfull week and when I prayed about it I sensed God whispering “It’s ok. It’s all Grace.” So I didn’t stress over it, and the world didn’t end. I’m learning that the discipline of mini-Sabbaths is an important one.

As a “do-er” prayer is another hard discipline, but this week we put together a prayer gathering that created environments for people to engage with God in a variety of ways.

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In one of the prayer corners we had a fountain running.

For with You is the fountain of life, in Your light we see light. Psalm 36:5

We said: Listen to the sound of the water and think of God’s love washing over you.

Then take a blank rock and write something or someone you’re thankful for and place it in the fountain.

Lastly take a rock with an attribute of God written on it that you need to be reminded of.

FullSizeRender-35Maybe this is an exercise you can do on your own.

This was a reminder from another corner of the room.

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Next, if you’ve been overwhelmed by all the bad news this week, take a look at 13 Inspiring Stories of Refugees Being Welcomed from Around the World.

And lastly, a couple of October recipes. The first one I tried last night and we loved it – it can be adapted in a bunch of ways.

Crab and Corn Chowder

6 bacon slices

2 celery ribs diced

1 green pepper diced

1 medium onion diced

1 32 oz. can/box Chicken broth

3 TB flour

3 cups fresh corn kernels (6 ears) If you don’t have some frozen from summer a yellow and white Birds Eye frozen mix works

1 lb fresh crab meat (I used 2 cans of lump crab meat, but you could also substitute chicken or shrimp, or leave out the meat)

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I didn’t have this 🙁 )

1/2 ts. salt

1/4 ts. pepper

fresh cilantro for garnish

Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat 8-10 minutes til crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel. RESERVE 2 TB drippings. Sauté celery, onion, and green pepper in drippings til tender (5-6 min)

Whisk together flour and broth til smooth. Add to celery mixture. Stir in corn. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Gently stir in crab meat and rest of ingredients. Cook 4-5 minutes or til thoroughly heated. Makes 10 cups.

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Zucchini Bread/Muffins

Mix 3 eggs

1 cup oil (yes, one cup 🙂 )

3 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup milk

Separately mix 2 cups sugar,

3 cups flour,

1 ts. salt,

1 ts. baking SODA,

1/4 ts. baking POWDER,

1 ts. each: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves.

Blend wet and dry ingredients together and then fold in 2 cups shredded zucchini.

If making bread, it goes in 2 greased 8″ or 9″ loaf pans and you bake for about 45 minutes at 350.

If making muffins, cut the time to about 25 minutes.

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When Life is Loud and Crazy and You’re Doing All of the Things

March 20, 2015 /

Confession: I went running on a tiny island in the Bahamas this morning and I felt guilty that we have generous friends who have lent us their home here, and we can take the time to enjoy it in this season of our lives.  And as I am running feeling all the guilty feelings, here’s what I’m thinking…

I’m wondering how many of you read the post on Wednesday about doing good, and you sighed deep, and your shoulders slumped, and you Just. Felt. Tired. Even more tired maybe than usual. Because for you it’s a season of weariness.

  • You’re a single 20-something working two jobs while trying to put yourself through grad school.
  • You’re a business owner with huge responsibilities to bring in revenue, and cast vision, and lead your staff well.
  • You’re a married mom working outside the home and raising kids while trying to keep your marriage alive.
  • You’re homeschooling 4 kids and volunteering as a coach or a deacon or a leader in some capacity.
  • You’re a single mom juggling job, daycare, car-pooling, finances, house repairs and….

You’re stretched to the max.

You read the post and wanted to throw something at the screen and yell, “I don’t need a kick in the pants! I need a latte and a massage!” Continue reading

Stronger in the Rhythm of Everyday Breathing

February 20, 2015 /

We got back Tuesday night late from a long weekend in Florida celebrating my nephew’s wedding. Even though it was cold for Florida, there were bright colors like fuchsia and emerald that we forget during the never-ending Minneapolis winters of snow white and soot gray.  We didn’t have to wear 10 layers of clothes and spend 20 minutes just “getting ready” to go outside.  Mostly there was sun and the smell of fresh cut grass. We could breathe.  And we did.

We breathed in the love of family and friends and laughter and deep sleep and play – such delightful play.  It made me think again, of how much we hold our breath in the everyday grind of life and how we need to figure out a rhythm that allows us to breathe without waiting for vacation.

My One Word for 2015 is Stronger.  The rhythm of breathing is just one more area where I need to grow stronger, and I was reminded of these words I wrote awhile ago:

It’s summertime, which for me conjures up memories of being at the Lake House with my cousins, perpetually in a wet swim suit, rarely out of the lake.  One of the many games we would play was “who-can-hold-their-breath-longest-without-dying”.

Ok, it wasn’t a real active game, but you know…simple pleasures.  And nobody actually died so our parents considered it a win.

Sometimes without even thinking about it, we play life like this  “who-can-hold-their-breath-longest-without-dying” game.

I don’t write much about Sabbath.  And I’ve never written about Selah.  But as I’ve started running, I’ve become much more aware of the importance of rhythm and rest, and basics. Like breathing.  And not holding our breath til we pass out.

Selah is a term used mostly in the Psalms and a few times in Habbakuk that is a bit of a mystery.  Scholars aren’t positive what it means, but they think it means “rest” or “pause”.

Mark Batterson says, like in music, if Sabbath is a full rest, maybe Selah is a sixteenth rest.  A chance to catch your breath.

Or maybe Selah is the life jacket that helps us pop up above the water of everyday stress. Continue reading

An Autumnal Sabbath

October 5, 2014 /

Since Sunday is kind of a “work day” for us, Saturday is often our Sabbath day.  Mark Buchanan in his book, The Rest of God, writes:

“Cease from what is necessary. Embrace that which gives life.  Those two things, taken together, make up Sabbath’s golden rule….Sabbath imparts the rest of God – actual physical, mental, spiritual rest, but also the rest of God – the things of God’s nature and presence we miss in our busyness.”

For you, Sabbath may include a run (a big “WOOHOO!” for those running the TC marathon today!), a bike ride, a game of Monopoly, or a meal with a friend, but yesterday was a particularly delightful Sabbath day for us (note John’s caveat at the end of this post), so I thought I’d share some of it with you… Continue reading

Holding My Breath

July 2, 2014 /

It’s summertime, which for me conjures up memories of being at the “Lake House” with my cousins, perpetually in a wet swim suit, rarely out of the lake.  One of the many games we would play was “who-can-hold-their-breath-longest-without-dying”.

Ok, it wasn’t a real active game, but you know…simple pleasures.  And nobody actually died so our parents considered it a win.

Sometimes, as adults, without even thinking about it, we play life like the  “who-can-hold-their-breath-longest-without-dying” game.

When I started running, I became much more aware of the importance of rhythm and rest, and basics. Like breathing.  And not holding our breath til we, you know, pass out.

This is not about Sabbath, but Selah. Selah is a term used mostly in the Psalms and a few times in Habbakuk that is a bit of a mystery.  Scholars aren’t positive what it means, but they think it means “rest” or “pause”.

Mark Batterson says, like in music, if Sabbath is a full rest, maybe Selah is a sixteenth rest.  A chance to catch your breath.

Or maybe Selah is the life jacket that helps us pop up above the water of everyday stress.

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If, as Eugene Peterson says, Sabbath is a day of “shutting down and shutting up.” maybe Selah moments are those in your day where you stop to think about breathing.  Reorient, and remember that you’re not in control, but you know the One who is. Continue reading

Two Reasons You Need a Snow Day

January 6, 2014 /

This is what we, in Minneapolis woke up to this morning.

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If you’re reading this in some exotic place like Bora Bora sitting by a palm tree on the beach and sipping drinks with little umbrellas, well,…we’re sooooooo happy for you.

In Minnesota schools statewide are closed, and activities cancelled.  It’s not a “snow day”, but a “if-you-go-outside-for-even-a-nano-second-your-lips-will-freeze-together-permanently-and-your-eyelashes-will-break-off-day”.  Last night the forecaster said, “We’ve moved from ‘stupid cold’ to ‘dangerous cold.'”

People (especially those without kids!) are relishing the idea of having to stay home and do nothing but curl up with cocoa and a good book…the treat of being forced to rest from normal activity.

On days like these, John and I like to look at each other, and say “You know what we have to do today??”  Then we grin and say, “Absolutely nothing!”

I remember hearing someone say once that God wants to give us a “snow day” every week with Sabbath.  Why do we resist?  Why do we seem so addicted to “doing”… to being recognized for what we accomplish?  Is it born out of a fear that being God’s beloved child isn’t enough? Continue reading

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