By Lilly Lewin
If I could go back to my 20 something self and to my 30 something self, I would tell her that she needs to stop with the over busyness and packed agenda and the intense desire to perform! and instead, take the time to be still and get outside in nature and start learning to practice silence and solitude. We can not keep pouring out our cups if they are empty! Solitude and Silence restore our souls and then we have the space to fill up our cups and we will be able to hear from God again.
So in the midst of this weekend, a long holiday weekend here in the States, make the time to be alone. make the time to stop the ‘to do list’ and be still. Make the time to get outside, take a walk, breathe! Saturate your soul with silence and solitude, even if it’s just 15 minutes! or even start with 5! then look at your calendar and plan a half day or even a whole day to be quiet with God sometime in July!
I find i need to make silence& solitude an appointment or schedule silence as a meeting on my calendar so it will actually happen! and in the midst of our crazy world we need silence and solitude more than ever ! Regardless of our age!
WE ALL NEED MORE REST AND MORE SILENCE THAN WE THINK WE DO!
And what would our world look like, if we started teaching our kids to practice silence and solitude before they reached the “burn out” stage of life?
What if we teach them how to experience God in nature, to take time to be still without devices or media? to take a chair or blanket outside and look at the clouds or the stars? Teaching them how to listen to the still small voice of God? and help kids of all ages see that quiet is a good thing, not a scary one!
That’s my prayer today…for all of us to make time to saturate our souls with silence, solitude,
and the beauty of God.
Make an appointment to be still. Mark your calendar and take a meeting with yourself and God outside, or somewhere quiet and just be still.
Saturate yourself with silence and allow Jesus to restore your soul!
“Solitude–when you get saturated with silence and landscape, then you need an interior work, psalms, scripture, meditation But first saturation. How much of this is simply restoration of one’s normal human balance?” Thomas Merton.
By Lynne Baab—
I speak and teach a lot about the Sabbath because I have kept a Sabbath for more than 30 years. Plus I have written a book, a Bible study guide, and many articles about it. When I speak or teach, I get two questions quite frequently: what’s the difference between a Sabbath and a day off, and what do you do on your Sabbath? I’ll use some thoughts about the first question as a bridge to my answer to the second question.
A day off and a Sabbath are similar because they are both a day to stop working. Many people, however, have found that a day off can easily become a harried blur of errands and chores with nothing Sabbath-like in it. So what is the difference?
Watercolor illustration by Dave Baab
Part of the difference lies in a person’s intent, and the intent shapes the actions on the Sabbath day. The two versions of the Ten Commandments have two different reasons to keep the Sabbath day, which illuminate two of my three significant Sabbath intentions.
- Remember creation.
In Exodus 20:11, the reason for the Sabbath goes back to creation: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.” Because God is our Creator, and God rested on the seventh day, we stop our own productivity and remember that God made us. We also remember that everything good we have comes from our loving Creator.
Many of the Sabbath keepers I interviewed for my book and articles find that the best way to draw near to God on the Sabbath is to enjoy nature: a walk, bike ride, beach, or garden. On the Sabbath we are invited to enjoy God as Creator.
- Remember freedom from slavery.
In Deuteronomy 5:15, we are invited to keep a Sabbath because we have been freed from slavery. “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” We know that in Christ, we have been freed from sin, evil, death and fear of death. The Sabbath is a day to celebrate the freedom God gives.
For most people, spending a day running errands or doing housework doesn’t feel like freedom. What activities do you need to stop in order to feel free? What activities help you feel free? The answers to those questions should shape your Sabbath day.
- Stopping. The Hebrew root word that “Sabbath” comes from means stop, cease, desist, or rest. Stopping much of our activity one day a week helps us remember God is God and we are not. We are not in charge. We are not at the center. We are not indispensible. We stop work so we can know, deep in our hearts, that Someone Else runs the universe and we do not.
I check my email first thing in the morning on my Sabbath day, and then I don’t look at it for the rest of the day. Why? So I can act on the truth that I am not indispensible. (I also experience freedom from email for a day.)
What else do I do? My husband and I spend about 45 minutes praying together on our Sabbath day. Half of that time is prayers of thankfulness. God is Creator and has freed us from so many forms of slavery. Taking the time to notice the good gifts and the various forms of freedom in our lives helps my husband and me lift our focus off of the hard things of life.
My major Sabbath activity is reading novels. Someone Else is running the universe and I can relax. I sometimes cook, skype with family members, or sit on a bench at the beach or in a park. Sometimes I go to the gym and enjoy experiencing the profound truth that God created my body. The day has no “shoulds” about it. I stay out of my home office so I won’t be tempted to work, and I stay out of stores so I won’t be tempted to focus on what I don’t have.
The Sabbath is a day to stop our everyday activities so we can experience God as Creator – the One who gives every good gift – and Redeemer – the One who frees us from slavery. The intent shapes the day.
Tom and I are are currently on Iona where we have the privilege of a very special retreat. What I realize is that I rarely spell out what a retreat is all about or how to conduct one. I thought this was a good time to rectify that and reshare this post from a few years ago.
The spiritual practice of retreat is I believe one of the most powerful tools we can implement to increase our faith and draw us closer to God, to each other and to our responsibility for God’s world. The Bible is full of examples of those who periodically removed themselves from the world to draw closer to God. Jesus himself went into the desert for 40 days immediately after being baptized.
Never underestimate the potential of this discipline for transformation and renewal. Anything is possible, from solidifying an already strong faith to experiencing a major spiritual breakthrough. Anyone who truly seeks to be closer to God will not be disappointed. The success of one personal retreat will spill into the next, inexorably expanding one’s faith in all directions.
The kind of retreats I am talking about here are not highly structured or expensive. They can be done anywhere that you can find a quiet place to draw aside for a day, let go of the distractions of your busy life and focus on God. Tom and I usually go to an inexpensive dog friendly motel in Anacortes. Occasionally, like this, we have the opportunity for more extended retreats, pilgrimages to holy sites. Our last trip to Iona was for a very special week in 2005during Holy week.
So what should a retreat look like? To be honest, this is a hard question for me to answer. What looks good to me may not appeal to you. But there are some guidelines that you may find helpful
- Choose a quiet place that offers comfort and the minimum of distractions but with opportunities to enjoy yourself between your spiritual sessions. Tom and I love to browse antique shops and also to walk. Our Anacortes get away offers both possibilities that enhance our enjoyment and relax us for the next session.
- Schedule yourself loosely. This good advice from spiritual director, author and retreat leader Jan Johnson is a wonderful reminder that retreats are for renewal and refreshment. If we bring the same busy schedule we are addicted to at home into our experience we will get very little out of it. Retreats are like Sabbath meant to renew our connection to God, revitalize our relationships to each other and restore our passion for the work God has called us to do.
- Spend time in prayer and scripture reading. This can take many forms. You may like to start with a familiar psalm or gospel portion. Or you may like to read through a book of the bible you have never read before. Do this in a reflective mode – you may like to use the process of Lectio Divina to help you.
- Keep a journal. As you know I am very keen on journal keeping and though I am not good at doing this on a daily basis it is part of my weekly rhythm. Each Sunday Tom and I go out for breakfast and journal about our week. I ask myself the questions – What am I grateful for? What was your biggest struggle? What bears the fingerprints of God? I then use this material as foundations for my retreat process.
- Break up your retreat time into “sittings” (or sessions). Normally these should not be for more than an hour; stop while you’re still enjoying it. Consider these sessions “prayer periods”—times of more formal interaction with God. More good advice from Jan Johnson. You might like to develop a structure for each session or plan the day so that each session flows from the work of the previous one. I will talk more about the structure Tom and I use tomorrow.
- Between sessions, enjoy doing something that doesn’t require concentration such as taking a walk or hike. Jan Johnson suggests doing something that uses the right side of the brain – woodworking or stitchery; painting pictures or doodling; listen to orchestral music or Taize worship. Do not do anything that distracts you like checking email or surfing the internet. Even reading a novel or watching a video will change the train of thought God has had you on.
So my question for today: Will you plan a retreat day before the end of the year to renew your priorities and refocus your faith?
By Shelby Hofer –
In the midst of an emotional breakdown last night I uttered a cry of complete desperation to my husband, “I am just a mom!” and was drawn up short by just how true that feels to me these days. Now, I don’t mean “just a mom” in the sense of what a mom DOES, because as we all know, that’s a freakin’ big job to DO. I meant “just a mom” in the sense of who I am, and that is what feels frightening to me. That is what stopped me mid-sob, because the truth of that statement is exactly what I’ve been trying to pinpoint these last few weeks as “The Problem”, the thing that is eating me alive and stealing my sense of reality. Another identity, a giant beast called “I am Mother”, has risen up and eclipsed all that I am, the very real “Me”, and that, my true identity, who I am, is helpless; slow-drowning in a bog of expectations and tasks that engulf me in a never ending set of tidal waves. The “I am” of the very core of my identity tries to rise from the undertow and gasp for a breath every now and then, but all too often these days just spends her time rolling around on the bottom of the ocean, lost in the ebb and flow of the storm, waiting for a breath, wondering if it will come, and falling into that slow death-like sleep that takes over just before real Death comes to claim us.
This is “The Problem”, or at least a very large part of it, “The Problem” being that I can hardly make it through a day without feeling like I’m literally, and very slowing, going insane. I can watch myself from outside of my body, and reflect on this interesting phenomenon fairly dispassionately, until the cries and needs of my children unsympathetically pull me back into my body, kicking and screaming, to face once more the emptiness that is “Me” while simultaneously trying to be everything that I’m supposed to be, do everything that I’m supposed to do, and clinging fruitlessly to the scraps of what I used to know as who I am.
It used to be that when people told me to “cherish every moment of this season because it passes so quickly!” that I wanted to punch them in the face. Now I don’t even have the energy for disbelieving anger. Now I just stare at them with glassy, tired eyes, and start to cry slowly inside. Because I am “just a mom”, and that just feels…bad. I don’t want to cherish every moment of this empty, dark place, because it feels like hell, and it’s not something I want to relive any more than my current reality demands of me. Yes, there are the small moments that shine like rays of sun through the gray clouds of my days. The first moment they say, “momma”, those smiles that melt your heart, those days where they sleep normally and you get an extended moment of peace. But then the clouds close up again, they start screaming for no known reason (or just because they are stubborn), they argue with you constantly, hit each other, fight, yell and generally misbehave. You can’t cook or clean or do the laundry because they crawl all over you, all the time, like tiny parasites that weigh a ton and suck the soul from your body. Pleasant, isn’t it?
I wish I had some sunny anecdote to share with you, and myself, that would make it all ok. Some small thing to give that would make it feel better, but the only thing I have to give is the knowledge that you are not alone. It feels that way sometimes, I know, but even though you may be “just a mom” right now, I have faith that the real identity of who I am, of who you are, will rise up one day, from the ashes of the destruction of this season, and will grow into something even more beautiful than it was before. I have Hope, and I give it to you, to me, and to those who suffer with us. It’s small, and fragile, but beautiful, and it will grow, just give it time.
When we are in a season of trials and suffering, often HOPE is the only thing we can cling onto. So if you are in one of these seasons – cling on to the Hope of Jesus and the new season that will come soon. As we end this month, find rest in that we don’t always stay in dreary winters.
Shelby is a full time stay at home mom to two little ninja-pirates, a part time missionary to Switzerland, and a full time lover of Jesus. When she’s not being yelled at for trying to pee alone, she enjoys coffee, talking and listening to people’s stories.
by Christine Sine
Tom and I are on our way to Iona, Scotland as part of our celebration for our 25th wedding anniversary, so it isn’t surprising that Celtic prayers are uppermost in my thoughts, or that today’s post is particularly short. Today’s prayer was inspired by Patrick’s breastplate and by John O’Donohue’s prayer I Arise Today which I posted a couple of weeks ago. The rich sense of history, the closeness of the presence of God and the wonder and joy of exploring this precious place once again is amazing for me.
I appreciate your prayers as we travel, soak in the rich history and wonderful spiritual environment of this place and just enjoy each other and the gift of travel God gives us. I hope you enjoy the prayer. I think this trip could inspire many more!
By Lilly Lewin—
One of my passions is to bring art and artists back into worship. Once upon a time, before the Reformation, the artists told The Story. The artists were the ones who brought the Bible to life in paint, stone, wood and color. Sadly we threw the baby out with the bath water and art and imagery left most church buildings. We were left to our ears to receive the Good News. I remember the very first time I watched an artist paint in response to a sermon. I began sobbing. So many friends of mine who are artists never were invited to use their gifts in church and especially not in a worship setting. They didn’t know that their gifts were valuable, and needed, to help tell of the love of Jesus and help engage a visually driven culture.
Since that time, I have been on a mission to bring art back into worship. I know that singing and music are art forms, but I am talking about visual art and artists. I love using the art of the Masters as well as contemporary art pieces to help people engage God and provide a focus for prayer and worship. I love inviting artists of all kinds to share their gifts in a worship gathering. And I love providing art supplies in worship settings so all ages can create prayers and express themselves.
One of my favorite visual artists is my friend Scott Erickson http://scottericksonart.com/
. I met Scott many years ago when he was painting live at the National Youth Worker’s Convention. Since then, Scott has been an artist in residence at churches in Houston, Seattle, and Portland, been on staff with World Vision and created wonderful art pieces to help us respond to God. He even travels with an amazing one-man show called “we are not troubled guests” as well as speaking and teaching about art in worship and “live” painting at churches and conferences all over the US. Scott just finished a new series of art pieces on Practices http://scottericksonart.com/portfolio/spiritual-practices-downloadable-art-show/
that you can download for your own use or for your church community to use. He also has a great prayer book that I used during Lent this year. You can also find great inspiration from his video series “Why the Church needs Art” http://scottericksonart.com/video/
Check out Scott’s amazing work http://scottericksonart.com/
And follow him on instagram too!
https://www.instagram.com/scottthepainter/?hl=en
Your mission for the weekend: Is to take yourself on an art date! Try out one of the ideas below!
I don’t know who said this but I quote it all the time in my workshops, “we are all artists til about second grade, then we start comparing our drawings with other people’s and we stop believing in our own creativity. “ It’s time to reclaim our creativity and believe we are artists again!
- So grab some crayons, some side walk chalk, some markers, or water colors and create something! Allow the Holy Spirit to inspire you with color and texture. Enjoy the process and don’t worry about the final outcome. Just do it!
- If you enjoy drawing our doodling, start taking your sketchbook and art supplies to church and drawing in response to the sermon/talk. What images come to mind from the music, or from the scripture passage or from the message preached or taught?
- Draw a large heart on a piece of paper or cardboard, use magazines to find words and pictures that represent what God’s heart for you is all about. Cut out pictures and words that represent God’s heart for you.
What is in God’s heart? How does God feel about you? What gifts does God want to give to you?
Draw these in the heart or cut out words and pictures from magazines and create a collage of love.
- Go to an art museum or art gallery and let the Holy Spirit be your guide. What do you notice? What art piece speaks to you?
Freerangeworship.com
http://www.freerangeworship.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lillylewin/?hl=en
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he/she grows up.”
Pablo Picasso
I posted this prayer on the Facebook page Light for the Journey this a few years back. It is a beautiful prayer and I wish I knew who wrote it. As you enter this weekend and prepare for your own Sabbath rest, sit quietly for a few moments and rest your own soul. Read the prayer aloud and let its truth seep into your soul. Sit with it. Breathe in deeply. Read it through again. What is God saying to you about your need for Sabbath rest?
God whose labor led to light and growth,
darkness and nurturing,
creatures of sea and all crawling things on the earth;
God whose labor led to all life and all beauty;
God whose labor culminated in Sabbath rest,
laying down the beautiful and hard work of that week:
help us also to lay down
the labor of our weeks
in Sabbath rest.
Help us to meet in silence and song,
hearing your Word speaking anew to our needful spirits.
Help us to release our many cares
into your and one another’s keeping.
Help us to find renewal from our burdens,
the sorrows and fears that weigh on us,
the tragedies marring the world’s beauty.
Guide us to Sabbath rest, O God—
And once we have experienced its settling—
once we have been refreshed in its healing—
lead us into work once again:
the work of healing others,
and co-creating the Shalom of your dreaming.
Author unknown
As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small amount for purchases made through appropriate links.
Thank you for supporting Godspace in this way.
When referencing or quoting Godspace Light, please be sure to include the Author (Christine Sine unless otherwise noted), the Title of the article or resource, the Source link where appropriate, and ©Godspacelight.com. Thank you!