Hey all, I am heading off to Kentucky tomorrow to see the in-laws. In my absence Sunday night we welcome one of my favorite speakers in the Twin Cities--Pastor Kris Causton. Kris has been one of the our favorite guest-speakers around CrossRoads. I am sure you'll love her!

After preaching on Sabbath rest last Sunday I sought to live out the teaching on Monday (my day off). Years ago I heard Pastor Phil preach on Sabbath rest, and so it is not a new idea for me; however, I realized throughout the day how I had become lax in my devotion.

Please hear me. I am not arguing for a legalism in regards to the Sabbath, and if you listen to the teaching I hope that is clear. I do, however, feel taking a day to devote mind and body to rest and worship important for our spiritual growth. I know it's hard to hear my wife's voice if I never stop to listen. How much more God's?

As I went through my Monday, here are some observances I had:

Preparation for Sabbath rest is as important as Sabbath rest. I had gotten into the habit of taking care of a lot of business on my Mondays--paying bills, running errands, checking email, etc. I get my email on my phone and we just had a dishwasher break down and my daughter needed a haircut, so I kept leaning toward "taking care of business." Had I spent some time preparing for the Sabbath, I could have rescheduled the hair appt and the trip to Home Depot. It was all I could do to keep from checking my email throughout the day on my phone. I did, however, find great joy in saying, "No, I'm not going to do this or that." But the leaning to want to accomplish something was huge. I like to accomplish stuff.

Prayer, of course, seemed an important piece of a Sabbath rest, but again I didn't really spend enough time in preparation. Let me explain. I like to find time to be still in my prayer life. I like to sit and relax, close my eyes, light a candle, focus on my breathing and spend time in silent listening in addition to petitioning God for my requests. I began that process in the morning around 7:30, but then the dogs started barking and needed to be let out and then my son woke up, etc. Soon silence was a lot harder to come by. I think next Monday I will attempt this silent prayer earlier in the morning. I did get to spend time in my daily Bible study and found edification in that.

Recharging my inner engine is part of the goal of every Monday for me. Of course, this means different things to different people. I am an introvert in many ways, so I like to spend time alone reading a book at some coffee shop in the Twin Cities where no one knows me. Other people need to be around others, of course, and I would encourage all of us to prioritize whatever it is that recharges our soul. While I didn't get time to read much on my Sabbath, my parents were in town and my son and I got a chance to go out to lunch with them. My parents are wonderfully encouraging people, and so they helped charge my battery a bit. I know all of us have people who build us up and people who tear us down. While we are called to be in community with both types of people, I would encourage all of us to reserve our Sabbath rest for people who fire us up rather than the opposite.

Unplugging is also going to be important for my family and me on these days. Mondays don't work as good Sabbath rest days for the rest of my family, so Sunday's will be that day for the rest of them (except my wife works on Sundays too...hmmm...we'll have to figure that out). Anyway, we announced to the kids our Sundays will be unplugged for now on. We had started using Tuesdays as unplugged last spring, but then got out of the habit during the summer. Of course, the kids loved the idea...NOT! But I think they will look back on this value later in their lives and appreciate it. We're also cutting the cable this fall so...

Anyway, that's just a bit of what I learned as I tried to process Sabbath rest in my own context. Again, please know I am not arguing for some legalism here. However, we should remember that Jesus, the disciples, the Apostle Paul all observed a Sabbath rest in their weeks. It is also the precedent in church history. I hope you will join me and the Church fathers and mothers as we seek to redeem time once every 7 days.

Sunday night we talked about the Bible as one of the places God always meets us. I put it in terms of story. If you know my story, my story becomes a passage-way into relationship with me. If you don't know my story, you might recognize me, but you won't really know me.

I also promised an outline of the way we do our biblical devotions at CrossRoads. It's very simple. We use the S.O.A.P. method.
S=Scripture. When reading the Bible, note the one or two verses that stick out most prominently.
O=Observation. Write out what you observe about the passage.
A=Application. Write out what you feel God is asking you to do in this passage.
P=Prayer. Write out a prayer in response to what you have encountered.

We are encouraging all people at CrossRoads to join us in a common trip through the Bible. The daily reading schedule can be found at www.mealgroups.org. Just click on "Online Devotional."

If you'd like to check out my devotional page, you can find it here.

There is a guaranteed meeting point between heaven and earth, between the ways of God and the ways of man. It's a portal, a connection point, a place where God always meets us, a place where God speaks. Join us Sunday night as we explore God's One Word.