
He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. —Mark 6:31
Out of Alignment
When our priorities, values, and schedules are out of alignment, things begin to
Many of us are running so fast that we don’t even have
We live in a society that makes it hard to slow down, but busyness is still a
Striving not to miss anything is a surefire way to miss the most
“It has been said that the real problem in prayer is not the absence of God but the absence of us. It’s not that God isn’t there; it’s (nine times out of ten) that we are not. We are all over the place, entertaining memories, fantasies, anxieties. God is simply there in unending patience, saying to us, ‘So when are you actually going to arrive? When are you going to sit and listen, to stop roaming about, and be present?’” —Rowan Williams
Jesus: A Life Aligned (John 10:10)
Not only does Jesus teach us how to live abundantly, he also
Our goal is to live as disciples or
“To follow Jesus is to become his apprentice. It’s to organize your entire life around three driving goals: 1. Be with Jesus. 2. Become like him. 3. Do as he did.” —John Mark Comer
Jesus frequently withdrew, prayed, and
Lent is the 40-day season (not including Sundays) of self-examination, fasting, and recommitment leading up to
During Lent, we ask where our lives are out of alignment with the way of Jesus, and we begin to
One way of realigning is to engage in the
“Jesus’ life rhythms, or the details of his lifestyle, have come to be called the ‘spiritual disciplines’…Whatever you call them, these habits, practices, or spiritual disciplines are how we follow Jesus.” —John Mark Comer
As we practice the way of Jesus, we open ourselves to God’s transforming
“What I can do is create the conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place, by developing and maintaining a rhythm of spiritual practices that keep me open and available to God.” —Ruth Haley Barton
The Practice of Sabbath
Sabbath is a
Sabbath was written into the fabric of
Sabbath was written into the fabric of the
To busy modern people, sabbath can feel like an imposition, an
Sabbath is much more than simply
Sabbath is a day of
The Hebrew word shabbat can mean both “to stop” and “to
Sabbath is a day to stop, rest, delight, and
If you are too busy to give God
“People who keep Sabbath live all seven days differently.” —Walter Brueggemann
Questions for practicing sabbath from Ruth Haley Barton:
- What activities will I
- What activities bring me
- Put the date on your calendar and
Action Steps
Choose to start Lent by worshipping with your community on Ash Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Make a plan today to take a sabbath in the next seven days.
My additional notes: