42759 Day 234

sabbath


this day off/sabbath routine on thursdays is still taking some getting used to.  but we had a great day exploring new parts of the city, using a gift card at trader joe's, eating burritos, and not doing work!

21159 Day 19

exploring

something amy and i like to do on our day off is to go exploring things around the city. somehow in our year plus here we have not yet been to the arnold arboretum. today we took our bikes over and went for a ride! it was a crisp, fall day, perfect for exploration and we had a great time. we are still not good at sabbath (mostly me) but these kinds of moments are helping us get better.

19859 Day 6 (project_365)

gratitude

our ability to get up to new hampshire this weekend is due completely to the generosity of my parents. there was a point, a couple of months ago, where we weren't sure if this plan was going to work...not knowing what our schedules/life would look like made getting out of town an uncertainty. but, as it turns out, we needed this weekend away badly and so the last couple of days have been a HUGE blessing to us. and, just as important, it was great to hang out and connect with family, which is always a challenge when you live 3000 miles away and in a time zone that makes phone calls difficult. so, thank you mom and dad for this great gift!

19759 Day 5 (project_365)

weekend_away

we were able to get up to new hampshire this weekend for some time away and some much needed relaxation before the semester really gets going. we were in an area of NH known for its lakes and the white mountains. this is a view of squam lake. pretty cool.

18359

one of my favorite phrases used by the kids i work with is "been knowed."  as in "i been knowed that," as in "i already knew about that which you speak of before this present moment."  for some context, you might overhear the following conversation:

some second grader: "i'm smarter than you even though you in third grade."

some third grader: "no you ain't."

second grader: "aight...what's 6 times 6."

third grader: "i been knowed that since first grade...36!"

sometimes, for emphasis, you might even hear: "i been DONE knowed that," just to drive the point home.

as someone who grew up in the church, went to seminary, and has served a church community as a pastor there are a number of elements and practices that feel like "i been knowed."  one of those is sabbath.  i been knowed that sabbath is important, that we need rest, that God rests and invites us into that rest.  but, despite being a pretty relaxed person, i really stink at sabbathing.

a couple of months ago, at church, we talked about finding joy in the midst of exhaustion, a sermon that hit WAY close to home.  for most of the year amy and i have been extremely busy monday through friday, working over 50 hours a week at our respective jobs/schooling (plus community group and coffee meetings with people), then going over to Qunicy street on saturday mornings, cleaning the house on saturday afternoon, going out with friends/dates on saturday night, going to church on sunday morning which involves travel and means we aren't home until mid afternoon, which leaves just enough time to do the laundry and dishes and go to bed and start the whole thing all over again.  i just got exhausted rereading that sentence.  something had to be done.

so, we've made saturday our sabbath.  which has been hard because it means saying no to some really good things.  like being present in the quincy street neighborhood on saturday morning.  or not doing every social thing available to us on the weekends.  it gives the impression of being a flake or antisocial.

i think that's been harder on amy who has a longer history with quincy street than i do (and i get more than enough kid time during the week).  plus she's taking on an administrative role over there, meaning she's behind the scenes, which, as she can tell you, has pluses and minuses.  

difficulties aside, we've found this new practice of sabbath to be really good...life giving and life saving, to be perfectly honest.  i've recently been reading The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God's Call to Justice which argues that a life of justice is the natural outpouring of our worship of God.  particularly affirming and convicting has been a chapter titled: "Doing Justice Starts with Rest."

two good quotes:

"justice is God's business.  God's people are important but are secondary players in this cause.  the gospel underlines that only God can establish peace and justice.  faithful worship shows that God is relentless in this and wants to use us in the effort.  but God calls us to live out of his rest, which teaches us in matters of injustice, as in all else, that we do not have the final authority or responsibility."

and 

"our engagement in works of justice arises out of a worshipful life.  it comes not out of being activists but out of living in God's rest, every day.  this is one of the most profound aspects of a Christian social ethic.  it is not that we are meant to find our lives by being community organizers.  it is that, as we live in the rest of God, we live in our true home, in the heart of God in Christ, in whom 'all things hold together.'"

all of that to say, i "been knowed" that sabbath is important, but i am finally experiencing that in a real, tangible, sacrificial, life giving way right now.