Sabbath Gift

What happens if you don't rest as part of a workout program? 

1. Decreased performance. 2. Disinterest in exercise. 3. Mood changes. 4. Delayed recovery time.5. Elevated resting heart rate. 6. Fatigue. 7. Insomnia 8. Diminished appetite.  9. Fat gain. 10. Weakened immune system. 

What happens if you don't take a break from computer use?  

1.  Eye Strain or clinical dry eye can develop. 2. Neck and shoulder fatigue and injuries can occur. 3.  Weight gain is more likely. 4. The chance of depression triples.  5. Anxiety with life situations is increased. 6. Friendships and relationships suffer. 7. Back and hip pain increases. 8. Ulcers and digestive issues increase. 9. Insomnia. Weakened Immune system

What happens if you drive too long without taking a break?  

1.  Eye strain. 2. Accident and injury potential. 3. Shoulder neck and back injury. 4.  Mental fatigue and confusion

Are you seeing a pattern here? 

 I remember when I was little and was suppose to take a nap.  I HATED naps.  As an extravert my FOMO (fear of missing out) was already alive and well.  I can remember my grandma saying, "Oh I wish I could take a nap, you don't know how lucky you are!"  Well "lucky" is in the eye of the beholder sometimes.  I didn't feel lucky I felt like I wanted to be up!

As God assured Jeramiah, My plans for you are to prosper not to do harm,  grown ups give chikdren the gift of napping, because their little bodies need to recover, and as any parent can tell you, to make life easier for everyone involved. 

Our bodies cry out for rest

Our minds cry out for rest

Our spirits cry out for rest

The Lord of Sabbath has given us the answer.  Never forget Sabbath is a gift for our benefit!  Why wouldn't we do it?

Communing With the Creator

I want to surround my Sabbath with reminders of why I am keeping the Sabbath!  Music, exercise, art and peace.

“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” St. Francis of Assisi, author of this saying, was a master at proclaiming the gospel in creative ways. The creator of the living nativity, St. Francis made the good news of the birth of Jesus accessible to the people of his time through the use of worship visuals.

Andy Otto says, "Art has long been a way the Church has tapped into the divine.  art can unlock the secret depths of the heart. Though a painting stimulates the visual sense, there’s something about a painting that somehow touches the more interior parts of us too. "

Bob Gilroy has a wonderful site called, Prayer Windows.  There are steps on how to 

begin to pray with art.  
By adding something creative into Sabbath it seems like we commune with God THE Creator just a little bit.

In the Garden                                                                                            A view from above

 

I'm Sooooooooooooooo So Tired

Jennifer Lawrence, who is always a good time, was on David Letterman a while back.  She is a young lady that everyone seems to like and truly amuses Mr. Letterman.  She was working on one of the Hunger Games movies, and American Hustle.  Doing promo tours and parties, and premieres etc.  I know rough life right!

But in the charming way that she has, she just kept saying, "I'm so tired!  Soooooo, so tired!"  As I was watching I thought, "Oh honey, you can't say that!"  People don't want tired, they want perky, and peppy, and funny, and grateful. You have a dream job and people don't want to hear how tired you are.

She was able to pull it off with out any repercussions.  I think because it is not her normal state of being, and she was able to touch on something we are all feeling.  It made me think about how we as a society are under a lot of pressure to NOT be tired.  It isn't the American way.  It isn't acceptable, and yet studies show we are all really, really tired.  See the links below

• Insufficient Sleep is a Public Health Epidemic
• The Toll Of Sleep Loss In America
• Sleep Deprivation affects a Third of Americans
• More Sleep Would Make Most Americans Happier

So why don't we go to bed?  And when we are in bed, why don't we sleep better.  There are lots of sites with suggestions on how to sleep better (that could be my next blog....my big fat sleep experiment!)

There's a controversial Cadillac commercial that's out right now.  One of the parts that bothers me is this man's seeming disdain for taking extended time off.   We have begun to refer to it as the "anti-Sabbath" commercial.

So my goal is to be eloquent and give some useful tips on this blog, but today I just wanted to bring you with me as I notice what we're doing to ourselves.  I see that we are not only ignoring Sabbath, but glorifying that ignorance.  

Try to carve out some Sabbath time this week.  Take a day, and declare it a day of rest.  I promise you will do better work, than if you ignore this gift of Sabbath which we have been given!

Why I Attend A Weekend Of Sabbath; The WOTE Dog Sled Trip

Dear Carrin,

I have lost count of the number of times I have joined this wonderful group of women on this January weekend. I attend to wittiness and connect to Gods amazing creation and restore my soul.

The anticipation and preparation begins after Christmas as communications and plans for this years trip are underway. This trip is one way to create a break in the patterned routine of my days.  When I see the bus and the many smiling faces climbing into it I see faces I've known for years and new faces of women I will soon meet.  I enjoy this sacred time set aside for renewing friendships and making new friends.  When my girls were little children this was a way to rest and rejuvenate myself. Now that these "girls" are women it is a way to enjoy and celebrate the wonderful women they have become. 

Arriving at the edge of the lake is always a joyful moment for me. We are welcomed to this amazing place and begin the walk across the lake. I enjoy hearing the crunch of the snow under boots, the smell of fresh cool air, the stars sparkling in the vast sky, the snowflakes reflecting this starlight like millions of diamonds, the peace and quiet that surrounds me like a warm blanket.

Then there is the warm glowing light of the beautiful lodge that appears in front of my eyes. I snuggle into my bed, smile, give thanks for this wonderful opportunity and close my eyes with anticipation of the experiences awaiting me. I awake to smells of brewed coffee, teas and hot coco, freshly baked bread, fruit and so many other treats I did not have to shop for, think about or prepare, what a treat!  

The lodge is filled with lively conversation and planning as we decide what we will experience in this day. I enjoy the change from the routine activities of my life.  The beauty of the snow covered woods strikes my mind and soul so deeply I pause and reflect often on Gods amazing creation in process. I witness and participate in this marvelous creation, I am awakened more fully.

This time allows me to see, feel, hear, smell, touch and engage in life more deeply.  I see and reflect on Gods creation in processes all around me. The person creating a piece of jewelry, hat, scarf or mittens. I look at the knitting and see one continuous thread running through the piece, the individual stitches, textures and colors. I am reminded how God runs through our community, how the integrity of the "community/scarf" can be quickly unraveled if one stitch is damaged.  The lesson of the lost lamb comes to my mind, I smile. We need each other and God is in all of us. I am reminded to embrace and strengthen the weak, each one has an important gift to share in the creation of the whole. I remember that sometimes I am weak and other times I am strong.  I look around and see God. In the one that plans and organizes, pieces the puzzle together, creates amazing food to nurture, the one that smiles, laughs, reads, quietly reflects, creates safe passage thru the wilderness, wags the tail, stokes the fire... All around I see God. In the trees, the sky, the moss, the lakes and ice, snow flakes "each one totally unique" just like people.

I could go on but basically I come on these trips to remember and experience God, get out of my blinding daily routine, rest and rejuvenate in a wonderfully supporting community of women. My soul as been restored, my cup runneth over. I have been reawakened to the majesty of creation and community once again.

Thank-you for creating this wonderful group and allowing me to be a part of this amazing community.

Peace and joy,

Teri

Sabbath in the Wilderness

I have just returned from "the edge!"  That's right, the edge I tell ya!  Women On The Edge went on a Dogsled, Ski and Snowshoe Adventure, an hour north of Grand Marais Minnesota.  (I know...it seems impossible that there is an hour left of Minnesota after Grand Marais, but there is!) This year our theme was "Catch Your Breath"

The camp is remote, we have to "pack in."  (Which is the cool way to say you haul in what you need under your own steam.)  and there is no cell service, no T.V., no videos...just peace, peace, peace.  From Thursday evening at 11 p.m. when we start our hike across the lake to get to camp, until Sunday morning when we hike back there is a tsunami of peace!

If I had to make a list (which I guess I have...repeatedly) of the things I want in my Sabbath, every one of them was realized on this weekend.

• Beautiful surroundings
• A place, time and activities which are different from the every day
• Wonderful company
• New challenges
• Time to worship
• Time to spend in prayer
• Time to read
• Time to do art
• Time to be
• Time

Every year, the third weekend in January is when we go on this amazing weekend.  I would love to have you experience a weekend where you can catch your breath

Christmas! Sabbath! Christmas Sabbath?

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen...  It's right there in the title.  We're suppose to rest.  Even in this crazy Christmas season.  Advent the time of preparation should be a time of peace and Joy and Hope, and Peace. Did I mention Peace?   Does "Silent Night, Holy Night" reflect your Christmas season?  Or is it more "12 Days of Christmas"  with shoppers (you) shopping, and wrappers (you again) wrapping, and bakers(still you) baking,  kids a crabbing, and lords a leaping (don't you just love a good leaper!)

This is the perfect time to build Sabbath into your life.  Below is my Top 10 list of how to do that!

1.  Make a list of the things you want/need to have happen for Christmas to be Christmas...let the rest go.  (Cookies...gone!  I don't need them, it was stressful for me, and my cookie baking crew is no longer local so...good bye cookies!)
2.  Ask for help.  Don't be afraid to delegate.  (Especially if you are hosting a gathering.  People are so happy it's not at their house, they're willing to do/bring almost anything!)
3.  Find AND ACTUALLY USE an Advent devotion each morning.  Get your day centered right from the start. (So many to choose from, might I suggest Luther Seminary's God Pause! (click here to subscribe to God Pause)
4.  Take a walk.  Make it a priority, NOT AFTER the "stuff" is done, but before! (I have gotten so good at leaving stuff  "'til later" that I may just give up housekeeping altogether!)
5.  Go to a mall just for the decorations and festive atmosphere.  I know it sounds crazy, but leave your wallet at home and just enjoy the sights and sounds and music.  Without the pressure of the lines and purchases to make, it is a lovely "indoor!" place to just be. Park faraway and use the walk in as your walk for the day(Think of it as your own personal arboretum, which someone decorated for you with great extravagance)
6.  Breathe.  (Please!  it really is a must)
7.  Get rid of 10 things.  (Um sorry relatives are not an option, I was thinking more like a bundt pan unless of course you make bundt cake relatively often.  In that case please drop one off...see #1!)
8.  Random acts of kindness!  Pay for the coffee of the stranger behind you in line, shovel a neighbor's walk...If you get stuck, click here for 101 ideas!  (If you're a baker drop off Christmas cookies to someone who doesn't bake any longer...um, see #1!)
9.  Sing like no one's listening. (click here to watch a Nativity reinactment of a little girl singing with abandon!)
10.  Enjoy your surroundings!  Lay under the tree and look up through the lights, walk through the neighborhood and watch for snowmen or pretty lights, be amazed by the snow, keep a running count of Christmas sweaters!


A few De-Stressing Sites

• 10 day guide
• skills you need
• time management strategies

Sabbath Rest

Don Postema says this about rest, "We all do it already-almost intuitively.  We work and we rest. We produce and we play. We cram for an exam and we celebrate.  We achieve, but then we find a way to escape: a movie, a concert...We labor and try to find an opportunity for leisure-a day off, a vacation- so we can get recharged and return to work refreshed.  And if we don't take time off, but just keep on working, we get so exhausted that our body reacts.  We become sp fatigued that we have to take a nap, or we get sick and are forced to stop."

In the book "Catch Your Breath" they go on to ask, "What is the typical pattern of your day or week?  How do you relax?  Do you find relaxing difficult? Wasteful? Guilt producing? Beneficial? Invigorating?"

I would love to hear how rest is incorporated into your life!

I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Come unto me and rest;
lay down, o weary one; lay down your head upon my breast."

I came to Jesus as I was, so weary worn and sad;
I found in him a resting place, and he has made me glad.

                                                                - Horatius Bonar

Sabbath Does Not Equal Perfect

Saturday we grocery shopped, and I spent a good (read exhausting) chunk of time prepping meals for the upcoming week.  (Evidently that's a thing...cooking for a week in one day.  The jury is still out on whether or not I'm a fan.)   I prepared Saturday's dinner, stew for Sunday (for the slow cooker of course) and a black eyed peas dish for later in the week.  (The legume...NOT the singing group)

So Sunday afternoon rolled around and there was no stew. (Apparently prepping a slow cook recipe is not enough, one needs to put it into the slow cooker!)  But that was Okay.  I had decided that I was putting WAY too much time on the meal portion of Sabbath, and not enough focus on the other things I wanted to do to make Sabbath meaningful.  So I thought I would spend some time exploring what it means to be thankful.  I found this quote, "Practicing thankfulness is one of the most powerful ways of thinking to bring about change in our circumstances."    But then the dog needed a walk; and I had to help my son with some homework he had ignored all weekend; and had homework of my own,which I had ignored all weekend; and the kids couldn't come over for dinner (which was fine since there was no stew anyway....) Sigh.  So I will continue to ruminate on thankfulness and how it relates to Sabbath, but in the meantime, this is what I have learned...

1. Just because I have declared it a day of Sabbath does NOT mean it is a day devoid of challenges. 
2. The whole world will not come to a halt and comply with my Sabbath wishes.
3. I would have made a very bad Pharisee!

Sabbath...and how it went bad

Sunday afternoon has  worked pretty well as Sabbath so far.  I work in the morning but then can call the rest of the day mine, most of the time.  This week I invited the kids over for dinner. I put a pork roast (It's a Christian Sabbath so the pork roast was fine I tell ya... fine!) in the crock pot, had steam-able bags of broccoli and an easy rice dish...  Thankfully "Sabbath" is NOT reliant on food.  The roast was boring, the Broccoli was frozen in the middle (even though I cooked it the recommended amount of time) and the rice was gummy....sigh.  It was seriously the worse meal I have prepared, maybe ever!  Luckily we ended the night with a rollicking game of  "Name 5", I did a little yoga and a devotion out of "Jesus is Calling."  I'm not sure that I'm doing anything so differently, except that in claiming that time as Sabbath, I am aware of slowing down, of reconnecting and filling my hours more purposefully.

A WAY BETTER Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin Recipe:

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

4 hours

Total time

4 hours 5 mins

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin that just melts in your mouth! This slow cooker balsamic pork tenderloin recipe is perfect for those busy weeknight supper or even special occasions!

Author: Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 2-3 pound boneless pork tenderloin
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

Instructions

1. Place pork tenderloin into the insert of your slow cooker. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over pork and set the timer for your slow cooker. (4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low)
2. Once pork tenderloin has cooked, remove from slow cooker with tongs into a serving dish. Break apart lightly with two forks and then ladle about ¼ – ½ cup of gravy over pork tenderloin.
3. Store remaining gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for another use.

Every seventh day a miracle comes to pass, the resurrection of the soul, of the soul of man and the soul of all things.  A medieval sage declares: The world which was created in six days was a world without a soul.  It was on the seventh day that the world was given a soul.   -Abraham Joshua Heschel

Setting Yourself up for Sabbath

Okay, it's Thursday...so how am I going to set my self up for my weekend Sabbath day?
Yes I said weekend.  I have been trying to claim Sunday as Sabbath and have found that I inevitably have something scheduled, so I have declared that 1 day of the weekend will be Sabbath, which I think will work for us for the present.  I'll let you know how it works!

• 1.  Check the Calendar:  Friday open, Sat teach yoga, do art with friends with friends, 5:00  work/church. Sunday work/church... check
• 2.  Make the decision what constitutes an Okay Sabbath activity for you and your family. Yoga, paining church...all good...check
• 3.  Make a menu plan for the day: Ham dinner...check
• 4.  Make a shopping list to make sure I have supplies:  Bakers, salad mix, asparagus...check
• 5.  Choose a focus or discipline for the day:  "Jesus is Calling" devotional...check

I'll let you know if the best laid plans actually come to fruition

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Soup
Recipe adapted from A Year in Slow Cooking
Serves 4
Time: 6-8 hours

Ingredients
2 cups pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
6 cups vegetable stock
2 carrots
1/2 white onion (about 1 cup chopped)
2 stalks celery (about 1 cup chopped)
2 tbsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 tbsp brown sugar (white sugar, agave, maple or honey would work too)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pepper (to taste)

Garnish
Soup Cream (leave out to make it vegan)
Fresh basil leaves

Directions
Dump the pumpkin puree, vegetable stock, sugar, garlic and spices into your crockpot and stir. Add the chopped vegetables.
*In all honesty, you can just dump everything in the crockpot at once give it a quick stir, and let it cook. It’s soup, not rocket science.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
*My crockpot cooks at a fairly high temperature, even on low, so it only took 6 hours. Yours might take closer to 8 hours. Cooking times vary per crockpot.

Blend the cooked soup in batches. This requires that you have an extra bowl handy to dump the blended soup into while you scoop the chunky soup out of the crockpot.
Add the blended soup back tot he crockpot and keep warm until ready to serve.
*If you want a creamy pumpkin soup, add 1/4 cup heavy cream while blending the soup and serve immediately.