The Power of Habit

It’s a new year and we are all tempted to read (or write!) blog posts about new resolutions we want to implement. One advantage of quarantine is that you have a choice to “fix” a routine, considering every day is pretty much the same. Since this is my second 14-day self-isolation sentence in 6 months due to traveling, I discovered the magic of having a consistent routine.

Humans do better with routine or structure, (up until a certain point that is). Daily structure can be very helpful now that we have all become more “internally structured” rather than relying on external structure to govern our time.

I found myself asking: What routines or habits to I already have in place? Things I do everyday:

I thank God for the day even before I set foot out of bed. Thank you for this day, for waking me up this morning and for giving me purpose.

I make a cup of coffee. If I am honest, I have turned into a coffee snob and make a homemade drip coffee with a specific kind of coffee beans, filter, water tempt, etc. I have gotten to where I enjoy the process!

I have a “Devo/Jesus time” every day. Sometimes I listen to worship music, pray through my list, read my Bible reading plan, and journal. Other times I sit in silence and just make a mental grateful list.

I eat breakfast and drink water. LOTS of water!

I try to cook/fix at least one meal a day.

I try to do some kind of physical exercise or stretching, even if it is only 10 minutes. (In addition to a workout routine.)

I dwell on the positive, instead of the negative. I focus on things I can control, like my reactions, and pray about the things I can’t. Why stress myself or worry about things that are out of my control and put my trust in the One who CAN?  

I clean up my space so I can start fresh in the morning – all the dishes are washed, everything is put away or stashed out of sight, closet door is closed, etc.

I wash my face, brush my teeth/floss, shower, moisturize.  Every. Single. Night.

I read something before bed. Usually a fiction that is easy to follow!

Thank God for the day, his provision, protection, and care over me as I drift off to sleep.

Mot of these are habits that I do without any effort. However, what if I were to be more intention with the habits I do have instead of introducing new ones that take 21 days to become habits? Can I pray or listen to the audio Bible while I cook? Can I memorize scripture while I brush my teeth?

What are some of your routines you have found helpful? What do you do every day, without fail?

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” 

— John C. Maxwell

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/340617

Mountain Top Moments

 Have you ever had a “mountain top moment?” Life is full of highs and lows, but can you look back in your life and name the high moments? Maybe it was the day you got accepted into that one school, passed that one class. Maybe it was your wedding day or the arrival of a special family member, or a holiday filled with great family memories. Maybe it was the day you had an encouraging conversation with someone who wanted to know Jesus. Maybe it was the first time you experienced God’s presence for yourself…

Have you ever had a moment you have experienced God in a supernatural way - moments you know without a shadow of doubt that there is a God who loves you? Where somewhere deep in your soul you feel fully known and fully loved?  

I had my own mountain top experience recently. Literally. 

I found a mountain side trail during a personal retreat. As I started hiking the trail, I felt the wind beckoning me to “come and see” what was at the top. Once I got to the top, I sat down to watch the sun sink into the surrounding hillside, behind the trees, casting a magnificent view over the valley. It was breathtaking. And there seemed to be this precious peace, enforcing you to whisper to protect the moment. It seemed like it was an invitation to come and rest. Enjoy the view, breathe, and practically feel the stress melt away… 

I remembered a song my sister suggested so I put it on to listen to the words.

You will never leave

Your love sustaining me
Before I even knew
What love was

You've brought me here to rest
And given me space to breathe
So I'll stay still until
It sinks in

And I will lean back in the loving arms
Of a beautiful Father
Breathe deep and know that He is good
He's a love like no other

And now I can see Your love is better
Than all the others that I've seen
I'm breathing deep, of all Your goodness
Your loving-kindness to me
“Lean Back” by Maverick City Music:

 

In that moment, I knew why I was there. I had come here to lean back into His arms, to remind myself of His love, and to rest. It never felt so good! I couldn’t stop smiling! My heart was singing!

 

During the next two weeks, I started noticing this theme of “mountains” appearing in every conversation, every story I was absorbing from Scripture….(Have you ever wondered how symbolic mountains are in the Bible?)

·          Moses goes to Mt. Sinai to seek God’s face and direction for the nation he was now leading.

·          Elijah goes to Mt. Carmel to display God’s power to the prophets of Baal, and asks God for rain!

·          Jesus often retreats to the mountains to pray in solitude.

·          Jesus prayed at the Mount of Olives before he is executed on Calvary (a hill).

·          In Psalms, mountains are often used as symbols of stability, things that never change. 

 

Throughout Scripture mountains are a place where God’s Spirit dwells, a symbol of His majesty and stability. As powerful as mountain tops moments seem to be, we were never meant to stay on the mountain.

 

There is a time to go to the mountain to seek God’s face and then there is a time to walk with Him (by faith) through the valley.

 

Hmm… I wonder where else mountains have been a part of my story?  I found myself asking.

When I was discerning where to serve after graduation, I remember worshiping at church on a Sunday while we sang “All the Poor and Powerless” and the words to the bridge said:

Shout it

Go on and scream it from the mountains

Go on and tell it to the masses

That He is God

 

In full surrender of the moment, my heart cried, Ok God, where are these mountains and masses? Let’s Go!

The Vancouver skyline, with the mountains surrounding a sea of 2.5 million people flashed in my mind. It couldn’t have been any clearer what the next step was. After the service, I made my way to the alter to surrender my will to his, where He wanted me, whenever He wanted to send me, that’s what I will say yes to.

In hilarious irony, three years later I am walking with Him in this literal “valley” at UBC.

 

Some questions to ponder:  

What has your mountain top moment been?

How have you experiences “walking by faith” in the valley?

What has helped you fix your eyes on Jesus during those times?

Coaching Lifestyle

If COVID has taught us one thing, it would be to take time to notice things around us. Not only our use of proxemics, but also our mannerisms and eye contact. We follow (or ignore altogether) the signs posted on every door, floor and window. Stand here, don't sit here, wear your mask, wash your hands, don't touch you face, etc. So many things to be mindful of. It can be stressful! (Don't even get my started about the shopping at the grocery store...) 

But then there are everyday things mindfulness benefits. 

I have tried to become more mindful of what I put into my body, what I allow my thoughts to dwell on, how to sort and process emotions, and enjoying simple things like rain clouds and spider webs. Last week, I spend 30 minutes admiring an intricate spider web, marveling at his precision and work ethic! 

Mondays are the days I set aside to mindful meditate on the mundane while taking a break from my monotonous schedule.  On a recent sunny Monday, I was grateful to enjoy the afternoon in my hammock. One of my favorite places to hammock is by the sports fields because there is bound to be at least one other person enjoying the day. I unpacked my hammock kit to set up camp. The kit usually consist of something cold or warm to drink, a snack, a book, my journal, ear buds, and of course my hammock. 

This week I was happy to see I made it just in time for ladies rugby practice! I watched as they carried the heavy equipment to the field, hydrated, and then assembled into a ring surrounding the coach. In a delight foreign accent, he gave some instructions for the day and they started stretching. You would have thought I was attending an important game as I pulled out my snacks and smiled excitedly for the game to start! 

But as I started watching the coaches talk to their players, explain the drill, and give verbal affirmation I started writing down observations and was struck by this reality - I have the same responsibilities! 

Up until this point of my life and ministry, I have always considered myself a team player who has to make certain sacrifices, work hard and faithfully in order to win. But now, I can see how God is building me to become more of a coach. One where instead of following a coaches command, I have been asked to lead a group of players. These players come in the form of university students who are trying to figure out life and faith for themselves. As a coach, it is my responsibility and honor to disciple them and help equip them with what they will need when following Jesus. We take prayer walks and learn how to pray, we study scriptures together and set up reading plans. We practice sharing the Gospel and practice conversation starters. As a coach, I look at the big picture and vision cast to them who then go out and do these things "on the field". 

On Netflix, there is a show called The Playbook: A Coach's Rule for Life which I found fascinating. I have a long list of questions for coaches when given the opportunity to ask! 

Here are some questions for you: 

1. Who is your coach and what impact have the had on you? Do you remember your coaches names? How did they help shape you as a person?

 2. Do you consider yourself a coach or an athlete? 

3. Who are you coaching/leading/discipling? What are you teaching them to do in order to succeed/ thrive in their faith? 

It's called "Faith-fully Complaining"...

Seven months ago, I was walking with a friend through a park. I was sharing about some of the things I was wrestling with at the time - loneliness, lost sense of purpose, I was not happy with my circumstances, it was a typical three steps forward, two steps back. Some things were changing, others were not changing fast enough. After spilling all of that out, she looked at me and said, “Maybe you need to learn to lament…”

I had no idea what that meant, but I spend the next hour staring at the duck pond lost in thought. During the next few weeks that topic came up over 10 times. It was everywhere! I went to a conference and a friend shared this message. The next weekend I was helping host a breakout session at another conference titled “How to Worship in Hard Times.” Flipping through journal entries, I was shocked to see so many pages about this topic, (which would give anyone else who read them understandable concern!) God has been sowing these seeds in my life for MONTHS – which made me question,

  God, what are you preparing me for or who do you want me to give this word to?  

I had no idea that 2020 would radically change the plans I had mapped out for the next 8 months, in a matter of a weekend. I had no idea that school would be over, students would leave campus and I wouldn’t even get to hug them goodbye. I had no idea that I would be “stuck” in Canada not knowing when I would get to see my family again. I had no idea that an illness would become a global pandemic, forcing governments to lock down, economies to crumble, and isolate people from each other. In a matter of hours, I was faced with too many hard decisions that affected a large group of people, failing to answer the questions being thrown at me, over- analyzing whether I should go Texas before the border closed.

  God, what do you want me to do?

Silence. 

Confusion. 

Questions. 

Pain. 

Silence.  

For a while I was just numb. I didn’t know what to do, what to think, or even how to pray. Grief is a process that goes through a cycle of shock, denial, acceptance, and adapting to a new normal. I was stuck somewhere between shock and denial for over a week. I couldn’t believe what was happening on a personal level, much less a global level! Living in an international city, the fear is tangible. (Side not: I will never again watch an apocalyptic movie because I felt like I walked into one on a trip to downtown one day.) My emotions were all over the place, I was disoriented with no concept of time (or days). I had no energy, because as an extrovert, I gain energy just being around people. (This is the first time I have lived by myself, too!) I felt like I was failing others by not reaching out to check on them, because I was drowning in my own struggle.

I felt like I was at the beach standing in the ocean, turning around to enjoy the view of the shore from the water. When all of a sudden, a wave came up behind me with a powerful force, knocking my knees, pulling me under. I started flailing my arms to rise about the water so I can breathe, but it was quickly zapping my energy. Suddenly, my feet felt a rock just below the surface allowing me to stand to catch a breath. That rock became my refuge, a safe place from the waves threaten to overwhelm me.

“God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore, I will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains are moved into the heart of the sea.” Psalms 46:1-2

He has been my refuge – a safe place to breathe.

He has been my strength – especially when I have none.

He is an ever-present help in these troubled times. That even when things we thought were invincible and stable (like earth and mountains), we do not have fear! Just like clinging to the rock in the ocean, I cling to this truth in an ocean of uncertainty.

Psalm 46 has been on my heart, mind, and arm the past week. Literally, I designed a henna tattoo I drew on my arm as a reminder of God’s presence and strength! 

This has changed the way I have adapted to this “time of trouble”, how I structure my day, how I encourage others, and even how I pray. For a while, I was afraid to lament and intercede for others due to my own insecurities of doubts and pain. My heart was breaking for those who have no home to go to, for the students who won’t get to celebrate their hard work at graduation, for the weddings of friends being postponed, or the summer travel plans cancelled. So much loss and not enough closure. I couldn’t do it. I denied Jesus’ invitation to “weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn.” All held back because of my own weakness. Jesus was not afraid of weakness, because He saw it as an opportunity for His Father's glory to be displayed. Instead, Jesus entered into people's pain, sat with them, cried with them, prayed over them, and pointed them back to the Father. Actually, the most beautiful lament recorded is Jesus in the Garden the night before He was sent to the cross. He was lamenting over the events of the next 24 hours…

Lament – a faith-filled complaint to the Lord. Lament says "its ok not to be ok" with your circumstances, to question, and to even doubt as long as you are standing on the foundation of the Truth of who God is. Jesus was anxious about what was coming – all the suffering and pain he felt when he became the sacrifice for all humanity. He felt the weight of darkness creeping up to him, threaten to overthrow him. He was so anxious he started sweating drops of blood! 

He knew it would break his heart. 

He knew he couldn’t do it in his own strength. 

He knew that God was with Him, even then! 

Yet He surrendered, “...not my will be done, but yours, Father.” 

Did you know that 2/3 of the Psalms are laments? David asks God so many questions as he wrestles through life events and hardships during his reign as king. Yet, he was still considered a “man after God’s own heart” because his foundation was on who God was as the Great I Am. David vocally vented his frustration, pain, and confusion regarding his circumstances, but still acknowledged God as God.
I don't know about you, but I have a lot of frustration, grief, and confusion swimming through my mind during the last few weeks. I have stuggled to make sense of it, but after reflecting on all these seeds God has been sowing in my life, I take this time as an invitaion to lament. To not be ok with the circumstances around me (that doesn't mean I am negative or judgmental, but rather honest) and yet still remain firm that God is good. I have been holding on to these truths for dear life: 

He is in control and he is unchangable - when everything else is changing. 

He is unshakable - even when everything else is shifting.
He is unstoppable - he is not limited bywalls, doors, of even 6 feet.
He embraces us, holds us, provides for us, comforts us, and loves us unconditionally.  That is just who He is. 

So I will leave you with two questions to consider... 

1. What do you need to lament to God about today?

“What else alters your vision than with tears? Be religiously inappropriate, God is not limited by your vocabulary or your pride!” – Aaron White with 24/7 Prayer Canada

2. What truth about God do you cling to? (What scripture do you base your answer on?)

*Images from Google Images and https://www.tvcresources.net/resource-library/articles/the-lost-art-of-lament

Ordinary into Extraordinary

Have you ever had a thought so fascinating that it consumes your mind and leaves you in awe? Last week I posted a link on Facebook about snowflakes. The website was loaded with micro images of delicate snowflakes. Marveling at the intricate details of the “frozen fractals”, I was left in awe and wonder. Breathtaking. Unique. Beautiful.

God takes ordinary things and does extraordinary things through them, for His glory.

This Christmas season, I have been reflecting on God’s use of ordinary objects, places, and people, to bring attention to His power. A girl. A carpenter. A small town. A stable. A feeding trough. A couple socially award outcasts called shepherds. A star.

God trusted mankind to raise His Son in a small town, with a humble family, and a common occupation of wood working. When Jesus was 30 years old, he began his public ministry (30 doesn’t seem so bad anymore, Hallelujah!). John baptized him in the river and proclaimed Jesus was the Messiah everyone was waiting for! (Since John and Jesus were cousins, I wonder if they had met each other before this?) Once in the womb, John leapt for joy when his mother Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied to Mary:

Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit in your womb! But who am I that the mother of my Lord would come to me? As soon as I heard your voice, the baby leapt inside my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord!

How kind of God to give Mary a sign to confirm what was spoken to her from the angel! She found her cousin Elizabeth pregnant with John, just like the angel Gabriel had told her! John was also a part of the fulfillment of prophecy. I can’t help but wonder what was going through John’s mind when Jesus came walking into the Jordan River to greet him to request his baptism.

After being baptized by John, Jesus began inviting ordinary men to follow him. Fishmen. A tax collector. A thief. He walked with them through life, taking intentional moments to teach them about the Kingdom of Heaven and what was to come. On his last night with his followers, he took bread and a cup from an ordinary meal and made it something the followers of Jesus partake in today. The bread now symbolizes Jesus’ body that was given for us, and the wine symbolizes his blood that was to be poured out for the sake of the world.

Then they took an ordinary tree and formed it into a cross. This cross, that used to be a symbol of fear and death, now stands for mercy and unconditional love.

God took an ordinary man and made him new. God now takes ordinary people and transforms them into extraordinary vessels that He empowers to bring His name glory.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” – 2 Corinthians 4:7

Jars of clay were used as common household items that can be easily disposed of if rendered useless. The could hold anything from important family documents to food waste. We are ordinary people and He is an extraordinary God. Who are we that He would entrust this message of hope and salvation for all of the world? 

This Christmas I encourage you to not give material things to others that will collect dust, but give a gift that you will not receive back. Give you time, attention, and love to those around you. After all, the greatest gift that God has given us is Himself.

There is Another in the Fire with You

I live in a place where I literally bump shoulders with thousands of people every day, yet still feel completely alone. Loneliness is a plague and a kill-joy. It makes you wallow in a hole of self-pity that can easily attack your identity if not held in check.

“Why do others hate me?”

“Why do I never get invited to things?” 

“What’s wrong with me?”

The following song has been so powerful in my walk lately. Trails, hardships, pain, stress, “persecution” are all things that are a part of this life on earth because of the Fall. (Yes, THE Fall of mankind from Genesis 3, check it out if you need a refresher.) The consequences of Adam and Eve’s choice sent the world into a downhill spiral. Things have never been the same since. Sometimes life sucks.

You failed an exam.

You didn’t get the job you wanted. The drama in your family is too much to bear.

You lose someone you loved. Sickness threatens to control everything.

You miss out on life events of the people you love because you are far away from home.

You are being used, rather than pursued.

Pain is real (and so is the struggle). What do you do when it threatens to take over your thoughts, emotions, and identity? 

Sometimes it feels like you are thrown into a fire with no hope of getting out. Have you ever experienced this? Well, 3 guys have! The lyrics are based off a story in Daniel, about 3 young men who lived in Babylon after the nation of Israel was taken captive. They were drafted to serve the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar (Lord, bless that child’s name). Part of this process was a sort of “brainwashing” where they were educated in the language, literature and rituals of the pagan gods the king served. They even had their names and diet changed to reflect a new “identity”.  Well, these 3 men who loved God denied eating the food the king brought to them (that had also been sacrificed to the gods) and the ritual of bowing down to worship the gods. They stood firm for their faith in the Almighty God and were thrown into a fiery furnace, heated 7 times more than it usually was to insure their fate. It was so hot, that the officials ushering these 3 men into the furnace were scorched! However, after counting how many men were thrown in, the guards were shocked to see four men walking around in the fire, unaffected by the flames surrounding them. By the king’s order, they brought out the men only to find no evidence they had been anywhere near a fire. Their clothes were unharmed, and they didn’t even smell like smoke! (Read the whole story here) There was another in the fire, walking with them. He never left them.

With this story in mind, reflect on this song… 

(or watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMw_9AhsJFs )

"Another In The Fire"

There's a grace when the heart is under fire
Another way when the walls are closing in
And when I look at the space between
Where I used to be and this reckoning
I know I will never be alone

There was another in the fire
Standing next to me
There was another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
Of how I've been set free
There is a cross that bears the burden
Where another died for me

There is another in the fire

All my debt left for dead beneath the waters
I'm no longer a slave to my sin anymore
And should I fall in the space between
What remains of me and this reckoning
Either way I won't bow to the things of this world

And I can see the light in the darkness
As the darkness bows to Him
I can hear the roar in the heavens
As the space between wears thin

I can feel the ground shake beneath us
As the prison walls cave in
Nothing stands between us
Nothing stands between us

And there is no other name
But the name that is Jesus
He who was and still is
And will be through it all
So come what may in the space between
All the things unseen
And this reckoning
I know I will never be alone

The book for Micah mentions the “refiners fire” where he holds the gold in the middle of the fire and lets all the impurities melt away. He doesn’t throw it in the fire and leave it. The gold is too precious! Instead, he holds it until it is finished with the process. How does he know when the impurities are gone? When he can see his reflection in the gold. That’s exactly what God does with us. He hasn’t left us alone in the fire. Instead he holds it through the process. We are all in the process of sanctification – the process of becoming more like Jesus.

James 1:2-5 challenges, “Consider it pure joy [throw a party because God’s up to something!], my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds[make a list of the different things you are going through], because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance [among other things], and let perseverance have its full effect[finish the process], that you may be perfect and complete [like Jesus] lacking in nothing.” [BTV – Brindley Taylor Version]

These are the truths I cling to when trusting God is hard and I feel lonely and forgotten. I have been grateful for a great song to remind me that He is with me through the dark days. He is a trustworthy God!

Joel Houston and Chris Davenport talk about the story behind Another In The Fire by Hillsong UNITED - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xrE-JMAfMY

"Another in The Fire" by Hillsong UNITED 2019

A Fresh Start

 Do you ever feel like life came with a factory reset button? Like if you made a mistake that came with consequences you didn’t see coming, wouldn’t you like to be able to have a redo? Or you have fallen into a mindless cycle that you can’t get out of and need a fresh perspective? Or maybe you just need to refresh the page of your mind, clear it of junk, and start with a blank page?

Lately, have been going non-stop and haven’t taken time to recharge my battery. I have been so busy doing “things” that I haven’t taken time to rest. There have been times of sleep deprivation, neglect of physical health, mental, and spiritual health - because I think I can do it all my own. I haven’t spent time to reflect or process what is happening around me and where God is working.  I have missed those “divine appointments” with random people as I rush from one thing to another. But most of all, I miss spending quality time with Jesus. Only with Him have I been able to experience true rest – not just the absence of work, but shameless peace. I have been really convicted of not taking time to refresh and reset my priorities. I have asked myself: What does it actually mean to rest? I can sit around my house all day and binge on Netflix and still not feel rested. I can sleep for as long as I want still not feel rested…

Any doctor will tell you the importance of physical rest and that our bodies need it to function properly. Anyone who has pulled an all-nighter studying for a paper and had to take an exam the next day will tell you lack of sleep does not help productivity. However, could there be a difference between physical rest and spiritual rest?  The writer of Hebrews thinks so.

Hebrews chapter 4 differentiates between physical rest and redemptive rest:
"The nation of Israel, in the Old Testament, provoked the Lord to anger by disobeying – therefore they were not permitted to enter God’s rest."

In this passage, rest is referred to the Promise Land. God brought this nation out of slavery in Egypt so that they would be free to worship and enjoy Him. However, they started worshiping other things rather than God, turned their hearts away from Him. Of course, this made God angry and he sent them wandering around the desert for 40 years as a result of their decisions. 

According to John MacArthur, “the application of this picture is to an individual’s spiritual rest in the Lord, which has precedent in the Old Testament. At salvation, every believer enters true rest, the realm of spiritual promise, never again laboring to achieve through personal effort a righteousness that pleases God. The Lord wanted both kinds of rest for that generation which was delivered from Egypt.” 

When God created the world and it’s order, He created rest. In Genesis chapter 2 God finished all the work He had done and rested. He blessed the seventh day and made it holy – different than all the others. It’s not as if He needed rest (after all, He SPOKE the world into motion), but modeled the new created order.

There are still times when we need both kinds of rest, not just sleep. Rest was made to be a blessing to man “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” as Jesus reminds his followers when they were accused of doing “work” on a holy day (Mark 2:27). To be holy means to be “set apart” or “different” from the mainstream. The culture of humanity today is driven by work and performance. We are taught at a young age that if you perform well, you will receive worth. During potty training for toddlers, parents give their kids a reward for a job well done. As young kids play sports, now days they receive a reward for “participating” (don’t get me started…). The next 12 years (or more) of academics, students are pressured to perform well so they can receive good grades, so that they can get into the top universities, so that they can perform well at their job, and... you get the picture. What happens when you can’t preform up to those expectations? Life seems hopeless.  

In a world that is driven by work and performance, it is easy to feel inadequate. Often times, I feel like I fall short on my work, therefore I am not valuable to others. There are always more things to do, more people to serve, more people to listen to, and more energy needed to accomplish them all. It is a never ending “rat race”. The world around me likes to throw shame for not keeping up, but that’s ot how it was created. But God reminds me that my worth is not based on my performance. (See my last article “You Say…”)  Praise God that I can rest in the fact that I am accepted, loved, and valuable just for being me based on what Jesus did on the cross. By believing and accepting Jesus’ gift of life to me I can now live in freedom!

Okay, I know there is a difference from physical rest and redemptive rest. But what does that look like practically? Reset the pace of your life and take a day to practice redemptive rest. I am still learning what that looks like... 

Sometimes I just go for a long walk in the cool of the evening or chase the sunset. 

Sometimes I curl up on the couch and read an encouraging book.

·     Sometimes I journal ideas I am processing (a lot of my blog articles come out of journaling!). Sometimes I go explore a new area of the city or a new coffee shop.

·     Sometimes I sleep in and stay in my PJ’s allllllllll day.

·     Everyday I strive to read something in scripture and reflect on it throughout the day.

·     Everyday I thank God for waking me up this morning and for giving me purpose.

·     Everyday I aim to list off things I am thankful for instead of presenting a long list of things I still want.

·     Everyday I ask God to reset my priorities to make Him first in my life and my “work” last. After all, I am first called to Him, then what I do flows out of that!

I am reminded of Romans 12:1-2 which commands “do not conform to the pattern [set by] this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” The Message Bible phrases it this way:

“Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”*

Let God produce a healthy work/rest cycle in your life! Discover and fall in love with Jesus, the more time you spend with Him, the more time you want to give Him.

*Just a note that the Message Bible “is a highly idiomatic translation, using contemporary slang from the US rather than a more neutral International English, and it falls on the extreme dynamic end of the dynamic and formal equivalence spectrum.”