Spiritual Disciplines Archives

Socials Sabbatical

It was time. I could sense myself getting overwhelmed in life. To the point that I’d turned to mindless scrolling to curb the overwhelming feelings I was having.

Sometimes when I have too much on my plate I can’t pick a starting point. Or, I start everything on my list and end up in bigger chaos. This past November, we had a lot going on with interviewing for future jobs post-seminary (my husband is a 4th year student). We were in a busy time of year with homeschooling and Jason’s class load being heavy, in addition to our outside meetings.

I just started to feel the pressure of the pile-on. So, I

Sabbath: A Day of Delight

In my mind, for as long as I can remember, church attendance has been equal to keeping the Sabbath. My father was a pastor, so Sunday was a work day for him, and I don’t recall there being a separate time or day set apart for the Sabbath outside of the communal worship experience.

In adulthood, I too ended up working on Sundays, either as an organist or Sunday school teacher, while my husband would often be involved in leading Bible studies. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that many of us realized how hard we were working every Sunday, and what a relief it was to finally be able to rest.

Solitude as a Spiritual Discipline

There is a lovely little book of essays on all aspects of womanhood called A Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Somewhere in the second chapter she calls women the “eternal nourishers of society” and talks about how women constantly feel the pull to serve everyone around them: their children, spouse, parents, and wider communities. Such constant service often leaves women completely drained as they pour themselves out over and over again for those around them. How do women replenish their energy? How do they fill their pitchers to the brim once again?

According to Anne, solitude is the key: “Women need solitude in order to find again the true

That Craving You Have For More Of God

This week I was visiting my parents. My niece Michelle lives in the adjoining lot and she came over and we were all sitting in the backyard talking. Michelle loves to garden. Every year she plants and tends and harvests and cans fruits and vegetables. And she just happened to mention her apple trees.

She said that the apple trees they planted 3 years ago are doing well. And then she says, “They’ve been growing lots of apples and Eric (her husband) just knocked them all off this week.” I’m thinking, it’s June, why did he knock off all the growing apples? So I ask her.

She answers, “We were told that you are

Spiritual Disciplines: The Active Pursuit Of God’s Purposes

There was a time in my life when it took me 20 minutes to walk a mile on the treadmill, and that was when I thought I was pushing myself. The first time I tried to do a push-up I face-planted on the floor. The first time I tried to make a budget I totally underestimated how much money I should set aside for gas and groceries. And then there was the time that I vowed to learn to eat healthy and then gagged on the vegetables I didn’t particularly care for.

All of these were things I thought I could just “start doing on Monday” and then excel at. As it turns out, I had to discipline myself to workout and eat healthy and make wise financial decisions.

Spiritual Disciplines

Socials Sabbatical

Sabbath: A Day of Delight

Solitude as a Spiritual Discipline

That Craving You Have For More Of God

Spiritual Disciplines: The Active Pursuit Of God’s Purposes

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