You will find...

What are you looking for this Christmas season?

 

Peace?

 

Health?

 

Rest?

 

The blessings of family time?

 

C.S. Lewis left timely advice for all of us during this season.

 

Stay tuned for my fifth favorite and discover how to find what you seek.

 

I’m so happy to be posting and linking up with my Friday’s Fave Five friends as we revisit the blessings of the week.

 

My favorites:

 

1. A great semester. You haven’t heard much from me because I’ve been steeped in books, studying my way through my first full semester toward a Ph.D. This semester has deepened my life in so many ways—intellectually, spiritually, relationally. And the carryover into my classroom has been invaluable. I’m so thankful I have the opportunity to undertake this study!

 

2. Family time. Thanksgiving was great, but a couple of our boys weren't with us. At Christmas we plan to have the whole family (minus one granddaughter from India—see #3) under one roof. Just cannot wait for this!

 

3. Anticipation. We are awaiting the unraveling of some red tape that will bring our granddaughter home to Kentucky from India. This waiting is SO hard. As soon as the proper documents come through, my son and his sweet wife will be traveling, and it can’t come soon enough. It has been a long journey and the days near the end seem so much longer. You can read (and see a sweet picture) on my daughter-in-law’s blog here.

 

4. A new year! This one has been great, but we’re looking ahead. Things under our roof have contracted a bit. This was the first Christmas that our card was signed with only two names, as all the boys are out on their own. Things are changing, and it’s with hope and excitement that we look ahead to a new year. Who knows what the Lord will send our way?

 

5. A quote, as promised. How to find what you seek this season?

 

“Look for Christ and you will find Him. And with Him, everything else.” (C.S. Lewis)

 

When He is what we seek, when we find our rest and fulfillment in Him…then, we can rest.

 

Praying Christmas rest for you this week,

In Praise of Rest

Friday March 14, 2014 

Who wouldn’t praise rest? 


We all need it—crave it, in fact—yet we turn our backs on rest and turn back to our tasks.

It’s so easy to buy into society’s notion that work equals worth…but that never brings peace.

Stay tuned for my fifth favorite today, as usual a quote—one that extols the value of rest.

I'm joining the ladies of Friday's Fave Five today as we recount the blessings of the week. Won't you join us?

My favorites this week:

1. Time. Spring Break this week has yielded time to read, write, wonder, plan, create. It has been wonderful.

2. Lunch out! My hubby just called and offered to take me to lunch. Another perk of Spring Break!

3. The beginnings of a book proposal. I got a major brainstorm while at Florida Christian Writers Conference, and I’m working on a proposal. I’m excited! Bonus #3: The opportunity to guest post this week, where I shared the story of amazing lessons learned in the darkness. And Adelle Gabrielson, my host, made a beautiful pin you can see here on my blog and at her place.

4. Oklahoma! The next couple of weeks promise to be busy ones, as we near opening night for Oklahoma!, our school’s spring musical. Love Rodgers and Hammerstein, and love the kids of the cast and crew!

5. A quote: 

“O day of rest! How beautiful, how fair.” (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) 

I’ve had several “rest days” this week, and they have indeed been beautiful and fair. They make me long for more days of rest, but they also give me fuel to go on.

You’re getting two quotes for the price of one today because I have to share what Shelly Miller wrote on the subject:

“[R]esiliency is fueled from previous rest periods, of quiet and stillness abiding in His presence. By neglecting Sabbath for work, the result is often a lesson in futility...When we allow our outside environment to dictate our inner worth, identity becomes lopsided…Abiding in Christ through routine rest is the secret to flourishing….” 

Too often, I let my outside environment dictate my inner worth, and tasks take over.

Wadworth’s quote is short, sweet, and easy to remember: “O day of rest! How beautiful, how fair.”

Wishing you times of rest this week,

A Form of Mending

Friday October 26, 2012

If you’ve stopped by here lately, you know my goal has been to write 31 Days to Rest.

So rest has been on my mind.

And what better way to think of rest than “a form of mending”?

I’m linking up today with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday’s Fave Five, where we recount the week’s blessings.

My last blessing, a quote, sheds a little more light on that idea of rest as a form of mending…so read on!

My favorites for this week:

1. A birthday celebration. I celebrated a birthday this past Sunday, complete with birthday flowers and a great dinner out. Love my flowers and my considerate husband. It was a great day!

2. Dedicated moms. I had jury duty this week, and at lunch I ended up at the table with three other ladies. Moms, all of us. Our conversation turned (of course) to our children. I was shocked and saddened to realize that all three other moms were raising their children alone. And they’re doing a great job—holding kids accountable, expecting respect, giving love. I’m thankful—and prayerful—for moms who give so much, as they go it alone.

3. Shakespeare. I just finished teaching King Lear and began The Tempest. How I love the bard!

4. An unexpected day off. Hurricane Sandy is on her way, and although a direct hit is not predicted, tropical storm force winds keep the school buses off the road. Hence, no school…and the hope of just a little wind and rain.

5. This quote:

“God made us from dust. We’re never too far from our origins. The apostle Paul says we’re only clay pots—dust mixed with water, passed through fire. Hard, yes, but brittle too. Knowing this, God gave us the gift of Sabbath—not just as a day, but as an orientation, a way of seeing and knowing. Sabbath-keeping is a form of mending. It’s mortar in the joints. Keep Sabbath, or else break too easily, and oversoon. Keep it, otherwise our dustiness consumes us, becomes us, and we end up able to hold exactly nothing.” (Mark Buchanan, The Rest of God)

Sabbath, rest—not just as a day but as an orientation. It keeps us from breaking, strengthens us, makes us able to hold all we’re given.

Wishing you a little rest this weekend,

Want to Rest? DO Something!

Thursday October 25, 2012

Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it?

Seems like if you want to rest, you should do nothing.

My reading of The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan convinced me otherwise.

If you’re busy, stressed, overloaded, and you don’t want to be, you first have to change your mind. Decide to make a change in your thinking.

But then you have to put that change into practice. Buchanan calls these practices “gestures which honor our fresh ways of perceiving.” He writes that such practices “make real our change of mind.”

One of the practices Buchanan suggests is paying attention.

Take time to look around, to see, to perceive. When we stop and look around, when we notice the small and appreciate what others see as insignificant, we can’t help but be content—rested—in what we have and do and are.

Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts got me thinking about paying attention, about the small and seemingly insignificant. As I mentally listed the little things around me and gave thanks for them, my Creator loomed larger. He was responsible for so much more than I had even considered. I saw that He has gifted me and my world with SO much.

How could I not be content, rested?

So, look around you, take in the small, be grateful, and join in the rest.

The Key to a Restful Weekend

Saturday October 6, 2012

I remember when this house was bursting with little boys. Did I look forward to the weekend?

Not exactly.

And there were those days when I felt like the weekend was crammed full. It seemed like all I did was use the weekend to get ready to make it through the next week.

So, what in the world could be a key to a restful weekend?

I think the answer lies in perspective.

Consider these things about the weekend:

There’s no rush to complete things for the next school morning or work morning—you have several days to get things done.

There’s no schedule to speak of. At least, the weekend schedule is a bit different, a bit freer.

During a weekend, you have two opportunities: to plan for the future and to examine the past. What do you want next week to be like?
What would you change about last week?

Sunday’s coming. I remember those early days with my first son—a colicky baby. When I warned the sweet little lady in the church nursery that he had colic, she said, “Honey, he’s either going to cry for you or cry for me. Might as well let him cry for me and give you a little break.”

Worship service was a haven for me! Years later, it still is. A chance to calm my spirit, to center my thoughts, to get the right focus for the week.

Look at your weekend through the lens of a new perspective…and see if a bit of rest doesn’t loom on the horizon. I hope it does!

Photo credit

Thanks and Rest

Friday October 5, 2012

As you can see, I’m linking up with the 31 days blogs during October, and I’m writing on rest—a much needed topic for me. (One of my friends pointed out that writing blog posts on rest sounded like work to her…but I figure it will be good discipline and a learning experience for me!)

So, today I’m combining my thoughts on rest with my usual Friday’s Fave Five post, where we name our blessings for the past week. You can visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to link up with us.

Here are this week’s favorites:

1. Thoughts on thanks and rest. When I’m in an attitude of thankfulness, it’s easy to find myself at rest. When we’re thankful, we’re not striving; we’re grateful for what we have. It may sound redundant, but I’m thankful to be thankful!

2. A nice review! Annette from This Simple Home (one of our FFF friends), reviewed my book, I’m Outnumbered, on her blog this week. I so appreciate her kind words and support, and it blesses me to know the book spoke to her. Thanks again, Annette!

3. A visit. My son Andrew and a special young lady are coming to visit. We’re so excited to see them. Their visit will make the upcoming week very special. Love having the house fuller, even if just for a short while.

4. A trip. My sweet husband has planned a surprise October trip again this year. I love that he does this all on his own! Looking forward to getting away and having some relaxing time alone together.

5. A thankful quote that can put you at rest:

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” (Epicurus)

When I think about it, that’s really true. What I have now—my husband, boys, family, job, friends—were things I hoped for years ago. What a blessing! I can rest in that.

Wishing you rest this coming week,

Small Pauses: 31 Days to Rest

Wednesday October 3, 2012

“I’m so busy…but what’s new?” (Quoting myself here…)

Tonight there’s a twinge of guilt with those words, but the word “busy” is usually framed with a sense of honor – as if I wouldn’t be caught dead indulging in something like rest.

Rest flies in the face of our time-honored, all American work ethic. But without rest, we’re incomplete. Without rest, it’s hard to find significance. With no chance to refuel and reflect, life is reduced to a list of meaningless tasks we cross off. Where’s the significance there?

Want significance? Try pause. We all want significance in life. But when we lose sight of rest, the only thing that’s significant is achievement – how much I got done. We do and do and do, and we proudly cross tasks off our list; but without pause, we lose sight of our purpose. In fact, all that’s in sight is that list and that face in the mirror. We’re looking to ourselves, not to God.

Pause helps us learn and grow; rest provides purpose. Consider Nehemiah. After learning of the ruins of his beloved Jerusalem, he prayed and fasted, then emerged with purpose. Joseph’s years in prison gave him pause – and the opportunity to use his God-given abilities to bring glory to God.

How to find pause?
Most of us would love to embark on a two week vacation and revel in the sanctuary found there. But it’s just not practical for us. So how do we go about instilling bits of rest into our days?

We can build small pauses into each day. Think of them as mini-retreats, quick reminders of your purpose and your source.

• Have a one-room retreat. Keep one room in the house picked up and free of kid stuff or work stuff. Then you can go there and pretend, for just a few minutes, that the rest of the house looks like that! Seriously, having one place that’s neat and purposely engineered for peace can be calming.

• Build small pauses into your day – a few minutes of Bible reading, prayer, or devotion every morning or after every meal, to center you before returning to the trenches. You may have to give something else up, but it’s worth it for a glimpse of real rest.

• Add music. Music helps calm the savage beast – the right kind of music, that is. Even when you’re busy something else, you can add music that reflects the Creator and refreshes your spirit.

• Feeling overwhelmed in the heat of the moment? Stop; just pause. Don’t say anything. Just take a breath; let it out. Walk into the next room if you can. Just for a minute. Take a pause and take a moment to breathe a quick, quiet prayer. Let your spirit find pause.

Need a little more help in choosing rest? Take a look at Psalm 1:1-3.

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

As I consider finding rest in my everyday life, I have to weigh what I do with my time. This passage tells me to delight in the Law, meditate on it. I’m most at rest when I use my times of pause to take a deep breath and draw in the significance of His spirit.

The result of a life of pause can’t be denied. Scripture tells me that I’ll be like a tree, yielding fruit. When I rest in Him, I won’t be stagnant or simply driven by achievement; instead, I’ll yield a fragrant crop that will draw others to that life-giving tree.

Linking up today with Duane Scott for Unwrapping His Promises and Jennifer for God-Bumps & God-Incidences.



Photo credit 

31 Days to Rest

Monday October 1, 2012

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
(Matthew 11:27-29)

I don’t know about you, but I need rest. R-e-s-t.

It dawned on me the other day that there are 31 days in October. I remember seeing several blogs that participated in a 31 day blog series last October, and I thought, “How great would that be? To have the discipline to post every day for a month!”

I may be crazy. Fall is such a busy time for me. (I need rest, remember?)

But that’s why I’m writing “31 Days to Rest.” I need it. I plan to delve into different aspects of rest, learn more about it, and hope to pass something along. (If you’ll jump in and comment, I’ll learn from YOU, too! I hope you do.) I’ll be linking up with a bunch of other “31 dayers” found here.

Some of the things I hope to blog about this month? Here’s a tentative list:

Spiritual rest    Physical rest    Rest in the midst of chaos    Rest = Grace
The restless heart    God at rest    Rest in your marriage    Rest and play
Rest in your work    Rest from social media    Rest in motherhood  
At rest in nature       Afraid to be a slacker…

I really hope to stick to this “31 day” thing. I’ll do my best to post each day. If I fall short, I’ll still get around to doing 31 posts, even if they show up in November. (I’m sure we’ll all still need rest in November, too.)

So, won’t you come by and rest a bit here every day? And chime in – I want to learn from your experiences and discoveries. We’ll rest together.
 

I'm also joining Laura, Jen, and Michelle today.

Find rest

Sunday May 6, 2012

"Find rest, oh my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my forthress, I will not be shaken..."
"Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour our your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."
(Psalm 62:5-6,8)

We do and look and search for rest ... when all our restless hearts need is Him.
Help me remember that, Lord.

Time and Wisdom

Tuesday May 31, 2011
I sat in my backyard this weekend and contemplated summer.

It’s a place of freedom…
Days and day ahead of me!

A place of vision and opportunity…
A fresh smorgasbord of ideas and creativity.

A time of renewal and rest,
A place to re-focus and center.
With a touch of responsibility.

May I use the time well,
balancing freedom here
and dreams there
oh so carefully.

Whether we’re teachers out of school or moms with a brood at home for the summer – whether we work all year and only get a week or two off or whether we’re home all year round, we’re called to be wise with our time.

I’ve learned (often the hard way) that this doesn’t always mean we should be busy every moment. We have to rest, refuel, reconnect with our Source. Yes, that’s tough with a houseful of kids, but it may be even more important then as we model life for our little ones.

There are those impossible times – everyone in the household is sick, the baby’s teething, Dad’s out of town and it’s all on Mom. During those times, we look for every little opportunity for peace, we do all we can to stay close to the Source and draw strength from Him.

My wish for you and me this summer – no matter what your situation?

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Linking up with Jen at Finding Heaven Today for Soli deo Gloria. Click on over and come along with us!

Sleep, Sweet Sleep

Wednesday May 18, 2011

It’s Tuesday evening, and I’m getting ready to pre-post for Wednesday. I’m out the door and off to school by 7 AM, so it’s just easier to post the previous evening.

I could stay up and write the post in my head…
…but I need to sleep.

So I’m going to share a poem with you – one that brings the issue of sleep and rest home, in a new way.

I don’t like the man who doesn’t sleep,
says God.
Sleep is the friend of man,
Sleep is the friend of God.
Sleep is perhaps the most beautiful thing
I have created.
And I myself rested on the seventh day.…
But they tell me that there are men
Who work well and sleep badly.
Who don’t sleep.
What a lack of confidence in me.
(French poet Charles Peguy)

So I’ll put my times in His hands…and my head on the pillow.

The Simplest of Pleasures

Thursday April 28, 2011

A nap.

Sweet sleep.

A few moments of respite in a busy day. That's my simple pleasure.

Resolved to write about those moments, I searched for a photo. I found the perfect one.

My son and his son. Sweet sleep.

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted in the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10)

He said that all in one breath -- be still, and I will be exalted. Our stillness, our calm exalts Him. Our peace draws attention to our Source.

I need to remember that. A simple pleasure for me, that brings pleasure and honor to Him.

Rest.


Linking up today with Dayle for Simple Pleasures.