Sorry I was on vacation :) now that I am rested, I had several thoughts to post :)
First my thought on Sabbath. I named the site Cyber Sabbath because throughout the internet there are tons of cyber web pages that cram our brains, that use fear to freak us out, the overload us with information and that just plain focus on the evil of the world. But not this space. This space is for renewal, refreshing our souls. This place is a place for you to come and hear that yes there are Christians out there that think differently, that question and that believe God truly sent the Son of Man to save the world and not condemn the world. That the Holy Spirit can work within and through people of all shapes, sizes, colors and religions. That God is bigger and greater then our understanding - then our perception - then our imagination. That religion is an expression of our HUMAN interaction with God, our HUMAN understanding of God and NOT the total truth about God for God is greater!
Sabbath is really important for our souls. As a pastor, I don't "do" sabbath as well as I preach on it! Sunday's are not a day of rest and although I try to make Monday's my day of rest, I am usually filling that day up with things I don't do on other days (many times writing my blog). So what is it truly mean to "Sabbath" is it really as extreme as some Jewish people celebrate? Where you can do no work, use no cars or technology? Does weeding the garden really seem like Sabbath. Well I think it is all in the mindset of Sabbath. For Sabbath is a time for pause, a time for renewal and refreshment. When God finished creation, he took a day to rest; a day to sit back and do things that are good for your soul - not because you have to do them but because they give you joy.
In our busy lives, I think it would be best if we found what gave us joy and refreshed our spirits and did it once a day. Reconnecting with God as our souls fill. For some that maybe working in the garden and feeling God's creation in their hands. For others it is creating something new, as God created the world, through art, woodworking, ect... For others it is sitting with a good book, a cup of tea and a blanket and allowing their mind to get lost. Whatever it is, the key is that our minds get lost into it, setting our cares free. For it is when we have set our cares free, have offered them up to God, that our souls can truly be renewed.
So I challenge each of us to find what brings us Sabbath in our lives and practice it!
