Our theme for this month: “Sabbath Rest”

Our Bible verse for today: “The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.” Zechariah 8:5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “It’s okay to play”

One of the books I’m currently reading is called “The Circle” by Ted Dekker. It’s actually a series of fiction novels similar to “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis. However it’s also similar to the “This Present Darkness” series by Frank Peritti because the story unfolds in two dimensions simultaneously – one dimension is the world as we know it and the other world is similar to that of Lewis’s Narnia – and events in each world are directly tied to and influence events in the other world.

In Dekker’s Narnia-type world God is known as “Elyon”, and one of the things Elyon loves to do is He loves to come out and play with His people (similar to how God walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve in the early chapters of Genesis). In the story, when Elyon calls His people to come out and play, all sorts of wonderful and amazing things happen. For instance, for the length of their playtime the people discover that they can fly like birds. Elyon also makes waterfalls flow upside down, He turns the grass purple, He makes the water taste like cherry cool-aid, and much more. So of course the people eagerly look forward to the times when Elyon calls them out to play.

Now, is the notion of God playing like that nothing more than a creative part of a silly fantasy story? I don’t think so. I think there’s some truth to it. I think God has a great sense of humor and I think He loves to play. It was God’s idea for a puppy to chase its tail. God was the one who created a baby’s smile and the cute little giggle that goes with it. Ice cream is a gift straight from heaven. God is playful and fun-loving and I also think He loves for us to play. The Bible refers to feasts and feasting, to dancing and celebrating more than 150 times.

In his book, “The Christian at Play” author Robert Johnston makes the case that “The person at play is expressing his or her God-given nature.” In other words, God created us with a playful nature like His own and He intends for us to express it as a means of enjoyment and leisure.

Sometimes we adult Christians get too serious for our own good. We equate holiness with seriousness and we become a bunch of dull old fuddy-duddies. We need to lighten-up. It would do most of good to spend an hour sitting in a mud puddle splashing and playing with a three year old.

God created you with the ability to enjoy life and to have fun. It’s okay to play.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

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Our theme for this month: “Sabbath Rest”

Our Bible verse for today: “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his. Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:8-11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “There’s more to Sabbath-rest than just physical rest.”

In Hebrews 4:8-11 the writer actually used the term “Sabbath rest”, which is serving as our theme for this month. Although the practice of Sabbath is either taught directly or referred to more than 170 times in the Bible, and although resting as part of Sabbath is clearly taught, this is the only place in the Bible where the actual term “Sabbath rest” is used.

In this passage the writer reminds his readers of how it was that Joshua had led the nation of Israel into the Promised Land as they conquered their enemies and eventually had rest from their travels and from their battles. But it wasn’t enough. There was another deeper kind of rest which they needed. Being settled in permanent homes was nice; having time off from their labors was needed; and it was certainly a relief to finally be free from the constant conflict with their enemies; but God had something more in mind for their time of resting. There needed to be a spiritual dimension to it. In addition to being a time for physical rest, Sabbath-rest is a time of spiritual nurture and renewal.

There’s a deep and direct connection inside of you between the physical and the spiritual. The physical and the spiritual impact each other. As we learned from our friend, the Old Testament prophet Elijah, in a previous devotional message, if you are physically exhausted and emotionally drained you will also be spiritually weak. Likewise, if you are spiritually dry that will have a direct impact on every other part of your life. Therefore you need to take care of yourself physically but also mentally, emotionally, and especially spiritually as well. “Sabbath rest”, as opposed to just “rest”, is rest with a spiritual objective.

In the days to come we will consider some ways that we can achieve both physical rest and spiritual nurture at the same time. I’m not talking about weeks of seclusion in a monastery chanting ancient hymns with cloistered monks either. You may be surprised to learn how much fun Sabbath-rest can be. There are many ways to relax, have fun, and get spiritually recharged all at the same time. We’ll talk more about that tomorrow.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Sabbath Rest”

Our Bible verse for today: “I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus. Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas and I stayed with him fifteen days.” Galatians 1:17-18 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Consider taking a Sabbatical”

Saul the Pharisee became Paul the Apostle – so he had a significant mid-life change of careers. Between those two major seasons in his life he took an extended Sabbatical. After he came to faith in Christ, but before he started the new work that he would do for the rest of his life, he took a three year sabbatical in Arabia.

“Sabbatical” is a term many people are unfamiliar with, but the practice of sabbatical is more common than you might realize. A sabbatical is simply an extended period of time-off from normal activities to rest, reflect, decompress, and renew. Sometimes it is also a time to prepare for the next season of life. That’s what Paul was doing in Arabia.

Sabbaticals are most commonly used as a long break in professions that are intellectually demanding. Most school teachers get a two month sabbatical every summer as they recover from the school year that has just ended and prepare for the one that is coming up. College professors normally get an entire sabbatical year every seventh year. It’s a time when they don’t have to teach classes or counsel students. Instead they spend the year traveling, doing research, and writing. Pastors are often given short sabbaticals at milestone markers in their tenure at a church, such as at the 10, 15, 20 year point.

However sabbaticals are also commonly taken during periods of major transitions in life. It’s becoming more and more common these days for young people to take a sabbatical year between high school and college – just to take a break from the grind of endless studies. I have a son who went to Romania for a year after high school, living with a Romanian Pastor’s family and serving as an intern in the church. Recently I met a young man who is taking a year to serve as an Americore volunteer building homes for poor people in Appalachia before he resumes his college work next year.

Recently I read a great book by author Jeff Haanen called “An Uncommon Guide to Retirement”. Haanen encourages Christians to take a sabbatical year after retiring from their career to rest, travel, do your home improvement projects, and just decompress from a lifetime of work. But once the sabbatical is over, it’s time to apply yourself in some meaningful and productive way so that you don’t waste that season of your life. Go to work for a charitable non-profit agency; start a small business doing something you love; get involved in lots of volunteer work; do something to help others and make the world a better place. Take your sabbatical, but then go back to making a meaningful difference in the world.

Are you in a profession that is exceedingly draining physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually? You might need a sabbatical. Have you reached some significant milestone in your life or career? If so, then perhaps it’s time to enjoy a short sabbatical. Are you transitioning from one season of life to another? Feel free to take a sabbatical in-between the seasons.

Time off is not wrong. You don’t have to constantly go, go, go. Maybe it’s time for an extended break.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Sabbath Rest”

Our Bible verse for today: “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my fathers. Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.” 1 Kings 19:4-5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Come apart and rest – or you might just come apart.”

Elijah was a mighty man of God who was often used by God in great ways. In 1 Kings 18:20-46 he confronted and defeated 450 prophets of Baal in a single spectacular contest on Mount Carmel. But then in 1 Kings 19:1 we find him running away in fear from the evil woman Jezebel, and then in verses 4-5 he just gives-up entirely and tells God that he wants to die.

What happened to Elijah? How did he go so quickly from being a bold, confident, mighty man of God confronting and defeating an army of pagan priests, to this whimpering and somewhat pathetic man who was ready to quit? Simple, he was spent. He was wiped-out. His emotional gas tank was empty. He was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. He needed time to rest and renew.

You may remember in a previous devotional in this series I made the statement that sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap. Such was the case with Elijah in this scene. The old adage that you need to come apart and rest – or you might just come apart, is very true and it applies to all of us.

Many of us push too hard for too long. We make excuses for not taking a break. We talk about all the work that has to be done, all the chores that must be completed, the people who depend on us, etc, etc, on and on … But the fact is that if you don’t take a break sooner or later you will end up like Elijah, out of gas and giving-up. If you don’t take care of yourself you won’t be able to take care of other people.

Also, sometimes we allow other people or certain situations to suck the life out of us. Sometimes we become co-dependant on those people or situations. In other words they become so much a part of our life that even though they’re killing us we can’t seem to break ourselves loose from them, not even for a short while.

If you don’t take care of yourself you won’t be able to continue taking care of the people and situations that need your care and attention. You have got to come apart and rest – or eventually you will simply come apart.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap (or a vacation).

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Sabbath Rest”

Our Bible verse for today: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Slow down and relax”

Jesus was in the house! He was sitting right there in the living room talking with Mary and waiting for supper (or so Martha thought). As Mary relaxed and enjoyed being with Jesus Martha hustled around the kitchen, banging pots and pans and pushing hard to prepare a meal for them all. The harder she worked the more anxious she got – and the more irritated with Mary she became. Martha was busting her buns in the kitchen while Mary was sitting on her buns in the living room! Grrr!

Soon she had had enough. Into the living room she stomps ready to give Mary a piece of her mind (and wondering why Jesus didn’t tell that lazy sister of hers to get in the kitchen and help her). But instead of correcting Mary, Jesus corrects Martha. It turns out that Jesus was more interested in company than food, and what he really wanted Martha to do was to sit down, rest and relax, and just enjoy being with Him.

Unfortunately I tend to be more like Martha than Mary. I spend a lot of time banging pots and pans when I should be enjoying time with Jesus. I have a list of things to do, I have places to go, people to see, things to accomplish. Day after day, chore after chore, it never seems to end. Grrr! Sometimes I long for retirement so I can enjoy long luxurious days of peace and quiet, resting and relaxing! (All my retired friends are laughing right now. Most of them tell me that somehow they ended up being busier in retirement than they were when they were working).

No, it’s not a matter of being retired or not – it’s a matter of having right priorities. It’s a matter of putting first things first. Jesus didn’t tell Martha that it was wrong to work hard to prepare a nice meal – He only said that she was doing it at the wrong time. There would be time later for cooking and cleaning, but in that moment she needed to rest, relax, and enjoy.

Sabbath-rest is an attitude. As Mark Buchanan explains in his book “The Rest of God”, Sabbath-keeping isn’t just a day, it’s an orientation, it’s a way of thinking that governs life and establishes our priorities. We’re all pretty good at doing things – we fill up our days with work and chores and endless activities, but seldom do we make enough time for rest and renewal. What we need is a change of attitude. We need to reorient our thinking.

I encourage you (me) to slow down and relax. Bang the pots and pans later. For now it’s time to sit with Jesus.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Sabbath Rest”

Our Bible verse for today: “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

Our thought for today: “Quite times with God can be transformative”

Forest Home Christian Camp is located in the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California. At over 8000 feet in elevation it is a beautiful setting of magnificent forests, pristine lakes, and spectacular views.

Forest Home is where Billy Graham, as a young evangelist just starting his ministry, settled an important issue with God. It was 1948 and Billy was wrestling with doubts about the Bible. A close friend had challenged him with questions about it that he couldn’t answer. Those questions raised doubts in his mind and he was deeply troubled. So Billy took a weekend to go off into the seclusion of Forest Home to rest and spend time with God. One afternoon, sitting quietly deep in the forest, Billy came to the conclusion that he trusted God implicitly and even if there were some aspects of the Bible he didn’t fully understand, he would take it all on faith as the inerrant Word of God.

Billy left Forest Home with the question settled in his mind and heart. Three weeks later he began his famous “Los Angeles Crusade” which drew 100s of thousands of people over the course of many weeks and which launched Billy’s amazing career as the most successful evangelist in the history of the Christian faith. Today there’s a beautiful little chapel in the woods at Forest Home marking the exact spot that Billy Graham settled that issue with God.

More than twenty-five years ago, as I was beginning my ministry years as a pastor, I spent a few days at Forest Home on a personal retreat and I spent some hours alone in that very chapel. It was a beautiful, peaceful, and profoundly moving experience. I just sat there in the deep quiet, with the sun shining through the windows, and I soaked-in the presence of God. I was so full and so at peace that I can vividly recall the experience more than two decades later.

In his great book, “The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath” author Mark Buchanan writes about the importance of Sabbath-rest: “From it, you can rise up and go – stronger, lighter, ready to work again with vigor and a clear mind.” Let me also add, that just as was the case with Billy Graham, those quiet times of rest and renewal also often bring clarity and peace as God helps us to resolve difficult issues we’ve been wrestling with.

Quiet times of Sabbath-rest can be transformative experiences. It is almost always a time of renewal and spiritual nurture, but it can also transform. I encourage you to make time for Sabbath-rest.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Sabbath Rest”

Our Bible verse for today: “Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the Lord your God has commanded you. You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Do not do any work – you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the resident alien who lives within your gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do.” Deuteronomy 5:12-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t be a slave”

In Deuteronomy 5:12-14 Moses was reminding the people of God’s instruction, originally given in the fourth of the Ten Commandments, to observe the Sabbath and to keep it holy. If you flip back in your Bible to that fourth commandment, found in Exodus 20:9-11, you will find that God linked the commandment to observe the Sabbath to the example He set for us in Genesis 2:2 where He stopped His work and rested.

Sabbath is taught directly or referred to at least 172 times in the Bible. If God begins by setting the example for us and then mentions it 172 more times, that’s probably a clue that we need to pay attention to it.

The concept of Sabbath-keeping is actually divided into two distinct parts. There is Sabbath-worship and there is Sabbath-rest. Most of us are better at Sabbath-worship than we are at Sabbath-rest. We usually faithfully participate in corporate worship services with our church family – so apparently we get that part of Sabbath, but the resting part is a bigger problem. Most of us don’t really participate in very much Sabbath-rest. Therefore most of our emphasis in this series will be on Sabbath-rest.

Why is this so important? Moses answered that for the Israelites in Deuteronomy 5:15: “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”

In other words, “You are no longer slaves so stop acting as if you are.” They were not to be slaves to the Egyptians, nor were they to be slaves to their jobs, their chores, or to their endless activities.

That goes for us too. Don’t be a slave to your job or to your chores or to your activities. Sabbath-rest helps us to push back against and to resist the endless pressure to do, do, do. God intends for our Sabbath-keeping to consist of both Sabbath-worship and Sabbath-rest. Tomorrow I will share with you the very best example I have ever witnessed or participated in of Sabbath-keeping done right.

God Bless
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Sabbath Rest”

Our Bible verse for today: “On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” Genesis 2:2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “God wants you to rest”

I want to thank everyone for being patient with me as I was on my mission trip to Kentucky and therefore not sending out the daily devotionals. It was a great mission trip but I’m glad to be home. We’ll now spend the rest of this month exploring the topic of “Sabbath Rest”.

“God wants you to rest”. That’s something I’m trying to get better at. I’m a doer by nature. I go from early in the morning till late at night, day after day, and I often wear myself out. However, I’m getting ready to go on vacation soon and I’m a little stoked about it because I’m looking forward to the rest and relaxation. I intend to try to make it a true time of “Sabbath Rest”.

Sabbath Rest is a concept that is widely misunderstood and often misapplied. “Sabbath” is most commonly understood as being a day set aside for worship and gathering in our faith communities. That would be the 7^th day (Saturday) for observant Jews and the 1^st day (Sunday) for most Christians. Gathering with our faith communities is an important part of Sabbath, but it is only part of it.

The other part of Sabbath is “rest” (thus the term “Sabbath Rest”). Rest is a period of time when we cease from work and other strenuous activity for the sake of renewal and rejuvenation. Good rest should be restorative and nurturing. For Sabbath Rest we cease from the strenuous activity of work, we lay aside our chores and other stressful activities, and in many varied ways we renew and restore spiritually. That renewal can take many forms. It could included extended times of prayer, Bible study, reading Christian books, quiet meditation, etc. But it might also mean sleeping late (sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap!) It could also include time with family and friends, long walks on the beach, or various kinds of play and recreation.

In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 we read that God worked, and then He rested. Did God rest because He was tired? No. He’s God. He doesn’t get tired. God worked and then He rested as an example for us. He was teaching us an important lesson. We need to rest and relax.

Sabbath Rest is actually a crucial part of staying healthy and balanced. There are lots of ways to be spiritually renewed and refreshed and we’re going to consider many of them throughout the month. I look forward to spending this month exploring with you some of the many varied ways we can accomplish that.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “You Gotta Keep Dancing”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.” Exodus 4:12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Just walk it out day-by-day”

Those of you who have been reading these daily devotionals for a long time have probably heard me say before that each day these devotionals are about me first and about everyone else second. More than eight years ago I started writing these little daily messages as part of my personal quiet time with the Lord. Writing helps me to clarify my thinking. So each day I would write about an issue the Lord was helping me to work through. It was about me and it was for me. It was only later that I felt led to begin sharing them with others who might be interested in reading them too. Little did I realize that eight years later there would be hundreds of faithful daily readers through emails, Facebook, and the church website.

Today will be the last message in our series “You Gotta Keep Dancing”. I have extended it one day into the new month because tomorrow I leave for a one week mission trip to build and renovate houses in a poor section of Appalachia in Eastern Kentucky. A group from our church will be meeting-up with another group coming down from Maryland and together we will spend the week working with the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) to serve impoverished families in that region. So this will be the last devotional message you will receive until Saturday June 8^th. I want to ask you to hang on it and use it as a reminder to pray for our team each day that we are gone.

What does that have to do with our theme of “You Gotta Keep Dancing”? Just that God has used the issue of mission trips to teach this lesson of “keep dancing” to me in a personal and powerful way. Back in March of 2007, when my wife Linda had her stroke and brain surgeries, I was serving as the Vice-President of Operations for an international humanitarian relief agency. My job was to plan and lead humanitarian relief missions around the world. I also traveled around the USA to speak in churches and to attend mission conferences as I promoted our organization and recruited team members.

But when Linda became disabled it seemed as if my traveling days were over. I left the humanitarian relief agency and returned to being a Pastor instead. It looked like I probably wouldn’t be going on any more mission trips. But Linda and I both sensed the Lord telling us to just take it one mission trip at a time and to trust Him for how it would work out. So I continued to help with the missions, one trip at a time.

Amazingly, over the 12+ years since Linda’s stroke, I have somehow been able to plan and lead 19 international mission trips to Romania, Haiti, Mexico, the Andes Mountains of Peru, and the Amazon Jungle. There have also been numerous shorter missions to Appalachia here in the USA.

How has that been possible? God. That’s it, just God. Somehow in each case, with the help of family members, neighbors, church family, and Linda’s own great attitude and determined spirit, the details at home just worked out and I have been able to go – over and over and over again. We just had to keep dancing and God made it possible.

That’s true for you too. Regardless of what your issue or challenge is the answer is to just keep dancing. Just take it one day at a time, one event at a time, and just keep moving forward.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is: