Sabbath: 2011

Just the word.....Sabbath....brings back memories... of Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons.  It also makes me remember one of my favorite books, All Of a Kind Family, which featured a Jewish family living their lives on New York's Upper East Side before the outbreak of WWI. 

To me that fact alone shows me that I view the Sabbath as something old fashioned...not relevant to my world today.....and that makes me sad.  I think the word Sabbath is a beautiful one.  A word that invokes feelings of peace, dinners shared with extended family, honor, and ......guilt.  Ahhh yes, guilt! Because I know in the pace of our life we don't seem to embrace the Sabbath as we should.

Too many times our family Sabbath is a time of catching up on chores....shopping....preparing for the next week.....just plain ole' busyness. Or we separate. Each of us finds an activity that we like, and we retreat to our corners (or various rooms as it may be) to engage in the alone... for hours... alone!  It's easy to live this type of Sabbath  because it is how most of the people around us celebrate it.  Yes, we do go to church in the morning...and sometimes even do another church related activity. But is that really at the heart of what God said when He commanded us to "Honor the Sabbath Day"? 

In my world of  "do it all, be all, and help all" I think I've lost what the heart of the Sabbath is.  In my world I don't even call it the Sabbath but rather Sunday...another day of the week.  And that makes me sad....because, deep in my heart, I know it's more than that.

I don't want to romanticize it, make it another "event" that I have to shine up or perform within. I definitely don't want to make it an empty ritual that I feel guilt-ridden about. I just want to feel it....and in taking the time to be in the moment, really feel it, I believe I will feel God Himself. I will be at communion with Him...and be able to receive the very refreshment He longs to give me.

This sounds very pretty....and even pretty religious.  But that's not what I'm striving for.  I want to be practical, real, authentic.  I want to experience the Sabbath in the year 2011...right now...not like the Waltons or the Ingels. I want to experience it as Kristi....with my husband and unpredictable teenagers.  As simple as that sounds I'm a little lost as to what this means.  Maybe I need to pray more on it...read a bit more...and really let God teach me what that means.

Taking back control of our Sundays...our Sabbaths isn't going to be easy.  But then nothing really worth having is.  My Sabbath dream is just that ....a dream of cozy family dinners after church...of a day without the interruptions of texting, phones, computers, televisions and all the other  things that can come between real human to human contact...a day of prayer and play...a day of walking closer with Him and letting Him fill me up with His wonder....a day of connection.

I've seen books on this topic and although I don't want to hide in another "how-to" book I must admit that books inspire me! So I'm debating on ordering this one....or maybe this one...or this one....or...

See how easy it is for me to let activity take over the process of just being?!
 No answers today...just questions..
.but maybe, just maybe,
 God is smiling
 because I'm taking the time to ask them.

Week of Inspiration

What inspired you this week?
            ~Mama Kat's Workshop



Hmmmm...I had quite a bit inspire me this week. Although I may not have a lot to show for it I have so many ideas bouncing around my head!

I'm new to this blogging world so like any tourist I've been busy running around...trying to see all the sites I can...following the blogs that I know I want to come back to again and again...then spending endless time clicking on link after link after link....  

"...and go round and  round and round....in the circle game...."   Joni Mitchell

Sooo...here's my top 4 list for the week....drumroll please!

1.       I was VERY inspired by this! Love, love, love it!! Did I mention that I loooovvve it!?  Alas, loving something so much does not necessarily give me the confidence to attempt it myself....but I'm seriously thinking about it.  The idea of a gallery wall that includes photos and words is MY idea of perfection. This is definitely on my "inspiration list"!
2.      This book has been a very new inspiration since I just purchased it 2 days ago. I have, however, read the first 4 chapters, and I can safely say that I'm motivated to live my everyday life with eucharisteo~ grace, thanksgiving, joy.  (and I'm also inspired to make my own list of 1000 gifts!)
3.       I have been stalking  visiting this blog.  Creating a mini-destination while using what I already had in my home really inspired me.  I drafted my big, strong son and his friend to bring down an unused table from our bonus room.  I nestled it in our great room next to the stone fireplace. Pulled up one of my favorite big, overstuffed chairs and placed upon the table a pretty lamp with a pull chain, a plaque featuring a quote I love, a stack of my grandparents/parents old books, a globe set high on a silver base, and my laptop computer.  Voila! I now have a beautiful writing  nook...someplace where I can sit, dream, write, & create. The reason I tried to paint a word picture  is because I still don't know how to upload photos to my new computer and blog!!  I long to post some photos so those of you who stop by can see I'm real...with a real home...and real dirty dishes!  Someday my photos will come....(sing to the tune of  "Someday My Prince Will Come..")
4.      Finally, the soundtrack of my week has been this.  I have loved Lori McKenna for years! Her simplicity and the beautiful reality of her songwriting inpires ME to be simple, beautiful, and real.  Take a listen if you can. She is musical poetry.

There, my friends, is what inspired  ME this week.  How about YOU?