G.W. Bill Elliott, Jr once noted;
The cyclical looping of the repetitive redundancy has me iterating the need to repeat myself like dejavu all over again.
Week:
6
Spiritual Practices and Rest
Rhythms: rest, prayer, habits that sustain life. This week focuses on sustainable spiritual rhythms that integrate rest, prayer, and habit into a whole-life formation plan. It highlights Sabbath, contemplative practices, and simple daily disciplines that replenish rather than deplete. The emphasis is on creating patterns that protect soul health and enable long-term faithfulness.
Objectives
Integrate short practices into daily life.
Learn Sabbath and rest as spiritual practices.
Establish simple, repeatable spiritual rhythms.
Reflections
What one practice will I keep after this week?
How does rest change my relationship with God?
What prevents me from resting?
NowTo the HowTo
Accountability/Tracking
Commit to one weekly rest block and log it; partners check in about obstacles.
Community Action
Arrange a group “mini retreat” (30 minutes) focused on rest and a guided breath prayer.
Creative Project
Design a weekly rhythm card (work, rest, worship, service) to post at home.
Leader Prompt
Offer three short, adaptable practices for rest and invite participants to pick one to try.
Personal Practice
Try a 10 minute Sabbath pause this week and journal one change in mood or clarity.
Devotionals
Pleasure Points
Yes... at first glance that does seem like a questionable title for a devotion, but today we are getting encouragement about keeping our contact with the Lord current, consistent, and much more second natural in our lives. The thing about 'pleasure points' is that there are countless points through our day when we receive/obtain pleasure, satisfaction, or even just comfort through things we do, things we consume (eat, drink, inhale, etc), and even the interaction we have with others. The...
Get Ready To Relax
Odd title, I know. At the drop of a hat, if not sooner, I can be in rest-mode... and linger there for a seemingly endless span if time. Who needs to 'prepare' to relax, anyway? Well, our devotional today actually reflects on our 'before your day begins' time. One of the very hardest things to do is not do things, not prepare, not get ahead of yourself, and certainly ahead of the Lord as you face the day. It is SO easy and rather natural to 'get to it', right out of the gate, right as your...
Fresh Ain't Easy
Our devotional today helps us reflect on our relationship with God and Jesus in a similar light. Just because we've been 'around the Lord' for a while, doesn't mean our zeal, excitement, and yearn is going to remain strong. Keeping our hearts and mind set on Him is not easy, keeping it fresh does require diligence on our part, attention to His presence in our lives.
Quiet Trusting Baby Steps
Not sure about you, but sometimes I find it hard to start something or commit to something when I think/feel there are too many steps, unsettled details, or even if it's just 'too complicated' or confusing. Over the course of my life though, I have been learning to break-it-down into smaller, manageable pieces... keeping their own stresses and uncertainties separated. Our devotional today encourages us to approach our faith and our time with the Lord the same way. See, more times than not we...