Ten Days of “Turning Back” to Find Your Rest in the Lord
If you are reading this, know that I am right where you are!
I want to grab hold of time and slow it down to a more manageable pace.
I want the months to move more leisurely, the days to linger, to walk in peace as the hours pass – in other words, I want to have the knowledge AND feeling of the Presence of the Lord during each moment of the day! And sometimes I am there; but I still can feel harried or frazzled and I wonder – at the end of the day, the week, the month – what has been accomplished – really?
I imagine a cloistered life, where one is only devoted to the Lord, where all that is required are times of corporate and private prayer, times of gathering to share the word together, and busying oneself in little chores that benefit the life of the little community.
Hmmmm, that COULD sound like a home and family…
It’s NOT that I want time to stand still, but that I make the most of each day…
I want a “cloistered” life right in the middle of the crazy, the frantic, the every of everyday…
After all, He did give us this promise:
A Little Background…
I am a Bible believing woman who was raised in a liturgical church (meaning a church that used a weekly “liturgy” and followed a cycle throughout the year called “the church year”). I have been planted in nondenominational churches for most of my adult life (read that as no cycle of a church year).
A couple of years ago, I noticed a longing for the familiar rhythm of the cycles of my childhood church. This occurred especially during the Christmas season, and I recognized that the cycle of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany allowed me to savor, to enjoy, and to stamp the season on my heart and mind, the extended days gave the opportunity for the true meaning of the season to soak into my soul and spirit. So, we adopted the full Christmas cycle into our family life, even tho’ it wasn’t observed formally at our home church.
Upon some reflection I realized that the repetition of the other familiar cycles of the “church year” had produced a depth of spiritual understanding and knowledge in my heart that I still draw upon. That made me wonder if I could adopt the idea of cycling through a spiritual calendar of sorts that would foster my need for a “cloistered” life, one where I was in tune to the sense of the Lord’s Presence throughout the course of the day, the week, the month, and even the year, something that would foster the depth of spiritual life I was hungry for. Of course, the Holy Spirit was right there…illuminating the yearly “Feasts of the Lord”. You know I am very drawn to the Messianic roots of my Christian faith! What has followed is the examination of how to make the rhythms outlined in the Old Testament very real and practical, and letting the rich teachings speak into my life today.
I have definitely not “arrived” yet! But I invite you to accompany me on the rest of my journey…will you?
The Jewish Fall Feasts begin on September 14th with Rosh Hashanah and end on the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). In the middle of it all is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are considerd the “High Holy Days” and are named the Ten Days of Awe (you can read more about the significance of these days here). This year is especially exciting as Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the year of Jubilee, which comes only once every 50 years for the Jews, but for those of us who believe in Yeshua Ha-Mashiach, we can enjoy “Jubilee” each day!
During these Ten Days of Awe, we will explore different methods of “practicing the presence of God”. I am a gatherer/collector at heart, and have gathered together some spiritual practices to share with you – a different one every day. You will receive an email in the evening (beginning on September 13th) that gives instructions for the following day’s spiritual practice. The emails will be short, and each practice will be from 5 to perhaps 30 minutes in length. At the end of ten days, I will encourage you to pick the one or two that resonated the most and then practice turning towards and tuning in to His Presence using that method for the next 6 weeks (that is how long it takes to build a habit!). We will even have a Facebook group for participants to join so that we can share with and encourage one another!