Some of these 39 activities include:

• Planting
• Plowing
• Baking
• Selecting
• Writing more than 2 letters
• Erasing more than 2 letters
• Igniting a fire
• Applying the finishing touch
• Tying
• Untying

There seems to be a lot of debate about the use of modern electronics and appliances. Can you drive a car? What about watching a tv- even if it was on when Sabbath began?

Before I began this journey, I had to decide exactly how far I was going to take my Sabbath attempts. The laws aren’t just confusing they are overwhelming. For example, according to my study it was permissible for me to use the refrigerator but when you open the door the incandescent light bulb is triggered and thus violates the law prohibiting igniting a fire. I could drink my cold sweet tea but each trip to the fridge violated the law. The solution for some is to unscrew the bulb in the fridge before sundown on the Sabbath.

Some Rabbis have varying rules and teachings on the use of electronics. Some believe that typing and deleting text in on a computer doesn’t violate the writing laws. Also, many people see sitting at the computer a way to relax and rest. What would I choose? How could I observe the Sabbath appropriately?

I started by turning off the electronics all together. I turned off the tv. No iPod or XBOX. I handed the iPhone to my wife for safe keeping. For me to truly rest and connect with the spirit in which the Sabbath was intended I could not be tethered online or to mindless entertainment.

Second, I decided not to read any “ministry related” books or magazines during the Sabbath. I love to read and certainly reading does not violate the Sabbath. However, for me to read a ministry book would keep me connected to work. I can’t just passively enjoy a book about ministry. The point is rest and I can’t do that while taking notes.

Thirdly, my Sabbath would not infringe on my family in any way. Well, the first one at least didn’t get in the way. Part of the reason I decided to choose April for this experiment was that my wife is scheduled to be gone nearly every weekend. This way my experiment wouldn’t infringe on her too much. That first Sabbath was a great time of zero expectations and no agendas and we were able to share it together. Although, she didn’t appreciate the fact that I couldn’t help her move a table. It wasn’t that heavy anyway.

So, what does the Sabbath have in store for me this weekend? Since I’m home alone again I’m taking it up a notch by not turning the lights on or off. If the light is on at sundown, it stays on. If it is off at sundown, it stays off.

Oh, and I’m unscrewing the little light bulb in the fridge. Ya, I’m going there.

The WORD became flesh and God REVEALED Himself through His Son, JESUS CHRIST.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5 TNIV)

Through Jesus Christ God REVEALS to us a number of things.

Jesus Reveals:

God’s Love & Blessings

Forgiveness

Faithfulness

Salvation

Grace

Redemption

Glory

New Life

“We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us—one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart; he has told us about him.” (John 1:16-18 NLT)

Through Jesus Christ we have hope for a new life. We are not burdened by sin anymore. The Creator of the Universe stepped down, lived as a man, died as an innocent, and was raised to life again. And this new life is offered to you and me.

One of the things that keeps people from standing out and excelling at work is because they believe that they have to become perfect in order to become great. That is not the case. Godin uses Bob Dylan as the perfect example.

“Bob Dylan knows a little about becoming indispensable, being an artist, and living on the edge:

Avoiding the treadmill of defect-free is not easy to sell to someone who’s been trained in the perfection worldview since first grade (which is most of us). But artists embrace the mystery of our genius instead. They understand that there is no map, no step-by-step plan, and no way to avoid blame now and then. If it wasn’t a mystery, it would be easy. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth much.”

I am about halfway through Linchpin and I am ready to declare this a must for you to read- regardless of your job and regardless of your position. Come back tomorrow for some more choice quotes from this incredible read.

There is a little tree planted on a little hill and on that tree hangs the most influential character that ever came in this world. But never feel that that tree is a meaningless drama that took place on the stages of history. Oh no, it is a telescope through which we look out into the long vista of eternity, and see the love of God breaking forth into time. It is an eternal reminder to a power-drunk generation that love is the only way. It is an eternal reminder to a generation depending on nuclear and atomic energy, a generation depending on physical violence, that love is the only creative, redemptive, transforming power in the universe.

So this morning, as I look into your eyes, and into the eyes of all of my brothers in Alabama and all over America and over the world, I say to you, “I love you. I would rather die than hate you.” And I’m foolish enough to believe that through the power of this love somewhere, men of the most recalcitrant bent will be transformed. And then we will be in God’s kingdom. We will be able to matriculate into the university of eternal life because we had the power to love our enemies, to bless those persons that cursed us, to even decide to be good to those persons who hated us, and we even prayed for those persons who despitefully used us.

Oh God, help us in our lives and in all of our attitudes, to work out this controlling force of love, this controlling power that can solve every problem that we confront in all areas. Oh, we talk about politics; we talk about the problems facing our atomic civilization. Grant that all men will come together and discover that as we solve the crisis and solve these problems—the international problems, the problems of atomic energy, the problems of nuclear energy, and yes, even the race problem—let us join together in a great fellowship of love and bow down at the feet of Jesus. Give us this strong determination. In the name and spirit of this Christ, we pray. Amen.

Over Christmas, I downloaded a collection of his articles and talks to my Kindle to read while at the in-law’s cabin in the mountains of Virginia. I remember reading some of them in YouthWorker or other youth ministry resources. I remember how jazzed up they made me feel about youth ministry and I remember how they challenged me to move forward with an open heart and open mind all the while keeping my eyes firmly fixed on Jesus.

Below is an excerpt from Yac about the importance of taking care of your own soul while in ministry. Most of you know I am a ferocious reader. I consider reading to be a spiritual discipline that keeps me grounded and gives me the knowledge/tools/desire/focus to progress. Here is the advice Mike Yaconelli gives to youth ministers about the habit of soul tending through reading:

Most youth workers don’t read nearly enough. Yet reading is absolutely essential to your spiritual growth.

ASK THE PEOPLE WHOM YOU ADMIRE AND RESPECT WHAT BOOKS THEY READ.
If you’re drawn to certain people, then chances are they have the same reading interests you do—so trust them to get you on the right track.

NOTE THOSE AUTHORS YOU RESONATE WITH, THEN GET ALL OF THEIR BOOKS.
(I have my own group of authors who, through their books, have become my reading-world friends: Eugene Peterson, Barbara Brown Taylor, Walter Wangerin Jr., John Claypool, Earl Palmer, Henri Nouwen, Calvin Miller, Frederick Buechner, Alan Jones, Will Willimon, Evelyn Underhill, and Philip Yancey. I read everything they write. Somehow they know me; they name my struggles and put into words what I’ve been unable to find words for.)

PLACE THOSE FEW BOOKS THAT HAVE REALLY AFFECTED YOU IN A BOOKCASE CLOSE TO WHERE YOU WORK.
In my study I have all my favorite books—my friends—just to the left of my desk and within arm’s reach. I have lots more books in my study, but my friends are right next to me.

INTERACT WITH YOUR BOOKS. Mark your favorite passages, make notes, mark and then file the quotes that grip you. Books are made to be marked—and stained with tears, too. Reading is more than gathering information—it’s a relationship.

DON’T WORRY IF YOU TAKE A BREAK FROM READING NOW AND THEN.
Sometimes your soul needs space and time to process what’s going on in your life. At such times reading can distract you from the soul work you should be doing.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T LIMIT YOUR READING TO SPIRITUAL BOOKS.
Read recent novels, old classics, biographies, short stories, essays, articles. Christians aren’t the only ones speaking truth. Truth is truth, regardless of who says it.

Thanks for the challenge Yac!

Rolling Stone just posted an article from The Edge asking him what the future looks like for U2. Truth be told, while Bono may be the face of the band the heart, soul, and mind of U2 is The Edge. (Check out the doc “It Might Get Loud” for a glimpse into The Edge’s work ethic) U2’s last album was one of the best selling albums of 2009, they are currently touring the planet on the world’s largest concert stage, and they are undoubtedly the world’s biggest band. And yet, the desire to move forward, develop, and excel is pronounced.

Rolling Stone: What do you foresee for U2 in the next decade?
The Edge: I can’t think that things will change radically for us, because we are already enjoying being in the band. It matters to us that we still make music that connects, and we are still capable of potentially doing our best-ever album. It’s not a foregone conclusion that our best work is behind us. That still makes it really exciting.

Remember, U2 has experienced unprecedented sustained success for 30 years. There have been missteps and mistakes, hubris and humiliations. Does this sound like a man that is burned out and ready to give up? No. This is a man on fire! In fact, that’s a big joke in the U2 fan community. Anytime a journalist asks Bono about the upcoming album he says (without fail) that “The Edge is on fire.” That fire must come from a desire to learn and move on.

What makes ministry exciting is that your best days are not behind you. Find that desire to move forward.

At what may seem like the apex of success or at what may seem like the pit of despair there is a choice. You can get bitter or you can get better. The choice is yours. Getting bitter is the easy choice. You get to complain and people will stroke your hair and sing “Soft Kitty” over you. And you will die inside a little each day.

But.. you choose to get better and there is hope. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2Corinthians 4:16) There’s your promise. We serve a God that takes our dark yesterdays and gives us bright tomorrows.

Do not lose heart. Your best day is not behind you because God’s best day is not behind Him!

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1Corinthians 9:24-27)