Sabbath Keeping

Today as I was working my way through my Bible reading plan, I read Isaiah 56. In this chapter, God describes people who wholeheartedly follow Him as being Sabbath keepers. I was convicted enough by what I read that I changed my plans for the day. My errand-filled afternoon of checking off to-dos got moved to tomorrow, and I chose to not check off anything this afternoon.

My Sabbath afternoon consisted of a relaxing walk around the neighborhood with my girls, something they have been requesting lately, and a trip to a coffee shop where we enjoyed a special treat and read through some of our favorite Christmas picture books, including The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, The Nativity illustrated by Julie Vivas, Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend and others. It was a great way to focus on Christ today and not on tasks.

My thoughts about the Sabbath, however, are not finished. As I have meditated on the Word today, I have wondered

• How can I observe Sabbath without becoming legalistic?
• What does God require of me, one saved by grace alone, in regards to Sabbath keeping?
• What are some practical applications for Sabbath-keeping in 2011?
• Do I more often profane the Sabbath by working and not resting on Sunday OR by adding too many rest days and times to my week so that Sunday is no longer special and set apart?

God is working on my heart as I think through these answers. I sense that obedience is not going to be easy.

Some Favorite Picture Books

One of the most profound influences on our style and philosophy of education was my getting connected with a wonderful group of literature lovers in Northwest Arkansas. Each time I interacted with those ladies, I was introduced or re-introduced to classics. They lived their love for the classics by reading aloud to their children a minimum of two hours per day. I was inspired.

Recently, we began our study of 20th century world history. It's dark. That's all there is to it. (Daily I have to remind myself that God has a sovereign plan, and I cling to His hope.) Along with this study, our book selection has been on the somber side. To counteract that, I decided to bring back some of my favorite picture books and share them with the girls again. Some of them, Amelia is experiencing for the first time, even. This has been a delightful contrast to the hard truths of history.

Here are some of the picture books we have found to be real treasures (i.e. worth reading at any age).

A Hole is to Dig: A First Book of Definitions by Ruth Krauss

The Big Green Pocketbook by Candice Ransom

The Teddy Bear by David McPhail

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Dogger by Shirley Hughes

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss

Jesse Bear, What will you Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom

Pete's a Pizza by William Steig (but you must act it out!)

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

A Bargain for Frances by Russell Hoban

Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojcichowski

Fahrenheit 451 and Being an Odd Duck

I read it for the first time about 13 years ago and picked up a copy at the Fayetteville Public Library yesterday immediately after reading this post. Finished it today.

The book speaks for itself, really. It is/was eerily prophetic and proclaims uncomfortable truth. In this post, I want to share only one excerpt that stands out to me.

Beatty speaking: . . ."Heredity and environment are funny things. You can't rid yourselves of all the odd ducks in just a few years. The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That's why we've lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we're almost snatching them from the cradle. . ."

The odd ducks are the world-changers and heroes of this world. I hope and pray that we are raising odd ducks in our home.

If it's been a while, you should definitely read Fahrenheit 451. It could change your life.