Prayer Concentration at church 9:00 – 9:30 am: PRAY FOR OUR NEIGHBORS

Pray that God would reveal himself to our neighbors. Pray that we would have ears to hear the Spirit of God speak in the perfect moments. Pray that we would be generous towards them with our lives, finances, and homes.

Today’s Theme: Sacred Rest – begin the day by laying aside all the things that have to get done this week and enjoy resting in the goodness of God. God is enough everyday, but on the Sabbath we rest and relish in that reality.

Devotion: Seasons of Life in Listening

We are coming out of what sometimes feels like the busiest season of the year. It feels like there are a million things to do and check off the list. To be honest, I love all of it. I love hanging out with family. I love playing games and eating together. I love Christmas Eve service. And I love gifts. Sabbath is one of those gifts from God that we often forget to revel in.

Sabbath is an active decision. It can be hard to say, “I’m not working today.” Sometimes a positive thing like a good work ethic can make us feel like resting is lazy instead of active, but I want to encourage you with this–God rests! God the one whose very words created the universe takes time to rest. Do you think God was tired? Of course not, he is showing us that rest is productive. Rest reminds us that we aren’t just beings created to work, but people who were meant to enjoy creation and each other.

Enjoy creation today. Enjoy the people God has put around you. Enjoy watching a movie with your family. Enjoy a great dinner around the table. Enjoy that book you got for Christmas. Remember rest isn’t a thing you’ve earned, but a gift from God to fill you with his spirit and his strength.

Focus: Quiet reflection and mindfulness.

Practical Ideas:

• Put your phone on the charger and walk away for a few hours

• Sit and listen to your favorite album from start to finish

• Go on a walk at the Governor’s Mansion

Scripture Focus: Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30 NLT)

Quote: “Sabbath is the time set aside to do nothing so that we can receive everything, to set aside our anxious attempts to make ourselves useful, to set aside our tense restlessness, to set aside our media-satiated boredom. Sabbath is the time to receive silence and let it deepen into gratitude, to receive quiet into which forgotten faces and voices unobtrusively make themselves present, to receive the days of the just completed week and absorb the wonder and miracle still reverberating from each one, to receive our Lord's amazing grace.”

— Eugene Peterson, Tell It Slant: A Conversation on the Language of Jesus in His Stories and Prayers

Going Deeper

• Sabbath: Pick a day each week that is set aside, as Eugene Peterson says, “To Pray and to Play.”

• Rest: Get a full 8 hours of sleep. (Parents of newborns, I apologize for this recommendation.)

• Learn: Read the book, The Relentless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

Prayer Concentration at church 6:00 – 7:00 pm: PRAY FOR OUR SCHOOLS

Pray for God’s Spirit to be poured out on students of every age. Ask God to protect all who study and work on school and college campuses throughout the US.

Today’s Theme:Listening – begin the day with quiet reflection and mindfulness to center your heart and mind.

Devotion from Valerie Joens: Seasons of Life in Listening

I love living in the Midwest with what I consider “true” seasons of the year.  If you do not already know, summer in Kansas is not my favorite.  I try very hard not to complain about the heat and humidity, but as I reflect on that today, I realized that without the summer, fall (my favorite) with the cooler temperatures and trees ablaze would not be as appealing.

So, it is my friends with listening for God in each season we encounter. We should have the desire to place ourselves in His Presence and ask Him to speak to us.  Wherever you find yourself today, spring, summer, fall or winter find space to listen as you read His Word and quiet yourself to ask Him to speak through it to you.

As we know, there isn’t a season that lasts forever. Rest in His Presence and listen. Go to the park with your children and listen. Pray and listen. Allow Him to speak into your season knowing He is fully capable of all things and His greatest desire is You!

Focus: Quiet reflection and mindfulness.

Practical Ideas:

• Don’t be afraid to sit silently for a little bit.

• Journal one thought or feeling you want to release.

• Take a mindful walk, noticing nature around you.

Scripture Focus: Give me an understanding (šāmaʽ: hear, listen and obey), heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours? (1 Kings 3:9 NLT)

Quote: “Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them.  Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, “Speak, for thy servant heareth.”  Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart.  Let me get used to the sound of Thy Voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy speaking Voice.  Amen.”

— A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Going Deeper - Transformative Disciplines:  Meditation & Study

• Meditation: Reflecting deeply on Scripture and God’s presence.

• Listening, and aligning with God’s will.

• Study: Engaging with Scripture and truth to transform the mind. (Both focus on internalizing God’s Word and truth.)

Prayer Time: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

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Prayer Time: 6:15 - 6:45 p.m.

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Prayer Time: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

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Prayer Time: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

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Prayer Time: 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.

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