Restoration

Over the past three or four months I have been slowly working through Mark Buchanan’s book, The Rest of God. Both Patty and I have enjoyed Buchanan’s previous books, especially, Your God is Too Safe. The Rest of God’s subtitle describes the essence of the book, “restoring your soul by restoring Sabbath.”

I have been seeking to be much more intentional about my practice of Sabbath. A number of things kicked this into place in my life, including a truly awesome message my friend BJ Woodworth shared at one of our worship gatherings in August (you can listen here at Thinking Out Loud).

On Monday (during my Sabbath time), I was reading Buchanan’s chapter, “Restore: Stopping to Become Whole.” Incredibly timely. I have been a real crank lately (ask my wife). I am pretty sure I am suffering from soul fatigue. Buchanan reminded me that Jesus’ favorite day to restore was (and is) the Sabbath. And so I invited Jesus to do some work within me. In the process, I realized that there are four primary ways Jesus restores my soul.

Music (that touches my emotions): My playlist on Monday was eclectic and rich - classic Stevie Wonder, U2, Coldplay, MuteMath, David Crowder, Jon Foreman, Jimmy Eat World, Ben Harper and Counting Crows.

Activity (that engages my body): While I am typically adverse to physical labor, there is something restorative about raking leaves. My muscles ached and it felt great.

A Cause (that pumps me up): Upon my return from Africa I have been inviting people to join me in putting soccer balls upon the fet of children in Africa. You too can get a kick out of sharing.

Relationships (that energize): I made sure to make some connections with the people in the life who bring energize to me.

He is restoring my soul.

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