I'm most of the way through reading Josh Harris' 'Stop dating the church' and he quotes a pastor he knows, who challenges you on how you view Sunday - and how you prepare for it. The question he put forward, that hit me earlier today, was what I get up to on Saturday evening. He'd found that what you feed your mind on Saturday evening is often what occupies your mind the next morning.
He has a strong point, I feel. If you don't take a time to step back and remember that Sunday is often our most prime day in the week for teaching and fellowship, we risk accidentally relegating Sunday to mere routine. i.e. get up, go to church, tick the box, get on with the day as if it were any other. Considering this, I've decided to put his point to the test and see what turning off the TV (or 'idiot box', as my grandpa puts it), and see what reading a wholesome book, that is good for the soul does for my mind - both last thing at night as I try to get to sleep - and first thing in the morning. Not to mention an early night, so you're physically refreshed and awake to both hear God speak during the day, but also to obey him!
More to follow as I see what the difference is on the morro. I will hopefully blog this topic in more detail in the next 2 days or so, as I've been a firm believer in keeping Sundays work-free for the past 3 years of Uni life, keeping God first, and he's not let me down in that time.
Until next time: good night fellow bloggers :)
TheWeeScottie
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weird is just your own personal brand of normal
3 comments:
I believe in preparing for Sundays. It really helps me focus on God for the day.
I've been doing it conciously for the past few months. In the last month my "wholesome book" has been Desiring God by John Piper, which is about as wholesome as they get. I feel distinctly nourished :)
sssooo wheres the topic in more detail..did prepairing on saturday evening help for sunday morning?
Btw - ive read that book and its amazing! Really changes your veiw about church! hehe
Interesting isn't it, that Christianity has lost some of the ryhthms and rituals you find in other religions in order to aviod legalism and religosity, when rhythym and ritual can be really helpful in living a God focussed life. The Jewish Sabbath starts on the Friday evening, normally with a family meal and a short ritual to welcome the Sabbath, to focus everybody on the day. I was lucky enough to eat with a Jewish family on a Friday evening last autumn and it was really interesting, very spiritual atmosphere. So often I stay up late watching random TV or chatting online on a Saturday so that getting up for our 9:30 service is a challenge and a chore, and I can't wait til the service is over and I can get some tea!
Not much preparation is it? Thanks for sharing that.
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