Heather in Neverland Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 What does "keeping the Sabbath" look like for your family? We are always so busy busy busy. There is wisdom in God's command to keep the Sabbath that I ignore. I mean, sure, we go to church but that's about it. So I am interested in hearing how this looks in your family. I would love to hear from those who have very "fixed" ideas to those who keep it more loosely, as we would like to steal some of your ideas. :D I do NOT want to debate "whether" one should keep the Sabbath. We've already decided we need a change. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Heather, we do nothing to 'keep the Sabath'. All the days of the week are the same to us. To dh and I, Christ *is our Sabbath rest. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We have friends over for lunch after church, do not conduct regular work (no school work for dh, no hs or writing related things for me), and swap chores so no one is doing their regular weekday chores. We will often play games with everyone, watch a movie, or go outside. We also do not sign-up for activities knowing they occur on Sundays (sports, clubs, etc) but we were blind-sided this year with two activities that ended up having meetings on Sundays, so we have compromised and are participating in half of the scheduled activities until our commitment is over then will not be participating in them in the future. We also have a sundown-to-sundown view of Lord's Day, so I am technically in Lord's Day mode now and will be until sundown tomorrow. And it's fall, so Lord's Days will be getting longer and longer. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeTea Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Our ideas are not "fixed", but we have fallen into a comfortable routine: Animal chores, out of necessity Breakfast on your own. There's usually 3 of us standing around the island in the kitchen trying to wake up. Sunday School for all of us Worship service for all of us Coffee Fellowship at church following worship, although tomorrow is a potluck Come home and slip into jeans Our grown kids follow us home from church and we have lunch together Ping-pong tournaments in the polebarn or board games I sneak off for a nap if I can and sometimes a game or race is on TV the rest will watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 :bigear: DH and I talked just this week about instituting changes on this same issue. Very interested in what I have read so far. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We go to church in the morning from 9-12. Afterwards, we have lunch and chill for a while. It's a time to spend with family. I try to limit electronics--not always successful. We work on sitting goals for the week(all of the children have different programs that require goals be set and accomplished through church that they work on). In the evening, we have family home evening or visit with friends. We do not shop, go out to eat, participate in sports, or do school work. I really enjoy having a quiet day set aside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 (edited) We "keep the Sabbath" not because we feel obligated to do so but because we find it a wonderful tradition to dedicate one day of the week to family & rest. The biggest part of that for us is just staying together as a family. We are not going to engage in activities that have us running in four different directions. We go to church in the morning and in the afternoon we prefer to stay at home, go hiking, go to the park, chit-chat with neighbors on the porch swing. We have family worship in the evening since our church doesn't have an evening service. We have a special Sunday read-aloud, usually a missionary story because we love those. I hate to focus on what we don't do because it isn't a fixed list of "rules." We don't think everyone's Sunday should look like ours. We just reached a point where we realized that we didn't want our Sunday looking like this.... Go to first service. Beat the crowd to lunch. Hit a few stores to get craft supplies, etc. for school. Stand in Costco with whining, tired children. Yell at the kids to behave. Stop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up a few things. Grab some dinner. Try to clean up the house because of the upcoming school week. Lesson plans AHAGHGHGHGH. Who wants that kind of day? Not me. So we slowed it WAAAAAAY down. We wanted to take one day to just breath. And oddly enough doing that becomes a real opportunity to have some wonderful discussions with our children about God, family, our priorities, nature, etc. Oh, I saw that a pp mentioned electronics. We don't really have any much but we do avoid "over-stimulating" things preferring to really be natural and peaceful on that day. It is hard for me to explain but perhaps you "get it". Every day is the Lord's. We firmly believe that and yet in our culture, rarely do people slow down enough to "notice." So one day a week, we slow down and make a determined effort to take notice. Edited October 25, 2009 by Daisy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 A few years ago, I felt convicted by the Lord to do the following . It's my conviction for myself; dh doesn't share the conviction and I think that is fine. I work at a church so when church is done, that is the end of any work for the day: no church work, no homeschool planning, no housework, no exercise. I usually take a nap. I sleep really deeply and wake up refreshed. Every other week, I meet with a prayer partner in the evening. Usually on the other weeks, I watch a movie with the kids. Just down time. It is really nice to have that interruption of the go-go-go-push-push-push. I think it's been good for my health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Can I recommend "Call the Sabbath a Delight" by Walter Chantry? It is a wonderful little book that helped frame my view of the Sabbath. To us, things "allowed" on the Sabbath are works of necessity, works of piety, and works of mercy. A typical Sunday for us would be: -Sunday School & Worship Service -Lunch at church, family member, or church friend's house -A quiet afternoon reading doctrinal-type book, the Bible, and/or napping :-) -Back to church for evening prayer service -Quiet evening reading/relaxing We avoid any work/employment related activities. This would be work for my husband's company (we own our own construction company), any homeschool planning/work on my part, any school work, major cleaning, etc. We avoid any "regularly scheduled" activities (ie sports, scouts, etc.) that occur on the Sabbath. We avoid any shopping/eating out/etc. type activities. We try to get the house cleaned and in order the day before in able to enable resting in a peaceful clean house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We don't really "keep the Sabbath," as we consider that to be an Old Testament commandment, but I will say that once we started going to Sunday evening church as well as Sunday morning, our Sundays are much more restful and God-centered, which has been really nice. We used to come home from Sunday morning church, have lunch, then run all kinds of errands, housework, just like any other day. Now we come home from church, have lunch, take a rest (naptime for dh and me, reading time for kids who don't want to sleep), spend time together as a family, eat dinner, then head back to church for the evening prayer service. Then it's home, showers, bedtime stories, and bedtime. We rarely do any errands on a Sunday now, or tackle any big projects around the house, and I have really enjoyed the change. It does seem more set aside for God and family now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Admittedly feeling ornery today. I am interested in hearing how this looks in your family. I would love to hear from those who have very "fixed" ideas to those who keep it more loosely, as we would like to steal some of your ideas. I do NOT want to debate "whether" one should keep the Sabbath. We've already decided we need a change. Thanks! Heather, we do nothing to 'keep the Sabath'. All the days of the week are the same to us. To dh and I, Christ *is our Sabbath rest. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Wait, what did I do wrong? I just shared what we do to 'keep the Sabbath', which is that we don't do anything differently than on other days. We view all days the same. I wasn't debating. Didn't mean to offend, honestly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 (edited) Wait, what did I do wrong? I just shared what we do to 'keep the Sabbath', which is that we don't do anything differently than on other days. We view all days the same. I wasn't debating. Didn't mean to offend, honestly. PM'd you as I don't want to hijack the thread. ETA: All's well that ends well! :) Edited October 25, 2009 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We don't watch secular DVDs or listen to secular music on the Lord's day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We go to church and Sunday School and to evening church every other week. We often either have family or church friends over for a meal or go to someone else's. Dc school six days and take off Sunday. Dh doesn't work on Sunday. We are not super-rigid (we cook, iron church clothes, shop, etc.,) but we do set it aside as a day for family and worship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 For us, we go to church, come home and have dinner, rest, then church again that evening. We don't do any work other than the basics (cooking, dishes, etc) We also don't go out to eat or go shopping...just because we kind of feel like we shouldn't cause someone else to work either. We don't think that Sunday is the only day of the week that can be a Sabbath, but do believe you should have one dedicated day a week to the Lord and to rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 A typical Sunday for us would be: -Sunday School & Worship Service -Lunch at church, family member, or church friend's house -A quiet afternoon reading doctrinal-type book, the Bible, and/or napping :-) -Back to church for evening prayer service -Quiet evening reading/relaxing We avoid any work/employment related activities. This would be work for my husband's company (we own our own construction company), any homeschool planning/work on my part, any school work, major cleaning, etc. We avoid any "regularly scheduled" activities (ie sports, scouts, etc.) that occur on the Sabbath. We avoid any shopping/eating out/etc. type activities. We try to get the house cleaned and in order the day before in able to enable resting in a peaceful clean house. This is what we do as well. If the weather is nice we prefer to spend Sunday afternoons out in God's creation as a family so often we pack a picnic lunch and take it to church w/us, then head out to a lake afterwards. This also helps me because when I'm home, I'm "at work" and have a very hard time relaxing and not running just one load of laundry, wiping down the bathroom, tidying up, etc. I need to stay away from my workplace on Sunday! It took my realizing that God gave us 6 days of work and 1 day of rest, not 7 days of work. ;) The biggest change we made was not running errands or going out to eat on the Sabbath. Since making that change (which was brought about by an innocent question by one of our dc) our Sabbath has been more restful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Ds and I are working on keeping the Sabbath. So far, we've eliminated video games, for him, and computer time for me :p We do go to church and hang out when we can. I've started making 'Sunday dinners' (meaning big dinners that are little work, like a pot roast). I do nap, ds will take one too. We read some, but try very hard to make Sunday our day to relax and reflect. Dh is in a different camp, iykwIm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I try to overcook on Saturday so we have leftovers and limited prep after church for lunch. In the morning we relax, sleep in a little. Kids do their chores and piano, then we hang out. Some days the kids have a little mini choir time so we leave for church early, other days we may go for a walk or make a special breakfast together. Then church. Then home - lunch - mandatory nap time. The nap for the kids can be silent reading in bed - but it's rest and nap time. Then we have AWANA. The kids love it - and DH and I have a date for 2 hours. We usually eat out something light. Then pick up the kids, home, light dinner for them. Devotionals. We try to slow down, spend more time relaxing together, rest (nap!), etc. We love Sundays here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petepie2 Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We observe the Lord's Day by going to church in the morning. For lunch we may come home and eat or we may go out. Our afternoons are usually spent napping or reading. We don't do any regular work other than cleaning up after lunch if needed. We don't participate in sports, and we don't do school. We then return to church for the evening service (sometimes earlier for choir practice). Afterwards we may go out for dinner with people from church or we may go home and eat. On Saturday night, I usually try to have everything ready for church in the morning so that Sunday isn't so hectic in the mornings. Also, I try to pick up the house on Saturday night if needed so I won't feel compelled to do so on Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 That is usually our family day. We go to the park, go down to the lake, go geocaching, or even just hang out and watch movies so long as we are focusing on family time. The rest of the week is so busy for us that we can truly slow down and enjoy our time together that one day a week. That said, we are not able to do this every week. Some weeks my dh has to do some work from home or we have errands that must be attended too like hair cuts or running to the grocery store, but we do try hard to keep that one day for our family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 This is the original poster: I do NOT want to debate "whether" one should keep the Sabbath. We've already decided we need a change. according to the nt christians are not obligated to keep sabbath and to observe jewish festivals.. saint paul said that in many letters.. then why do Adventists still practice the sabbath? :glare: Francen, she wasn't looking to debate. Please start your own thread if you'd like to discuss your topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 For us it's a day of rest--no money spending, no housework that isn't necessary, usually a pretty simple dinner. We consume media that is religious or classical. We go for a family walk maybe, read together, spend time with my parents, etc. Naps are pretty good too. I suppose it looks like a list of "no's" but what that really does is open up a day for thinking about more important things. We don't sit around wishing we could go shopping or watch a movie; it's nice to have that put aside. And we go to church all morning, but I don't think that's what the OP wanted to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We started keeping the Sabbath about 4 or 5 years ago, it's been a nice change, it makes Sunday a day to look forward to, and also gives you more energy for work the rest of the week. I don't usually nap, but my husband usually does. We try to do something fun as a family, and sometimes watch a movie together in the evening. We're not legalistic about it, here's an example--my husband will change the oil in his older car but not the newer ones! (The newer ones are work, it's easy on his older car and he enjoys changing the oil on it.) I usually read. If my husband has to work on Sunday, we will try to take the Sabbath on Saturday or Friday if we can. (Sometimes his job requires it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We don't make anyone else work (no shopping, movies, eating out, etc), no real schoolwork (I might read but no studying/tests/papers), try to watch scripture-related media only, go to church, spend family time, read scriptures, write to other family members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelmorris Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We do not shop or do anything on Sunday that causes another to work. We stay close to home (besides going to church) and try to do quiet activities together as a family. Write letters, journal, draw, play board games, bake, watch an uplifting show or movie together, do puzzles, read. Whatever we can do that invites the spirit into our home. I try to get all of my planning for the week done before Sunday... it really isn't restful when I'm trying to do lesson plans at the last minute.. that is my big downfall to keeping the Sabbath atm. Mostly we just try to recharge and enjoy our family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 Thank you for all these wonderful ideas. We are not thinking this way for legalistic reasons either. We just see a need in our family to set aside a day not only to rest but to really focus on our relationship with God and with each other. It probably sounds strange but we want to put some "parameters" in place at least in the beginning so that we don't fall back into bad habits, kwim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We're secular Jews. We "keep" shabat out of tradition, but not to a very high extent, compared to the Orthodox Jews. We finish cooking and cleaning Friday BEFORE shabat, and don't do it during shabat. Friday evening we also have a family meal - not at a fixed hour, but we do. Sometimes - but not often - we have a "proper" family shabat, with candles and all, but that's rare. However, we don't eat blatantly unkosher things on shabat. We might even say blessings/prayer on shabat, even though we normally don't. From Friday evening to Saturday evening, we don't go shopping (not only that, we don't do money transactions and don't even talk about money), don't watch TV, if we listen to music, it's only light classical music, we spend some time together, and try to be quiet. Generally, we don't impose any "shabat rules" in our home, but everybody observes it to an extent they're comfortable with. My husband doesn't use any technology, I do (internet), he also does some minor Torah study, I usually dress according to the rules and sometimes my daughters too. I guess it's pretty weird that as secular people we try to keep shabat, but we like the tradition, as well as having a nice, family-oriented day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Heather, we do nothing to 'keep the Sabath'. All the days of the week are the same to us. To dh and I, Christ *is our Sabbath rest. :001_smile: Ditto. I do go to church in the a.m. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in AZ Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We are starting to view our week in preparation for the Sabbath. We try to complete our cleaning, etc. before Saturday (our Sabbath as dh travels on Sundays for work). It's very comforting not to have to work on the Sabbath. We see it as a blessing from God to be able to rest. :) The kids and I are studying the book of Luke in Community Bible Study and my dh is tagging along. Our Sabbaths tend to look different each week and surprisingly I like it! ;) Here are some ways we've celebrated the Sabbath: * attending a Bible study * discussing what we've been studying in Luke * reading from a missionary story book * taking Communion as a family * singing to hymns or praise music on CD * watching movies as a family * yesterday we celebrated the Sabbath around our new outdoor fireplace (it was amazing!) We've found that prepping and looking foward to resting in the Lord has brought great peace to our weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 We are starting to view our week in preparation for the Sabbath. We've found that prepping and looking foward to resting in the Lord has brought great peace to our weekends. I agree with this; it's all in the preparation and looking forward to the Sabbath. A book that helped me many years ago was Making Sunday Special by Karen Burton Mains. I think it's out of print, but there are many used copies available on amazon. Personally, I love the freedom in having a 'family' day of rest and relaxation. And we're not legalistic about it; if something really important comes up we will participate, but we all feel deprived of our 'day-off' and eagerly look forward to the next week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Our Sunday is a family day. We don't limit our activities, but they are all families things on Sunday. We may go shopping, watch football (a favorite in the fall), work outside, etc. We also have ice cream sundaes in the evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 "We work on sitting goals for the week(all of the children have different programs that require goals be set and accomplished through church that they work on). " What are some examples of this? I like this thread... like it or not.... we should be trying to set aside the day to be with family... Carrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayle in Guatemala Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 For us it's absolutely imperative that we have a sabbath. We do church in the morning and then it's family time. We usually eat a quicker lunch like leftovers or nachos with black beans, veggies and cheese or something just super easy. We spend time playing games, watching a movie, or, at times, we will have friends (usually another family) over for the afternoon. But it is definitely a family day. We have gone out as a family for ice cream or for a walk, but, whatever we do we do as a family. Usually it's a day for our devotions and family prayer time at night before bed too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I am reading a book on this topic right now, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva J. Dawn. She has a lot of good ideas, many of them based on Jewish traditions. Some of her ideas are action ones - attending church, having another family over for a meal, and some of them are mental ones - preparing for the Sabbath and deliberately setting aside other cares and worries. I'm going to try incorporating some of them into my week. Our Sabbath right now generally revolves around several different worship services, and spending family time together, which is good. I need to work on the mental aspect though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaNY Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Heather, we do nothing to 'keep the Sabath'. All the days of the week are the same to us. To dh and I, Christ *is our Sabbath rest. :001_smile: Even the L-rd rested on the seventh day. You should try it sometime. It's a wonderful blessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 We don't strictly observe the Sabbath for the reasons others have mentioned--Christ is our Sabbath. I make the distinction because I think of it more as a celebration of the Lord's Day...so some things are the same every week, and some things flex depending on needs/circumstances, like any other celebration. We leave shortly after 8am for church and get home around 1:15 most weeks. We stay for both services. It's a long time to be at church but we love the extra time to connect with the body of Christ. Then we go home, have lunch and take rests....sometimes. I really try to make it a day of worship, rest and fellowship for me and the kids. My husband has a hard time "doing nothing", so for him I think he enjoys his day of rest with a little activity--he'll do yardwork sometimes or clean something, but it's (almost) always stuff he wants to do and enjoys. Soon we're going to start having the young adults from church over for lunch every other week. We're really excited about that. Then we have dinner, and lately some sort of family activity in the evening--a movie, a game night, etc. The most I'll do work-wise is cook dinner, make photocopies for the upcoming week (I'm trying to get away from that), or do some planning (menus or scheduling). I'm actually hoping to get into the habit of doing dinner in the crockpot the night before so I don't have to cook at all. We clean up after ourselves but I try not to give the kids work beyond that. I'll run the dishwasher but I try to save the laundry until Monday. I try not to travel more than driving to church and back, and I try to avoid stores (but I'm not great at that). One thing I keep learning (and relearning) is that having a restful Sunday requires both conviction and planning. I'm not great at using my Saturday to prepare for a restful Sunday. I'm working on it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Literary Mom Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I am reading a book on this topic right now, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva J. Dawn. She has a lot of good ideas, many of them based on Jewish traditions. Some of her ideas are action ones - attending church, having another family over for a meal, and some of them are mental ones - preparing for the Sabbath and deliberately setting aside other cares and worries. I'm going to try incorporating some of them into my week. Our Sabbath right now generally revolves around several different worship services, and spending family time together, which is good. I need to work on the mental aspect though. I'm reading this right now and really enjoying it - so refreshing and it's inspiring me to implement more of a sabbath. My husband read it first (and loved it) because it was recommended to him by Kevin Twit of Indelible Grace Music, who led our church in a hymnology retreat this past spring. I know this is an old thread, but since it wasn't addressed, I have to say that...I don't see what the conflict is between Christ being our sabbath and having a day of rest. Why can't we do both? They complement each other. Both are biblical. It reminds me of when people insist they don't need a "quiet time" because they are always praying throughout the day. I've gone that route more often than not and suffered spiritually (emotionally as well) because of it. I can attest to the difference in my life and faith when I take time out of my day to focus on God. Continually communing with Him (I fail at that too) is equally important, but anything that helps us "be still and know that [He] is God" is vital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaN. Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 but anything that helps us "be still and know that [He] is God" is vital. Love this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We can't have a Sunday sabbath with no "work" b/c dh is a priest. Funny how that works, isn't it? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Literary Mom Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Love this. This totally played itself out after I posted...I had a quiet time (must have felt convicted posting about that - LOL!) and was reading in the Old Testament (I've been slogging my way through and am finally in Exodus). It was the chapter about God sending manna and quail...and this is what it said: 23 He told them, “This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the Lord. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow.†24 So they put some aside until morning, just as Moses had commanded. And in the morning the leftover food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor. 25 Moses said, “Eat this food today, for today is a Sabbath day dedicated to the Lord. There will be no food on the ground today. 26 You may gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There will be no food on the ground that day.†27 Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food. 28 The Lord asked Moses, “How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions? 29 They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day.†30 So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day. I was blown away! I mean what are the odds? Love hearing that still, small voice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Literary Mom Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 We can't have a Sunday sabbath with no "work" b/c dh is a priest. Funny how that works, isn't it? :D I hope you're able to set aside another day. I realize how hard this is for those who minister, which is why they often need it the most! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We don’t have a strict list of things we don’t do but in general we try not to do things that are work to us. So we don’t run errands. I try not to do laundry on Sundays or clean. The best tradition we’ve developed is a small group that meets every other week at our house or one of two other families houses after church. In some ways it’s more “work” with cooking and preparing for people but it’s our closest friends. The small group has been going on for over 12 years now and often we end up spending the whole afternoon eating, talking and just being with friends. We all have kids and they all run around and play. On the weeks we don’t have small group we try and do something as a family. For us that’s often go into DC to a museum or go on a hike. Sometimes if it’s been a very busy week we just come home and play board games or go biking in the neighborhood. I’ve noticed that Saturdays have gotten busier and busier as our kids have gotten older. We try to protect Sunday as a day of rest (no sports, no activities) not because we think that we have to but because we’ve seen that it’s really beneficial for us. Often Sunday evening I prep for school for the week. Many times dh takes the kids outside to play or for a bike ride or does something else with them. It helps me immensely to have a little time alone to think about the week ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 We're Jewish, so we keep it fairly intensely. From sundown on Friday until an hour after sundown on Saturday, we don't: - use electricity - drive - wash clothes - cook, warm food - braid, undo knots, knot things - use any electronic devices - use the telephone - garden, water plants, move plants, pick flowers We have a Friday dinner, put the kids to bed, and read in the evenings. Then in the morning Husband takes the kids to synagogue (I go or not, depending), and they have a light lunch there. We nap or rest from 2-4, then go to the park. The kids eat with the other religious kids at the park at this time of year, and then they come home and go to bed. Husband goes back to synagogue, and that's all she wrote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 We're Jewish, so we keep it fairly intensely. From sundown on Friday until an hour after sundown on Saturday, we don't: - use electricity - drive - wash clothes - cook, warm food - braid, undo knots, knot things - use any electronic devices - use the telephone - garden, water plants, move plants, pick flowers We have a Friday dinner, put the kids to bed, and read in the evenings. Then in the morning Husband takes the kids to synagogue (I go or not, depending), and they have a light lunch there. We nap or rest from 2-4, then go to the park. The kids eat with the other religious kids at the park at this time of year, and then they come home and go to bed. Husband goes back to synagogue, and that's all she wrote. Wow! This thread is a blast from the past! It was really nice to read through it again. Your answer is fascinating. I worked in a heavily Jewish area many years ago and most of them followed the same sabbath rules except I have never heard of the tying knots one. Can you give the reason behind it? Oh, and the watering flowers one. thanks! . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Watering flowers is gardening -- i.e. farming, so no good. I think tying knots comes under weaving. There are 39 types of labour that we forbid -- the 39 types of labour that went into building the Temple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Watering flowers is gardening -- i.e. farming, so no good. I think tying knots comes under weaving. There are 39 types of labour that we forbid -- the 39 types of labour that went into building the Temple. Oh that makes sense. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 We have friends over for lunch after church, do not conduct regular work (no school work for dh, no hs or writing related things for me), and swap chores so no one is doing their regular weekday chores. We will often play games with everyone, watch a movie, or go outside. We also do not sign-up for activities knowing they occur on Sundays (sports, clubs, etc) but we were blind-sided this year with two activities that ended up having meetings on Sundays, so we have compromised and are participating in half of the scheduled activities until our commitment is over then will not be participating in them in the future. We also have a sundown-to-sundown view of Lord's Day, so I am technically in Lord's Day mode now and will be until sundown tomorrow. And it's fall, so Lord's Days will be getting longer and longer. :-) Ours is like Tutor's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 (edited) I am bad about this. I work 7 days per week. I try to spend Sunday mornings on church, and then my sister takes care of my kids and cooks dinner while I work. Of course, it's not like every other day of work, because there aren't clients calling and deadlines passing and so on, but it's work. For my kids, Sunday is somewhat of a rest day. Other than church/Sunday School,they don't have any structured or hurried activities, unlike every other day. On Saturdays, I work in the morning and then take the kids out in the afternoon/evening. Edited July 21, 2012 by SKL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 We try to just take it easy on Sunday. Dh was working nearly all Sat (until this year) so it was important for us to have a day of rest and togetherness. I try not to schedule anything on Sun or not agree to go unless it is pretty important and make a big deal and have a nap as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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