Tag Archives: rest

Resolved to get a good night’s rest…

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15

Maybe the darkness isn’t darkness at all. Maybe it is the Divine hug wrapping us so tightly that we can no longer see anything but the stillness.

And maybe the silence isn’t just silence–Divine abandonment. Maybe it is the Divine Lullaby inviting our weary souls into the stilling sacrament of Sabbath.

Maybe the Dark Night is the place where our soul is to find rest. Maybe there is no Divine Movement because the moment is not purposed for action and activity, but for restoration and refuge–hiding–holding–wholing.

And maybe the Dark Night of the Soul would pass more easily if we leaned into it, laying our souls down in the blanket of darkness, welcoming rest rather than fighting for light.

Maybe this is the Circadian Rhythm of the soul…

Come and rest in my world. Seriously.

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Ian Morgan Cron will be in my world in a few months–starting October 23rd, to be exact. And he will bring his wisdom and words to us. And we will sit and listen. And soak up all he has to say about finding rest and devotion and communion with God, the sort of rest that tired creative souls really need.

And I’m confident that this will be “just what we need” because “we” are the ones planning it. “We” are a group of local creatives who need a bit of a break–a moment to breathe in the salt air of our Golden Isles while words and worship wash over us like waves on our beaches.

We are unapologetically selfish in how we are planning this week, because we know we aren’t the only ones who want this kind of break. We are planning time to meditate. Time to play. Time to pray. Time to sit. Time to sing. Time to listen. Time to eat. Time to rest.

These three days won’t be packed full of sessions and speed and speakers and static and stuff.

These three days will be open… breathing… honest…

If you’re interested, let us know. We’ve got a spot for ya: RefugeSSI.com

 

Friday Finds (and, oh, there are some goodies!!)

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  1. Do you ever meet someone and immediately respect them? I officially met Chuck at a conference back in February, and he made quite an impression on me. This is from his blog, which he stole from John Maxwell: “We exaggerate yesterday.  We overestimate tomorrow. But we vastly underestimate today! When your mind is focused on yesterday, your heart will be filled with regret from the past. When your mind is focused on tomorrow, your heart will be filled with anxiety about the future.  When your mind is focused on today, your heart will be filled with hope. If you change what you do today, your life will change! 
  2. If you need some inspiration and motivation for your weekend creativity, go HERE. I found it via Jeff Goins (gah I promise I’m not obsessed with JG. I could talk equally as much about Ms. Messy Canvas if I wanted. And maybe I will.)
  3. Want to be challenged to dig deeper into yourself and find the diamonds that may be hidden? Go read some Messy Canvas. Her words are worth the time. & I like to call her The Messy Mandy (as if I’m not!)…
  4. And what’s floating around in my brain today? We cannot create from the depths if we are not willing to reach down and dig. So, this weekend, I’m doing some serious digging.
What are you doing this post-memorial-day weekend? Any creative aspirations on your calendar?

What would you do with a day?

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The alarm clock screams you out of a conversation with your best friend about Bill Gates and how if he didn’t have to go to College to become this successful, then why did you? Especially since you’re not using your degree in your current job and Bill gets a yacht but you can’t even afford a RC boat for your kid. And then, in half wakefulness, you wonder just how much your dreams reflect your subconscious, because … well … you don’t have a kid who wants a boat.

You slam the clock into silence while it blinks 8:00am. Blinking back at it: “Why 8am? You’re late for work!” The panic hits before you remember that you’ve been given the day off.

But… There’s an alarm, but there’s no work to wake up to. This is prime sleep-in territory right here, and your sinister alter-ego must’ve anticipated the torture you’d experience in this very moment. There’s no other explanation for that alarm. Your head returns to its warm and welcoming indentation in the pillow.

You close your eyes and Bill Gates is standing in front of you, explaining that there’s just no room in his entourage for a person with a Physical Education degree. Your counterpoint rests on the fact that 85% of today’s college grads do not use their degrees in their career fields. He rolls his bazillion-dollar eyes. You can feel the vessels in your neck expand and tighten with your blood pressure. And your heart is pounding in your ears – except it’s a loud buzzing pounding that sounds a lot like….

THAT STUPID ALARM CLOCK AGAIN.

This time you’re full of frustration. That’s it. You throw back the covers and try clear your mind and it comes to you.

You’re staring at a blank-slate of a day. Nothing to do but enjoy the fact that you have nothing to do. And sleeping ’til 8am is late enough. You planned to get out and do something with the day.

So, this is what you do: [finish the story in a comment]

Have you ever stood up straight? (my take on “yoga”)

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23

I used to think “yoga” was some other religion or something. And, yes, traditional Yoga is. But, when we grab our trendy “yoga” mat and head to the gym, we’re doing an exercise based on poses from traditional Yoga. Breathing. Stretches. Movements. Postures. Most true Yogis would say that what we’re doing is not legitimate Yoga. And I would agree with them. But we still call it “yoga” since the phrase “yoga-cise” just hasn’t caught on.

I got into “yoga” to relieve mental and physical stress. That part of me that used to think “yoga” was a bad idea is still pretty cautious. I’m anti-Harry Potter, for crying out loud.

(This not a post about Harry Potter. Stay with me here.)

(To be clear: I’m not inviting a Harry Potter debate in the comments. Mkay? Love and hugs to you all.)

Anyway, back to the un-spiritual “yoga-cise.”

The stuff I do isn’t related to my subconscious or meditative prayer. The instructors don’t talk about being one with God – or different states of consciousness. They just instruct me to stretch my body. Strengthen my muscles. Get into shape. Control my breathing. Eliminate stress that has been stored up in my shoulders and neck and back, causing me to wake up in pain.

For example, one of the poses is called “Mountain Pose” – standing up – tall – feet flat on the floor – back straight and even – head held high – arms down by your side – slowly breathing.

I could be wrong, but I think an R-rated movie will do more damage to my soul.

I asked my theologian husband if he thought “yoga” was evil:

“It’s exercise… I mean, to get to stand there and balance on one leg? meh. I think everyone gets to do that.”

I kinda see it in a similar light as the issue of “eating food sacrificed to idols” that Paul mentions in First Corinthians… For some, this could compromise their conscience. For others, it may be no big deal.

For me, “yoga” means less 5am backaches and less 5pm headaches…

And, just ask my husband, I’m much more Godly if I’ve gotten a good night’s rest! :)