Rest as Resistance: Sabbath, Sabbaticals, and Becoming an Outlier
Subtitle: A Conversation on Biblical Rest, Work Culture, and the Courage to Live Counter-Culturally
Podcast: The LOAM Podcast - A Conversation on a More Beautiful Gospel
Episode Type: Final episode with co-host before sabbatical
Episode Summary
In this deeply personal and theologically rich episode, hosts Anthony Parrott and the Reverend Sister Tonetta Landis-Aina explore the radical nature of rest in our productivity-obsessed culture. As Tonetta prepares for her first sabbatical, they dive into biblical perspectives on Sabbath, the resistance inherent in choosing rest, and how our earliest experiences with work and rest shape our adult practices.
Key Takeaway: To practice true rest in our culture is to become "a fugitive from grind culture" and an outlier who chooses to live into the world as it should be, rather than accepting the relentless pace of late-stage capitalism.
Episode Highlights & Timestamps
[Opening] Being an Outlier
- Tonetta's upcoming sabbatical and the rarity of such policies in church work
- The cultural confusion and sideways looks that come with extended rest
- Introduction to Tricia Hersey's concept of being "a fugitive from grind culture"
"To be a fugitive is to break free... embracing becoming an outlier. To live into practices of rest, you have to accept that you will be an outlier."
[Mid-Episode] What Did You Learn from Your Caregivers About Rest?
- Anthony's Story: Growing up with a father working brutal newspaper printing schedules, the family's disrupted rhythms, and the "I'll sleep when I'm dead" mentality
- Tonetta's Story: Middle-class upbringing with a hardworking teacher father who gamed the system for stability, and the tension between being and doing
- How childhood experiences with work and rest shape adult approaches to Sabbath
[Biblical Foundation] Bible and Rest
- Rhythms vs. Balance: Why Anthony believes balance is a lie and rhythms are biblical
- Genesis Patterns: Daily, weekly, yearly, and jubilee cycles of work and rest
- Technology as Resistance: How modern technology tries to override natural creation rhythms
- John 15 - Fruitfulness and Abiding: The counterintuitive wisdom that even fruitful branches need pruning
"If you want something to grow up into a strong, healthy plant... the first year you plant a grapevine, it's gonna bear some fruit... No. Cut it back. Wait a year... You wait at least three years before you start getting the fruit out of it."
[Practical Theology] What Defines Sabbath for Each of Us?
Anthony's Characteristics:
- Work Stoppage: Forcing clarity about what constitutes work vs. rest
- Reposing in Creation: Following God's example of stepping back and saying "this is good"
- Alternative Identity: Leaning into identities beyond work - mother, Prince fan, tennis player
Tonetta's Characteristics:
- Play as Rest: Reclaiming play as non-productive but deeply engaging activity
- Structured Rest: Understanding that rest doesn't have to be passive or unstructured
- Communal Impact: How personal rest creates ripples enabling others to rest
Key Biblical Passages Discussed
- Genesis 1-2: Creation rhythms and the first Sabbath
- John 15: The vine and branches - fruitfulness and abiding
- Exodus & Deuteronomy: Sabbath commands including rest for community and livestock
- Proverbs 8: Wisdom personified as playing and frolicking before God
- Levitical patterns: Sabbatical years and Jubilee cycles
Recommended Resources
Books & Authors Mentioned:
- Tricia Hersey - "Rest is Resistance" and Rest Deck
- Cal Newport - Thoughts on focus as 21st-century currency
- Wendell Berry - Technology and creation rhythms
- Jürgen Moltmann - Liberation theology: Exodus and Sabbath as two sides of freedom
- Cindy Wang Brandt - "Parenting Forward" on collective rest
Concepts Explored:
- Fugitivity and rest as resistance
- Late-stage capitalism vs. biblical rhythms
- Multitasking as myth vs. monotasking as focus
- Play as non-productive engagement
- Trauma-informed learning through play
- Sabbath as community practice, not just individual discipline
Discussion Questions
- How do your earliest experiences with work and rest continue to shape your current practices?
- In what ways might you need to become an "outlier" to practice meaningful rest?
- What's the difference between "balance" and "rhythms" in your own life?
- How can your personal rest create space for others in your community to rest?
- What would it look like to reclaim "play" as an adult spiritual practice?
- Where do you see technology overriding natural rhythms in your life?
Quotable Moments
"Rest is a human right. It is the first day of humanity's existence according to Genesis 2."
"Focus is going to be the most important currency in the 21st century because... everybody is vying for our attention all the time."
"There are two sides to liberation... exodus (leaving the system) and Sabbath (rest). Liberation does not exist unless both of those are in place."
Connect with The LOAM Podcast
- Instagram: @loam.fm
- Anthony Parrott: @pastorparrott (most platforms)
- Tonetta Landis-Aina: @tonneta.landis (Instagram)
- Feedback & Questions: podcast@loam.fm
The LOAM Podcast is a conversation on a more beautiful gospel, exploring faith, justice, and spiritual formation in the modern world.
Special Note: This episode marks Tonetta's final appearance before her sabbatical. The hosts discuss the rarity and importance of sabbatical policies in church work, noting that The Table Church provides three months of sabbatical every three years - an incredibly generous and rare practice in religious organizations.
