Description

I have been thinking a lot about the topic of Sabbath over the
course of the last year. It seems that it comes up in more and more
of my conversations, and it's absence in the lives of many people
(especially evident in many of the clients I work with), lead to a
lot struggles, conflict, and issues with anxiety and depression.
And it's absence in my own life is the source (I believe) for much
of the anxiety that I have struggled with.

For a period of time (I actually "http://rhettsmith.com/2010/12/sabbath-keeping-versus-margin-keeping-practices-we-must-foster/"
target="_blank">blogged about Sabbath about 5 and half years
ago, "http://rhettsmith.com/2009/07/diagnosing-our-online-busyness-so-that-we-can-live-more-holistically/"
target="_blank">and here almost 6 years ago). So in reality, I
guess I have been thinking about this topic for a long time...but
maybe I'm just now starting to take it seriously.

This seriousness began last year when I read "http://www.walterbrueggemann.com/" target="_blank">Walter
Brueggemann's powerful book, "http://www.amazon.com/Sabbath-Resistance-Saying-Culture-Now/dp/0664239285"
target="_blank">Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of
Now. In the book, Brueggemann writes:

"In our own contemporary context of the rat race of
anxiety, the celebration of Sabbath is an act of both resistance
and alternative. It is resistance because it is a visible
insistence that our lives are not defined by the production and
consumption of commodity good. Such an act of resistance requires
enormous intentionality and communal reinforcement amid the barrage
of seductive pressures from the insatiable insistences of the
market, with its intrusion into every part of our life from the
family to the national budget." Loc. 196 of 1231
(Kindle)

This is the first of approximately 3-4 podcasts I am going to do
on the topic of Sabbath. And in this episode I explore:

• the context of Sabbath in the Exodus story
• God's freeing of Israel's identity from being one of production
  and performance, to one of rest and dependence in him.
• the ways in which we build our sense of identity around our
  busyness, production, performance, accomplishments, etc.
• Sabbath is a call to place our identity and sense of self in
  relationship to God who sustains and cares for us in our being,
  rather than in one that is dependent upon our control and
  doing.
• the lack of Sabbath as a producer of anxiety.

Please listen and subscribe to my
podcast in the following places, and then leave a comment letting
me know what you liked about the show, or what guest you would like
to hear from. Thank you so much for your support.

"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rhett-smith-podcast/id979432816"
target="_blank">iTunes -- "http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/rhett-smith-podcast?refid=stpr"
target="_blank">Stitcher

"https://player.fm/series/rhett-smith-podcast" target=
"_blank">Player FM -- "http://rhettsmith.libsyn.com/rss" target="_blank">Libsyn

Resources and People
Mentioned in the Podcast

"http://www.amazon.com/Sabbath-Resistance-Saying-Culture-Now/dp/0664239285"
target="_blank">Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to a Culture of
Now by "_blank">Walter Brueggemann

"http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Here-Creating-Living/dp/0062356291"
target="_blank">How to Be Here: A Guide to Creating a Life Worth
Living by Rob
Bell

target="_blank">Henri Nouwen