151. How Did God Intend Us to Experience Sabbath? with Ruth Haley Barton, author of Rhythms of Work and Rest

Spiritual Life and Leadership

Ruth Haley Barton is the Founder and Chief Essence Officer of the Transforming Center and the author of Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest.
There is so much to do as pastors and leaders. And if I’m going to get everything done, there’s very little time to rest. Or if I do take some time to rest, work and responsibility are just gonna sneak their way into that time of rest, anyway.
In this episode, Ruth Haley Barton and I ask: How am I called and invited to practice this gift of Sabbath? And how will a Sabbath practice impact, not only my personal life, but also my life of ministry leadership?
THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Ruth Haley Barton is the Founder and Chief Essence Officer of the Transforming Center and the author of Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest.
• As a child, Ruth Haley Barton’s family practiced Sabbath in a very legalistic way, but stopped practicing the Sabbath as a young adult. Ruth began practicing the Sabbath in her forties.
• Sabbath involves stopping, resisting, and delighting.
• Ruth Haley Barton says there is an edginess to Sabbath in that it is designed in part to release us from whatever oppresses us.
• Sabbath involves doing the kinds of things that bring us delight.
• Sabbath is not the same thing as solitude and silence. Sabbath is a communal practice.
• Ruth Haley Barton explains how she navigated implementing the Sabbath when her kids were teenagers.
• Churches need to consider whether they encourage people—including their clergy—to practice the Sabbath.
• It is helpful for a church staff to take Sabbath together.
• If pastors would rest for twenty-four hours once a week, they would bring a healthier quality of leadership to their churches.
• Ruth Haley Barton points out that the Sabbath gives us an opportunity to trust God with what is bothering us.
• Ruth Haley Barton offers some suggestions for how we can begin to dip our toes into a regular Sabbath practice.

RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:

• Books mentioned:
  • Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest, by Ruth Haley Barton
• Transforming Center
• Church Leadership Institute
• Related episode:
  • Ep. 70: The Subversiveness of Sabbath, with A.J. Swoboda

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