How To Rest on Sunday Sabbath

Over the years I have strived to learn how to truly experience what a sabbath rest could look like in our home. I always knew the Lord was good to provide us such a day (and for some of you, it might not be Sunday, but another day of the week) where our weary souls could rest and refocus ourselves on the Lord.

Here are a few tips to help make Sundays truly a day of rest:

1. Prepare all your clothes the day before. Everything down to shoes, hairbands, tights and socks--this helps so much for large families. Do all the ironing the day before too.

2. Fill the bags. Make sure your diaper bag is stocked with extra clothes and snacks. Did you remember to put your tithe in your purse? Did you pack a bag for coloring books and crayons for the wee ones while they sit in church?

3. Prepare the food---use a crockpot for a hot dinner when you get home.

4. Forget the dishes---and buy paper plates, paper cups and silverware just for this day so everyone can truly have a rest. If you want to use real dishes, you can hold off for cleaning and just soak the dishes until Monday morning.

5. Plan to really rest. Be intentional. Don't fill up the time doing WORK!! Turn you mind away from busyness and meditate on scripture or the preaching you are listening to. Try to fellowship with other families or spend meaningful time as a family.

Our church likes to have a potluck after the end of every service. All of the families bring a dish or two and we enjoy good fellowship for lunch. Sometimes we stay as late as 8pm just hanging out and talking with eachother! I know of other churches who do this too and the fellowship is sweet.

Twice a month our church has a thing called Simple Sundays. I really love this because on this day all the young daughters of the families make a simple meal or soup and help to serve it. Then when everyone is done eating, the fathers and the sons wash dishes and help to clean up. This truly makes for a rest day for the moms and women there and is such a blessing to teach the younger one's to serve in the church.

Now I would like to hear how you celebrate/rest on Sunday's. What tips would you add or idea would you include?

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The Family Integrated Church

Our family attends a family integrated church. I wanted to share a bit about family integrated churches because I strongly support them and believe many people would be blessed by them if they only knew such churches existed. What is a family integrated church you ask? It is a church that worships together as a family (no childrens school or youth groups), but is so much more than that. This is a place where there is sound doctrine and a family can find like minded fellowship with other families who are committed to raising their children for the Lord and fathers are encouraged and discipled to be leaders of their homes and lead in such a way to bring glory to God.

Most of the family integrated churches I have visited are predominantly homeschoolers but do have members who aren't. I have found their fellowship to be sweet and intimate, something harder to find in a mega church. I have seen fathers exhorted to lead and encouraged from the pulpit in a myriad of ways. Women are encouraged to love the Lord, their husbands and children instead of heading up the latest woman's ministry. At this church having a big family is the norm, welcomed and considered a blessing from God---you will not get gawking, mean stares or rude comments because you have more than the average 2.5 children. (This happens to many moms and unfortunately right in church!)

At a FIC you can find ministries designed to support the family. For example, they will host events that promote relationships such as father/son events or mother/daughter tea or like the Maidens of Virtue/Men of Valor group I have written about in the past or homeschool events. They will host family events or serve in a way that help promote families to become a stronger unit. Just yesterday for church we had a gathering afterwards at a dear friends home and her husband taught on the subject of "How to do Ministry as a Family', which was absolutely excellent and encouraging!

There are different denominations that can be found within the FIC and they can be found all over the United States. One well known pastor who has an FIC church that you may know of is Voddie Baucham of Grace Family Baptist Church.

Many families have asked us where they could find like minded fellowship, churches, friends that share their same values because they feel they are living a bit differently than what is considered mainstream Christianity. They have read things here on my blog and wondered where those families existed because they did not see anything like that at the churches they were attending. Well, here is where our family has found families who share our strong faith and family values---at the family integrated church. We have visited four so far and were blessed at all of them. Here is the official website that I wanted to share with you that contains more information on the FIC and an easy-to-use clickable map to find one in your area:

The National Center of Family Integrated Churches

Managers of Their Schools

I have been blessed by the Maxwell family's ministry over the years. I have been challenged, inspired and have implemented many of their ideas into my homeschool and life that I use to this very day. We have seen them teach in person and my children also enjoy their music ministry as a family.

Some of their books that have been a great blessing to me are Managers of their Homes, Managers of their Chores, Keeping Our Children's Hearts and as of late I have noticed that they have a new book out..

Managers of Their Schools



If this is anything like their other books, I will have to make some room on my shelves again to accommodate! I still use much of what I've learned in those other books to run my school day smoothly with eight children underfoot--and this is a mighty task! The books are worth the money!

And if anyone is tired of the lack of quality readers out there for their children, I highly recommend Sarah Maxwell's (daughter to Steve and Terri) Moody Family Series. There is scripture to guide the children, strong family relationships and excitement. My daughters loved all four.



Other books of note from this family:

Homeschooling with a Meek & Quiet Spirit
Preparing Sons
Just Around the Corner

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