Becoming a Community of Disciples

Resources for Application

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For more on the Sabbath, consider the following resources: Dawn, Marva J. Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989. ———. The Sense of the Call: A Sabbath Way of Life for Those Who Serve God, the Church, and the World . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006. In the Old Testament, God’s people were directed to adopt rhythms for their monthly or quarterly practices that still serve as examples for us today. Every month, God’s people celebrated a new moon feast in which they gathered with family and friends to thank God for his faithfulness. Perhaps you gather monthly with family and friends to celebrate birthdays or remember to pray for a particular missional priority? We see another practical example in the life of Jesus—the practice of regular spiritual retreats. Jesus would regularly go away for solitude retreats in order to prioritize time alone with his Father. On average, he took one “spiritual retreat” every four or five months. Consider Table 4 and the example it provides for our own habit of periodic spiritual retreats. “Rule of Life”: Intentional about My Quarterly Rhythms