My Sabbath...

Last night Sabbath began with a meal of crockpot chili and cornbread. We were all at the table and enjoyed a nice meal together. I like meals that are mostly one course... they are so much more simpler and "I" enjoy them more, rather than being pressed to finish several dishes at once and rush them to the table before anything gets cold. This was one of those meals! After supper things got cleaned up and the older kids played games with Dad while I watched Jonah (veggie tales) with my little one.

We're currently bottle feeding 4 lambs. So that puts a little rush on Sabbath mornings. I had prepared cinnamon rolls the day before, so a quick breakfast to help us out the door.

I was asked to also teach the youth class in Sabbath school for a gal who would be gone for the day. They are studying the Great Controversy study book. Basically it goes through the themes of the Great Controversy, but uses Bible texts to make the points. Some quotes from the Great Controversy are given between verses to read to make the point more clear. We had a good study. It was focusing on the Sabbath and points that commandment keepers are part of God's followers. It also pointed out that things have not changed... Jesus didn't come to change laws but to fulfill them and teach us how to live with them.

My daughter Chelsea had been asking more about the end times and was a good study. I only had three in the class and when talking about Sabbath was made for man and not man for Sabbath, I asked them to try to explain that... and they all stammered and their immediate thought was Sabbath was not for our enjoyment, it was made for keeping. Oh, No, girls... You've all got that wrong! I spent a while trying to talk to them about that. That the Sabbath was made for US... God doesn't need us to worship on Sabbath or to come to church on Sabbath... that was what the verse was trying to say... God made the Sabbath for us... to help us rest, to give us time to commune with our Saviour, our Creator... because that is what we were created to do and if we leave no time to do that, we live a lopsided life that never feels right. We need time to commune with Jesus... an entire day to feel no pressures of work pulling at us... to rest in Him!

Afterwards we ventured down to the sanctuary and participated in church. Our sermon was based on the theme of the end times as well. It identified several verses through the times of what made God's people... God's people. The elder ended it in an interesting manner of reading the Impressive Dream... the one about the narrow road. As he read it, he paused with each step along that road... each burden that was laid off... each item that was removed to make the path easier to travel... until you see the wall stained with blood, realizing others have gone this path as well. It is not an easy path to travel, but it is one worth traveling! It really touched my heart to hear this as some days... or years, I have felt that I am just hanging by a thread to keep going. The criticims we take, the trials we bear, the struggles we face each day...not to mention the reality that we are not perfect! The sermon was short, but to the point and it made it's point deep in my heart. I praise God for that.

After church we headed home and the girls checked on the sheep while I warmed up lunch. We had haystacks. The Pastor's son joined us for lunch... he is dating our oldest daughter. Their dates consist more of visiting each other at their homes (with family around) or seeing each other at church. We also had strawberry pretzel salad that my daughter made. And dessert was some peanut butter blossom cookies (with the chocolate stars in the middle).

I played two games with Megan, while the other kids talked on the couch. I then took little Paige upstairs and we relaxed until she finally fell asleep. The older girls kept tabs on the sheep... we had our daughter's sheep lamb... three ewe lambs, she is so excited. Another two in labor. Just after Sabbath we checked the one as she wasn't progressing. She had triplets, all needed pulling and all three died. One of the triplet lambs appeared sickly and none had a heart rate at all, so three were all stillborn. Poor mama. The other mama we are still waiting on.


We ended the Sabbath with a reading from the book, Guide's favorite Sabbath stories. I had chosen that before Sabbath, little did I know that our Sabbath school and church service would both talk about Sabbath keepers and here I had chosen a story of someone who had chosen to keep his Sabbath. I love it when things happen that way... without planning it!

Warmly, ~Melissa