Babies and Bathwater
A woodcut illustration in a German book from 1512 depicts a woman tossing out a baby along with wastewater from a bucket. This is the first known use of the idiom, “Throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” Some say this phrase came from the idea of a family sharing bathwater (from oldest to youngest) until, finally, the last one—the baby—could barely be seen in the dirty water. Whether this story is true or not, we can be grateful for the invention of modern plumbing!
What Comes First
When I was a young child, I thought that thunder and lightning were separate phenomena that just happened to occur at the same time. It was only years later that a science teacher explained to me that lightning and thunder are directly connected to one another—that the rapid heating and cooling of the air during a lightning strike causes a massive atmospheric boom which we hear as thunder. In other words, you would never have thunder if lightning didn’t strike first.
Rest Affects
One morning, I was surprised to see my mail carrier lugging his heavy bag. I asked him why he was delivering mail on Sunday, and he curtly responded with a single word: “Amazon.” The online retailer had started offering Sunday delivery, so it was no longer a day of rest for postal workers.
Pause Points
Atul Gawande, in his book The Checklist Manifesto, shows how doctors can use a checklist to save lives during surgery. Gawande’s checklist includes three vital “pause points”: before anesthesia, before incision, and before leaving the operating room.
Real Rest
During the long, harsh Alaskan winter, Denali National Park rangers rely on teams of sled dogs to help them patrol the vast, snowy wilderness. Dogsled patrols can last up to 6 weeks, and the dogs are always raring to go.
Resting in Jesus
American journalist James Surowiecki recently wrote this interesting quote:
Seeing God’s Heart
It may seem that modern, paved highways have always existed, but they’re a fairly recent invention. Intended to help people travel quickly and safely, they’re also a source of accidents and traffic jams. Many commuters lament the need to travel on highways—viewing them as an inconvenient and even dangerous part of modern life. What was designed to be a blessing is now viewed as a burden by these drivers.
getting in trouble
One day during class, Adrionna Harris noticed something disturbing—one of her young classmates cutting himself with a small razor. As she perceived it to be a grave situation, she did what she thought was the right thing to do—stepped in, took the razor from him, and threw it away. But instead of receiving praise, her compassionate act earned her a 10-day suspension. Asked if she would do it again, Adrionna replied: “Even if I got in trouble, it didn’t matter because I was helping him . . . I would do it again even if I got suspended.”
October 20, 2014
What are some ways you practice taking a sabbath rest from the busyness of life?
making Jesus angry
My wife rarely gets angry, and in that way she’s my complete opposite. But that also means that when she does get mad, I pay very close attention because only something significant gets her worked up.
work and leisure
Sunday’s here. Hurrah! Let’s go to church in the morning and then catch up on all those things that we couldn’t do during the week. Is that how you view the Lord’s Day? Personal confession: that’s often the way I feel after a busy work week. But is that wrong?
the harvest
Christians observe Pentecost Sunday as the day the Holy Spirit was given to the church. Some celebrate it as the church’s birthday. Contrary to popular belief, the Day of Pentecost didn’t begin with the church. Pentecost is a very important ancient Jewish festival—the fourth of seven major Levitical feasts to be observed by every Jew at the temple in Jerusalem (Leviticus 23:16-17; Exodus 23:14-17).
you choose Q: what can we do on the Lord's Day (Sunday)?
Q: Can we attend interviews or exams on the Lord’s Day? —Samuel
A: The Christian church came into existence during a time when the Gentile world did not recognize a day of rest or worship. Pagans observed holidays and times of religious celebration, but they had no weekly day of rest or worship. Consequently, Christians in the Roman Empire had to…
you choose Q: what does it mean to keep the sabbath day holy?
Q: What does it mean to keep the sabbath day holy or observing the sabbath? Besides going to church does it mean that I cannot eat out in a restaurant on sabbath hence causing one to break the sabbath? Can I not give my dog a bath on that day? —Kit
A: To truly observe the sabbath would require you to do…
you choose Q: "sabbath or sunday"?
Q: Why do most denominations keep Sunday as a Holy day rather than the true Holy day which is the Sabbath, or seventh day of the week? —Roger
A: Sometimes Christians prefer to worship on the Sabbath (Saturday) for personal reasons, or they have a desire to reach out to Jewish people. Although we respect the motivations of these brothers and…
