If the practice of keeping a sabbath day each week is new to you, then perhaps it is best to start small. To that end, we invite you to schedule and plan at least TWO SABBATH DAYS during the next several weeks as a way to begin cultivating this vital practice into the rhythm and cadence of your life. You may find it strange or weird and even difficult at first. “Wait…” you might be saying, “doing nothing is difficult?” Yes, actually. Yes. It. Is. But it is totally worth it—and, is even considered by many to be essential. Besides, you’re not exactly doing nothing—you’re resting. But as little people with big heads who think we keep the world running, stopping and actually resting (not merely checking out) can, at first, seem not only difficult, but near impossible and maybe even foolish. Because sabbath and trust go hand and hand: Sabbath becomes easier to the degree that you learn to trust God with the whole ‘running-the-world’ thing—and what might have originally felt slightly foolish begins to make practical, obvious, good sense, seems wise even.

Though many will find that Sundays often work best, your sabbath does not have to be Sunday. The guides below are meant to help you plan and prepare for your sabbaths—around two important themes: Hope and Faith. Try for at least two, but of course, rinse, repeat, repurpose, and reuse as often as you want.