28 DAY SLOW // Jan 9 - Feb 5

Starting January 9th through February 5th, we will be committing as a church to SLOW DOWN. Over the next four weeks, we will be providing tools and resources to assist in living a less-hurried life, so ultimately, we can be more aware of God’s direction in our lives and take the next steps in living life to the fullest.

Our 28 Day Slow will take place during our series, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”, based on the book by John Mark Comer. This book is highly recommended as a resource that will not only be beneficial during this series but for years to come!

Week One: Identifying The Problem

Do you find yourself easily annoyed? Are you obsessive over getting things done and fall prey to fatigue? Maybe you tend to pull away and isolate yourself when times get difficult or overwhelming. This “10 Symptoms of Hurry Sickness” quiz is found in John Mark Comer’s book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” and is a helpful tool to bring self-awareness to an issue that is taking our culture capitve.

Week Two: Types of Prayer

Almost everyone prays. Overall, 9 in 10 Americans claim to engage in prayer, most on a daily basis. Scientists have studied prayer. Those who pray 30 minutes a day have lower blood pressure, reduced stress, and better focus. They report feeling more powerfully connected to God and experience him directly. What if we could experience more of the benefit of prayer and less “bounce-back” from the ceiling? Would you be interested?

Use this worksheet to help walk you through the prayer pattern that Jesus introduces to us in Matthew 6:9.

Week Three: Practical Ideas

“Slow down your body, slow down your soul”—this is the motto of slowing, an emerging practice in the Western world. While you still won’t find it on any of the standard lists of spiritual disciplines, it still fits the definition of a practice based on the life and teachings of Jesus. Jesus was never in a hurry. His slow, deliberate pace, created room in his life for the interruptions that became the stories of the four gospels.

Use this workbook provided by John Mark Comer for practical ideas and exercises to minimize the hurry in your life.

Week Four: Sabbath

Sabbath is a 24-hour time period of restful worship, by which we cultivate a restful spirit in all of our life.

A good way to think about Sabbath is through the lens of four translations of the Hebrew word shabbat:

1. Stop—we cease from all working, all thinking about working, all worrying, and all wanting.

2. Rest—we rest our soul, meaning, our whole person. Physical: we sleep. Mental and emotional: we calm down, relax, process the week. Spiritual: we cease our striving, and rest in God’s love for us through abiding.

3. Delight—we pamper our soul with activities that spark joy, wonder, gratitude, and happiness, such as eating good food, walking in nature, spending time with family or friends, listening to music, playing games, making love to our spouse, or just having fun before God.

4. Worship—we index our heart toward grateful praise and adoration of God, and we surrender our life to him, one week at a time.

Use the worksheet below to design your own weekly Sabbath!